20 Vintage baby names from the 1950s making a comeback

James is a name that's so consistently popular, it doesn't even sound all that old-fashioned. In the '50s, it was also a name associated with youth culture — as embodied by Rebel Without a Cause heartthrob James Dean

Linda had a moment in the early 1950s — it was the No. 1 name each year from 1947 to 1952 — but Mary eventually won the decade. And with such great role models — like Mary Blair, the artist who worked with Disney on 1950s blockbuster films like Lady and the Tramp, Alice in Wonderland and Cinderella — it's clear why families want to keep honoring famous Marys of the past.

Western/cowboy baby names are having a moment right now, thanks to Yellowstone. But can that trend trace itself all the way back to 1959's Bonanza, and its star, Michael Landon? It turns out, Michael doesn't really need a trend to keep it in the limelight.

The name Linda — as in actress Linda Cristal, who also starred in Westerns throughout the '50s — had a good run, enjoying the top spot from 1947 to 1952, until Mary came back to reclaim the crown.

The name Robert means "bright fame," and in the 1950s it was a self-fulfilling prophecy, at least when it came to actors like Robert Mitchum, Robert Taylor or Robert Conrad.

In an episode of The Twilight Zone, actress Patricia Barry plays a woman who is tricked into falling for a man who used a love potion on her — only for him to find her affections stifling. That means this is a great choice for parents looking for a name with a vintage, mid-century feel but who still want to be unique.

The name John, as in writer John Updike, may have had its peak long before the '50s. It was the No. 1 boy's name a few decades earlier than that, and kept the top spot between 1900 and 1923. Still, the name has hung in there, landing somewhere in the top-five names every year from 1924 to 1972, and it continues to rank in the top 30 baby names today.

In the 1950s, Susan was ascendant, hitting its peak in 1960. Perhaps those '50s families were inspired by actress Susan Hayward, who received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress three times throughout the decade (and finally brought home the statue in 1958).

David, as in businessman David Rockefeller, has a disruptor energy to it: It was the name David that took the No. 1 spot from Michael for one year only — 1960 — keeping Michael from having an interrupted 44-year streak as the most popular boy name in America. And while David has lost favor in the decades since, and now is more often in the top 30 than the top five, it's still a good choice for families who want to shake things up.

This is a two-for-one, because variants on Deborah actually hit the list twice in the 1950s: Deborah (as in The King and I and An Affair to Remember star Deborah Kerr) was the fifth most popular name, and Debra (as in The Ten Commandments' Debra Paget) was the seventh.

William was a good choice for literary parents of the 1950s, who saw bylines like William S. Burroughs, William Goldman and William F. Buckley Jr. on books and in magazines. And the name feels at once timeless and modern, since it's still in the top 10 of baby names today. It's also good for parents who love options, since families can make the name their own by going by nicknames like Will, Willy, Bill or Billy.

There's already proof that Barbara, as in All About Eve actress Barbara Bates, is making a comeback: The SSA notes that it's one of the fastest-growing baby names of last year, jumping 87 places in rank from the year before. Is this the beginning of a meteoric rise?

In the '50s, there were many big musical artists with the name Richard, from Broadway composer Richard Rogers to ivory-tickler Little Richard. The name had hit its peak by then — it was a top-five name in the '30s and '40s — but today Richard, Ricky and Ricardo have all still earned spots on top lists in the US and UK so it's a versatile choice.

Be it Thomas, Tom or Tommy, as in Lassie co-star Tommy Rettig, the name is certainly a stalwart one. The lowest it ever ranked in the US was 63, in 2011 and 2012, and has been on a slow upswing ever since. Could we see it crack into the top 10 again?

Any name can stage a comeback, but Karen has an uphill climb. But there are plenty of cool Karen role models in the '50s and beyond, including "Babette's Feast" writer Karen Blixen and musicians Karen Carpenter and Karen O, which means it could be time for a reclamation.

Mark, as in Cry Vengeance actor/director Mark Stevens, is an always-a-bridesmaid type of name: It's usually somewhere on the SSA list, but never cracks the top five (and the '50s were no exception). Today, it's a good one for people who are looking for short boy names, especially the trendy four-letter names.

Nancy — as in Nancy Berg, the actress and host of Count Sheep With Nancy Berg, which in 1955 aired every night at 1 am and lasted only 5 minutes — is a name you can never truly count out.

While still extremely popular, the name Charles — as in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes star Charles Coburn — has mostly been on a down slide since its peak in 1929, bottoming out in 2009. Could the recently crowned King Charles III give this name a royal boost?

In the 1950s, the name Donna was everywhere. It was on the radio, with Richie Valens's 1958 hit "Donna." It was on the small screen during The Donna Reed Show. Whoever wants to stake their claim on the name and bring it back to its former glory, it's all theirs.

The name Cynthia, as in actress/Jack Lemmon wife Cynthia Stone, is associated with the goddess Artemis and the moon. Today, in terms of celestial names, you're much more likely to find a Luna than a Cynthia.