Popular Names of 1965

The 20 most popular names given to female and to male babies born in 1965, as recorded, with each name’s rank in 2025. Kevin peaked among human males this year, at 13th.

Table 1. Female names, 1965
Rank	Name	Number	Rank in 2025
1	Lisa	60,271	991
2	Mary	34,270	125
3	Karen	32,869	1,281
4	Kimberly	28,836	303
5	Susan	26,321	1,091
6	Patricia	23,552	1,336
7	Donna	19,700	1,965
8	Linda	19,345	902
9	Cynthia	19,239	1,014
10	Angela	18,754	408
11	Tammy	18,013	3,703
12	Pamela	17,467	2,251
13	Deborah	17,081	864
14	Julie	16,987	873
15	Sandra	16,371	1,210
16	Elizabeth	16,321	17
17	Laura	16,218	379
18	Michelle	16,215	465
19	Lori	15,695	1,726
20	Jennifer	15,207	586

Table 2. Male names, 1965
Rank	Name	Number	Rank in 2025
1	Michael	80,992	21
2	John	71,493	23
3	David	67,825	35
4	James	67,666	6
5	Robert	63,106	92
6	William	40,111	9
7	Mark	38,244	245
8	Richard	36,817	234
9	Thomas	31,595	34
10	Jeffrey	29,574	552
11	Joseph	28,630	29
12	Timothy	28,334	203
13	Kevin	28,177	221
14	Steven	27,977	271
15	Scott	25,437	534
16	Paul	24,919	262
17	Daniel	24,833	22
18	Christopher	24,640	68
19	Brian	24,552	339
20	Charles	23,494	48

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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.