Names that Peaked in 1954

Michael

Hebrew

"who is like God?"

Michael was the Number 1 American boys' name for almost half a century. While Michael has moved out of the Top 10 baby boy names , it's still widely used. How has Michael racked up this phenomenal…

Thomas

Aramaic

"twin"

A solid classic with plenty of history, Thomas strikes the balance between strength and gentleness. A favorite in the UK, a staple in France, and Australia, and never absent from the US Top 100,…

Gary

English

"spearman"

When Gary cracked the Top 10 in 1950, it was one of the first nonclassic boys’ names to do so, largely due to Gary (born Frank) Cooper, who was renamed after Gary, Indiana, his agent's hometown. Now,…

Gerard

English and Irish from German

"spear strength"

Gerard is currently in style limbo, after reaching peak popularity in the 1950s. With its strong meaning and gentle sound, it may be back in a generation or two. But for now, a boy called Gerard will…

Kenton

English

"the royal settlement"

Although Kenton has the trendy K beginning and on ending, and a jazz reference to Stan Kenton, it still manages to sound stiff and old-fashioned.

Stephan

Variant of Stephen

If you wanted to try to get people to pronounce your son's first name the way Stephen Curry does, this might be a way to do it.

Reyes

Spanish

"kings, royalty"

This regal Spanish name combines several of today's top trends: names that end in S, last names that can also be first names, royal-sounding names, and unisex options. It has a long history of use in…

Kirby

Norse

"church settlement"

Attractive British place-name with a sense of humor. Fun fact: John Wayne played five characters with the first or second name of Kirby.

Dana

English, Slavic, Persian Arabic

"from Denmark, gift, or wise"

Baby girl Danas outnumber baby boys with the name nearly ten to one. But Dana is an attractive, sleek name that can certain work for babies of either gender.

Dirk

Flemish and Dutch, contracted form of Derek

A perennial classic in the Netherlands, short-and-sweet Dirk is starting to feel like a fresher alternative to cousin Derek.

Garry

Garry is a masculine name typically considered a variant spelling of Gary, which originated as a diminutive of names like Gareth or Gerald, or from the Germanic element "gar" meaning "spear." This…

Rickie

Rickie is a masculine name typically used as a diminutive form of Richard, though it can stand as an independent name. The name Richard, from which it derives, has Germanic origins meaning "powerful…

Garth

Norse

"groundskeeper, enclosure"

A name that took on a pronounced country twang via Nashville megastar Garth (born Troyal) Brooks.

Kennard

Kennard is a masculine name of Germanic origin combining the elements "kenn" (meaning "brave, bold") and "hard" (meaning "strong, hardy"), creating the meaning "brave strength" or "bold and strong."…