Birth year roster

Top names in 1944

The 100 most common names on 1944 birth certificates, for girls and boys, ranked by SSA records.

Mary and James led the 1944 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 Endangered62,476
#2Barbara Endangered39,196
#3Linda Endangered38,415
#4Patricia Endangered36,874
#5Carol Endangered30,456
#6Sandra Endangered26,024
#7Nancy Endangered23,218
#8Sharon Endangered22,433
#9Judith Endangered22,431
#10Betty Endangered19,761
#11Carolyn Endangered18,670
#12Judy Endangered17,119
#13Susan Endangered16,330
#14Margaret Endangered16,320
#15Shirley Endangered16,309
#16Karen Endangered15,944
#17Donna Endangered15,173
#18Joyce Endangered14,770
#19Dorothy Endangered13,379
#20Kathleen Endangered13,004
#21Janet Endangered12,592
#22Joan Endangered11,920
#23Elizabeth Stable11,034
#24Diane Endangered10,710
#25Gloria Endangered9,968
#26Virginia Endangered9,895
#27Marilyn Endangered9,738
#28Janice Endangered9,733
#29Martha Endangered9,335
#30Brenda Endangered8,999
#31Helen Endangered8,696
#32Ruth Endangered8,674
#33Frances Endangered8,487
#34Bonnie Endangered8,456
#35Beverly Endangered8,292
#36Cheryl Endangered7,972
#37Jean Endangered7,650
#38Alice Stable7,102
#39Ann Endangered7,081
#40Phyllis Endangered7,022
#41Jane Stable6,564
#42Doris Endangered6,324
#43Carole Endangered6,268
#44Pamela Endangered6,204
#45Peggy Endangered6,019
#46Elaine Rising5,629
#47Lois Endangered5,529
#48Marie Endangered5,297
#49Catherine Endangered5,256
#50Charlotte Stable4,928
#51Connie Endangered4,796
#52Rose Stable4,710
#53Geraldine Endangered4,666
#54Rita Endangered4,530
#55Joanne Endangered4,529
#56Gail Endangered4,526
#57Evelyn Stable4,516
#58Wanda Endangered4,431
#59Sally Endangered4,388
#60Diana Stable4,311
#61Jo Endangered4,226
#62Sue Endangered4,034
#63Ellen Endangered3,998
#64Jacqueline Endangered3,975
#65Joann Endangered3,973
#66Norma Endangered3,863
#67Sarah Endangered3,857
#68Kathryn Endangered3,855
#69Louise Endangered3,842
#70Roberta Endangered3,744
#71Annie Rising3,738
#72Patsy Endangered3,729
#73Eileen Stable3,649
#74Anna Declining3,635
#75Christine Endangered3,584
#76Darlene Endangered3,532
#77Katherine Declining3,525
#78Suzanne Endangered3,462
#79Glenda Endangered3,367
#80Maria Stable3,361
#81Mildred Endangered3,318
#82Paula Endangered3,315
#83Sylvia Rising3,292
#84Rebecca Endangered3,246
#85Marjorie Endangered3,218
#86Anne Endangered3,209
#87Ruby Stable3,189
#88Kay Endangered3,170
#89Marcia Endangered3,140
#90Dianne Endangered3,107
#91Irene Endangered3,087
#92Dolores Endangered3,081
#93Lorraine Endangered3,046
#94Juanita Endangered2,960
#95Anita Endangered2,825
#96Theresa Endangered2,817
#97Delores Endangered2,756
#98Loretta Rising2,746
#99Rosemary Rising2,744
#100Sherry Endangered2,733

Boys

#1James Stable76,951
#2Robert Endangered70,855
#3John Past peak66,616
#4William Declining52,375
#5Richard Endangered45,643
#6David Past peak37,382
#7Charles Stable34,662
#8Thomas Stable31,604
#9Michael Past peak26,717
#10Ronald Endangered25,513
#11Donald Endangered23,468
#12Larry Endangered22,026
#13Joseph Declining21,176
#14George Stable20,419
#15Gary Endangered20,058
#16Kenneth Endangered18,093
#17Paul Endangered16,661
#18Edward Endangered16,482
#19Jerry Endangered16,282
#20Dennis Endangered13,676
#21Frank Endangered11,340
#22Raymond Endangered10,635
#23Roger Endangered10,581
#24Gerald Endangered10,023
#25Daniel Declining9,314
#26Walter Stable8,159
#27Harold Endangered7,980
#28Stephen Endangered7,793
#29Arthur Rising7,255
#30Jack Stable7,253
#31Willie Endangered7,195
#32Lawrence Endangered7,130
#33Joe Endangered7,062
#34Douglas Endangered6,998
#35Henry Stable6,975
#36Carl Endangered6,825
#37Wayne Endangered6,724
#38Billy Endangered6,545
#39Roy Endangered6,533
#40Peter Stable6,340
#41Jimmy Endangered6,320
#42Ralph Endangered6,273
#43Terry Endangered5,974
#44Albert Endangered5,855
#45Johnny Endangered5,661
#46Anthony Declining5,604
#47Fred Endangered5,580
#48Eugene Endangered5,505
#49Harry Endangered5,478
#50Bobby Endangered5,410
#51Bruce Endangered5,262
#52Steven Endangered5,113
#53Howard Endangered5,025
#54Louis Stable4,678
#55Alan Stable4,277
#56Leonard Endangered4,183
#57Stanley Endangered4,121
#58Norman Endangered4,065
#59Ernest Endangered4,042
#60Philip Endangered3,992
#61Dale Endangered3,990
#62Samuel Stable3,946
#63Russell Stable3,931
#64Patrick Declining3,881
#65Earl Endangered3,874
#66Bill Endangered3,815
#67Melvin Endangered3,745
#68Jim Endangered3,744
#69Ronnie Endangered3,739
#70Tommy Endangered3,696
#71Francis Stable3,652
#72Don Endangered3,589
#73Frederick Stable3,583
#74Clarence Endangered3,575
#75Marvin Endangered3,569
#76Danny Endangered3,511
#77Allen Endangered3,422
#78Leroy Endangered3,410
#79Eddie Endangered3,315
#80Mike Endangered3,084
#81Andrew Declining3,056
#82Alfred Endangered3,047
#83Phillip Endangered3,002
#84Barry Endangered2,979
#85Lee Endangered2,929
#86Ray Endangered2,904
#87Tom Endangered2,902
#88Glenn Endangered2,849
#89Steve Endangered2,836
#90Herbert Endangered2,773
#91Martin Stable2,767
#92Timothy Endangered2,754
#93Mark Endangered2,742
#94Bernard Endangered2,619
#95Gene Endangered2,602
#96Theodore Rising2,574
#97Curtis Endangered2,465
#98Jimmie Endangered2,398
#99Clifford Endangered2,394
#100Warren Rising2,349