US baby names · 1946

Most popular baby names of 1946

In 1946, Social Security card applications recorded 1,571,305 girls and 1,624,023 boys born in the US under names given to at least five babies of the same sex. That covers 5,686 distinct girls’ names and 4,018 boys’ names.

The most common names were Mary (67,471 girls) and James (87,438 boys). The ten most common girls’ names together account for 24% of recorded girls, and the top ten boys’ names for 35% of boys. Compared with 1945, 542,383 more babies were recorded in total.

Against the top 100 of 1945, 6 girls’ names and 2 boys’ names in 1946 are newcomers (girls: Sherry, Kathy, Lynn; boys: Rodney, Keith). Of these names, 6 of the 100 girls’ names and 16 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 1946 favourite was rising, at its peak or already fading.

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

← 1945 1947 →

Top 100 girls’ names, 1946

Rank	Name	Girls
#1	Mary	67,471
#2	Linda	52,710
#3	Patricia	46,297
#4	Barbara	45,126
#5	Carol	34,284
#6	Sandra	31,692
#7	Nancy	28,345
#8	Susan	28,267
#9	Sharon	27,824
#10	Judith	22,310
#11	Judy	20,477
#12	Carolyn	19,902
#13	Donna	19,770
#14	Betty	19,711
#15	Karen	19,647
#16	Kathleen	18,760
#17	Margaret	18,136
#18	Shirley	17,870
#19	Diane	15,835
#20	Joyce	15,209
#21	Janet	14,142
#22	Janice	14,039
#23	Dorothy	12,797
#24	Brenda	12,690
#25	Elizabeth	11,753
#26	Gloria	11,686
#27	Cheryl	11,526
#28	Joan	11,218
#29	Marilyn	10,711
#30	Beverly	10,430
#31	Virginia	10,015
#32	Martha	9,759
#33	Bonnie	9,510
#34	Pamela	9,367
#35	Jane	8,971
#36	Helen	8,852
#37	Jean	8,554
#38	Ruth	8,474
#39	Frances	8,450
#40	Ann	8,077
#41	Phyllis	8,048
#42	Diana	7,544
#43	Peggy	7,400
#44	Alice	7,363
#45	Connie	7,215
#46	Cynthia	6,895
#47	Elaine	6,803
#48	Catherine	6,367
#49	Gail	6,227
#50	Christine	6,202
#51	Doris	5,987
#52	Suzanne	5,948
#53	Jo	5,828
#54	Marie	5,758
#55	Lois	5,700
#56	Rita	5,533
#57	Joanne	5,506
#58	Ellen	5,237
#59	Wanda	5,235
#60	Rose	5,183
#61	Sue	5,144
#62	Jacqueline	5,083
#63	Kathryn	4,999
#64	Charlotte	4,970
#65	Evelyn	4,890
#66	Geraldine	4,849
#67	Sally	4,842
#68	Rebecca	4,840
#69	Paula	4,724
#70	Sheila	4,706
#71	Darlene	4,662
#72	Carole	4,621
#73	Sherry	4,518
#74	Rosemary	4,486
#75	Laura	4,478
#76	Dianne	4,278
#77	Norma	4,266
#78	Katherine	4,197
#79	Kathy	4,179
#80	Eileen	4,168
#81	Anne	4,115
#82	Sylvia	4,093
#83	Jeanne	4,045
#84	Anita	4,027
#85	Patsy	4,017
#86	Roberta	4,016
#87	Anna	3,999
#88	Maria	3,960
#89	Marcia	3,946
#90	Joann	3,945
#91	Louise	3,925
#92	Sarah	3,910
#93	Lorraine	3,886
#94	Lynn	3,884
#95	Maureen	3,684
#96	Theresa	3,684
#97	Annie	3,651
#98	Marsha	3,611
#99	Glenda	3,568
#100	Constance	3,419

Top 100 boys’ names, 1946

Rank	Name	Boys
#1	James	87,438
#2	Robert	84,136
#3	John	79,267
#4	William	60,034
#5	Richard	58,870
#6	David	46,444
#7	Michael	41,194
#8	Thomas	38,877
#9	Charles	38,215
#10	Ronald	31,858
#11	Larry	28,447
#12	Gary	26,931
#13	Donald	26,273
#14	Joseph	24,284
#15	Kenneth	22,042
#16	George	21,575
#17	Dennis	21,447
#18	Paul	21,063
#19	Edward	18,585
#20	Jerry	17,567
#21	Daniel	12,867
#22	Frank	12,667
#23	Roger	12,411
#24	Stephen	11,832
#25	Raymond	11,289
#26	Terry	10,678
#27	Gerald	10,033
#28	Steven	8,878
#29	Wayne	8,807
#30	Walter	8,668
#31	Lawrence	8,517
#32	Bruce	8,459
#33	Harold	8,373
#34	Douglas	8,336
#35	Jack	7,801
#36	Arthur	7,537
#37	Joe	7,536
#38	Peter	7,483
#39	Carl	7,380
#40	Willie	7,339
#41	Henry	7,317
#42	Jimmy	7,128
#43	Roy	6,925
#44	Anthony	6,771
#45	Billy	6,716
#46	Danny	6,650
#47	Johnny	6,611
#48	Ralph	6,587
#49	Alan	6,490
#50	Harry	6,027
#51	Fred	6,012
#52	Albert	6,007
#53	Bobby	5,771
#54	Ronnie	5,727
#55	Howard	5,694
#56	Gregory	5,672
#57	Eugene	5,670
#58	Mark	5,331
#59	Patrick	5,305
#60	Timothy	5,152
#61	Philip	5,093
#62	Dale	5,024
#63	Louis	4,918
#64	Mike	4,854
#65	Stanley	4,767
#66	Russell	4,741
#67	Leonard	4,704
#68	Barry	4,624
#69	Steve	4,570
#70	Samuel	4,523
#71	Ernest	4,395
#72	Bill	4,354
#73	Jim	4,336
#74	Allen	4,294
#75	Frederick	4,231
#76	Norman	4,161
#77	Tommy	4,144
#78	Jeffrey	4,125
#79	Don	4,110
#80	Francis	4,006
#81	Glenn	3,892
#82	Earl	3,830
#83	Phillip	3,775
#84	Andrew	3,758
#85	Eddie	3,746
#86	Melvin	3,742
#87	Tom	3,624
#88	Marvin	3,600
#89	Clarence	3,567
#90	Leroy	3,472
#91	Lee	3,346
#92	Martin	3,333
#93	Rodney	3,304
#94	Alfred	3,238
#95	Ray	3,169
#96	Keith	2,860
#97	Herbert	2,818
#98	Gene	2,759
#99	Curtis	2,723
#100	Clifford	2,616