Name Awesome

Most Popular Baby Names Of 1944

The 100 most-used girls’ and boys’ names among U.S. births in 1944 — 2,689,998 recorded births in total that year.

19431945 The 1940s as a wholeNames that peaked in 1944

Girls’ names

  1. 1Mary62,4764.7%
  2. 2Barbara39,1963.0%
  3. 3Linda38,4152.9%
  4. 4Patricia36,8742.8%
  5. 5Carol30,4562.3%
  6. 6Sandra26,0242.0%
  7. 7Nancy23,2181.7%
  8. 8Sharon22,4331.7%
  9. 9Judith22,4311.7%
  10. 10Betty19,7611.5%
  11. 11Carolyn18,6701.4%
  12. 12Judy17,1191.3%
  13. 13Susan16,3301.2%
  14. 14Margaret16,3201.2%
  15. 15Shirley16,3091.2%
  16. 16Karen15,9441.2%
  17. 17Donna15,1731.1%
  18. 18Joyce14,7701.1%
  19. 19Dorothy13,3791.0%
  20. 20Kathleen13,0041.0%
  21. 21Janet12,5920.9%
  22. 22Joan11,9200.9%
  23. 23Elizabeth11,0340.8%
  24. 24Diane10,7100.8%
  25. 25Gloria9,9680.8%
  26. 26Virginia9,8950.7%
  27. 27Marilyn9,7380.7%
  28. 28Janice9,7330.7%
  29. 29Martha9,3350.7%
  30. 30Brenda8,9990.7%
  31. 31Helen8,6960.7%
  32. 32Ruth8,6740.7%
  33. 33Frances8,4870.6%
  34. 34Bonnie8,4560.6%
  35. 35Beverly8,2920.6%
  36. 36Cheryl7,9720.6%
  37. 37Jean7,6500.6%
  38. 38Alice7,1020.5%
  39. 39Ann7,0810.5%
  40. 40Phyllis7,0220.5%
  41. 41Jane6,5640.5%
  42. 42Doris6,3240.5%
  43. 43Carole6,2680.5%
  44. 44Pamela6,2040.5%
  45. 45Peggy6,0190.5%
  46. 46Elaine5,6290.4%
  47. 47Lois5,5290.4%
  48. 48Marie5,2970.4%
  49. 49Catherine5,2560.4%
  50. 50Charlotte4,9280.4%
  51. 51Connie4,7960.4%
  52. 52Rose4,7100.4%
  53. 53Geraldine4,6660.4%
  54. 54Rita4,5300.3%
  55. 55Joanne4,5290.3%
  56. 56Gail4,5260.3%
  57. 57Evelyn4,5160.3%
  58. 58Wanda4,4310.3%
  59. 59Sally4,3880.3%
  60. 60Diana4,3110.3%
  61. 61Jo4,2260.3%
  62. 62Sue4,0340.3%
  63. 63Ellen3,9980.3%
  64. 64Jacqueline3,9750.3%
  65. 65Joann3,9730.3%
  66. 66Norma3,8630.3%
  67. 67Sarah3,8570.3%
  68. 68Kathryn3,8550.3%
  69. 69Louise3,8420.3%
  70. 70Roberta3,7440.3%
  71. 71Annie3,7380.3%
  72. 72Patsy3,7290.3%
  73. 73Eileen3,6490.3%
  74. 74Anna3,6350.3%
  75. 75Christine3,5840.3%
  76. 76Darlene3,5320.3%
  77. 77Katherine3,5250.3%
  78. 78Suzanne3,4620.3%
  79. 79Glenda3,3670.3%
  80. 80Maria3,3610.3%
  81. 81Mildred3,3180.3%
  82. 82Paula3,3150.2%
  83. 83Sylvia3,2920.2%
  84. 84Rebecca3,2460.2%
  85. 85Marjorie3,2180.2%
  86. 86Anne3,2090.2%
  87. 87Ruby3,1890.2%
  88. 88Kay3,1700.2%
  89. 89Marcia3,1400.2%
  90. 90Dianne3,1070.2%
  91. 91Irene3,0870.2%
  92. 92Dolores3,0810.2%
  93. 93Lorraine3,0460.2%
  94. 94Juanita2,9600.2%
  95. 95Anita2,8250.2%
  96. 96Theresa2,8170.2%
  97. 97Delores2,7560.2%
  98. 98Loretta2,7460.2%
  99. 99Rosemary2,7440.2%
  100. 100Sherry2,7330.2%

Boys’ names

  1. 1James76,9515.6%
  2. 2Robert70,8555.2%
  3. 3John66,6164.9%
  4. 4William52,3753.8%
  5. 5Richard45,6433.3%
  6. 6David37,3822.7%
  7. 7Charles34,6622.5%
  8. 8Thomas31,6042.3%
  9. 9Michael26,7172.0%
  10. 10Ronald25,5131.9%
  11. 11Donald23,4681.7%
  12. 12Larry22,0261.6%
  13. 13Joseph21,1761.6%
  14. 14George20,4191.5%
  15. 15Gary20,0581.5%
  16. 16Kenneth18,0931.3%
  17. 17Paul16,6611.2%
  18. 18Edward16,4821.2%
  19. 19Jerry16,2821.2%
  20. 20Dennis13,6761.0%
  21. 21Frank11,3400.8%
  22. 22Raymond10,6350.8%
  23. 23Roger10,5810.8%
  24. 24Gerald10,0230.7%
  25. 25Daniel9,3140.7%
  26. 26Walter8,1590.6%
  27. 27Harold7,9800.6%
  28. 28Stephen7,7930.6%
  29. 29Arthur7,2550.5%
  30. 30Jack7,2530.5%
  31. 31Willie7,1950.5%
  32. 32Lawrence7,1300.5%
  33. 33Joe7,0620.5%
  34. 34Douglas6,9980.5%
  35. 35Henry6,9750.5%
  36. 36Carl6,8250.5%
  37. 37Wayne6,7240.5%
  38. 38Billy6,5450.5%
  39. 39Roy6,5330.5%
  40. 40Peter6,3400.5%
  41. 41Jimmy6,3200.5%
  42. 42Ralph6,2730.5%
  43. 43Terry5,9740.4%
  44. 44Albert5,8550.4%
  45. 45Johnny5,6610.4%
  46. 46Anthony5,6040.4%
  47. 47Fred5,5800.4%
  48. 48Eugene5,5050.4%
  49. 49Harry5,4780.4%
  50. 50Bobby5,4100.4%
  51. 51Bruce5,2620.4%
  52. 52Steven5,1130.4%
  53. 53Howard5,0250.4%
  54. 54Louis4,6780.3%
  55. 55Alan4,2770.3%
  56. 56Leonard4,1830.3%
  57. 57Stanley4,1210.3%
  58. 58Norman4,0650.3%
  59. 59Ernest4,0420.3%
  60. 60Philip3,9920.3%
  61. 61Dale3,9900.3%
  62. 62Samuel3,9460.3%
  63. 63Russell3,9310.3%
  64. 64Patrick3,8810.3%
  65. 65Earl3,8740.3%
  66. 66Bill3,8150.3%
  67. 67Melvin3,7450.3%
  68. 68Jim3,7440.3%
  69. 69Ronnie3,7390.3%
  70. 70Tommy3,6960.3%
  71. 71Francis3,6520.3%
  72. 72Don3,5890.3%
  73. 73Frederick3,5830.3%
  74. 74Clarence3,5750.3%
  75. 75Marvin3,5690.3%
  76. 76Danny3,5110.3%
  77. 77Allen3,4220.3%
  78. 78Leroy3,4100.3%
  79. 79Eddie3,3150.2%
  80. 80Mike3,0840.2%
  81. 81Andrew3,0560.2%
  82. 82Alfred3,0470.2%
  83. 83Phillip3,0020.2%
  84. 84Barry2,9790.2%
  85. 85Lee2,9290.2%
  86. 86Ray2,9040.2%
  87. 87Tom2,9020.2%
  88. 88Glenn2,8490.2%
  89. 89Steve2,8360.2%
  90. 90Herbert2,7730.2%
  91. 91Martin2,7670.2%
  92. 92Timothy2,7540.2%
  93. 93Mark2,7420.2%
  94. 94Bernard2,6190.2%
  95. 95Gene2,6020.2%
  96. 96Theodore2,5740.2%
  97. 97Curtis2,4650.2%
  98. 98Jimmie2,3980.2%
  99. 99Clifford2,3940.2%
  100. 100Warren2,3490.2%

Percentages are each name’s share of all 1944 applications for that sex — a useful reminder of how much more concentrated naming used to be. In 1880 the top girls’ name alone accounted for several percent of all girls; today the #1 name is well under one percent.

Counts are based on U.S. births and are tracked separately for girls and boys. Names used fewer than 5 times in a year aren’t published for that year, so totals here are a floor — the shortfall is largest in the sparse early years.