Most Popular Baby Names of 1946

In 1946, Mary was the most popular name for girls, given to 67,471 babies, and James topped the boys' list with 87,438. Mary held on to number one for a 67th year in a row, and James held on to number one for a seventh year in a row.

Social Security counted 1,571,305 girls and 1,624,023 boys born in 1946 under names given to at least five babies, spread across 5,686 different girls' names and 4,018 boys' names.

Top 100 names of 1946

Top girls' names, 1946
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1945
1	Mary	67,471	same
2	Linda	52,710	same
3	Patricia	46,297	up 1
4	Barbara	45,126	down 1
5	Carol	34,284	same
6	Sandra	31,692	same
7	Nancy	28,345	same
8	Susan	28,267	up 2
9	Sharon	27,824	down 1
10	Judith	22,310	down 1
11	Judy	20,477	up 2
12	Carolyn	19,902	same
13	Donna	19,770	up 4
14	Betty	19,711	down 3
15	Karen	19,647	up 1
16	Kathleen	18,760	up 3
17	Margaret	18,136	down 2
18	Shirley	17,870	down 4
19	Diane	15,835	up 3
20	Joyce	15,209	down 2
21	Janet	14,142	down 1
22	Janice	14,039	up 2
23	Dorothy	12,797	down 2
24	Brenda	12,690	up 5
25	Elizabeth	11,753	up 1
26	Gloria	11,686	down 3
27	Cheryl	11,526	up 5
28	Joan	11,218	down 3
29	Marilyn	10,711	down 2
30	Beverly	10,430	up 7
31	Virginia	10,015	down 3
32	Martha	9,759	down 2
33	Bonnie	9,510	up 2
34	Pamela	9,367	up 8
35	Jane	8,971	up 1
36	Helen	8,852	down 5
37	Jean	8,554	up 1
38	Ruth	8,474	down 5
39	Frances	8,450	down 5
40	Ann	8,077	down 1
41	Phyllis	8,048	down 1
42	Diana	7,544	up 1
43	Peggy	7,400	up 2
44	Alice	7,363	down 3
45	Connie	7,215	up 2
46	Cynthia	6,895	up 44
47	Elaine	6,803	down 3
48	Catherine	6,367	up 2
49	Gail	6,227	up 3
50	Christine	6,202	up 12
51	Doris	5,987	down 5
52	Suzanne	5,948	up 16
53	Jo	5,828	up 7
54	Marie	5,758	down 5
55	Lois	5,700	down 7
56	Rita	5,533	up 3
57	Joanne	5,506	down 4
58	Ellen	5,237	up 3
59	Wanda	5,235	down 1
60	Rose	5,183	down 6
61	Sue	5,144	up 5
62	Jacqueline	5,083	up 1
63	Kathryn	4,999	up 2
64	Charlotte	4,970	down 9
65	Evelyn	4,890	down 8
66	Geraldine	4,849	down 10
67	Sally	4,842	down 3
68	Rebecca	4,840	up 17
69	Paula	4,724	down 2
70	Sheila	4,706	up 19
71	Darlene	4,662	same
72	Carole	4,621	down 21
73	Sherry	4,518	up 31
74	Rosemary	4,486	up 5
75	Laura	4,478	up 2
76	Dianne	4,278	down 4
77	Norma	4,266	down 3
78	Katherine	4,197	up 4
79	Kathy	4,179	up 22
80	Eileen	4,168	down 10
81	Anne	4,115	same
82	Sylvia	4,093	up 1
83	Jeanne	4,045	up 15
84	Anita	4,027	up 16
85	Patsy	4,017	down 1
86	Roberta	4,016	down 11
87	Anna	3,999	down 14
88	Maria	3,960	down 2
89	Marcia	3,946	down 1
90	Joann	3,945	down 10
91	Louise	3,925	down 13
92	Sarah	3,910	down 16
93	Lorraine	3,886	down 6
94	Lynn	3,884	up 8
95	Maureen	3,684	up 10
96	Theresa	3,684	same
97	Annie	3,651	down 28
98	Marsha	3,611	up 15
99	Glenda	3,568	down 7
100	Constance	3,419	up 9

Top boys' names, 1946
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1945
1	James	87,438	same
2	Robert	84,136	same
3	John	79,267	same
4	William	60,034	same
5	Richard	58,870	same
6	David	46,444	same
7	Michael	41,194	up 2
8	Thomas	38,877	same
9	Charles	38,215	down 2
10	Ronald	31,858	same
11	Larry	28,447	same
12	Gary	26,931	up 1
13	Donald	26,273	down 1
14	Joseph	24,284	same
15	Kenneth	22,042	up 1
16	George	21,575	down 1
17	Dennis	21,447	up 2
18	Paul	21,063	down 1
19	Edward	18,585	down 1
20	Jerry	17,567	same
21	Daniel	12,867	up 3
22	Frank	12,667	down 1
23	Roger	12,411	down 1
24	Stephen	11,832	up 2
25	Raymond	11,289	down 2
26	Terry	10,678	up 7
27	Gerald	10,033	down 2
28	Steven	8,878	up 15
29	Wayne	8,807	up 6
30	Walter	8,668	down 3
31	Lawrence	8,517	down 1
32	Bruce	8,459	up 16
33	Harold	8,373	down 5
34	Douglas	8,336	down 5
35	Jack	7,801	down 3
36	Arthur	7,537	down 2
37	Joe	7,536	down 1
38	Peter	7,483	same
39	Carl	7,380	same
40	Willie	7,339	down 9
41	Henry	7,317	down 4
42	Jimmy	7,128	down 1
43	Roy	6,925	down 3
44	Anthony	6,771	up 2
45	Billy	6,716	down 3
46	Danny	6,650	up 10
47	Johnny	6,611	down 2
48	Ralph	6,587	down 4
49	Alan	6,490	up 3
50	Harry	6,027	down 3
51	Fred	6,012	same
52	Albert	6,007	down 3
53	Bobby	5,771	same
54	Ronnie	5,727	up 13
55	Howard	5,694	down 1
56	Gregory	5,672	up 40
57	Eugene	5,670	down 7
58	Mark	5,331	up 14
59	Patrick	5,305	up 4
60	Timothy	5,152	up 10
61	Philip	5,093	down 3
62	Dale	5,024	down 1
63	Louis	4,918	down 8
64	Mike	4,854	up 5
65	Stanley	4,767	down 6
66	Russell	4,741	down 2
67	Leonard	4,704	down 10
68	Barry	4,624	up 16
69	Steve	4,570	up 10
70	Samuel	4,523	down 8
71	Ernest	4,395	down 11
72	Bill	4,354	down 6
73	Jim	4,336	down 5
74	Allen	4,294	same
75	Frederick	4,231	up 2
76	Norman	4,161	down 11
77	Tommy	4,144	down 2
78	Jeffrey	4,125	up 13
79	Don	4,110	down 6
80	Francis	4,006	down 4
81	Glenn	3,892	up 12
82	Earl	3,830	down 11
83	Phillip	3,775	up 2
84	Andrew	3,758	up 2
85	Eddie	3,746	down 4
86	Melvin	3,742	down 8
87	Tom	3,624	up 2
88	Marvin	3,600	down 8
89	Clarence	3,567	down 7
90	Leroy	3,472	down 7
91	Lee	3,346	down 4
92	Martin	3,333	down 2
93	Rodney	3,304	up 12
94	Alfred	3,238	down 6
95	Ray	3,169	down 3
96	Keith	2,860	up 12
97	Herbert	2,818	down 3
98	Gene	2,759	up 2
99	Curtis	2,723	down 2
100	Clifford	2,616	down 1

Biggest climbers in 1946

The names that gained the most ground within the top 1,000 compared with 1945.

Girls

Gilda: up 478 places, from 920th to 442nd
Kim: up 278 places, from 859th to 581st
Candice: up 266 places, from 743rd to 477th
Veda: up 266 places, from 829th to 563rd
Corliss: up 252 places, from 843rd to 591st
Robyn: up 244 places, from 938th to 694th
Christy: up 239 places, from 831st to 592nd
Suzann: up 222 places, from 953rd to 731st
Gayla: up 193 places, from 805th to 612th
Janine: up 191 places, from 775th to 584th

Boys

Garold: up 236 places, from 892nd to 656th
Drew: up 231 places, from 646th to 415th
Rickie: up 226 places, from 731st to 505th
Brad: up 203 places, from 709th to 506th
Clint: up 201 places, from 962nd to 761st
Dane: up 194 places, from 736th to 542nd
Maxie: up 186 places, from 863rd to 677th
Allyn: up 186 places, from 971st to 785th
Del: up 179 places, from 999th to 820th
Gaylon: up 174 places, from 929th to 755th

New to the top 1,000 in 1946

Girls

Suzette, 417th (back after dropping out)
Kimberly, 709th (its first time ever)
Sherilyn, 747th (back after dropping out)
Kristi, 779th (its first time ever)
Randy, 790th (its first time ever)
Cherryl, 810th (its first time ever)
Unknown, 814th (its first time ever)
Ilona, 821st (back after dropping out)
Randi, 824th (its first time ever)
Dayle, 829th (its first time ever)

Boys

Rusty, 745th (its first time ever)
Ryan, 818th (back after dropping out)
Lary, 832nd (back after dropping out)
Dorian, 845th (its first time ever)
Hank, 847th (its first time ever)
Lindell, 852nd (back after dropping out)
Quinton, 855th (back after dropping out)
Winfield, 861st (back after dropping out)
Dock, 863rd (back after dropping out)
Rolando, 867th (its first time ever)

How spread out were names in 1946?

The ten most popular girls' names went to 24.5% of the girls counted in 1946, and the top ten boys' names to 34.9% of the boys. In 1926, those shares were 22.5% for girls and 33% for boys.

Source: Social Security Administration, national baby name data, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.