Name Awesome

Most Popular Baby Names Of 1946

The 100 most-used girls’ and boys’ names among U.S. births in 1946 — 3,195,175 recorded births in total that year.

19451947 The 1940s as a wholeNames that peaked in 1946

Girls’ names

  1. 1Mary67,4714.3%
  2. 2Linda52,7103.4%
  3. 3Patricia46,2972.9%
  4. 4Barbara45,1262.9%
  5. 5Carol34,2842.2%
  6. 6Sandra31,6922.0%
  7. 7Nancy28,3451.8%
  8. 8Susan28,2671.8%
  9. 9Sharon27,8241.8%
  10. 10Judith22,3101.4%
  11. 11Judy20,4771.3%
  12. 12Carolyn19,9021.3%
  13. 13Donna19,7701.3%
  14. 14Betty19,7111.3%
  15. 15Karen19,6471.3%
  16. 16Kathleen18,7601.2%
  17. 17Margaret18,1361.2%
  18. 18Shirley17,8701.1%
  19. 19Diane15,8351.0%
  20. 20Joyce15,2091.0%
  21. 21Janet14,1420.9%
  22. 22Janice14,0390.9%
  23. 23Dorothy12,7970.8%
  24. 24Brenda12,6900.8%
  25. 25Elizabeth11,7530.7%
  26. 26Gloria11,6860.7%
  27. 27Cheryl11,5260.7%
  28. 28Joan11,2180.7%
  29. 29Marilyn10,7110.7%
  30. 30Beverly10,4300.7%
  31. 31Virginia10,0150.6%
  32. 32Martha9,7590.6%
  33. 33Bonnie9,5100.6%
  34. 34Pamela9,3670.6%
  35. 35Jane8,9710.6%
  36. 36Helen8,8520.6%
  37. 37Jean8,5540.5%
  38. 38Ruth8,4740.5%
  39. 39Frances8,4500.5%
  40. 40Ann8,0770.5%
  41. 41Phyllis8,0480.5%
  42. 42Diana7,5440.5%
  43. 43Peggy7,4000.5%
  44. 44Alice7,3630.5%
  45. 45Connie7,2150.5%
  46. 46Cynthia6,8950.4%
  47. 47Elaine6,8030.4%
  48. 48Catherine6,3670.4%
  49. 49Gail6,2270.4%
  50. 50Christine6,2020.4%
  51. 51Doris5,9870.4%
  52. 52Suzanne5,9480.4%
  53. 53Jo5,8280.4%
  54. 54Marie5,7580.4%
  55. 55Lois5,7000.4%
  56. 56Rita5,5330.4%
  57. 57Joanne5,5060.4%
  58. 58Ellen5,2370.3%
  59. 59Wanda5,2350.3%
  60. 60Rose5,1830.3%
  61. 61Sue5,1440.3%
  62. 62Jacqueline5,0830.3%
  63. 63Kathryn4,9990.3%
  64. 64Charlotte4,9700.3%
  65. 65Evelyn4,8900.3%
  66. 66Geraldine4,8490.3%
  67. 67Sally4,8420.3%
  68. 68Rebecca4,8400.3%
  69. 69Paula4,7240.3%
  70. 70Sheila4,7060.3%
  71. 71Darlene4,6620.3%
  72. 72Carole4,6210.3%
  73. 73Sherry4,5180.3%
  74. 74Rosemary4,4860.3%
  75. 75Laura4,4780.3%
  76. 76Dianne4,2780.3%
  77. 77Norma4,2660.3%
  78. 78Katherine4,1970.3%
  79. 79Kathy4,1790.3%
  80. 80Eileen4,1680.3%
  81. 81Anne4,1150.3%
  82. 82Sylvia4,0930.3%
  83. 83Jeanne4,0450.3%
  84. 84Anita4,0270.3%
  85. 85Patsy4,0170.3%
  86. 86Roberta4,0160.3%
  87. 87Anna3,9990.3%
  88. 88Maria3,9600.3%
  89. 89Marcia3,9460.3%
  90. 90Joann3,9450.3%
  91. 91Louise3,9250.2%
  92. 92Sarah3,9100.2%
  93. 93Lorraine3,8860.2%
  94. 94Lynn3,8840.2%
  95. 95Maureen3,6840.2%
  96. 96Theresa3,6840.2%
  97. 97Annie3,6510.2%
  98. 98Marsha3,6110.2%
  99. 99Glenda3,5680.2%
  100. 100Constance3,4190.2%

Boys’ names

  1. 1James87,4385.4%
  2. 2Robert84,1365.2%
  3. 3John79,2674.9%
  4. 4William60,0343.7%
  5. 5Richard58,8703.6%
  6. 6David46,4442.9%
  7. 7Michael41,1942.5%
  8. 8Thomas38,8772.4%
  9. 9Charles38,2152.4%
  10. 10Ronald31,8582.0%
  11. 11Larry28,4471.8%
  12. 12Gary26,9311.7%
  13. 13Donald26,2731.6%
  14. 14Joseph24,2841.5%
  15. 15Kenneth22,0421.4%
  16. 16George21,5751.3%
  17. 17Dennis21,4471.3%
  18. 18Paul21,0631.3%
  19. 19Edward18,5851.1%
  20. 20Jerry17,5671.1%
  21. 21Daniel12,8670.8%
  22. 22Frank12,6670.8%
  23. 23Roger12,4110.8%
  24. 24Stephen11,8320.7%
  25. 25Raymond11,2890.7%
  26. 26Terry10,6780.7%
  27. 27Gerald10,0330.6%
  28. 28Steven8,8780.5%
  29. 29Wayne8,8070.5%
  30. 30Walter8,6680.5%
  31. 31Lawrence8,5170.5%
  32. 32Bruce8,4590.5%
  33. 33Harold8,3730.5%
  34. 34Douglas8,3360.5%
  35. 35Jack7,8010.5%
  36. 36Arthur7,5370.5%
  37. 37Joe7,5360.5%
  38. 38Peter7,4830.5%
  39. 39Carl7,3800.5%
  40. 40Willie7,3390.5%
  41. 41Henry7,3170.5%
  42. 42Jimmy7,1280.4%
  43. 43Roy6,9250.4%
  44. 44Anthony6,7710.4%
  45. 45Billy6,7160.4%
  46. 46Danny6,6500.4%
  47. 47Johnny6,6110.4%
  48. 48Ralph6,5870.4%
  49. 49Alan6,4900.4%
  50. 50Harry6,0270.4%
  51. 51Fred6,0120.4%
  52. 52Albert6,0070.4%
  53. 53Bobby5,7710.4%
  54. 54Ronnie5,7270.4%
  55. 55Howard5,6940.4%
  56. 56Gregory5,6720.3%
  57. 57Eugene5,6700.3%
  58. 58Mark5,3310.3%
  59. 59Patrick5,3050.3%
  60. 60Timothy5,1520.3%
  61. 61Philip5,0930.3%
  62. 62Dale5,0240.3%
  63. 63Louis4,9180.3%
  64. 64Mike4,8540.3%
  65. 65Stanley4,7670.3%
  66. 66Russell4,7410.3%
  67. 67Leonard4,7040.3%
  68. 68Barry4,6240.3%
  69. 69Steve4,5700.3%
  70. 70Samuel4,5230.3%
  71. 71Ernest4,3950.3%
  72. 72Bill4,3540.3%
  73. 73Jim4,3360.3%
  74. 74Allen4,2940.3%
  75. 75Frederick4,2310.3%
  76. 76Norman4,1610.3%
  77. 77Tommy4,1440.3%
  78. 78Jeffrey4,1250.3%
  79. 79Don4,1100.3%
  80. 80Francis4,0060.2%
  81. 81Glenn3,8920.2%
  82. 82Earl3,8300.2%
  83. 83Phillip3,7750.2%
  84. 84Andrew3,7580.2%
  85. 85Eddie3,7460.2%
  86. 86Melvin3,7420.2%
  87. 87Tom3,6240.2%
  88. 88Marvin3,6000.2%
  89. 89Clarence3,5670.2%
  90. 90Leroy3,4720.2%
  91. 91Lee3,3460.2%
  92. 92Martin3,3330.2%
  93. 93Rodney3,3040.2%
  94. 94Alfred3,2380.2%
  95. 95Ray3,1690.2%
  96. 96Keith2,8600.2%
  97. 97Herbert2,8180.2%
  98. 98Gene2,7590.2%
  99. 99Curtis2,7230.2%
  100. 100Clifford2,6160.2%

Percentages are each name’s share of all 1946 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.