1950s Baby Names

48 1950s names with meanings, U.S. popularity, and audio pronunciation on every page.

1950s baby names are the names that filled maternity wards and classrooms across postwar America — clean, confident, and unmistakably mid-century. Parents reach for them today for the same reasons their grandparents did: they sound familiar, friendly, and a little nostalgic, evoking sock hops, diners, and Sunday best without feeling stuffy.

What makes a name feel “1950s”?

The decade favored crisp, easy-to-say names and cheerful nickname-style forms like Beckie, Vickey and Geri. There’s a built-in warmth to them — they sound like a favorite aunt or the girl next door.

Classic 1950s girl names

Girls of the era were often Nancie, Pamala, Coleen or Cathrine, with softer variants like Sherryl, Caren and Terese rounding out the birth announcements.

Classic 1950s boy names

Boy names leaned sturdy and short, from Bart and Tab to Glynn, Geary and Randel — names that felt right at home on a letterman jacket.

Why parents still love them

These names carry a built-in sense of warmth and history, which makes them appealing whether you’re honoring a grandmother’s namesake or just want a name with real staying power.

Every name below links to its own page with a sourced meaning, U.S. popularity, famous bearers, and a clear audio pronunciation — so you can hear it before you choose.

1950s Girl Names

Corlis#5926 in the U.S.Corlis is a single-s spelling of Corliss, an English surname derived from an Old English word f▶Dorann#7636 in the U.S.Dorann is a compound of Dora and Ann in the mid-century double-name style. Dora is a short form▶Kathey#8961 in the U.S.An -ey respelling of Kathy, a pet form of Katherine, from the Greek Aikaterine, traditionally r▶Joette#9715 in the U.S.A pet form joining Jo — short for Josephine, from the Hebrew for 'God will add; God shall incre▶Sherre#10047 in the U.S.Sherre is one of several American spellings of Sherry and Sheree, names drawn from the French c▶Pamala#10788 in the U.S.A variant spelling of Pamela, a name coined by Sir Philip Sidney in the 1580s and often explain▶Kathlene#12493 in the U.S.A trimmed spelling of Kathleen, an Irish form of Katherine, from the Greek read as 'pure.' A mi▶Geri#12934 in the U.S.A respelled pet form of Geraldine, the feminine of Gerald, from Germanic elements ger ('spear')▶Sherryl#13154 in the U.S.Sherryl is a variant of Cheryl (Sheryl), a name that emerged in the early twentieth century, ge▶Beckie#13289 in the U.S.A pet form of Rebecca, from the Hebrew Rivqah, usually read as 'to bind; to join; captivating.'▶Terese#13343 in the U.S.A variant of Teresa (Therese), a name of Greek origin whose sense is uncertain — often read as ▶Nancie#13402 in the U.S.An -ie respelling of Nancy, which grew as a pet form of Ann, from the Hebrew Hannah, 'grace; fa▶Vickey#13662 in the U.S.A respelling of Vicky, a short form of Victoria, from Latin victoria, 'victory.' The -ey spelli▶Tambra#13929 in the U.S.A contracted spelling of Tamara, from the Hebrew for 'date palm; palm tree.' A mid-century Amer▶Caren#14152 in the U.S.A respelling of Karen, a Danish short form of Katherine, from Greek katharos, 'pure.' The C- sp▶Doretha#14823 in the U.S.Doretha is a variant of Dorothea (and Dorothy), from the Greek doron ('gift') and theos ('God')▶Debbra#15053 in the U.S.A doubled-b spelling of Debra, itself a short form of Deborah, from the Hebrew Devorah, 'bee' —▶Leesa#15151 in the U.S.A phonetic respelling of Lisa, a short form of Elizabeth, from the Hebrew Elisheva, 'God is my ▶Cinda#15242 in the U.S.Cinda is a short form of Lucinda (an elaboration of Lucia, from Latin lux, 'light'). It can als▶Gayla#15242 in the U.S.Most likely an elaboration of Gay or Gayle, from Gail, a short form of Abigail (Hebrew, 'my fat▶Tamela#15473 in the U.S.A mid-century elaboration of Tammy (from Tamara or Thomasina), or a blend of Tammy and Pamela. ▶Gerri#15622 in the U.S.Gerri is a friendly pet form of Geraldine, the feminine of Gerald, from the Germanic elements g▶Coleen#15692 in the U.S.A respelling of Colleen, from the Irish cailin, 'girl.' Colleen became a popular given name amo▶Alfreda#15797 in the U.S.A feminine form of Alfred, from Old English aelf ('elf') and raed ('counsel') — 'elf counsel.' ▶Debrah#15825 in the U.S.A variant spelling of Deborah, from the Hebrew Devorah, 'bee.' In the Bible Deborah is a prophe▶Cathrine#16007 in the U.S.Cathrine is a variant spelling of Catherine, from the Greek Aikaterine, traditionally associate▶Valinda#16056 in the U.S.A mid-century American coinage, most likely blending a Va- opening with Linda, from the Spanish▶Sanjuanita#16198 in the U.S.A Spanish devotional name meaning 'little Saint John' — San Juan ('Saint John') with the tender▶Julene#16318 in the U.S.Julene is a twentieth-century blend name pairing a Jul- root — as in Julia and Julie — with the▶Teena#16334 in the U.S.A doubled-vowel spelling of Tina, itself a short form of names ending in -tina such as Christin▶Nanci#17015 in the U.S.Nanci is a stylized spelling of Nancy, which grew as a pet form of Ann (Anne), from the Hebrew ▶Sharleen#17145 in the U.S.A soft-consonant spelling of Charlene, a feminine diminutive of Charles, from the Germanic for ▶Sheree#17251 in the U.S.Sheree is an anglicized spelling of the French endearment cherie, 'darling; dear one' (from che▶Tamra#17699 in the U.S.A streamlined spelling of Tamara, from Hebrew Tamar, 'date palm' (a symbol of grace and fruitfu▶Kathe#17816 in the U.S.Kathe is a diminutive of Katherine, the Greek-rooted name traditionally read as 'pure' (from ka▶Tambria#18129 in the U.S.Tambria has no single documented root; it most likely began as an elaboration of Tam, the short▶Dorene#18409 in the U.S.A variant of Doreen, usually explained as Dora (from the Greek 'doron,' 'gift') plus the -een e▶Tamie#18600 in the U.S.A variant spelling of Tammy, a pet form of Tamara, from the Hebrew for 'date palm' (or of Thoma▶Sherie#19141 in the U.S.Sherie is a variant of Sherry or Cherie, from the French chérie, 'darling; dear one'. It sits a▶Vikki#19431 in the U.S.A doubled-k spelling of Vicki, itself a pet form of Victoria, from the Latin 'victoria,' 'victo▶Sheilah#19774 in the U.S.Sheilah is a variant of Sheila, the anglicized form of Irish Síle, from the Latin Cecilia. Ceci▶

1950s Boy Names

Deryl#8896 in the U.S.Deryl is a twentieth-century respelling of Darrell (also Daryl), a name that began as an Englis▶Timmie#9603 in the U.S.Timmie is a pet form of Timothy, from the Greek Timotheos, from time ('honor') and theos ('God'▶Bart#12464 in the U.S.Bart is the short form of Bartholomew, from Aramaic bar-Talmai, 'son of Talmai' (Talmai meaning▶Glynn#12797 in the U.S.A Welsh name and surname from 'glyn,' meaning 'valley' or 'glen.' The double-n spelling gives t▶Geary#12929 in the U.S.Geary is a surname turned given name, generally traced to the Norman personal name Geri or Gary▶Randel#13696 in the U.S.A spelling of Randall, from the medieval Randolf, built on the Germanic for 'shield' and 'wolf'▶Tab#13796 in the U.S.A short given name best known from mid-century film star Tab Hunter, a stage name chosen for it▶

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Frequently Asked

What are 1950s baby names?

1950s baby names are the names that were common for children born in the United States during that decade — clean, cheerful, and often given in nickname-style forms. They tend to feel warm and nostalgic today rather than dated.

What are popular 1950s girl names?

Nancie, Pamala, Coleen, Cathrine, Sherryl, Caren and Terese are all typical of the era — friendly, easy to say, and full of mid-century charm.

What are popular 1950s boy names?

Bart, Tab, Glynn, Geary and Randel are classic 1950s boy names — short, sturdy, and confident.

Why do parents still choose 1950s names today?

They offer a familiar, comforting sound and often connect a new baby to a grandparent or family history, which keeps them appealing generations later.

How many 1950s baby names are on More4Kids?

More4Kids lists 48 1950s baby names, each with a sourced meaning, U.S. popularity, and an audio pronunciation.