Most Popular Baby Boy Names in 1965

In this article we'll look at what the most popular baby boy names were for the year 1965. 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 1965, 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 Michael 81,021
2 John 71,534
3 David 67,842
4 James 67,695
5 Robert 63,123
6 William 40,124
7 Mark 38,262
8 Richard 36,847
9 Thomas 31,625
10 Jeffrey 29,584
11 Joseph 28,649
12 Timothy 28,346
13 Kevin 28,185
14 Steven 27,982
15 Scott 25,447
16 Paul 24,926
17 Daniel 24,845
18 Christopher 24,639
19 Brian 24,550
20 Charles 23,493
21 Kenneth 22,674
22 Anthony 20,338
23 Gregory 18,207
24 Ronald 17,621
25 Eric 16,838
26 Donald 16,036
27 Gary 15,269
28 Stephen 14,650
29 Edward 14,415
30 Todd 13,939
31 Patrick 12,942
32 Douglas 12,791
33 Rodney 11,083
34 George 10,679
35 Keith 10,678
36 Matthew 9,990
37 Andrew 9,679
38 Larry 9,402
39 Peter 9,395
40 Terry 9,091
41 Jerry 9,020
42 Randy 8,864
43 Frank 8,323
44 Dennis 8,213
45 Raymond 8,049
46 Craig 7,870
47 Jeffery 7,735
48 Tony 6,821
49 Roger 6,431
50 Bruce 6,324
51 Mike 6,039
52 Darren 5,935
53 Troy 5,857
54 Carl 5,798
55 Steve 5,686
56 Danny 5,675
57 Ricky 5,659
58 Russell 5,648
59 Alan 5,616
60 Chris 5,483
61 Vincent 5,429
62 Jeff 5,411
63 Bryan 5,343
64 Gerald 5,254
65 Wayne 5,116
66 Lawrence 4,963
67 Martin 4,935
68 Darryl 4,925
69 Shawn 4,925
70 Phillip 4,893
71 Joe 4,835
72 Bradley 4,787
73 Randall 4,754
74 Jonathan 4,729
75 Curtis 4,689
76 Johnny 4,684
77 Billy 4,653
78 Jon 4,599
79 Sean 4,598
80 Bobby 4,590
81 Jimmy 4,530
82 Walter 4,485
83 Dale 4,401
84 Samuel 4,396
85 Glenn 4,360
86 Barry 4,326
87 Philip 4,279
88 Dean 4,097
89 Jose 3,967
90 Jay 3,944
91 Darrell 3,892
92 Allen 3,837
93 Willie 3,808
94 Henry 3,802
95 Roy 3,784
96 Arthur 3,776
97 Tim 3,720
98 Victor 3,686
99 Harold 3,539
100 Albert 3,419
101 Louis 3,273
102 Darrin 3,257
103 Ralph 3,226
104 Jack 3,200
105 Greg 3,184
106 Frederick 3,156
107 Ronnie 3,145
108 Marc 3,055
109 Marvin 2,970
110 Tracy 2,932
111 Jason 2,890
112 Kurt 2,879
113 Eddie 2,869
114 Joel 2,860
115 Stanley 2,815
116 Lee 2,773
117 Jim 2,772
118 Micheal 2,765
119 Tommy 2,719
120 Eugene 2,715
121 Leonard 2,714
122 Howard 2,677
123 Darin 2,615
124 Ernest 2,577
125 Adam 2,563
126 Dwayne 2,521
127 Tom 2,499
128 Reginald 2,471
129 Derrick 2,419
130 Aaron 2,413
131 Brent 2,410
132 Brett 2,344
133 Benjamin 2,338
134 Norman 2,302
135 Duane 2,275
136 Kelly 2,259
137 Rick 2,254
138 Melvin 2,230
139 Jesse 2,213
140 Juan 2,196
141 Fred 2,149
142 Jerome 2,143
143 Theodore 2,142
144 Carlos 2,129
145 Erik 2,121
146 Harry 2,111
147 Ray 2,092
148 Brad 2,089
149 Nicholas 2,072
150 Glen 2,069
151 Bill 2,061
152 Kirk 2,058
153 Calvin 2,046
154 Karl 2,023
155 Dan 1,993
156 Earl 1,947
157 Don 1,911
158 Edwin 1,906
159 Mitchell 1,882
160 Wesley 1,862
161 Kent 1,849
162 Warren 1,825
163 Clifford 1,821
164 Francis 1,816
165 Andre 1,806
166 Clarence 1,803
167 Derek 1,801
168 Antonio 1,781
169 Lance 1,754
170 Bernard 1,674
171 Alfred 1,655
172 Tyrone 1,570
173 Leroy 1,537
174 Luis 1,529
175 Lonnie 1,503
176 Manuel 1,500
177 Kerry 1,474
178 Gordon 1,445
179 Daryl 1,429
180 Maurice 1,419
181 Leslie 1,418
182 Nathan 1,418
183 Herbert 1,378
184 Marcus 1,373
185 Franklin 1,370
186 Perry 1,364
187 Guy 1,363
188 Vernon 1,357
189 Gilbert 1,347
190 Alvin 1,328
191 Alexander 1,322
192 Neil 1,319
193 Gene 1,308
194 Wade 1,301
195 Stuart 1,296
196 Lloyd 1,295
197 Mario 1,290
198 Ricardo 1,279
199 Leon 1,265
200 Alex 1,246
201 Ted 1,243
202 Gregg 1,233
203 Dwight 1,227
204 Byron 1,224
205 Marty 1,221
206 Dana 1,217
207 Kelvin 1,196
208 Andy 1,174
209 Chad 1,173
210 Kyle 1,171
211 Dave 1,159
212 Ruben 1,150
213 Ron 1,143
214 Joey 1,121
215 Rickey 1,118
216 Lewis 1,117
217 Kenny 1,105
218 Ken 1,100
219 Allan 1,094
220 Timmy 1,087
221 Ryan 1,086
222 Travis 1,077
223 Nathaniel 1,071
224 Roberto 1,064
225 Floyd 1,055
226 Terrence 1,032
227 Doug 1,029
228 Shane 1,024
229 Jesus 1,017
230 Bob 1,000
231 Roderick 998
232 Oscar 988
233 Ross 987
234 Donnie 971
235 Hector 968
236 Charlie 965
237 Lester 955
238 Miguel 952
239 Jimmie 948
240 Terrance 947
241 Arnold 945
242 Jamie 944
243 Shannon 938
244 Roland 934
245 Clinton 919
246 Robin 915
247 Leo 904
248 Johnnie 891
249 Neal 884
250 Jackie 884

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 'Clinton' or '', still top the charts. As the birth rate declines, we won't see baby names like 'Michael' 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 'James' 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 'Davids' 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 'Robert' 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 'Jeffrey' or '' are on repeat, you'll likely see them in the baby name charts.

Family Tradition

Some names like 'Mark' 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 'Richard' or '' show the lasting impact of religion and politics on baby names.

So, while we can't always predict why a name like 'Thomas' 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 1965". NameCensus.com. Accessed on March 29, 2024. https://namecensus.com/baby-names/popular-boy-names-in-1965/.

  • "Most Popular Baby Boy Names in 1965". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/baby-names/popular-boy-names-in-1965/. Accessed 29 March, 2024

  • Most Popular Baby Boy Names in 1965. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from https://namecensus.com/baby-names/popular-boy-names-in-1965/.