Most popular girl names in the 50s in North Carolina

Written by:
June 4, 2026
Liudmila Fadzeyeva // Shutterstock

Most popular girl names in the 50s in North Carolina

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 girls in the 50s in North Carolina using data from the . Names are ranked by number of babies born.

Keep reading to see if your name made the list.

You may also like: Highest-rated specialty museums in North Carolina by visitors
1 / 30
Black-Photogaphy // Shutterstock

#30. Gloria

Gloria is a name of Latin origin meaning "glory".

North Carolina
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 3,946
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 144 (#644 most common name)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 86,696 (#42 most common name)

2 / 30
CroMary // Shutterstock

#29. Margaret

Margaret is a name of Greek origin meaning "pearl".

North Carolina
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 4,052
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 870 (#108 most common name)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 149,583 (#23 most common name)

3 / 30
photoDiod // Shutterstock

#28. Rebecca

Rebecca is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "servant of God".

North Carolina
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 4,061
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 384 (#275 most common name)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 115,691 (#28 most common name)

4 / 30
Zdenka Darula // Shutterstock

#27. Martha

Martha is a name of Aramaic origin meaning "lady of the house".

North Carolina
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 4,120
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 120 (#762 most common name)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 83,175 (#49 most common name)

5 / 30
Kateryna Gurska // Shutterstock

#26. Janet

Janet is a name of Scottish origin meaning "God is gracious".

North Carolina
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 4,182
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 13 (#2,064 most common name)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 167,519 (#20 most common name)

You may also like: Most common jobs 150 years ago in North Carolina
6 / 30
Tatiana Katsai // Shutterstock

#25. Janice

Janice is a name of English origin meaning "God is gracious".

North Carolina
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 4,831
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 6 (#2,502 most common name)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 133,619 (#24 most common name)

7 / 30
Zdenka Darula // Shutterstock

#24. Joyce

Joyce is a name of Latin origin meaning "lord".

North Carolina
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 4,857
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 58 (#1,198 most common name)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 114,976 (#29 most common name)

8 / 30
pixelheadphoto digitalskillet // Shutterstock

#23. Elizabeth

Elizabeth is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "god is my oath".

North Carolina
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 5,148
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 3,069 (#10 most common name)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 165,658 (#21 most common name)

9 / 30
Bodler // Shutterstock

#22. Shirley

Shirley is a name of English origin meaning "bright".

North Carolina
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 5,325
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 32 (#1,551 most common name)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 108,807 (#33 most common name)

10 / 30
Tatyana Domnicheva // Shutterstock

#21. Judy

Judy is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "praised".

North Carolina
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 5,421
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 19 (#1,839 most common name)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 118,061 (#27 most common name)

You may also like: Highest-earning counties in North Carolina
11 / 30
riggleton // Shutterstock

#20. Karen

Karen is a name of Danish origin meaning "pure".

North Carolina
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 5,848
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 102 (#851 most common name)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 332,533 (#8 most common name)

12 / 30
Studio Romantic // Shutterstock

#19. Nancy

Nancy is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "grace".

North Carolina
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 5,877
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 76 (#1,040 most common name)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 286,812 (#9 most common name)

13 / 30
Tetiana Iatsenko // Shutterstock

#18. Betty

Betty is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "oath of God".

North Carolina
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 6,280
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 46 (#1,341 most common name)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 103,196 (#35 most common name)

14 / 30
Amalia Zilio // Shutterstock

#17. Wanda

Wanda is a name of Polish origin meaning "wanderer".

North Carolina
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 6,318
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 46 (#1,341 most common name)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 72,415 (#59 most common name)

15 / 30
Darkdiamond67 // Shutterstock

#16. Teresa

Teresa is a name of Greek origin meaning "huntress".

North Carolina
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 6,327
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 93 (#898 most common name)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 114,275 (#30 most common name)

You may also like: North Carolina frozen pizza trends, according to Instacart data
16 / 30
Dasha Muller // Shutterstock

#15. Sharon

Sharon is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "a fertile plain".

North Carolina
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 6,578
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 64 (#1,151 most common name)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 232,809 (#14 most common name)

17 / 30
Maria Evseyeva // Shutterstock

#14. Pamela

Pamela is a name of Greek origin meaning "all sweetness".

North Carolina
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 6,847
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 25 (#1,690 most common name)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 237,395 (#13 most common name)

18 / 30
Fuller Photography // Shutterstock

#13. Kathy

Kathy is a name of Greek origin meaning "pure".

North Carolina
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 6,862
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 6 (#2,502 most common name)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 157,930 (#22 most common name)

19 / 30
Natalia Kirichenko // Shutterstock

#12. Carolyn

Carolyn is a name of German origin meaning "free man".

North Carolina
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 7,231
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 111 (#797 most common name)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 124,063 (#25 most common name)

20 / 30
Impact Photography // Shutterstock

#11. Donna

Donna is a name of Italian origin meaning "lady of the home".

North Carolina
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 7,404
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 23 (#1,741 most common name)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 270,333 (#10 most common name)

You may also like: Highest-rated breweries in North Carolina
21 / 30
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

#10. Cynthia

Cynthia is a name of Greek origin meaning "moon goddess".

North Carolina
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 7,965
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 129 (#708 most common name)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 263,429 (#11 most common name)

22 / 30
Oleksiy Avtomonov // Shutterstock

#9. Debra

Debra is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "bee".

North Carolina
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 8,012
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 129 (#708 most common name)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 341,346 (#7 most common name)

23 / 30
Shyamalamuralinath // Shutterstock

#8. Susan

Susan is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "lily".

North Carolina
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 8,181
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 63 (#1,161 most common name)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 437,773 (#4 most common name)

24 / 30
Lopolo // Shutterstock

#7. Sandra

Sandra is a name of Greek origin meaning "defender of man".

North Carolina
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 8,364
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 57 (#1,210 most common name)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 251,594 (#12 most common name)

25 / 30
Lopolo // Shutterstock

#6. Barbara

Barbara is a name of Greek origin meaning "foreign".

North Carolina
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 9,570
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 31 (#1,574 most common name)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 345,723 (#6 most common name)

You may also like: Record snowfalls in North Carolina history
26 / 30
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

#5. Brenda

Brenda is a name of Norse origin meaning "sword".

North Carolina
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 11,303
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 66 (#1,131 most common name)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 209,243 (#18 most common name)

27 / 30
George Rudy // Shutterstock

#4. Patricia

Patricia is a name of Latin origin meaning "noble".

North Carolina
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 12,438
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 77 (#1,032 most common name)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 459,686 (#3 most common name)

28 / 30
pixelheadphoto digitalskillet // Shutterstock

#3. Deborah

Deborah is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "bee".

North Carolina
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 13,638
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 96 (#882 most common name)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 430,541 (#5 most common name)

29 / 30
Matva // Shutterstock

#2. Linda

Linda is a name of Italian origin meaning "beautiful".

North Carolina
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 15,718
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 92 (#905 most common name)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 564,363 (#2 most common name)

30 / 30
Darren Brode // Shutterstock

#1. Mary

Mary is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "drop of the sea".

North Carolina
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 16,906
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,034 (#86 most common name)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 625,609 (#1 most common name)

You may also like: Most commonly seen birds in North Carolina

Trending Now