Top 1960s Baby Names

One of the first breakaway unisex baby names, Terry, used independently since the days of Terry and the Pirates, is still used for boys though it's faded away for girls.

Some parents just use Steve on the birth certificate, but it doesn't have the breezy charm of trendy short forms like Max, Sam, and Jake. Regardless of how much you love Steve as a given name, it might be smart to give your son a longer option to fall back on.

Jerry is one of those short forms that, like Mike and Debbie, rose to popularity on the coattails of their formal versions. The equivalents today are nickname names like Ellie and Theo.

Lori, with this sleek modern spelling, was an extremely popular name in the middle of the 20th century, ranking among the Top 100 girls' names from the early 1950s until the early 1980s.

Paula still seems somewhat stuck in the era of duo Paul and Paula bopping out the song "Hey, Paula." Two pronunciations are possible—the English "PAW-la" and the Portuguese "POW-la."

Your friendly next-door neighbor...not your baby. Although Larry was once one of the most popular boys' names starting with L, that title now belongs to Liam.

As frozen in the pre-Beatles era as short white gloves.

Gone with Richard and Rick, Ricky has been falling since the turn of the 21st century. Probably still suffering from overuse in the 1990s.

Kim was the coolest name... of the 1960s. Kim was popularized by actress Kim Novak, and its energy is still maintained by rapper Lil' Kim, but it holds lil' or no appeal for new babies. Parents who like Kim's short, sweet sound might look to a choice such as Sam, Lou, or Belle.

The quintessential friendly fifties name, nearly epidemic in its day. Now many grownup Debbies have reverted to the full and lovely form of their name, which modern parents often avoid because of the name Debbie ringing too loudly in their ears.

When Deborah seemed too formal in the laid-back sixties, Debra stepped in as a pared-down alternative, but the pendulum is about to swing back.

"Help Me, Rhonda. sang the Beach Boys -- help me convince my parents not to give me this sixties name.

Unlike Jake or Sam, few parents put Mike on the birth certificate.

In the Top 25 in the unisex seventies, these days Tracy would more likely be Gracie.

Tony, as in classy. Or To-nyyy, as yelled out a tenement window.

Jeffery is common enough to be an accepted variation but not common enough to be the one you should choose. Nonetheless, this spelling has charted since the early-twentieth century, much like its brother name.

Laurie morphed into the more streamlined Lori in the sixties but now feels dated for a girl in either spelling. Update Lauren has been renovated as Laurel or Laura itself.

The ultimate dad name.

There are lots of Kathy moms and grandmas but very few babies, most of whom are now called Kate or Katie.

Onetime superstar name (Number 4 in the seventies) that's now in steep decline. Today's feminine is more likely to be some form of Michaela...or Makayla.