Name Legacy

Baby names in Washington, 1950s

1950–1959 · 580,082 recorded births

Michael was the most common name given in Washington across the 1950s, with 14,544 births in the decade. The state recorded 580,082 births in total over those years.

Most distinctive to Washington in the 1950s

Names given far more often here than nationally in these years. The multiplier is conservative — it is the low end of the plausible range, so a name carried by a handful of births does not outrank one carried by hundreds.

NameBirthsvs national
Arne81
Karlyne5
Shannon538
Kari171
Kelli150
Cheri615
Kristi333
Leanne234

Top 25 in the 1950s

RankNameBirths
#1Michael14,544
#2David13,162
#3Robert12,260
#4John11,424
#5James11,198
#6Richard9,108
#7Linda8,480
#8Steven8,412
#9Susan8,072
#10Mark7,730
#11William7,558
#12Mary7,362
#13Patricia5,973
#14Debra5,938
#15Thomas5,928
#16Karen5,897
#17Gary5,869
#18Deborah5,162
#19Daniel5,009
#20Barbara4,759
#21Donald4,726
#22Ronald4,657
#23Nancy4,452
#24Kenneth4,384
#25Kathleen4,324

Other decades in Washington

All Washington names, 2025

Source: U.S.A. Social Security Administration. State records begin in 1910. Names given to fewer than five babies in a state in a year are withheld at source. namelegacy.org