Most popular boy names in the 50s in Minnesota

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May 22, 2026
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Most popular boy names in the 50s in Minnesota

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 Minnesota 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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rSnapshotPhotos // Shutterstock

#30. Dale

Dale is a name of English origin meaning "valley".

Minnesota
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 3,598
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 12 (#1142 most common name, -99.7% compared to the 50s)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 75,560 (#50 most common name)

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Tomsickova Tatyana // Shutterstock

#29. Randy

Randy is a name of Norse origin meaning "shield-wolf".

Minnesota
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 3,750
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 24 (#946 most common name, -99.4% compared to the 50s)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 120,514 (#33 most common name)

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Irisska // Shutterstock

#28. Larry

Larry is a name of Latin origin meaning "from the place of the laurel leaves".

Minnesota
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 3,986
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 11 (#1178 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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Yulia Sribna // Shutterstock

#27. Kenneth

Kenneth is a name of Gaelic origin meaning "handsome".

Minnesota
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 4,075
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 219 (#282 most common name, -94.6% compared to the 50s)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 262,822 (#16 most common name)

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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

#26. Brian

Brian is a name of Irish origin meaning "noble".

Minnesota
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 4,201
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 142 (#395 most common name, -96.6% compared to the 50s)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 112,317 (#35 most common name)

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wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock

#25. Joseph

Joseph is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "he will add".

Minnesota
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 4,217
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,263 (#35 most common name, -70.0% compared to the 50s)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 300,006 (#13 most common name)

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Iren_Geo // Shutterstock

#24. Dennis

Dennis is a name of Greek origin meaning "follower of Dionysius".

Minnesota
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 4,643
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 62 (#669 (tie) most common name, -98.7% compared to the 50s)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 204,267 (#21 most common name)

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DONOT6_STUDIO // Shutterstock

#23. Charles

Charles is a name of Germanic origin meaning "free man".

Minnesota
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 4,980
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,529 (#22 most common name, -69.3% compared to the 50s)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 361,178 (#10 most common name)

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My Good Images // Shutterstock

#22. Donald

Donald is a name of Gaelic origin meaning "world ruler".

Minnesota
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 5,028
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 58 (#689 most common name, -98.8% compared to the 50s)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 273,576 (#14 most common name)

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Roman Sorkin // Shutterstock

#21. Douglas

Douglas is a name of Scottish origin meaning "black water".

Minnesota
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 5,120
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 45 (#763 most common name, -99.1% compared to the 50s)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 148,204 (#28 most common name)

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Thammasak Lek // Shutterstock

#20. Ronald

Ronald is a name of English origin meaning "counsel rule".

Minnesota
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 5,468
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 52 (#719 (tie) most common name, -99.0% compared to the 50s)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 271,146 (#15 most common name)

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Lipatova Maryna // Shutterstock

#19. Bruce

Bruce is a name of Scottish origin meaning "from the brushwood thicket".

Minnesota
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 5,674
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 90 (#561 (tie) most common name, -98.4% compared to the 50s)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 136,459 (#32 most common name)

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Adrie Molco // Shutterstock

#18. Kevin

Kevin is a name of Irish origin meaning "noble".

Minnesota
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 5,686
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 321 (#197 (tie) most common name, -94.4% compared to the 50s)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 158,998 (#27 most common name)

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Oksana Kuzmina // Shutterstock

#17. Scott

Scott is a name of Scotland origin meaning "a Scotsman".

Minnesota
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 6,100
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 103 (#506 most common name, -98.3% compared to the 50s)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 111,814 (#36 most common name)

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Flashon // Shutterstock

#16. Gregory

Gregory is a name of Latin origin meaning "watchful, alert".

Minnesota
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 6,188
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 91 (#556 (tie) most common name, -98.5% compared to the 50s)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 178,453 (#26 most common name)

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noBorders - Brayden Howie // Shutterstock

#15. Jeffrey

Jeffrey is a name of English origin meaning "pledge of peace".

Minnesota
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 6,548
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 110 (#471 most common name, -98.3% compared to the 50s)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 184,663 (#24 most common name)

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Gorynvd // Shutterstock

#14. Timothy

Timothy is a name of Greek origin meaning "honouring God".

Minnesota
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 6,768
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 307 (#210 (tie) most common name, -95.5% compared to the 50s)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 198,322 (#22 most common name)

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Anna Grigorjeva // Shutterstock

#13. Paul

Paul is a name of Latin origin meaning "humble".

Minnesota
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 6,889
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 291 (#219 most common name, -95.8% compared to the 50s)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 253,191 (#17 most common name)

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Vasilyev Alexandr // Shutterstock

#12. Daniel

Daniel is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "God is my judge".

Minnesota
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 7,954
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,184 (#43 most common name, -85.1% compared to the 50s)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 243,725 (#19 most common name)

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Vasilyev Alexandr // Shutterstock

#11. William

William is a name of Germanic origin meaning "vehement protector".

Minnesota
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 8,075
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 2,746 (#5 most common name, -66.0% compared to the 50s)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 591,226 (#6 most common name)

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Vasiuk Iryna // Shutterstock

#10. Gary

Gary is a name of English origin meaning "spearman".

Minnesota
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 8,172
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 31 (#877 most common name, -99.6% compared to the 50s)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 329,935 (#12 most common name)

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Africa Studio // Shutterstock

#9. Richard

Richard is a name of German origin meaning "dominant ruler".

Minnesota
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 11,539
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 223 (#280 most common name, -98.1% compared to the 50s)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 535,453 (#7 most common name)

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Elvira Koneva // Shutterstock

#8. Steven

Steven is a name of Greek origin meaning "crown".

Minnesota
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 13,138
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 190 (#326 most common name, -98.6% compared to the 50s)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 333,657 (#11 most common name)

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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

#7. Thomas

Thomas is a name of Greek origin meaning "twin".

Minnesota
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 13,156
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,359 (#31 most common name, -89.7% compared to the 50s)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 454,385 (#8 most common name)

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FamVeld // Shutterstock

#6. Robert

Robert is a name of Germanic origin meaning "fame" or "bright".

Minnesota
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 13,293
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 589 (#119 most common name, -95.6% compared to the 50s)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 830,391 (#3 most common name)

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Alena Vostrikova // Shutterstock

#5. Mark

Mark is a name of Latin origin meaning "God of war".

Minnesota
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 13,465
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 202 (#305 (tie) most common name, -98.5% compared to the 50s)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 382,585 (#9 most common name)

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Lopolo // Shutterstock

#4. John

John is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "Yahweh has been gracious".

Minnesota
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 14,502
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,211 (#40 most common name, -91.6% compared to the 50s)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 797,917 (#4 most common name)

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Africa Studio // Shutterstock

#3. James

James is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "supplanter".

Minnesota
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 15,295
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 2,265 (#9 most common name, -85.2% compared to the 50s)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 843,776 (#1 most common name)

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#2. Michael

Michael is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "who is like God?".

Minnesota
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 18,267
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,244 (#38 most common name, -93.2% compared to the 50s)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 837,466 (#2 most common name)

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Minnikova Mariia // Shutterstock

#1. David

David is a name of Hebrew origin meaning "beloved".

Minnesota
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 18,383
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 970 (#59 most common name, -94.7% compared to the 50s)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 769,951 (#5 most common name)

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