Most Popular Baby Names of 1960

In 1960, Mary was the most popular name for girls, given to 51,472 babies, and David topped the boys' list with 85,929. Mary held on to number one for a eighth year in a row, and David took the top spot from Michael.

Social Security counted 2,021,941 girls and 2,132,320 boys born in 1960 under names given to at least five babies, spread across 7,332 different girls' names and 4,598 boys' names.

Top 100 names of 1960

Top girls' names, 1960
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1959
1	Mary	51,472	same
2	Susan	39,208	same
3	Linda	37,316	same
4	Karen	36,378	same
5	Donna	34,138	same
6	Lisa	33,693	up 4
7	Patricia	32,113	down 1
8	Debra	26,732	down 1
9	Cynthia	26,706	down 1
10	Deborah	25,266	down 1
11	Sandra	24,572	up 2
12	Barbara	24,454	down 1
13	Brenda	23,963	up 3
14	Pamela	22,092	down 2
15	Nancy	21,891	down 1
16	Sharon	20,414	up 1
17	Cheryl	19,120	up 1
18	Elizabeth	18,859	up 3
19	Teresa	18,839	up 5
20	Lori	18,690	up 7
21	Kathy	18,478	down 6
22	Diane	17,909	down 3
23	Carol	17,463	down 1
24	Debbie	17,067	down 4
25	Laura	17,060	up 5
26	Kimberly	16,854	up 7
27	Kathleen	16,085	down 4
28	Julie	16,079	down 2
29	Denise	15,066	same
30	Cindy	14,953	down 5
31	Tammy	14,317	same
32	Janet	14,250	down 4
33	Robin	13,971	down 1
34	Kim	12,477	up 1
35	Theresa	11,847	down 1
36	Margaret	11,362	same
37	Laurie	10,143	up 19
38	Rebecca	9,970	same
39	Michelle	9,893	up 8
40	Christine	9,874	up 3
41	Janice	9,620	down 4
42	Catherine	9,536	down 2
43	Carolyn	9,403	down 1
44	Rhonda	9,255	up 1
45	Tina	9,133	up 8
46	Cathy	9,130	down 7
47	Connie	8,881	up 1
48	Judy	8,855	down 7
49	Terri	8,743	down 3
50	Angela	8,683	up 18
51	Ann	8,677	down 7
52	Kelly	8,673	up 22
53	Diana	8,327	down 4
54	Sherry	8,314	up 4
55	Paula	8,066	down 4
56	Sheila	7,905	down 4
57	Dawn	7,813	down 3
58	Joyce	7,757	down 8
59	Maria	7,535	up 3
60	Beverly	7,392	down 5
61	Jennifer	7,243	up 17
62	Annette	7,136	up 2
63	Wendy	6,870	up 20
64	Lynn	6,850	down 1
65	Valerie	6,717	down 5
66	Wanda	6,674	down 1
67	Jane	6,586	same
68	Betty	6,501	down 9
69	Peggy	6,428	down 12
70	Shirley	6,411	down 9
71	Bonnie	6,389	same
72	Beth	6,257	up 8
73	Vicki	6,159	same
74	Judith	6,149	down 4
75	Darlene	6,093	down 9
76	Jill	6,019	up 10
77	Amy	5,973	up 8
78	Suzanne	5,966	up 18
79	Gloria	5,961	up 2
80	Joan	5,881	down 4
81	Katherine	5,876	down 2
82	Kathryn	5,868	down 13
83	Martha	5,831	down 11
84	Tracy	5,768	up 47
85	Jacqueline	5,654	up 26
86	Jean	5,639	down 9
87	Anita	5,637	same
88	Anne	5,636	down 6
89	Michele	5,609	same
90	Gail	5,428	down 15
91	Stephanie	5,265	up 10
92	Leslie	5,242	down 8
93	Renee	5,208	up 7
94	Ellen	5,136	down 3
95	Dorothy	5,076	down 1
96	Rita	5,027	up 2
97	Ruth	4,943	same
98	Rose	4,882	down 10
99	Joanne	4,875	down 7
100	Vickie	4,857	down 10

Top boys' names, 1960
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1959
1	David	85,929	up 1
2	Michael	84,153	down 1
3	James	76,815	same
4	John	76,096	same
5	Robert	72,357	same
6	Mark	58,727	same
7	William	49,361	same
8	Richard	43,553	same
9	Thomas	39,278	same
10	Steven	33,878	same
11	Timothy	30,498	up 1
12	Joseph	29,749	up 1
13	Charles	29,677	down 2
14	Jeffrey	28,841	up 2
15	Kevin	28,400	down 1
16	Kenneth	27,701	down 1
17	Daniel	25,945	up 1
18	Paul	25,642	down 1
19	Donald	22,744	same
20	Brian	22,000	up 2
21	Ronald	21,714	same
22	Gary	21,693	down 2
23	Scott	21,606	up 1
24	Gregory	20,304	down 1
25	Anthony	19,499	up 1
26	Edward	16,595	up 1
27	Stephen	16,267	up 1
28	Larry	15,988	down 3
29	Christopher	15,361	up 6
30	Douglas	15,133	same
31	Dennis	14,303	down 2
32	Randy	14,206	down 1
33	George	14,063	down 1
34	Terry	13,932	down 1
35	Keith	12,180	up 4
36	Mike	12,045	up 1
37	Jerry	11,835	down 1
38	Ricky	11,000	down 4
39	Bruce	10,972	down 1
40	Frank	10,755	up 2
41	Craig	10,724	up 3
42	Peter	10,715	down 2
43	Steve	10,645	down 2
44	Eric	10,539	up 2
45	Patrick	10,356	down 2
46	Raymond	9,720	down 1
47	Roger	9,041	same
48	Danny	8,611	same
49	Jeff	8,511	up 3
50	Alan	8,356	same
51	Andrew	8,201	up 7
52	Tony	7,999	up 1
53	Carl	7,808	up 1
54	Dale	7,677	down 5
55	Jeffery	7,658	same
56	Russell	7,487	same
57	Joe	7,314	same
58	Wayne	7,193	down 7
59	Randall	7,174	same
60	Tim	6,931	same
61	Matthew	6,925	up 2
62	Gerald	6,571	down 1
63	Chris	6,494	up 9
64	Lawrence	6,380	down 2
65	Johnny	6,184	down 1
66	Phillip	6,047	up 8
67	Billy	6,023	down 2
68	Rodney	5,865	down 1
69	Jimmy	5,817	same
70	Walter	5,763	down 4
71	Todd	5,752	up 28
72	Barry	5,733	up 1
73	Bobby	5,656	down 2
74	Glenn	5,563	up 6
75	Jim	5,549	down 5
76	Philip	5,509	down 8
77	Martin	5,495	up 2
78	Jay	5,385	up 10
79	Curtis	5,363	down 4
80	Roy	5,255	up 1
81	Willie	5,238	down 3
82	Arthur	5,194	down 6
83	Greg	5,084	up 8
84	Henry	4,968	down 1
85	Jack	4,918	same
86	Tom	4,894	down 4
87	Ronnie	4,872	down 10
88	Bryan	4,780	up 6
89	Ralph	4,770	down 5
90	Bradley	4,746	up 13
91	Samuel	4,711	down 5
92	Harold	4,679	down 5
93	Albert	4,602	down 1
94	Dean	4,518	up 1
95	Bill	4,501	down 2
96	Darryl	4,436	up 34
97	Jon	4,403	up 8
98	Vincent	4,373	up 4
99	Allen	4,371	down 2
100	Stanley	4,221	down 2

Biggest climbers in 1960

The names that gained the most ground within the top 1,000 compared with 1959.

Girls

Alesia: up 383 places, from 895th to 512th
Lesia: up 237 places, from 954th to 717th
Bettina: up 221 places, from 997th to 776th
Shelli: up 214 places, from 949th to 735th
Wendi: up 178 places, from 828th to 650th
Paige: up 168 places, from 913th to 745th
Missy: up 163 places, from 912th to 749th
Gabrielle: up 143 places, from 874th to 731st
Lucretia: up 143 places, from 906th to 763rd
Danielle: up 139 places, from 692nd to 553rd

Boys

Darin: up 329 places, from 777th to 448th
Theron: up 219 places, from 823rd to 604th
Darrin: up 214 places, from 753rd to 539th
Daren: up 203 places, from 818th to 615th
Raynard: up 200 places, from 971st to 771st
Keenan: up 183 places, from 934th to 751st
Desmond: up 169 places, from 996th to 827th
Antony: up 164 places, from 939th to 775th
Lavern: up 149 places, from 935th to 786th
Stacey: up 146 places, from 648th to 502nd

New to the top 1,000 in 1960

Girls

Lisha, 598th (its first time ever)
Simone, 632nd (back after dropping out)
Misty, 701st (its first time ever)
Deidra, 747th (its first time ever)
Fonda, 839th (back after dropping out)
Lanette, 845th (back after dropping out)
Carolina, 865th (back after dropping out)
Leisha, 871st (its first time ever)
Aleta, 874th (back after dropping out)
Delilah, 885th (back after dropping out)

Boys

Kennedy, 720th (its first time ever)
Gavin, 766th (back after dropping out)
Eliot, 800th (back after dropping out)
Lisa, 823rd (its first time ever)
Tobin, 834th (back after dropping out)
Arnulfo, 843rd (back after dropping out)
Darold, 853rd (back after dropping out)
Haywood, 857th (back after dropping out)
Rayford, 875th (back after dropping out)
Marcelino, 883rd (back after dropping out)

How spread out were names in 1960?

The ten most popular girls' names went to 17% of the girls counted in 1960, and the top ten boys' names to 29.1% of the boys. In 1940, those shares were 23.1% for girls and 33.5% for boys.

Source: Social Security Administration, national baby name data, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.