Birth year roster

Top names in 1948

Name: Top baby names in 1948
Creator: Social Security Administration

The 100 most common names on 1948 birth certificates, for girls and boys, ranked by SSA records.

Linda and James led the 1948 baby-name charts, the top names among baby boom births. Linda was the #1 girls’ name for 6 years in all (1947–1952); James was the #1 boys’ name for 13 years in all (1940–1952). Of the 200 names below, 159 are now endangered or extinct; the tag on each shows where it stands today.

Explore the 1940s decade

Girls

#1Linda Endangered96,220
#2Mary Endangered68,597
#3Barbara Endangered46,826
#4Patricia Endangered46,140
#5Susan Endangered35,988
#6Sandra Endangered31,063
#7Nancy Endangered29,411
#8Carol Endangered28,977
#9Sharon Endangered26,143
#10Kathleen Endangered23,257
#11Donna Endangered22,033
#12Karen Endangered21,996
#13Margaret Endangered18,873
#14Carolyn Endangered18,623
#15Judith Endangered17,787
#16Judy Endangered17,706
#17Brenda Endangered17,700
#18Betty Endangered16,625
#19Diane Endangered16,607
#20Shirley Endangered16,121
#21Joyce Endangered14,380
#22Pamela Endangered14,281
#23Janice Endangered14,162
#24Janet Endangered13,977
#25Cheryl Endangered13,220
#26Elizabeth Stable13,215
#27Cynthia Endangered12,240
#28Gloria Endangered11,690
#29Dorothy Endangered11,324
#30Deborah Endangered11,244
#31Beverly Endangered10,795
#32Martha Endangered10,011
#33Marilyn Endangered9,937
#34Bonnie Endangered9,817
#35Christine Endangered9,677
#36Virginia Endangered9,296
#37Joan Endangered9,275
#38Peggy Endangered9,089
#39Jane Stable8,781
#40Helen Endangered8,301
#41Catherine Endangered8,244
#42Frances Endangered8,179
#43Connie Endangered8,055
#44Ann Endangered8,025
#45Ruth Endangered7,903
#46Phyllis Endangered7,876
#47Jean Endangered7,774
#48Diana Stable7,706
#49Alice Stable6,981
#50Rebecca Endangered6,795
#51Gail Endangered6,603
#52Paula Endangered6,600
#53Elaine Rising6,403
#54Kathryn Endangered6,177
#55Kathy Endangered6,148
#56Jo Endangered5,986
#57Wanda Endangered5,918
#58Jacqueline Endangered5,838
#59Rita Endangered5,835
#60Marie Endangered5,786
#61Sherry Endangered5,717
#62Rose Stable5,556
#63Theresa Endangered5,556
#64Doris Endangered5,548
#65Joanne Endangered5,499
#66Suzanne Endangered5,448
#67Ellen Endangered5,289
#68Katherine Declining5,169
#69Charlotte Stable5,164
#70Lois Endangered5,077
#71Sheila Endangered5,022
#72Sally Endangered5,012
#73Laura Endangered4,901
#74Evelyn Stable4,840
#75Maria Stable4,817
#76Marsha Endangered4,725
#77Darlene Endangered4,692
#78Sue Endangered4,675
#79Marcia Endangered4,640
#80Lynn Endangered4,609
#81Vicki Declining4,365
#82Teresa Endangered4,217
#83Geraldine Endangered4,208
#84Lynda Endangered4,167
#85Sarah Endangered4,159
#86Dianne Endangered4,138
#87Anne Endangered4,122
#88Maureen Endangered4,077
#89Anna Declining4,037
#90Rosemary Rising3,870
#91Eileen Stable3,838
#92Glenda Endangered3,831
#93Constance Endangered3,811
#94Joann Endangered3,799
#95Jeanne Endangered3,789
#96Lorraine Endangered3,745
#97Annie Rising3,721
#98Patsy Endangered3,714
#99Louise Endangered3,685
#100Sylvia Rising3,671

Boys

#1James Stable88,605
#2Robert Endangered85,478
#3John Past peak82,834
#4William Declining61,972
#5David Past peak56,627
#6Michael Past peak52,566
#7Richard Endangered50,970
#8Thomas Stable43,780
#9Charles Stable38,676
#10Ronald Endangered33,527
#11Larry Endangered33,436
#12Gary Endangered28,397
#13Joseph Declining26,801
#14Donald Endangered26,442
#15Kenneth Endangered23,550
#16George Stable21,926
#17Dennis Endangered21,765
#18Paul Endangered21,252
#19Edward Endangered18,983
#20Stephen Endangered17,061
#21Jerry Endangered16,809
#22Daniel Declining16,510
#23Steven Endangered15,979
#24Roger Endangered12,818
#25Frank Endangered12,698
#26Terry Endangered12,136
#27Raymond Endangered11,612
#28Bruce Endangered11,065
#29Mark Endangered10,267
#30Gerald Endangered9,842
#31Lawrence Endangered9,768
#32Gregory Endangered9,724
#33Douglas Endangered9,468
#34Wayne Endangered8,682
#35Walter Stable8,627
#36Harold Endangered8,144
#37Peter Stable8,048
#38Timothy Endangered8,043
#39Danny Endangered8,009
#40Willie Endangered7,971
#41Anthony Declining7,878
#42Carl Endangered7,829
#43Jack Stable7,612
#44Arthur Rising7,576
#45Henry Stable7,421
#46Alan Stable7,394
#47Joe Endangered7,288
#48Patrick Declining7,192
#49Roy Endangered7,067
#50Jimmy Endangered6,927
#51Ralph Endangered6,915
#52Johnny Endangered6,862
#53Billy Endangered6,220
#54Philip Endangered6,162
#55Albert Endangered6,156
#56Dale Endangered6,091
#57Harry Endangered5,945
#58Jeffrey Endangered5,929
#59Ronnie Endangered5,902
#60Steve Endangered5,742
#61Eugene Endangered5,608
#62Bobby Endangered5,581
#63Howard Endangered5,497
#64Louis Stable5,386
#65Stanley Endangered5,383
#66Fred Endangered5,376
#67Russell Stable5,109
#68Mike Endangered5,045
#69Phillip Endangered5,018
#70Samuel Stable5,002
#71Leonard Endangered4,781
#72Allen Endangered4,755
#73Glenn Endangered4,740
#74Barry Endangered4,670
#75Frederick Stable4,516
#76Ernest Endangered4,512
#77Andrew Declining4,305
#78Eddie Endangered4,234
#79Tommy Endangered4,220
#80Francis Stable4,214
#81Melvin Endangered4,057
#82Craig Endangered3,985
#83Earl Endangered3,977
#84Bill Endangered3,926
#85Norman Endangered3,894
#86Jim Endangered3,808
#87Clarence Endangered3,790
#88Martin Stable3,698
#89Keith Endangered3,660
#90Marvin Endangered3,625
#91Don Endangered3,546
#92Rodney Endangered3,466
#93Lee Endangered3,445
#94Tom Endangered3,429
#95Brian Endangered3,358
#96Alfred Endangered3,245
#97Leroy Endangered3,234
#98Randall Endangered3,179
#99Randy Endangered3,141
#100Ray Endangered3,134