Birth year roster

Top names in 1945

The 100 most common names on 1945 birth certificates, for girls and boys, ranked by SSA records.

Mary and James led the 1945 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, 158 are now endangered or extinct; the tag on each shows where it stands today.

Explore the 1940s decade

Girls

#1Mary Endangered59,278
#2Linda Endangered41,465
#3Barbara Endangered38,273
#4Patricia Endangered35,844
#5Carol Endangered30,389
#6Sandra Endangered24,700
#7Nancy Endangered21,456
#8Sharon Endangered20,838
#9Judith Endangered20,192
#10Susan Endangered19,222
#11Betty Endangered18,387
#12Carolyn Endangered17,244
#13Judy Endangered17,001
#14Shirley Endangered16,150
#15Margaret Endangered15,685
#16Karen Endangered15,680
#17Donna Endangered15,397
#18Joyce Endangered13,950
#19Kathleen Endangered13,802
#20Janet Endangered12,326
#21Dorothy Endangered12,323
#22Diane Endangered12,223
#23Gloria Endangered11,037
#24Janice Endangered10,781
#25Joan Endangered10,394
#26Elizabeth Stable10,343
#27Marilyn Endangered9,534
#28Virginia Endangered9,244
#29Brenda Endangered9,203
#30Martha Endangered8,752
#31Helen Endangered8,301
#32Cheryl Endangered8,149
#33Ruth Endangered8,046
#34Frances Endangered7,940
#35Bonnie Endangered7,745
#36Jane Stable7,639
#37Beverly Endangered7,618
#38Jean Endangered7,429
#39Ann Endangered7,038
#40Phyllis Endangered6,530
#41Alice Stable6,359
#42Pamela Endangered6,169
#43Diana Stable6,047
#44Elaine Rising5,887
#45Peggy Endangered5,839
#46Doris Endangered5,820
#47Connie Endangered5,337
#48Lois Endangered5,148
#49Marie Endangered5,084
#50Catherine Endangered5,031
#51Carole Endangered4,842
#52Gail Endangered4,832
#53Joanne Endangered4,618
#54Rose Stable4,557
#55Charlotte Stable4,529
#56Geraldine Endangered4,475
#57Evelyn Stable4,377
#58Wanda Endangered4,295
#59Rita Endangered4,282
#60Jo Endangered4,224
#61Ellen Endangered4,189
#62Christine Endangered4,077
#63Jacqueline Endangered3,989
#64Sally Endangered3,982
#65Kathryn Endangered3,971
#66Sue Endangered3,914
#67Paula Endangered3,798
#68Suzanne Endangered3,770
#69Annie Rising3,741
#70Eileen Stable3,637
#71Darlene Endangered3,626
#72Dianne Endangered3,611
#73Anna Declining3,607
#74Norma Endangered3,603
#75Roberta Endangered3,602
#76Sarah Endangered3,592
#77Laura Endangered3,589
#78Louise Endangered3,514
#79Rosemary Rising3,500
#80Joann Endangered3,465
#81Anne Endangered3,407
#82Katherine Declining3,393
#83Sylvia Rising3,375
#84Patsy Endangered3,350
#85Rebecca Endangered3,331
#86Maria Stable3,313
#87Lorraine Endangered3,207
#88Marcia Endangered3,206
#89Sheila Endangered3,178
#90Cynthia Endangered3,127
#91Kay Endangered3,058
#92Glenda Endangered2,963
#93Mildred Endangered2,960
#94Marjorie Endangered2,929
#95Ruby Stable2,904
#96Theresa Endangered2,895
#97Irene Endangered2,883
#98Jeanne Endangered2,861
#99Arlene Endangered2,771
#100Anita Endangered2,768

Boys

#1James Stable74,464
#2Robert Endangered69,947
#3John Past peak66,117
#4William Declining50,218
#5Richard Endangered46,046
#6David Past peak37,110
#7Charles Stable32,469
#8Thomas Stable31,874
#9Michael Past peak29,902
#10Ronald Endangered23,665
#11Larry Endangered22,824
#12Donald Endangered22,138
#13Gary Endangered21,345
#14Joseph Declining20,823
#15George Stable19,327
#16Kenneth Endangered18,096
#17Paul Endangered16,995
#18Edward Endangered15,870
#19Dennis Endangered14,990
#20Jerry Endangered14,704
#21Frank Endangered10,874
#22Roger Endangered10,571
#23Raymond Endangered9,858
#24Daniel Declining9,708
#25Gerald Endangered8,857
#26Stephen Endangered8,641
#27Walter Stable7,574
#28Harold Endangered7,524
#29Douglas Endangered7,394
#30Lawrence Endangered7,163
#31Willie Endangered7,030
#32Jack Stable6,857
#33Terry Endangered6,834
#34Arthur Rising6,802
#35Wayne Endangered6,738
#36Joe Endangered6,625
#37Henry Stable6,606
#38Peter Stable6,483
#39Carl Endangered6,314
#40Roy Endangered6,183
#41Jimmy Endangered6,159
#42Billy Endangered6,022
#43Steven Endangered5,974
#44Ralph Endangered5,785
#45Johnny Endangered5,699
#46Anthony Declining5,686
#47Harry Endangered5,650
#48Bruce Endangered5,615
#49Albert Endangered5,432
#50Eugene Endangered5,167
#51Fred Endangered5,118
#52Alan Stable5,073
#53Bobby Endangered5,052
#54Howard Endangered4,768
#55Louis Stable4,480
#56Danny Endangered4,175
#57Leonard Endangered4,125
#58Philip Endangered4,112
#59Stanley Endangered4,058
#60Ernest Endangered4,005
#61Dale Endangered3,957
#62Samuel Stable3,957
#63Patrick Declining3,854
#64Russell Stable3,806
#65Norman Endangered3,726
#66Bill Endangered3,711
#67Ronnie Endangered3,651
#68Jim Endangered3,625
#69Mike Endangered3,592
#70Timothy Endangered3,591
#71Earl Endangered3,567
#72Mark Endangered3,545
#73Don Endangered3,482
#74Allen Endangered3,481
#75Tommy Endangered3,449
#76Francis Stable3,448
#77Frederick Stable3,437
#78Melvin Endangered3,408
#79Steve Endangered3,384
#80Marvin Endangered3,294
#81Eddie Endangered3,223
#82Clarence Endangered3,196
#83Leroy Endangered3,170
#84Barry Endangered3,138
#85Phillip Endangered3,081
#86Andrew Declining3,007
#87Lee Endangered2,942
#88Alfred Endangered2,894
#89Tom Endangered2,893
#90Martin Stable2,823
#91Jeffrey Endangered2,782
#92Ray Endangered2,740
#93Glenn Endangered2,734
#94Herbert Endangered2,664
#95Victor Declining2,631
#96Gregory Endangered2,474
#97Curtis Endangered2,393
#98Bernard Endangered2,388
#99Clifford Endangered2,384
#100Gene Endangered2,373