Birth year roster

Top names in 1943

The 100 most common names on 1943 birth certificates, for girls and boys, ranked by SSA records.

Mary and James led the 1943 baby-name charts, the top names among Silent Generation births. Mary was the #1 girls’ name for 76 years in all (between 1880 and 1961); James was the #1 boys’ name for 13 years in all (1940–1952). Of the 200 names below, 156 are now endangered or extinct; the tag on each shows where it stands today.

Explore the 1940s decade

Girls

#1Mary Endangered66,174
#2Barbara Endangered43,432
#3Patricia Endangered39,620
#4Linda Endangered38,439
#5Carol Endangered31,686
#6Sandra Endangered25,990
#7Judith Endangered25,214
#8Sharon Endangered24,712
#9Nancy Endangered23,988
#10Betty Endangered21,596
#11Carolyn Endangered20,365
#12Shirley Endangered17,816
#13Judy Endangered17,383
#14Margaret Endangered17,153
#15Karen Endangered16,816
#16Joyce Endangered16,485
#17Donna Endangered14,912
#18Susan Endangered14,888
#19Dorothy Endangered14,793
#20Janet Endangered13,316
#21Joan Endangered13,232
#22Kathleen Endangered12,153
#23Elizabeth Stable11,644
#24Diane Endangered11,326
#25Virginia Endangered10,847
#26Janice Endangered10,651
#27Marilyn Endangered10,145
#28Helen Endangered9,800
#29Martha Endangered9,704
#30Gloria Endangered9,684
#31Frances Endangered9,449
#32Beverly Endangered9,435
#33Ruth Endangered9,370
#34Bonnie Endangered8,870
#35Brenda Endangered8,435
#36Jean Endangered8,096
#37Ann Endangered7,829
#38Alice Stable7,648
#39Phyllis Endangered7,610
#40Doris Endangered7,128
#41Peggy Endangered6,511
#42Carole Endangered6,506
#43Lois Endangered6,132
#44Jane Stable6,032
#45Marie Endangered5,980
#46Elaine Rising5,966
#47Charlotte Stable5,482
#48Catherine Endangered5,427
#49Joanne Endangered5,270
#50Rose Stable5,206
#51Geraldine Endangered5,189
#52Rita Endangered5,011
#53Evelyn Stable4,912
#54Pamela Endangered4,839
#55Gail Endangered4,810
#56Wanda Endangered4,705
#57Sally Endangered4,659
#58Norma Endangered4,542
#59Connie Endangered4,512
#60Joann Endangered4,464
#61Patsy Endangered4,355
#62Diana Stable4,337
#63Jo Endangered4,300
#64Anna Declining4,232
#65Jacqueline Endangered4,189
#66Roberta Endangered4,169
#67Ellen Endangered4,152
#68Eileen Stable4,092
#69Annie Rising4,070
#70Louise Endangered4,044
#71Sarah Endangered3,990
#72Sue Endangered3,850
#73Darlene Endangered3,774
#74Dolores Endangered3,698
#75Kathryn Endangered3,647
#76Mildred Endangered3,626
#77Sylvia Rising3,623
#78Katherine Declining3,616
#79Marjorie Endangered3,608
#80Anne Endangered3,535
#81Kay Endangered3,494
#82Ruby Stable3,470
#83Glenda Endangered3,403
#84Christine Endangered3,316
#85Irene Endangered3,299
#86Suzanne Endangered3,280
#87Rebecca Endangered3,270
#88Dianne Endangered3,193
#89Loretta Rising3,169
#90Arlene Endangered3,146
#91Juanita Endangered3,085
#92Sheila Endangered3,063
#93Paula Endangered3,042
#94Lorraine Endangered3,015
#95Julia Stable2,972
#96Marcia Endangered2,970
#97Rosemary Rising2,966
#98Anita Endangered2,952
#99Delores Endangered2,929
#100Theresa Endangered2,929

Boys

#1James Stable80,278
#2Robert Endangered74,892
#3John Past peak68,929
#4William Declining55,904
#5Richard Endangered46,339
#6David Past peak37,240
#7Charles Stable36,632
#8Thomas Stable32,874
#9Ronald Endangered29,239
#10Michael Past peak24,745
#11Donald Endangered24,421
#12Larry Endangered22,978
#13Joseph Declining22,828
#14George Stable21,692
#15Kenneth Endangered19,112
#16Gary Endangered17,868
#17Jerry Endangered17,730
#18Edward Endangered17,713
#19Paul Endangered17,253
#20Dennis Endangered14,116
#21Frank Endangered12,246
#22Raymond Endangered11,391
#23Gerald Endangered11,367
#24Roger Endangered10,773
#25Daniel Declining9,168
#26Walter Stable9,035
#27Harold Endangered8,670
#28Douglas Endangered8,236
#29Stephen Endangered7,932
#30Arthur Rising7,785
#31Henry Stable7,631
#32Lawrence Endangered7,583
#33Carl Endangered7,472
#34Jack Stable7,398
#35Joe Endangered7,308
#36Willie Endangered7,178
#37Billy Endangered7,012
#38Roy Endangered6,932
#39Peter Stable6,877
#40Ralph Endangered6,771
#41Wayne Endangered6,761
#42Jimmy Endangered6,444
#43Albert Endangered6,307
#44Anthony Declining6,202
#45Fred Endangered6,168
#46Bobby Endangered6,121
#47Eugene Endangered5,902
#48Howard Endangered5,739
#49Terry Endangered5,737
#50Harry Endangered5,720
#51Bruce Endangered5,431
#52Johnny Endangered5,381
#53Louis Stable5,033
#54Stanley Endangered4,699
#55Leonard Endangered4,617
#56Norman Endangered4,522
#57Philip Endangered4,473
#58Steven Endangered4,267
#59Dale Endangered4,235
#60Earl Endangered4,186
#61Ernest Endangered4,172
#62Samuel Stable4,143
#63Melvin Endangered4,069
#64Francis Stable4,068
#65Bill Endangered3,990
#66Marvin Endangered3,939
#67Alan Stable3,855
#68Clarence Endangered3,854
#69Patrick Declining3,848
#70Frederick Stable3,840
#71Ronnie Endangered3,826
#72Don Endangered3,817
#73Russell Stable3,752
#74Leroy Endangered3,741
#75Jim Endangered3,682
#76Allen Endangered3,627
#77Tommy Endangered3,611
#78Alfred Endangered3,445
#79Andrew Declining3,352
#80Eddie Endangered3,281
#81Phillip Endangered3,251
#82Barry Endangered3,193
#83Martin Stable3,081
#84Ray Endangered3,063
#85Glenn Endangered3,054
#86Herbert Endangered3,044
#87Tom Endangered2,909
#88Danny Endangered2,898
#89Gene Endangered2,865
#90Mike Endangered2,803
#91Lee Endangered2,789
#92Bernard Endangered2,744
#93Steve Endangered2,684
#94Clifford Endangered2,667
#95Jimmie Endangered2,628
#96Theodore Rising2,616
#97Victor Declining2,613
#98Gordon Endangered2,608
#99Timothy Endangered2,578
#100Curtis Endangered2,525