US baby names · 1944

Most popular baby names of 1944

In 1944, Social Security card applications recorded 1,327,223 girls and 1,362,875 boys born in the US under names given to at least five babies of the same sex. That covers 5,243 distinct girls’ names and 3,909 boys’ names.

The most common names were Mary (62,476 girls) and James (76,951 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 1943, 132,492 fewer babies were recorded in total.

Against the top 100 of 1943, 3 girls’ names and 2 boys’ names in 1944 are newcomers (girls: Cheryl, Maria, Sherry; boys: Mark, Warren). Of these names, 7 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 1944 favourite was rising, at its peak or already fading.

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

← 1943 1945 →

Top 100 girls’ names, 1944

Rank	Name	Girls
#1	Mary	62,476
#2	Barbara	39,196
#3	Linda	38,415
#4	Patricia	36,874
#5	Carol	30,456
#6	Sandra	26,024
#7	Nancy	23,218
#8	Sharon	22,433
#9	Judith	22,431
#10	Betty	19,761
#11	Carolyn	18,670
#12	Judy	17,119
#13	Susan	16,330
#14	Margaret	16,320
#15	Shirley	16,309
#16	Karen	15,944
#17	Donna	15,173
#18	Joyce	14,770
#19	Dorothy	13,379
#20	Kathleen	13,004
#21	Janet	12,592
#22	Joan	11,920
#23	Elizabeth	11,034
#24	Diane	10,710
#25	Gloria	9,968
#26	Virginia	9,895
#27	Marilyn	9,738
#28	Janice	9,733
#29	Martha	9,335
#30	Brenda	8,999
#31	Helen	8,696
#32	Ruth	8,674
#33	Frances	8,487
#34	Bonnie	8,456
#35	Beverly	8,292
#36	Cheryl	7,972
#37	Jean	7,650
#38	Alice	7,102
#39	Ann	7,081
#40	Phyllis	7,022
#41	Jane	6,564
#42	Doris	6,324
#43	Carole	6,268
#44	Pamela	6,204
#45	Peggy	6,019
#46	Elaine	5,629
#47	Lois	5,529
#48	Marie	5,297
#49	Catherine	5,256
#50	Charlotte	4,928
#51	Connie	4,796
#52	Rose	4,710
#53	Geraldine	4,666
#54	Rita	4,530
#55	Joanne	4,529
#56	Gail	4,526
#57	Evelyn	4,516
#58	Wanda	4,431
#59	Sally	4,388
#60	Diana	4,311
#61	Jo	4,226
#62	Sue	4,034
#63	Ellen	3,998
#64	Jacqueline	3,975
#65	Joann	3,973
#66	Norma	3,863
#67	Sarah	3,857
#68	Kathryn	3,855
#69	Louise	3,842
#70	Roberta	3,744
#71	Annie	3,738
#72	Patsy	3,729
#73	Eileen	3,649
#74	Anna	3,635
#75	Christine	3,584
#76	Darlene	3,532
#77	Katherine	3,525
#78	Suzanne	3,462
#79	Glenda	3,367
#80	Maria	3,361
#81	Mildred	3,318
#82	Paula	3,315
#83	Sylvia	3,292
#84	Rebecca	3,246
#85	Marjorie	3,218
#86	Anne	3,209
#87	Ruby	3,189
#88	Kay	3,170
#89	Marcia	3,140
#90	Dianne	3,107
#91	Irene	3,087
#92	Dolores	3,081
#93	Lorraine	3,046
#94	Juanita	2,960
#95	Anita	2,825
#96	Theresa	2,817
#97	Delores	2,756
#98	Loretta	2,746
#99	Rosemary	2,744
#100	Sherry	2,733

Top 100 boys’ names, 1944

Rank	Name	Boys
#1	James	76,951
#2	Robert	70,855
#3	John	66,616
#4	William	52,375
#5	Richard	45,643
#6	David	37,382
#7	Charles	34,662
#8	Thomas	31,604
#9	Michael	26,717
#10	Ronald	25,513
#11	Donald	23,468
#12	Larry	22,026
#13	Joseph	21,176
#14	George	20,419
#15	Gary	20,058
#16	Kenneth	18,093
#17	Paul	16,661
#18	Edward	16,482
#19	Jerry	16,282
#20	Dennis	13,676
#21	Frank	11,340
#22	Raymond	10,635
#23	Roger	10,581
#24	Gerald	10,023
#25	Daniel	9,314
#26	Walter	8,159
#27	Harold	7,980
#28	Stephen	7,793
#29	Arthur	7,255
#30	Jack	7,253
#31	Willie	7,195
#32	Lawrence	7,130
#33	Joe	7,062
#34	Douglas	6,998
#35	Henry	6,975
#36	Carl	6,825
#37	Wayne	6,724
#38	Billy	6,545
#39	Roy	6,533
#40	Peter	6,340
#41	Jimmy	6,320
#42	Ralph	6,273
#43	Terry	5,974
#44	Albert	5,855
#45	Johnny	5,661
#46	Anthony	5,604
#47	Fred	5,580
#48	Eugene	5,505
#49	Harry	5,478
#50	Bobby	5,410
#51	Bruce	5,262
#52	Steven	5,113
#53	Howard	5,025
#54	Louis	4,678
#55	Alan	4,277
#56	Leonard	4,183
#57	Stanley	4,121
#58	Norman	4,065
#59	Ernest	4,042
#60	Philip	3,992
#61	Dale	3,990
#62	Samuel	3,946
#63	Russell	3,931
#64	Patrick	3,881
#65	Earl	3,874
#66	Bill	3,815
#67	Melvin	3,745
#68	Jim	3,744
#69	Ronnie	3,739
#70	Tommy	3,696
#71	Francis	3,652
#72	Don	3,589
#73	Frederick	3,583
#74	Clarence	3,575
#75	Marvin	3,569
#76	Danny	3,511
#77	Allen	3,422
#78	Leroy	3,410
#79	Eddie	3,315
#80	Mike	3,084
#81	Andrew	3,056
#82	Alfred	3,047
#83	Phillip	3,002
#84	Barry	2,979
#85	Lee	2,929
#86	Ray	2,904
#87	Tom	2,902
#88	Glenn	2,849
#89	Steve	2,836
#90	Herbert	2,773
#91	Martin	2,767
#92	Timothy	2,754
#93	Mark	2,742
#94	Bernard	2,619
#95	Gene	2,602
#96	Theodore	2,574
#97	Curtis	2,465
#98	Jimmie	2,398
#99	Clifford	2,394
#100	Warren	2,349