Perhaps no decade in US history conjures up more imagery of all-American idealism than the 1950s. A politically conservative era, the '50s introduced the world to some of the most enduring cultural touchstones of the USA: milkshakes, Elvis Presley, "I Love Lucy," and sock-hops. One might imagine classic American kids named Jimmy and Susie splitting a hot-fudge sundae at a local soda shop鈥攁nd you'd actually be historically accurate. James and Susan were in fact two of the most popular names of the decade.
compiled a list of the most popular baby names for boys in the 50s in New Mexico using data from the . Names are ranked by number of babies born.
Keep reading to see if your name made the list.
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1 / 30#30. Manuel
Manuel is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "God with us".
New Mexico
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 866
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 178 (#118 (tie) most common name, -79.4% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 15,966 (#161 most common name)
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2 / 30#29. Stephen
Stephen is a name of Greek origin meaning "wreath, crown".
New Mexico
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 920
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 32 (#409 (tie) most common name, -96.5% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 207,276 (#20 most common name)
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3 / 30#28. Jose
Jose is a name of Spanish origin meaning "God will increase".
New Mexico
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 973
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 379 (#47 most common name, -61.0% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 31,024 (#108 most common name)
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4 / 30#27. Frank
Frank is a name of German origin meaning "free man".
New Mexico
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 999
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 30 (#422 most common name, -97.0% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 112,321 (#34 most common name)
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5 / 30#26. Edward
Edward is a name of English origin meaning "prosperous".
New Mexico
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 1,014
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 104 (#215 most common name, -89.7% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 188,328 (#23 most common name)
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6 / 30#25. Johnny
Johnny is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "God is gracious".
New Mexico
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 1,110
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 108 (#199 (tie) most common name, -90.3% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 65,626 (#55 most common name)
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7 / 30#24. George
George is a name of Greek origin meaning "farmer".
New Mexico
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 1,116
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 88 (#250 most common name, -92.1% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 181,029 (#25 most common name)
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8 / 30#23. Kenneth
Kenneth is a name of Gaelic origin meaning "handsome".
New Mexico
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 1,178
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 80 (#272 most common name, -93.2% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 262,822 (#16 most common name)
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9 / 30#22. Donald
Donald is a name of Gaelic origin meaning "world ruler".
New Mexico
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 1,186
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 80 (#272 most common name, data not available compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 273,576 (#14 most common name)
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10 / 30#21. Jerry
Jerry is a name of English origin meaning "exalted of the Lord".
New Mexico
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 1,194
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 80 (#272 most common name, data not available compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 136,566 (#31 most common name)
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11 / 30#20. Anthony
Anthony is a name of Latin origin meaning "praiseworthy".
New Mexico
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 1,215
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 486 (#31 most common name, -60.0% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 136,652 (#30 most common name)
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12 / 30#19. Raymond
Raymond is a name of German origin meaning "protector".
New Mexico
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 1,223
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 87 (#255 (tie) most common name, -92.9% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 108,932 (#38 most common name)
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13 / 30#18. Daniel
Daniel is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "God is my judge".
New Mexico
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 1,342
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 631 (#9 most common name, -53.0% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 243,725 (#19 most common name)
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14 / 30#17. Ronald
Ronald is a name of English origin meaning "counsel rule".
New Mexico
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 1,356
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 631 (#9 most common name, data not available compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 271,146 (#15 most common name)
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15 / 30#16. Paul
Paul is a name of Latin origin meaning "humble".
New Mexico
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 1,433
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 97 (#231 (tie) most common name, -93.2% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 253,191 (#17 most common name)
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16 / 30#15. Gary
Gary is a name of English origin meaning "spearman".
New Mexico
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 1,514
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 97 (#231 (tie) most common name, data not available compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 329,935 (#12 most common name)
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17 / 30#14. Joe
Joe is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "Jehovah increases".
New Mexico
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 1,531
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 18 (#486 most common name, -98.8% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 62,481 (#57 most common name)
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18 / 30#13. Larry
Larry is a name of Latin origin meaning "from the place of the laurel leaves".
New Mexico
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 1,586
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 5 (#710 most common name, -99.7% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 245,690 (#18 most common name)
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19 / 30#12. Joseph
Joseph is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "he will add".
New Mexico
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 1,598
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 511 (#27 most common name, -68.0% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 300,006 (#13 most common name)
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20 / 30#11. Steven
Steven is a name of Greek origin meaning "crown".
New Mexico
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 1,601
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 102 (#218 (tie) most common name, -93.6% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 333,657 (#11 most common name)
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21 / 30#10. Thomas
Thomas is a name of Greek origin meaning "twin".
New Mexico
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 1,612
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 274 (#76 most common name, -83.0% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 454,385 (#8 most common name)
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22 / 30#9. Mark
Mark is a name of Latin origin meaning "God of war".
New Mexico
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 1,696
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 76 (#279 most common name, -95.5% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 382,585 (#9 most common name)
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23 / 30#8. Charles
Charles is a name of Germanic origin meaning "free man".
New Mexico
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 1,708
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 190 (#108 (tie) most common name, -88.9% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 361,178 (#10 most common name)
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24 / 30#7. William
William is a name of Germanic origin meaning "vehement protector".
New Mexico
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 2,300
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 407 (#43 most common name, -82.3% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 591,226 (#6 most common name)
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25 / 30#6. Richard
Richard is a name of German origin meaning "dominant ruler".
New Mexico
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 3,270
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 129 (#162 most common name, -96.1% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 535,453 (#7 most common name)
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26 / 30#5. John
John is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "Yahweh has been gracious".
New Mexico
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 3,527
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 301 (#63 most common name, -91.5% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 797,917 (#4 most common name)
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27 / 30#4. James
James is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "supplanter".
New Mexico
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 3,530
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 590 (#15 most common name, -83.3% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 843,776 (#1 most common name)
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28 / 30#3. David
David is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "beloved".
New Mexico
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 4,432
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 483 (#32 most common name, -89.1% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 769,951 (#5 most common name)
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29 / 30#2. Michael
Michael is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "who is like God?".
New Mexico
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 4,462
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 630 (#10 most common name, -85.9% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 837,466 (#2 most common name)
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30 / 30#1. Robert
Robert is a name of Germanic origin meaning "fame" or "bright".
New Mexico
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 4,538
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 273 (#77 most common name, -94.0% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 830,391 (#3 most common name)
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