The 1950s were an interesting time for the United States and for many other countries. The world had finally exited the exhausting tragedy that was World War II, and many countries experienced an economic boom. As these things tend to do, that economic happiness resulted in a baby boom as well.
The baby boom was fueled in part by older women who gained work experience during the war, which made them more qualified than younger women who were entering the labor market at the same time. Many of those younger women decided to get married and have babies instead, which resulted in quite a few babies being born throughout the decade.
The fertility rate jumped from two children per woman of childbearing age to four, and the baby boom from the 1950s played a huge role in shaping the US economy for decades.
Since there were so many babies being born, it's not surprising that parents were coming up with tons of baby names. The Social Security Administration cites these names as the top baby names from the 1950s.
Mary
Whether or not you're religious, many people associate the name Mary with Mary of Nazareth, who is believed to be the mother of Jesus. The name has Aramaic and Hebrew origins and has quite a few meanings, including "wished for child," "bitter," and "beloved."
Famous people named Mary: Mary, Queen of Scots; Mary J. Blige; Mary Shelley
James
James is another name that has its roots in Hebrew. The name is related to the name Jacomus, which means "may God protect."
James is a common name for theatrical and cinematic characters, and Shakespeare was particularly fond of using the name in his work.
Famous people named James: James Cameron, James McAvoy, James Spader
Linda
Linda is a name with Spanish origins and translates directly as "pretty." The name is also related to Belinda and Melinda, which are two older English names that are derived from linde, the German word for lime tree.
Famous people named Linda: Linda Blair, Linda Hamilton, Linda McCartney
Michael
Michael is a Hebrew name that is derived from the phrase mī kā'ēl, which translates to "who is like God?" The name also has English, German, and Dutch roots.
Famous people named Michael: Michael Jordan, Michael Bloomberg, Michael Caine
Patricia
Patricia is related to the Latin word patrician, which means noble. It's also the feminized version of the name Patrick. Patricia has a bunch of fun nicknames, including Pat, Trish, Trisha, and Patti.
Famous people named Patricia: Patti LaBelle, Trisha Yearwood, Patricia Arquette
Robert
Robert is a German name that is related to the word hrodebert, which translates to "bright light" or "bright fame." Robert was the most popular name for boys in 1953.
Famous people named Robert: Robert Redford, Robert De Niro, Robert Downey Jr.
Susan
Susan is a sweet English name that's derived from the longer Susanna. The name was especially popular from the 1940s to the 1960s.
Some point to a Hebrew origin for Susan, citing the meaning "lily."
Famous people named Susan: Susan Boyle, Susan B. Anthony, Susan Sarandon
John
John has three key influences: English (Iohannes), Greek (Ἰωάννης), and Hebrew (Yochanan). Jewish and Christian families will recognize the name in the Torah and Old Testament, but it was popularized in the New Testament by John the Baptist and the apostle John.
Famous people named John: John Lennon, John Travolta, John Cena
Deborah
Deborah is a popular Jewish name that means "bee." As the tale goes, Deborah is the woman who leads the Israelites to safety from the Canaanites.
Famous people named Deborah: Debbie Gibson, Debra Messing
David
David is another very popular Hebrew name that is often used by Jewish families. David is often regarded as the greatest king of Israel, known for having defeated Goliath.
David is also a popular in the United Kingdom.
Famous people named David: Dave Chappelle, David Tennant, David Duchovny
Barbara
Barbara is a Greek name that translates to "foreign." In the Greek legend, Barbara is the patron of architects, geologists, stonemasons, and artillerymen.
Famous people named Barbara: Barbra Streisand, Barbara Walters
William
William is a very popular name with Germanic roots, and that name translates to "strong-willed warrior." William is still quite popular today, ranking No. 15 as of time of writing.
Famous people named William: Prince William, William H. Macy, William Shatner
Karen
While the name Karen is synonymous with entitled white women these days, the name is actually pretty diverse and has Dutch, Norwegian, Icelandic, English, German, Armenian, and Japanese roots.
In Japanese, Karen is a combination of 華 (ka) and 蓮 (ren), which mean "flower" and "lotus," respectively.
Famous people named Karen: Karen Carpenter, Karen Gillan
Thomas
Thomas is the Greek version of the Aramaic name Ta'oma'. Thomas was quite the popular name for British boys from the 13th century all the way to the 19th.
Famous people named Thomas: Thomas Edison, Thomas Paine
Nancy
Nancy was once a diminutive of the name Annis, until becoming a full-fledged name in its own right. Nancy experienced a heyday in the United States in the 19th century and is currently the 803rd most popular name.
Famous people named Nancy: Nancy Sinatra, Nancy Wilson
Mark
Mark is a shortened version of the Latin name Marcus, and the name also has biblical origins. St. Mark is the person credited with writing the second gospel of the New Testament, and the name gained popularity in the 19th century.
Famous people named Mark: Mark Wahlberg, Mark Ruffalo
Donna
Donna is a name with Italian roots, as it is directly related to the word for "lady." It's also the feminine version of the name Donald.
Famous people named Donna: Donna Summer
Charles
While Charles is routinely associated with Brits, the name actually has Germanic roots and is a cousin of the German name Karl.
Famous people named Charles: Prince Charles, Charles Dickens, Charles Darwin
Cynthia
Cynthia is the Latin version of the Greek name Kynthia, which means "woman from Kynthos." Cynthia is related to the Greek moon goddess Artemis, as she is said to have been born on the mountain of Kynthos alongside her brother Apollo.
Famous people named Cynthia: Cynthia Nixon, Cynthia Lennon
Steven
Steven is very closely related to the names Stephen and Stefan and is the male version of Stephanie. Both Steven and Stephanie translate to "crown."
Steven is regarded as a fairly classic name and still ranks in the 300s in terms of the most popular baby boy names in 2021.
Famous people named Steven: Steven Tyler, Steven Soderbergh
Sandra
Sandra is a version of the name Alessandra, which is the Italian version of Alexandra. Other variants include Alissa and Sondra, and diminutives include Sandy, Sandie, and Sandrine.
Famous people named Sandra: Sandra Oh, Sandra Bullock
Gary
Gary began as a last name that slowly migrated over time to being a first name. The actor Gary Cooper made the name quite popular in the 1920s in the United States.
Famous people named Gary: Gary Busey, Gary Coleman
Pamela
Pamela is a name that's said to have been invented by a poet named Sir Philip Sidney and again by author Samuel Richardson. The name did not gain popularity in the United States until the 20th century and is currently ranked No. 1,550.
Famous people named Pamela: Pamela Anderson
Joseph
Joseph is related to the Latin and Greek name Ioseph as well as the Hebrew name Yosef. The name was originally very popular among Jewish families, with Christian families adopting it after the Protestant Reformation.
Famous people named Joseph: Joseph Fiennes, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Sharon
Sharon is another name that is Hebrew in origin, as it translates to "plain," which is a reference to "the fertile plain near the coast of Israel."
Famous people named Sharon: Sharon Osbourne, Sharon Stone
Donald
Donald is related to the Gaelic name Domhnall, which translates to "ruler of the world." The name currently ranks as the 714th most popular baby boy name in the United States, an increase from last year.
Famous people named Donald: Don Henley, Donald Sutherland
Kathleen
Kathleen is yet another name that seems to originate in … other names! Kathleen is a cousin of Caitlin, Cateline, Katherine, Cathleen, and Caitríona.
Famous people named Kathleen: Kathleen Kennedy, Kathleen Turner
Ronald
Ronald is a Scottish name that was introduced by Scottish settlers and invaders and really hit its stride in the 20th century. The name also has Norse roots and is a cousin of Reynold.
Famous people named Ronald: Ronald Reagan
Carol
Carol has English and Romanian roots. In English, it's directly related to the word for "song" or "hymn." In Romanian, the name is a feminized form of Carolus, which was the name of two different kings.
Famous people named Carol: Carol Burnett
Kenneth
Kenneth has Gaelic and Scottish ancestry and is related to the word for "handsome" in both languages. It can also translate to "born of fire" in Gaelic.
Famous people named Kenneth: Kenny Chesney, Babyface (Kenneth Edmonds)
