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 Washington, D.C. 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. Dennis
Dennis is a name of Greek origin meaning "follower of Dionysius".
Washington, D.C.
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 1,001
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 6 (#415 most common name, -99.4% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 204,267 (#21 most common name)
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2 / 30#29. Christopher
Christopher is a name of English origin meaning "Christ-bearer".
Washington, D.C.
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 1,104
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 250 (#36 most common name, -77.4% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 78,316 (#49 most common name)
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3 / 30#28. Lawrence
Lawrence is a name of Latin origin meaning "from Laurentium".
Washington, D.C.
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 1,112
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 29 (#260 most common name, -97.4% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 91,109 (#42 most common name)
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4 / 30#27. Jeffrey
Jeffrey is a name of English origin meaning "pledge of peace".
Washington, D.C.
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 1,297
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 17 (#300 (tie) most common name, -98.7% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 184,663 (#24 most common name)
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5 / 30#26. Timothy
Timothy is a name of Greek origin meaning "honouring God".
Washington, D.C.
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 1,329
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 61 (#176 most common name, -95.4% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 198,322 (#22 most common name)
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6 / 30#25. Daniel
Daniel is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "God is my judge".
Washington, D.C.
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 1,441
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 351 (#19 most common name, -75.6% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 243,725 (#19 most common name)
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7 / 30#24. Larry
Larry is a name of Latin origin meaning "from the place of the laurel leaves".
Washington, D.C.
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 1,460
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 351 (#19 most common name, data not available compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 245,690 (#18 most common name)
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8 / 30#23. Edward
Edward is a name of English origin meaning "prosperous".
Washington, D.C.
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 1,587
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 119 (#93 most common name, -92.5% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 188,328 (#23 most common name)
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9 / 30#22. Kevin
Kevin is a name of Irish origin meaning "noble".
Washington, D.C.
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 1,623
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 124 (#90 most common name, -92.4% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 158,998 (#27 most common name)
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10 / 30#21. George
George is a name of Greek origin meaning "farmer".
Washington, D.C.
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 1,781
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 277 (#30 most common name, -84.4% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 181,029 (#25 most common name)
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11 / 30#20. Anthony
Anthony is a name of Latin origin meaning "praiseworthy".
Washington, D.C.
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 1,799
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 216 (#44 most common name, -88.0% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 136,652 (#30 most common name)
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12 / 30#19. Kenneth
Kenneth is a name of Gaelic origin meaning "handsome".
Washington, D.C.
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 1,846
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 40 (#224 (tie) most common name, -97.8% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 262,822 (#16 most common name)
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13 / 30#18. Donald
Donald is a name of Gaelic origin meaning "world ruler".
Washington, D.C.
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 1,987
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 40 (#224 (tie) 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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14 / 30#17. Gary
Gary is a name of English origin meaning "spearman".
Washington, D.C.
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 2,000
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 40 (#224 (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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15 / 30#15. Steven
Steven is a name of Greek origin meaning "crown".
Washington, D.C.
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 2,150
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 41 (#223 most common name, -98.1% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 333,657 (#11 most common name)
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17 / 30#14. Paul
Paul is a name of Latin origin meaning "humble".
Washington, D.C.
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 2,176
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 50 (#197 (tie) most common name, -97.7% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 253,191 (#17 most common name)
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18 / 30#13. Stephen
Stephen is a name of Greek origin meaning "wreath, crown".
Washington, D.C.
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 2,279
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 31 (#252 most common name, -98.6% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 207,276 (#20 most common name)
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19 / 30#12. Ronald
Ronald is a name of English origin meaning "counsel rule".
Washington, D.C.
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 2,288
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 5 (#481 (tie) most common name, -99.8% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 271,146 (#15 most common name)
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20 / 30#11. Mark
Mark is a name of Latin origin meaning "God of war".
Washington, D.C.
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 2,496
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 39 (#226 (tie) most common name, -98.4% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 382,585 (#9 most common name)
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21 / 30#10. Joseph
Joseph is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "he will add".
Washington, D.C.
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 2,815
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 297 (#26 most common name, -89.4% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 300,006 (#13 most common name)
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22 / 30#9. Charles
Charles is a name of Germanic origin meaning "free man".
Washington, D.C.
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 3,362
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 401 (#11 most common name, -88.1% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 361,178 (#10 most common name)
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23 / 30#8. Thomas
Thomas is a name of Greek origin meaning "twin".
Washington, D.C.
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 3,615
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 348 (#20 most common name, -90.4% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 454,385 (#8 most common name)
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24 / 30#7. Richard
Richard is a name of German origin meaning "dominant ruler".
Washington, D.C.
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 3,693
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 50 (#197 (tie) most common name, -98.6% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 535,453 (#7 most common name)
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25 / 30#6. David
David is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "beloved".
Washington, D.C.
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 5,117
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 299 (#24 (tie) most common name, -94.2% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 769,951 (#5 most common name)
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26 / 30#5. William
William is a name of Germanic origin meaning "vehement protector".
Washington, D.C.
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 5,670
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 686 (#1 most common name, -87.9% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 591,226 (#6 most common name)
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27 / 30#4. Robert
Robert is a name of Germanic origin meaning "fame" or "bright".
Washington, D.C.
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 6,611
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 212 (#45 most common name, -96.8% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 830,391 (#3 most common name)
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28 / 30#3. James
James is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "supplanter".
Washington, D.C.
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 7,020
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 653 (#3 most common name, -90.7% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 843,776 (#1 most common name)
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29 / 30#2. John
John is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "Yahweh has been gracious".
Washington, D.C.
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 7,255
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 460 (#8 most common name, -93.7% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 797,917 (#4 most common name)
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30 / 30#1. Michael
Michael is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "who is like God?".
Washington, D.C.
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 7,715
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 386 (#12 most common name, -95.0% compared to the 50s)
National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 837,466 (#2 most common name)
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