US baby names · 1943

Most popular baby names of 1943

In 1943, Social Security card applications recorded 1,395,293 girls and 1,427,297 boys born in the US under names given to at least five babies of the same sex. That covers 5,367 distinct girls’ names and 4,040 boys’ names.

The most common names were Mary (66,174 girls) and James (80,278 boys). The ten most common girls’ names together account for 24% of recorded girls, and the top ten boys’ names for 34% of boys. Compared with 1942, 90,710 more babies were recorded in total.

Against the top 100 of 1942, 5 girls’ names and 4 boys’ names in 1943 are newcomers (girls: Pamela, Suzanne, Dianne; boys: Danny, Mike, Steve). Of these names, 6 of the 100 girls’ names and 17 of the 100 boys’ names are still in the top 100 in 2025.

Ranks follow SSA’s order: most births first, with ties listed alphabetically. Each sparkline shows the name’s full history from 1880 to 2025, so you can see whether a 1943 favourite was rising, at its peak or already fading.

SSA names.zip · Social Security card applications · retrieved 2026-10-05

← 1942 1944 →

Top 100 girls’ names, 1943

Rank	Name	Girls
#1	Mary	66,174
#2	Barbara	43,432
#3	Patricia	39,620
#4	Linda	38,439
#5	Carol	31,686
#6	Sandra	25,990
#7	Judith	25,214
#8	Sharon	24,712
#9	Nancy	23,988
#10	Betty	21,596
#11	Carolyn	20,365
#12	Shirley	17,816
#13	Judy	17,383
#14	Margaret	17,153
#15	Karen	16,816
#16	Joyce	16,485
#17	Donna	14,912
#18	Susan	14,888
#19	Dorothy	14,793
#20	Janet	13,316
#21	Joan	13,232
#22	Kathleen	12,153
#23	Elizabeth	11,644
#24	Diane	11,326
#25	Virginia	10,847
#26	Janice	10,651
#27	Marilyn	10,145
#28	Helen	9,800
#29	Martha	9,704
#30	Gloria	9,684
#31	Frances	9,449
#32	Beverly	9,435
#33	Ruth	9,370
#34	Bonnie	8,870
#35	Brenda	8,435
#36	Jean	8,096
#37	Ann	7,829
#38	Alice	7,648
#39	Phyllis	7,610
#40	Doris	7,128
#41	Peggy	6,511
#42	Carole	6,506
#43	Lois	6,132
#44	Jane	6,032
#45	Marie	5,980
#46	Elaine	5,966
#47	Charlotte	5,482
#48	Catherine	5,427
#49	Joanne	5,270
#50	Rose	5,206
#51	Geraldine	5,189
#52	Rita	5,011
#53	Evelyn	4,912
#54	Pamela	4,839
#55	Gail	4,810
#56	Wanda	4,705
#57	Sally	4,659
#58	Norma	4,542
#59	Connie	4,512
#60	Joann	4,464
#61	Patsy	4,355
#62	Diana	4,337
#63	Jo	4,300
#64	Anna	4,232
#65	Jacqueline	4,189
#66	Roberta	4,169
#67	Ellen	4,152
#68	Eileen	4,092
#69	Annie	4,070
#70	Louise	4,044
#71	Sarah	3,990
#72	Sue	3,850
#73	Darlene	3,774
#74	Dolores	3,698
#75	Kathryn	3,647
#76	Mildred	3,626
#77	Sylvia	3,623
#78	Katherine	3,616
#79	Marjorie	3,608
#80	Anne	3,535
#81	Kay	3,494
#82	Ruby	3,470
#83	Glenda	3,403
#84	Christine	3,316
#85	Irene	3,299
#86	Suzanne	3,280
#87	Rebecca	3,270
#88	Dianne	3,193
#89	Loretta	3,169
#90	Arlene	3,146
#91	Juanita	3,085
#92	Sheila	3,063
#93	Paula	3,042
#94	Lorraine	3,015
#95	Julia	2,972
#96	Marcia	2,970
#97	Rosemary	2,966
#98	Anita	2,952
#99	Delores	2,929
#100	Theresa	2,929

Top 100 boys’ names, 1943

Rank	Name	Boys
#1	James	80,278
#2	Robert	74,892
#3	John	68,929
#4	William	55,904
#5	Richard	46,339
#6	David	37,240
#7	Charles	36,632
#8	Thomas	32,874
#9	Ronald	29,239
#10	Michael	24,745
#11	Donald	24,421
#12	Larry	22,978
#13	Joseph	22,828
#14	George	21,692
#15	Kenneth	19,112
#16	Gary	17,868
#17	Jerry	17,730
#18	Edward	17,713
#19	Paul	17,253
#20	Dennis	14,116
#21	Frank	12,246
#22	Raymond	11,391
#23	Gerald	11,367
#24	Roger	10,773
#25	Daniel	9,168
#26	Walter	9,035
#27	Harold	8,670
#28	Douglas	8,236
#29	Stephen	7,932
#30	Arthur	7,785
#31	Henry	7,631
#32	Lawrence	7,583
#33	Carl	7,472
#34	Jack	7,398
#35	Joe	7,308
#36	Willie	7,178
#37	Billy	7,012
#38	Roy	6,932
#39	Peter	6,877
#40	Ralph	6,771
#41	Wayne	6,761
#42	Jimmy	6,444
#43	Albert	6,307
#44	Anthony	6,202
#45	Fred	6,168
#46	Bobby	6,121
#47	Eugene	5,902
#48	Howard	5,739
#49	Terry	5,737
#50	Harry	5,720
#51	Bruce	5,431
#52	Johnny	5,381
#53	Louis	5,033
#54	Stanley	4,699
#55	Leonard	4,617
#56	Norman	4,522
#57	Philip	4,473
#58	Steven	4,267
#59	Dale	4,235
#60	Earl	4,186
#61	Ernest	4,172
#62	Samuel	4,143
#63	Melvin	4,069
#64	Francis	4,068
#65	Bill	3,990
#66	Marvin	3,939
#67	Alan	3,855
#68	Clarence	3,854
#69	Patrick	3,848
#70	Frederick	3,840
#71	Ronnie	3,826
#72	Don	3,817
#73	Russell	3,752
#74	Leroy	3,741
#75	Jim	3,682
#76	Allen	3,627
#77	Tommy	3,611
#78	Alfred	3,445
#79	Andrew	3,352
#80	Eddie	3,281
#81	Phillip	3,251
#82	Barry	3,193
#83	Martin	3,081
#84	Ray	3,063
#85	Glenn	3,054
#86	Herbert	3,044
#87	Tom	2,909
#88	Danny	2,898
#89	Gene	2,865
#90	Mike	2,803
#91	Lee	2,789
#92	Bernard	2,744
#93	Steve	2,684
#94	Clifford	2,667
#95	Jimmie	2,628
#96	Theodore	2,616
#97	Victor	2,613
#98	Gordon	2,608
#99	Timothy	2,578
#100	Curtis	2,525