Top Baby Names of 1964

What the Data Says About 1964

The Social Security Administration's national 1964 file shows 2,611,000 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 1964 was Michael, with 82,617 births registered nationally. The #1 girl name of 1964 was Lisa, with 54,270 births nationally. The top 100 boys captured 1,477,350 births compared with 1,133,650 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.

1964 sits within a specific era of U.S. naming trends. Mid-century years like 1964 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 Lisa leading 1964 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 1964. Names with fewer than five occurrences nationally in 1964 are excluded from SSA's public file to protect privacy, meaning the true number of unique names given in 1964 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.