Most popular baby names of 1952

The top three baby names for both boys and girls remained remarkably stable from 1951 to 1952. James, Robert, and John continued their reign as the most popular boys' names in America, showing the enduring appeal of these classic choices. Similarly, Linda, Mary, and Patricia held firm as the top three girls' names for the second consecutive year, demonstrating their strong cultural prominence in the early 1950s.

Looking more broadly at girls' names in 1952, the top 10 showed some interesting movement. While the top three remained steady, Debra made a notable jump into the top 10, climbing to the 9th position from 18th the previous year. Susan moved up one spot from 6th to 5th, while Sandra dropped slightly from 9th to 10th. The remaining names in the top 10 – Deborah, Barbara, Nancy, and Karen – experienced only minor shifts in popularity, suggesting a period of relative stability in girls' naming preferences.

For boys, the top 10 names in 1952 showed minimal reshuffling from the previous year. Steven climbed two spots from 13th to 11th, demonstrating increased popularity. A consistent pattern among popular boys' names was the preference for traditional biblical and Anglo-Saxon choices, with seven of the top ten (James, Robert, John, Michael, David, William, and Thomas) maintaining their exact positions from the previous year. Gary and Charles rounded out the top 10, with Charles moving up to 9th position.

Broader patterns in 1952 naming trends reveal interesting cultural preferences. Girls' names ending in 'a' (like Linda, Debra, Sandra) and those with soft endings like 'y' (Mary, Nancy) dominated the top ranks. For boys, traditional one and two-syllable names continued to dominate, with a clear preference for timeless rather than trendy choices. Notably, many of the most popular boys' names had biblical origins, while girls' names showed more diversity in their linguistic roots. The stability in naming practices during this period reflects the broader cultural continuity of early 1950s America.

Top baby names of 1952