Most popular boy names in the 50s in New York

Written by:
May 22, 2026
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Most popular boy names in the 50s in New York

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 New York 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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Tatiana Chekryzhova // Shutterstock

#30. Brian

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

New York
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 13,320
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,048 (#204 most common name, -92.1% compared to the 50s)

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

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Tomsickova Tatyana // Shutterstock

#29. Bruce

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

New York
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 13,380
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 328 (#473 most common name, -97.5% compared to the 50s)

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

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Yulia Sribna // Shutterstock

#28. Dennis

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

New York
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 14,021
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 295 (#521 most common name, -97.9% compared to the 50s)

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

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Anna Grigorjeva // Shutterstock

#27. Timothy

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

New York
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 14,605
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,200 (#175 (tie) most common name, -91.8% compared to the 50s)

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

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#26. Frank

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

New York
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 17,061
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 766 (#260 most common name, -95.5% compared to the 50s)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 112,321 (#34 most common name)

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Thammasak Lek // Shutterstock

#25. George

George is a name of Greek origin meaning "farmer".

New York
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 18,819
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 2,040 (#101 (tie) most common name, -89.2% compared to the 50s)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 181,029 (#25 most common name)

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#24. Jeffrey

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

New York
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 19,031
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 680 (#287 (tie) most common name, -96.4% compared to the 50s)

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

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#23. Donald

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

New York
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 19,387
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 248 (#603 most common name, -98.7% compared to the 50s)

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

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Oksana Kuzmina // Shutterstock

#22. Ronald

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

New York
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 19,730
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 359 (#440 most common name, -98.2% compared to the 50s)

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

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#21. Kenneth

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

New York
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 21,302
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 820 (#248 (tie) most common name, -96.2% compared to the 50s)

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

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Serenko Natalia // Shutterstock

#20. Kevin

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

New York
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 21,545
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 2,094 (#98 most common name, -90.3% compared to the 50s)

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

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Tomsickova Tatyana // Shutterstock

#19. Stephen

Stephen is a name of Greek origin meaning "wreath, crown".

New York
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 21,703
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 742 (#267 most common name, -96.6% compared to the 50s)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 207,276 (#20 most common name)

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Anna Grigorjeva // Shutterstock

#18. Anthony

Anthony is a name of Latin origin meaning "praiseworthy".

New York
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 22,364
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 6,009 (#21 most common name, -73.1% compared to the 50s)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 136,652 (#30 most common name)

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rSnapshotPhotos // Shutterstock

#17. Daniel

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

New York
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 22,890
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 7,283 (#12 most common name, -68.2% compared to the 50s)

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

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#16. Edward

Edward is a name of English origin meaning "prosperous".

New York
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 23,791
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,483 (#133 most common name, -93.8% compared to the 50s)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 188,328 (#23 most common name)

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Andy Dean Photography // Shutterstock

#15. Peter

Peter is a name of Greek origin meaning "rock".

New York
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 24,105
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,320 (#153 most common name, -94.5% compared to the 50s)

National:
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 102,752 (#39 most common name)

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Tomsickova Tatyana // Shutterstock

#14. Gary

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

New York
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 25,128
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 188 (#720 (tie) most common name, -99.3% compared to the 50s)

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

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#13. Charles

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

New York
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 25,248
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 3,490 (#49 most common name, -86.2% compared to the 50s)

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

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#12. Paul

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

New York
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 28,478
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 965 (#218 (tie) most common name, -96.6% compared to the 50s)

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

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#11. Steven

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

New York
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 29,584
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,431 (#139 (tie) most common name, -95.2% compared to the 50s)

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

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#10. Mark

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

New York
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 30,358
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,294 (#155 most common name, -95.7% compared to the 50s)

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

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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

#9. Joseph

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

New York
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 46,884
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 8,554 (#7 most common name, -81.8% compared to the 50s)

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

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#8. Thomas

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

New York
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 51,108
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 4,275 (#39 most common name, -91.6% compared to the 50s)

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

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Lipatova Maryna // Shutterstock

#7. William

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

New York
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 54,678
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 5,939 (#22 (tie) most common name, -89.1% compared to the 50s)

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

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#6. Richard

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

New York
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 56,412
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 1,217 (#169 most common name, -97.8% compared to the 50s)

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

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#5. David

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

New York
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 56,673
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 7,344 (#10 most common name, -87.0% compared to the 50s)

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

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Vasiuk Iryna // Shutterstock

#4. James

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

New York
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 64,913
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 7,673 (#8 most common name, -88.2% compared to the 50s)

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

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#3. Michael

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

New York
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 80,844
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 8,557 (#6 most common name, -89.4% compared to the 50s)

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

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Anna Grigorjeva // Shutterstock

#2. John

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

New York
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 85,359
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 5,351 (#26 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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#1. Robert

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

New York
- Babies from 1950 to 1959: 86,590
- Babies from 2015 to 2024: 2,782 (#67 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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