Most Popular Baby Boy Names in 1952

In this article we'll look at what the most popular baby boy names were for the year 1952. These names are taken directly from the Social Security card applications for births that occurred in the United States.

The table below shows the top 250 most popular baby boy names in 1952, with a total count for the number of births registered with that given name.

You can also use the links below to research more about the most popular baby names.

Top 1000 most popular boy names: 1-250 | 251-500 | 501-750 | 751-1000

Top 1000 most popular girl names: 1-250 | 251-500 | 501-750 | 751-1000

Rank Name Count
1 James 87,063
2 Robert 86,597
3 John 83,136
4 Michael 79,043
5 David 71,754
6 William 63,040
7 Richard 58,350
8 Thomas 48,648
9 Charles 38,868
10 Gary 38,753
11 Steven 32,035
12 Joseph 28,511
13 Donald 28,273
14 Larry 28,235
15 Ronald 27,801
16 Kenneth 25,908
17 Mark 25,684
18 Dennis 24,555
19 Paul 24,293
20 Daniel 23,427
21 Stephen 23,050
22 George 19,817
23 Edward 19,506
24 Gregory 15,192
25 Bruce 14,482
26 Jerry 14,440
27 Timothy 14,170
28 Douglas 13,682
29 Terry 12,442
30 Roger 12,130
31 Jeffrey 12,008
32 Frank 11,272
33 Raymond 11,234
34 Anthony 11,186
35 Lawrence 10,304
36 Peter 9,583
37 Patrick 9,177
38 Wayne 9,092
39 Gerald 9,031
40 Danny 8,824
41 Randy 8,650
42 Alan 8,309
43 Kevin 7,916
44 Walter 7,900
45 Carl 7,823
46 Dale 7,416
47 Arthur 7,232
48 Willie 7,197
49 Keith 7,173
50 Henry 6,977
51 Harold 6,957
52 Jack 6,939
53 Johnny 6,774
54 Scott 6,541
55 Roy 6,521
56 Ralph 6,471
57 Christopher 6,300
58 Stanley 6,226
59 Craig 6,185
60 Philip 6,152
61 Glenn 5,946
62 Joe 5,892
63 Randall 5,892
64 Brian 5,742
65 Billy 5,707
66 Albert 5,660
67 Samuel 5,649
68 Andrew 5,574
69 Barry 5,506
70 Russell 5,348
71 Eugene 5,313
72 Jimmy 5,311
73 Howard 5,244
74 Phillip 5,002
75 Harry 4,992
76 Frederick 4,979
77 Bobby 4,959
78 Allen 4,958
79 Louis 4,921
80 Martin 4,736
81 Ricky 4,655
82 Ronnie 4,634
83 Leonard 4,617
84 Rodney 4,403
85 Steve 4,316
86 Curtis 4,177
87 Ernest 4,119
88 Eric 3,989
89 Francis 3,979
90 Fred 3,962
91 Melvin 3,922
92 Lee 3,654
93 Eddie 3,647
94 Micheal 3,614
95 Marvin 3,576
96 Norman 3,571
97 Tommy 3,514
98 Earl 3,457
99 Clifford 3,317
100 Theodore 3,270
101 Vincent 3,170
102 Clarence 3,156
103 Dean 3,156
104 Alfred 3,136
105 Jerome 3,046
106 Jay 3,027
107 Victor 2,994
108 Calvin 2,972
109 Darrell 2,867
110 Gordon 2,829
111 Bernard 2,749
112 Jesse 2,725
113 Ray 2,690
114 Jose 2,687
115 Herbert 2,655
116 Leroy 2,646
117 Warren 2,638
118 Edwin 2,632
119 Rick 2,584
120 Don 2,570
121 Glen 2,492
122 Benjamin 2,439
123 Dwight 2,408
124 Leon 2,377
125 Leslie 2,359
126 Kim 2,355
127 Nicholas 2,344
128 Alvin 2,335
129 Dan 2,311
130 Lloyd 2,277
131 Duane 2,231
132 Joel 2,229
133 Jeffery 2,187
134 Tony 2,187
135 Jon 2,150
136 Mike 2,104
137 Vernon 2,085
138 Gene 2,073
139 Jonathan 2,064
140 Rickey 2,052
141 Bradley 2,045
142 Matthew 2,034
143 Clyde 2,014
144 Jackie 2,009
145 Lewis 1,995
146 Allan 1,932
147 Neil 1,905
148 Lonnie 1,888
149 Floyd 1,861
150 Juan 1,857
151 Gilbert 1,848
152 Guy 1,844
153 Marc 1,837
154 Randolph 1,817
155 Garry 1,808
156 Donnie 1,806
157 Mitchell 1,758
158 Lester 1,724
159 Franklin 1,722
160 Chris 1,687
161 Charlie 1,665
162 Manuel 1,661
163 Jimmie 1,641
164 Kent 1,619
165 Harvey 1,594
166 Wesley 1,594
167 Lynn 1,591
168 Bill 1,587
169 Milton 1,576
170 Karl 1,564
171 Leo 1,557
172 Jim 1,522
173 Johnnie 1,520
174 Rex 1,497
175 Herman 1,496
176 Reginald 1,495
177 Freddie 1,490
178 Kurt 1,466
179 Arnold 1,463
180 Chester 1,455
181 Tom 1,439
182 Ted 1,413
183 Dana 1,379
184 Gerard 1,338
185 Cecil 1,326
186 Alexander 1,283
187 Roland 1,275
188 Carlos 1,258
189 Nathaniel 1,257
190 Stuart 1,257
191 Maurice 1,219
192 Fredrick 1,211
193 Daryl 1,183
194 Kerry 1,167
195 Terrence 1,165
196 Perry 1,152
197 Claude 1,145
198 Neal 1,143
199 Kirk 1,122
200 Darryl 1,101
201 Ruben 1,095
202 Marshall 1,088
203 Oscar 1,087
204 Robin 1,085
205 Brent 1,082
206 Antonio 1,076
207 Jessie 1,035
208 Sidney 1,019
209 Wallace 979
210 Hugh 978
211 Mario 972
212 Brad 966
213 Todd 961
214 Clifton 943
215 Sam 941
216 Aaron 939
217 Tyrone 930
218 Ross 908
219 Morris 904
220 Terrance 903
221 Byron 902
222 Lyle 897
223 Benny 896
224 Edgar 889
225 Clinton 879
226 Wendell 879
227 Ricardo 863
228 Clayton 860
229 Nathan 852
230 Bryan 849
231 Laurence 844
232 Nelson 829
233 Earnest 815
234 Jesus 810
235 Kelly 805
236 Willard 798
237 Virgil 786
238 Marion 783
239 Sammy 782
240 Rudolph 777
241 Luis 775
242 Greg 770
243 Dave 768
244 Max 762
245 Elmer 761
246 Ira 760
247 Bob 756
248 Everett 750
249 Bennie 748
250 Otis 748

What's in a (Popular) Name?

How do we know which baby names are hot each year? It's simple! The Social Security Administration collects data as parents register their newborns for a Social Security card. So, instead of waiting for the 10-year census, we get an annual update on the trending names!

Popular Baby Names vs. Popular First Names: Any Differences?

If you're wondering why the most popular baby names and the most popular first names aren't the same, remember: first names include everyone, not just babies. With 16.5% of the population over 65, names popular in their generation, like 'Elmer' or '', still top the charts. As the birth rate declines, we won't see baby names like 'James' or '' topping the overall popular names list until the Baby Boomer generation decreases significantly.

What Factors Influence Baby Name Popularity?

Ever wondered how a name like 'Michael' or '' hits the charts? It's not an exact science, but here are some cool factors:

Celebrity Influence

Americans adore their stars! A favorite celeb can influence baby names, so if you see more little 'Johns' or 's' running around, you might have a Hollywood A-lister to thank!

Character-Inspired Names

Bookworms and movie buffs often name their kids after beloved characters. If 'David' or '' sound familiar, check out the latest bestseller or box-office hit!

Following the Trend

We humans are trend-followers. So, if a friend's baby 'William' or '' has a cute ring to it, don't be surprised if it catches on!

The Power of Recall

Names heard repeatedly stick in our minds. So if 'Gary' or '' are on repeat, you'll likely see them in the baby name charts.

Family Tradition

Some names like 'Richard' or '' stand the test of time, thanks to the tradition of naming babies after older relatives.

Religion and Politics

Religious texts and political figures inspire many parents. Evergreen choices like 'Thomas' or '' show the lasting impact of religion and politics on baby names.

So, while we can't always predict why a name like 'Charles' or '' becomes popular, these factors give us some fun insights into the ever-changing landscape of baby names!

Historical Data for Baby Names

If you're interested to see how the trends and popularity of baby names have changed, you can use the links below to view the historical data by decade.

Most popular first names, 1880-present | since 1950 | since 1960 | since 1970 | since 1980 | since 1990 | since 2000 | since 2010

Most popular boy names, 1880-present | since 1950 | since 1960 | since 1970 | since 1980 | since 1990 | since 2000 | since 2010

Most popular girl names, 1880-present | since 1950 | since 1960 | since 1970 | since 1980 | since 1990 | since 2000 | since 2010

Data Source(s)

All of the data on this page is sourced from the Social Security Administration (SSA) and excludes any names with fewer than 5 occurrences in any geographic area.

Link To or Reference This Page

We spent a lot of time downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

  • "Most Popular Baby Boy Names in 1952". NameCensus.com. Accessed on March 28, 2024. https://namecensus.com/baby-names/popular-boy-names-in-1952/.

  • "Most Popular Baby Boy Names in 1952". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/baby-names/popular-boy-names-in-1952/. Accessed 28 March, 2024

  • Most Popular Baby Boy Names in 1952. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from https://namecensus.com/baby-names/popular-boy-names-in-1952/.