Popular Names of 1953

The 20 most popular names given to female and to male babies born in 1953, as recorded, with each name’s rank in 2025. Dwight peaked among human males this year, at 122nd.

Table 1. Female names, 1953
Rank	Name	Number	Rank in 2025
1	Mary	64,389	125
2	Linda	61,281	902
3	Deborah	52,199	864
4	Patricia	51,019	1,336
5	Susan	44,297	1,091
6	Barbara	38,473	968
7	Debra	36,856	4,478
8	Nancy	30,620	967
9	Karen	29,858	1,281
10	Pamela	25,760	2,251
11	Sandra	25,500	1,210
12	Cynthia	25,140	1,014
13	Donna	24,227	1,965
14	Kathleen	23,731	1,156
15	Sharon	23,040	1,256
16	Carol	22,290	2,242
17	Diane	21,351	2,620
18	Brenda	20,122	1,527
19	Janet	17,771	2,791
20	Margaret	16,195	112

Table 2. Male names, 1953
Rank	Name	Number	Rank in 2025
1	Robert	86,243	92
2	James	86,066	6
3	Michael	84,198	21
4	John	80,165	23
5	David	76,119	35
6	William	61,829	9
7	Richard	58,389	234
8	Thomas	47,008	34
9	Charles	38,421	48
10	Gary	36,967	1,073
11	Steven	33,721	271
12	Mark	29,341	245
13	Joseph	29,269	29
14	Donald	28,361	690
15	Ronald	27,713	638
16	Paul	25,509	262
17	Kenneth	25,507	294
18	Larry	25,208	1,085
19	Dennis	23,658	707
20	Daniel	23,498	22

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As recorded on the Social Security card application. Names given to fewer than five babies of a sex in a year are not published, so the file is a floor.