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Baby names that rocked the 1960s

路Cata Holmes

Dennis Hallinan // Getty
Dennis Hallinan // Getty

You can often guess when someone was born from their fashion, favorite music, or childhood memories, but sometimes all it takes is their name. Every generation leaves its mark on the baby name charts, creating a snapshot of the tastes, traditions, and cultural influences that shaped families at the time. Decades later, those once-trendy choices can instantly place someone in a particular era.

The 1960s produced plenty of names that still feel familiar today, but they don't all carry the same popularity they once did. Some have remained steady favorites across multiple generations, while others peaked during the decade before quietly fading from playgrounds, classrooms, and birth announcements. Michael, the decade's top boys' name, still ranked #21 in 2025, while Debra, which averaged more than 15,000 births a year in the 1960s, was given to just 31 babies.

Looking back at these names offers a small but fascinating window into how American naming trends have evolved over the years. The list highlights the names that dominated the era and shows which have remained timeless and which have become unmistakably tied to the decade.

To uncover which names defined the decade, we used the to rank baby names by their average annual births throughout the 1960s and compare those rankings with the most recent available data.

Vintage color photo of a mother helping her baby stand.

Dennis Hallinan // Getty

1 / 50

#25 Boy: Donald

  • Rank in the 1960s: #25
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 17,263
  • Rank in 2025: #690
  • Births in 2025: 395
A vintage color photo of a baby wearing a bonnet while sitting in a green stroller in front of a bookstore.

Paul Almasy/Corbis/VCG // Getty Images

2 / 50

#25 Girl: Teresa

  • Rank in the 1960s: #25
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 15,179
  • Rank in 2025: #911
  • Births in 2025: 291
Black and white photo of a baby boy peeking out from under a blanket.

H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock // Getty Images

3 / 50

#24 Boy: Ronald

  • Rank in the 1960s: #24
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 18,219
  • Rank in 2025: #638
  • Births in 2025: 438
Color portrait of a baby girl dressed like she's going to the beach with a hat and a bucket for sand.

H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock // Getty Images

4 / 50

#24 Girl: Debra

  • Rank in the 1960s: #24
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 15,377
  • Rank in 2025: #4,478
  • Births in 2025: 31
Little boy in the 1960s dressed up as a gardener for a portrait.

Camerique // Getty Images

5 / 50

#23 Boy: Gregory

  • Rank in the 1960s: #23
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 18,750
  • Rank in 2025: #593
  • Births in 2025: 493
1960s portrait of a baby girl wearing a tiara and holding a scepter.

H. Armstrong Roberts/Classicstock // Getty Images

6 / 50

#23 Girl: Sharon

  • Rank in the 1960s: #23
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 15,491
  • Rank in 2025: #1,256
  • Births in 2025: 179
Vintage black and white photo of a little boy wearing a baseball hat covering his mouth with his hand.

Camerique // Getty Images

7 / 50

#22 Boy: Anthony

  • Rank in the 1960s: #22
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 20,316
  • Rank in 2025: #46
  • Births in 2025: 5,967
Vintage black and white photo of a mother smiling with her baby.

Lambert // Getty Images

8 / 50

#22 Girl: Angela

  • Rank in the 1960s: #22
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 15,929
  • Rank in 2025: #408
  • Births in 2025: 765
A vintage color photo of a mother lifting her baby in the air.

Dennis Hallinan // Getty

9 / 50

#21 Boy: Kenneth

  • Rank in the 1960s: #21
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 22,753
  • Rank in 2025: #294
  • Births in 2025: 1,148
Cute baby sits on the divan. Concept of carefree childhood. Black and white antique photo. The 1960s

Roman Nerud // Shutterstock

10 / 50

#21 Girl: Barbara

  • Rank in the 1960s: #21
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 15,977
  • Rank in 2025: #968
  • Births in 2025: 264
A mother helping her baby learn how to walk in the grass.

Dennis Hallinan // Getty

11 / 50

#20 Boy: Christopher

  • Rank in the 1960s: #20
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 23,714
  • Rank in 2025: #68
  • Births in 2025: 4,748
A vintage color photo of a mother holding her smiling baby.

Harold M. Lambert // Contributor

12 / 50

#20 Girl: Jennifer

  • Rank in the 1960s: #20
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 16,441
  • Rank in 2025: #586
  • Births in 2025: 501
Vintage photograph of a small child with a toy parrot.

fotoak // Shutterstock

13 / 50

#19 Boy: Daniel

  • Rank in the 1960s: #19
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 24,202
  • Rank in 2025: #22
  • Births in 2025: 8,085
Black and white portrait of a father, baby girl, and mother.

H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock // Getty Images

14 / 50

#19 Girl: Brenda

  • Rank in the 1960s: #19
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 16,450
  • Rank in 2025: #1,527
  • Births in 2025: 139
Portrait of a smiling blonde baby boy in a sailor outfit in the 1960s.

H. Armstrong Roberts/Classicstock // Getty Images

15 / 50

#18 Boy: Paul

  • Rank in the 1960s: #18
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 24,250
  • Rank in 2025: #262
  • Births in 2025: 1,316
Black and white photo of a baby wearing a birthday hat and getting messy from a birthday cake.

H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock // Getty Images

16 / 50

#18 Girl: Julie

  • Rank in the 1960s: #18
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 16,615
  • Rank in 2025: #873
  • Births in 2025: 308
A vintage photograph of a baby in a crib.

fotoak // Shutterstock

17 / 50

#17 Boy: Charles

  • Rank in the 1960s: #17
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 24,940
  • Rank in 2025: #48
  • Births in 2025: 5,898
An old photograph of a baby on a sofa.

fotoak // Shutterstock

18 / 50

#17 Girl: Elizabeth

  • Rank in the 1960s: #17
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 16,892
  • Rank in 2025: #17
  • Births in 2025: 6,760
A mother and her son smile for a portrait.

H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock // Getty Images

19 / 50

#16 Boy: Brian

  • Rank in the 1960s: #16
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 25,813
  • Rank in 2025: #339
  • Births in 2025: 979
Black and white photo of a little girl wearing a straw hat that's too big for her.

H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock // Getty Images

20 / 50

#16 Girl: Laura

  • Rank in the 1960s: #16
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 17,419
  • Rank in 2025: #379
  • Births in 2025: 805
A mother feeding her baby boy with a bottle in the 1960s.

Martin Mills // Getty Images

21 / 50

#15 Boy: Scott

  • Rank in the 1960s: #15
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 26,683
  • Rank in 2025: #534
  • Births in 2025: 561
A vintage black and white photo of a mother and her daughter posing for a portrait.

H. Armstrong Roberts/Classicstock // Getty Images

22 / 50

#15 Girl: Lori

  • Rank in the 1960s: #15
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 17,656
  • Rank in 2025: #1,726
  • Births in 2025: 118
Black and white photo of a baby with a blanket smiling.

H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock // Getty Images

23 / 50

#14 Boy: Kevin

  • Rank in the 1960s: #14
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 27,141
  • Rank in 2025: #221
  • Births in 2025: 1,628
Portrait of a little girl with a bow in her hair putting a penny into a piggy bank.

Camerique // Getty Images

24 / 50

#14 Girl: Pamela

  • Rank in the 1960s: #14
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 18,194
  • Rank in 2025: #2,251
  • Births in 2025: 82
Vintage portrait of a little boy in a New Year's costume near a Christmas tree. Retro photo from 1960.

Antares_NS // Shutterstock

25 / 50

#13 Boy: Timothy

  • Rank in the 1960s: #13
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 27,684
  • Rank in 2025: #203
  • Births in 2025: 1,734
An old cute photo of a baby in an apartment.

fotoak // Shutterstock

26 / 50

#13 Girl: Tammy

  • Rank in the 1960s: #13
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 18,223
  • Rank in 2025: #3,703
  • Births in 2025: 41
Old cute photo of a baby on a bed.

fotoak // Shutterstock

27 / 50

#12 Boy: Joseph

  • Rank in the 1960s: #12
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 28,305
  • Rank in 2025: #29
  • Births in 2025: 7,303
Vintage color photo of a baby girl drinking milk from a bottle.

H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock // Getty Images

28 / 50

#12 Girl: Deborah

  • Rank in the 1960s: #12
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 18,344
  • Rank in 2025: #864
  • Births in 2025: 313
Old Black and white photographs of a young child in a baby cot.

Petukhov Anton // Shutterstock

29 / 50

#11 Boy: Steven

  • Rank in the 1960s: #11
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 29,061
  • Rank in 2025: #271
  • Births in 2025: 1,261
Portrait of a baby in the 1960s sitting in a highchair holding a spoon learning to feed herself.

H. Armstrong Roberts/Classicstock // Getty Images

30 / 50

#11 Girl: Sandra

  • Rank in the 1960s: #11
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 18,385
  • Rank in 2025: #1,210
  • Births in 2025: 188
Black and white portrait of a mother holding her baby and smiling.

H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock // Getty Images

31 / 50

#10 Boy: Jeffrey

  • Rank in the 1960s: #10
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 30,203
  • Rank in 2025: #552
  • Births in 2025: 544
A black and white photograph of a cute baby lying on its back.

fotoak // Shutterstock

32 / 50

#10 Girl: Cynthia

  • Rank in the 1960s: #10
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 19,660
  • Rank in 2025: #1,014
  • Births in 2025: 247
A vintage color photo of a dad holding his son up in the air while the mother looks on.

Lambert // Getty Images

33 / 50

#9 Boy: Thomas

  • Rank in the 1960s: #9
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 32,706
  • Rank in 2025: #34
  • Births in 2025: 6,917
Vintage photo of baby girl

Elzbieta Sekowska // Shutterstock

34 / 50

#9 Girl: Michelle

  • Rank in the 1960s: #9
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 20,829
  • Rank in 2025: #465
  • Births in 2025: 661
Vintage photo of a little boy in the 1960s playing with a toy train.

H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock // Getty Images

35 / 50

#8 Boy: Richard

  • Rank in the 1960s: #8
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 37,391
  • Rank in 2025: #234
  • Births in 2025: 1,505
Black and white photo of a little girl sitting in a rocking chair reaching up to play the piano.

H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock // Getty Images

36 / 50

#8 Girl: Donna

  • Rank in the 1960s: #8
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 21,347
  • Rank in 2025: #1,965
  • Births in 2025: 98
Black and white photo of a father explaining to his son the correct way to use tools.

H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock // Getty Images

37 / 50

#7 Boy: William

  • Rank in the 1960s: #7
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 42,143
  • Rank in 2025: #9
  • Births in 2025: 10,545
A toddler girl playing with blocks.

H. Armstrong Roberts/Classicstock // Getty Images

38 / 50

#7 Girl: Linda

  • Rank in the 1960s: #7
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 22,545
  • Rank in 2025: #902
  • Births in 2025: 294
A young father feeding his baby with a bottle while sitting in a rocking chair.

Dennis Hallinan // Getty

39 / 50

#6 Boy: Mark

  • Rank in the 1960s: #6
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 44,139
  • Rank in 2025: #245
  • Births in 2025: 1,416
A toddler in a snowsuit holding a Christmas gift.

H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock // Getty Images

40 / 50

#6 Girl: Patricia

  • Rank in the 1960s: #6
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 23,118
  • Rank in 2025: #1,336
  • Births in 2025: 167
A vintage photo of a mother holding her baby son while he examines a leaf.

Coleman/ClassicStock // Getty Images

41 / 50

#5 Boy: Robert

  • Rank in the 1960s: #5
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 65,079
  • Rank in 2025: #92
  • Births in 2025: 3,772
A color photo from the 1960s of a baby drinking from a bottle.

H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock // Getty Images

42 / 50

#5 Girl: Kimberly

  • Rank in the 1960s: #5
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 25,907
  • Rank in 2025: #303
  • Births in 2025: 1,009
A color photo of a baby boy in the 1960s with blonde hair making a funny face.

H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock // Getty Images

43 / 50

#4 Boy: James

  • Rank in the 1960s: #4
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 68,472
  • Rank in 2025: #6
  • Births in 2025: 11,945
A black and white photo of a baby sitting outside on a blanket with sunglasses, a radio, and a good book.

Bettmann // Getty

44 / 50

#4 Girl: Karen

  • Rank in the 1960s: #4
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 28,605
  • Rank in 2025: #1,281
  • Births in 2025: 175
A smiling baby sitting in a highchair eating ice cream.

Photo Media/ClassicStock // Getty Images

45 / 50

#3 Boy: John

  • Rank in the 1960s: #3
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 71,339
  • Rank in 2025: #23
  • Births in 2025: 8,027
Vintage 1960s photo of a little girl on the phone.

Harold M. Lambert / Getty

46 / 50

#3 Girl: Susan

  • Rank in the 1960s: #3
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 28,767
  • Rank in 2025: #1,091
  • Births in 2025: 222
A happy mother raising her baby in the air while they sit outside on a blanket in the grass.

Dennis Hallinan // Getty

47 / 50

#2 Boy: David

  • Rank in the 1960s: #2
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 73,395
  • Rank in 2025: #35
  • Births in 2025: 6,794
A vintage photo of a baby making a funny face at the camera while her mom holds her.

Duckworth/ClassicStock // Getty Images

48 / 50

#2 Girl: Mary

  • Rank in the 1960s: #2
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 35,524
  • Rank in 2025: #125
  • Births in 2025: 2,230
A vintage photo of a baby boy celebrating his first birthday with a cake and balloons.

H. Armstrong Roberts/Classicstock // Getty Images

49 / 50

#1 Boy: Michael

  • Rank in the 1960s: #1
  • Average annual births in the 1960s: 83,309
  • Rank in 2025: #21
  • Births in 2025: 8,094

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