Birth year roster

Top names in 1945

Name: Top baby names in 1945
Creator: Social Security Administration

The names most likely to appear on 1945 birth certificates, ranked by SSA records.

Mary and James led the 1945 baby-name charts, a pair that captures the naming culture of mid-century America — a timeless classic that had dominated since the 1880s and James, a perennial powerhouse that would anchor the decade. The full top 25 below reveals which names defined the 1945 classroom and how many have since faded or endured.

Explore the 1940s decade

Girls

#1Mary59,278
#2Linda41,465
#3Barbara38,273
#4Patricia35,844
#5Carol30,389
#6Sandra24,700
#7Nancy21,456
#8Sharon20,838
#9Judith20,192
#10Susan19,222
#11Betty18,387
#12Carolyn17,244
#13Judy17,001
#14Shirley16,150
#15Margaret15,685
#16Karen15,680
#17Donna15,397
#18Joyce13,950
#19Kathleen13,802
#20Janet12,326
#21Dorothy12,323
#22Diane12,223
#23Gloria11,037
#24Janice10,781
#25Joan10,394

Boys

#1James74,464
#2Robert69,947
#3John66,117
#4William50,218
#5Richard46,046
#6David37,110
#7Charles32,469
#8Thomas31,874
#9Michael29,902
#10Ronald23,665
#11Larry22,824
#12Donald22,138
#13Gary21,345
#14Joseph20,823
#15George19,327
#16Kenneth18,096
#17Paul16,995
#18Edward15,870
#19Dennis14,990
#20Jerry14,704
#21Frank10,874
#22Roger10,571
#23Raymond9,858
#24Daniel9,708
#25Gerald8,857