Birth year roster

Top names in 1946

Name: Top baby names in 1946
Creator: Social Security Administration

The 100 most common names on 1946 birth certificates, for girls and boys, ranked by SSA records.

Mary and James led the 1946 baby-name charts, the top names among baby boom 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, 160 are now endangered or extinct; the tag on each shows where it stands today.

Explore the 1940s decade

Girls

#1Mary Endangered67,471
#2Linda Endangered52,710
#3Patricia Endangered46,297
#4Barbara Endangered45,126
#5Carol Endangered34,284
#6Sandra Endangered31,692
#7Nancy Endangered28,345
#8Susan Endangered28,267
#9Sharon Endangered27,824
#10Judith Endangered22,310
#11Judy Endangered20,477
#12Carolyn Endangered19,902
#13Donna Endangered19,770
#14Betty Endangered19,711
#15Karen Endangered19,647
#16Kathleen Endangered18,760
#17Margaret Endangered18,136
#18Shirley Endangered17,870
#19Diane Endangered15,835
#20Joyce Endangered15,209
#21Janet Endangered14,142
#22Janice Endangered14,039
#23Dorothy Endangered12,797
#24Brenda Endangered12,690
#25Elizabeth Stable11,753
#26Gloria Endangered11,686
#27Cheryl Endangered11,526
#28Joan Endangered11,218
#29Marilyn Endangered10,711
#30Beverly Endangered10,430
#31Virginia Endangered10,015
#32Martha Endangered9,759
#33Bonnie Endangered9,510
#34Pamela Endangered9,367
#35Jane Stable8,971
#36Helen Endangered8,852
#37Jean Endangered8,554
#38Ruth Endangered8,474
#39Frances Endangered8,450
#40Ann Endangered8,077
#41Phyllis Endangered8,048
#42Diana Stable7,544
#43Peggy Endangered7,400
#44Alice Stable7,363
#45Connie Endangered7,215
#46Cynthia Endangered6,895
#47Elaine Rising6,803
#48Catherine Endangered6,367
#49Gail Endangered6,227
#50Christine Endangered6,202
#51Doris Endangered5,987
#52Suzanne Endangered5,948
#53Jo Endangered5,828
#54Marie Endangered5,758
#55Lois Endangered5,700
#56Rita Endangered5,533
#57Joanne Endangered5,506
#58Ellen Endangered5,237
#59Wanda Endangered5,235
#60Rose Stable5,183
#61Sue Endangered5,144
#62Jacqueline Endangered5,083
#63Kathryn Endangered4,999
#64Charlotte Stable4,970
#65Evelyn Stable4,890
#66Geraldine Endangered4,849
#67Sally Endangered4,842
#68Rebecca Endangered4,840
#69Paula Endangered4,724
#70Sheila Endangered4,706
#71Darlene Endangered4,662
#72Carole Endangered4,621
#73Sherry Endangered4,518
#74Rosemary Rising4,486
#75Laura Endangered4,478
#76Dianne Endangered4,278
#77Norma Endangered4,266
#78Katherine Declining4,197
#79Kathy Endangered4,179
#80Eileen Stable4,168
#81Anne Endangered4,115
#82Sylvia Rising4,093
#83Jeanne Endangered4,045
#84Anita Endangered4,027
#85Patsy Endangered4,017
#86Roberta Endangered4,016
#87Anna Declining3,999
#88Maria Stable3,960
#89Marcia Endangered3,946
#90Joann Endangered3,945
#91Louise Endangered3,925
#92Sarah Endangered3,910
#93Lorraine Endangered3,886
#94Lynn Endangered3,884
#95Maureen Endangered3,684
#96Theresa Endangered3,684
#97Annie Rising3,651
#98Marsha Endangered3,611
#99Glenda Endangered3,568
#100Constance Endangered3,419

Boys

#1James Stable87,438
#2Robert Endangered84,136
#3John Past peak79,267
#4William Declining60,034
#5Richard Endangered58,870
#6David Past peak46,444
#7Michael Past peak41,194
#8Thomas Stable38,877
#9Charles Stable38,215
#10Ronald Endangered31,858
#11Larry Endangered28,447
#12Gary Endangered26,931
#13Donald Endangered26,273
#14Joseph Declining24,284
#15Kenneth Endangered22,042
#16George Stable21,575
#17Dennis Endangered21,447
#18Paul Endangered21,063
#19Edward Endangered18,585
#20Jerry Endangered17,567
#21Daniel Declining12,867
#22Frank Endangered12,667
#23Roger Endangered12,411
#24Stephen Endangered11,832
#25Raymond Endangered11,289
#26Terry Endangered10,678
#27Gerald Endangered10,033
#28Steven Endangered8,878
#29Wayne Endangered8,807
#30Walter Stable8,668
#31Lawrence Endangered8,517
#32Bruce Endangered8,459
#33Harold Endangered8,373
#34Douglas Endangered8,336
#35Jack Stable7,801
#36Arthur Rising7,537
#37Joe Endangered7,536
#38Peter Stable7,483
#39Carl Endangered7,380
#40Willie Endangered7,339
#41Henry Stable7,317
#42Jimmy Endangered7,128
#43Roy Endangered6,925
#44Anthony Declining6,771
#45Billy Endangered6,716
#46Danny Endangered6,650
#47Johnny Endangered6,611
#48Ralph Endangered6,587
#49Alan Stable6,490
#50Harry Endangered6,027
#51Fred Endangered6,012
#52Albert Endangered6,007
#53Bobby Endangered5,771
#54Ronnie Endangered5,727
#55Howard Endangered5,694
#56Gregory Endangered5,672
#57Eugene Endangered5,670
#58Mark Endangered5,331
#59Patrick Declining5,305
#60Timothy Endangered5,152
#61Philip Endangered5,093
#62Dale Endangered5,024
#63Louis Stable4,918
#64Mike Endangered4,854
#65Stanley Endangered4,767
#66Russell Stable4,741
#67Leonard Endangered4,704
#68Barry Endangered4,624
#69Steve Endangered4,570
#70Samuel Stable4,523
#71Ernest Endangered4,395
#72Bill Endangered4,354
#73Jim Endangered4,336
#74Allen Endangered4,294
#75Frederick Stable4,231
#76Norman Endangered4,161
#77Tommy Endangered4,144
#78Jeffrey Endangered4,125
#79Don Endangered4,110
#80Francis Stable4,006
#81Glenn Endangered3,892
#82Earl Endangered3,830
#83Phillip Endangered3,775
#84Andrew Declining3,758
#85Eddie Endangered3,746
#86Melvin Endangered3,742
#87Tom Endangered3,624
#88Marvin Endangered3,600
#89Clarence Endangered3,567
#90Leroy Endangered3,472
#91Lee Endangered3,346
#92Martin Stable3,333
#93Rodney Endangered3,304
#94Alfred Endangered3,238
#95Ray Endangered3,169
#96Keith Endangered2,860
#97Herbert Endangered2,818
#98Gene Endangered2,759
#99Curtis Endangered2,723
#100Clifford Endangered2,616