Top Baby Names of 1956

What the Data Says About 1956

The Social Security Administration's national 1956 file shows 2,927,029 births concentrated in the top 100 boy and top 100 girl names, the segment of U.S. baby-name data released to the public for that year. The #1 boy name of 1956 was Michael, with 90,691 births registered nationally. The #1 girl name of 1956 was Mary, with 61,743 births nationally. The top 100 boys captured 1,620,680 births compared with 1,306,349 for the top 100 girls — consistent with the historical SSA pattern in which a smaller pool of boy names dominates a larger share of annual births while girl names are more evenly distributed.

1956 sits within a specific era of U.S. naming trends. Mid-century years like 1956 fall within the post-war baby-boom era; total U.S. birth volume was higher than today and a relatively small set of names (Robert, James, Linda, Mary) dominated national rankings. Michael and Mary leading 1956 fits this broader cultural signature.

These rankings come directly from Social Security Administration card applications and represent approximately 96% of all U.S. births in 1956. Names with fewer than five occurrences nationally in 1956 are excluded from SSA's public file to protect privacy, meaning the true number of unique names given in 1956 is significantly larger than any public top-100 list can show. Each spelling variation is counted separately — Sophia and Sofia, Aiden and Ayden — so rankings reflect only the specific spelling filed on the SS card, not combined name pools. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute naming advice.