Most Popular Baby Names of 1948

In 1948, Linda was the most popular name for girls, given to 96,220 babies, and James topped the boys' list with 88,605. Linda held on to number one for a second year in a row, and James held on to number one for a ninth year in a row.

Social Security counted 1,697,908 girls and 1,754,618 boys born in 1948 under names given to at least five babies, spread across 6,040 different girls' names and 4,199 boys' names.

Top 100 names of 1948

Top girls' names, 1948
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1947
1	Linda	96,220	same
2	Mary	68,597	same
3	Barbara	46,826	up 1
4	Patricia	46,140	down 1
5	Susan	35,988	up 3
6	Sandra	31,063	down 1
7	Nancy	29,411	same
8	Carol	28,977	down 2
9	Sharon	26,143	same
10	Kathleen	23,257	up 1
11	Donna	22,033	down 1
12	Karen	21,996	up 1
13	Margaret	18,873	up 3
14	Carolyn	18,623	up 1
15	Judith	17,787	down 3
16	Judy	17,706	down 2
17	Brenda	17,700	up 4
18	Betty	16,625	down 1
19	Diane	16,607	down 1
20	Shirley	16,121	down 1
21	Joyce	14,380	down 1
22	Pamela	14,281	up 6
23	Janice	14,162	down 1
24	Janet	13,977	down 1
25	Cheryl	13,220	down 1
26	Elizabeth	13,215	down 1
27	Cynthia	12,240	up 6
28	Gloria	11,690	down 1
29	Dorothy	11,324	down 3
30	Deborah	11,244	up 32
31	Beverly	10,795	same
32	Martha	10,011	same
33	Marilyn	9,937	down 4
34	Bonnie	9,817	up 1
35	Christine	9,677	up 10
36	Virginia	9,296	down 2
37	Joan	9,275	down 7
38	Peggy	9,089	up 4
39	Jane	8,781	down 3
40	Helen	8,301	down 2
41	Catherine	8,244	up 5
42	Frances	8,179	down 3
43	Connie	8,055	same
44	Ann	8,025	down 3
45	Ruth	7,903	down 1
46	Phyllis	7,876	down 9
47	Jean	7,774	down 7
48	Diana	7,706	same
49	Alice	6,981	down 2
50	Rebecca	6,795	up 2
51	Gail	6,603	down 2
52	Paula	6,600	up 2
53	Elaine	6,403	down 3
54	Kathryn	6,177	up 1
55	Kathy	6,148	up 9
56	Jo	5,986	down 5
57	Wanda	5,918	up 9
58	Jacqueline	5,838	up 1
59	Rita	5,835	up 1
60	Marie	5,786	down 3
61	Sherry	5,717	up 6
62	Rose	5,556	up 3
63	Theresa	5,556	up 22
64	Doris	5,548	down 6
65	Joanne	5,499	down 9
66	Suzanne	5,448	down 13
67	Ellen	5,289	down 6
68	Katherine	5,169	up 8
69	Charlotte	5,164	down 1
70	Lois	5,077	down 7
71	Sheila	5,022	up 2
72	Sally	5,012	down 2
73	Laura	4,901	up 1
74	Evelyn	4,840	down 2
75	Maria	4,817	up 4
76	Marsha	4,725	up 12
77	Darlene	4,692	down 6
78	Sue	4,675	down 9
79	Marcia	4,640	up 2
80	Lynn	4,609	down 5
81	Vicki	4,365	up 20
82	Teresa	4,217	up 39
83	Geraldine	4,208	down 5
84	Lynda	4,167	down 7
85	Sarah	4,159	up 8
86	Dianne	4,138	down 3
87	Anne	4,122	up 8
88	Maureen	4,077	up 10
89	Anna	4,037	up 3
90	Rosemary	3,870	down 10
91	Eileen	3,838	same
92	Glenda	3,831	up 4
93	Constance	3,811	up 7
94	Joann	3,799	down 5
95	Jeanne	3,789	down 9
96	Lorraine	3,745	down 12
97	Annie	3,721	up 6
98	Patsy	3,714	down 11
99	Louise	3,685	same
100	Sylvia	3,671	down 3

Top boys' names, 1948
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1947
1	James	88,605	same
2	Robert	85,478	same
3	John	82,834	same
4	William	61,972	same
5	David	56,627	up 1
6	Michael	52,566	up 1
7	Richard	50,970	down 2
8	Thomas	43,780	same
9	Charles	38,676	same
10	Ronald	33,527	up 1
11	Larry	33,436	down 1
12	Gary	28,397	same
13	Joseph	26,801	up 1
14	Donald	26,442	down 1
15	Kenneth	23,550	same
16	George	21,926	same
17	Dennis	21,765	same
18	Paul	21,252	same
19	Edward	18,983	same
20	Stephen	17,061	up 1
21	Jerry	16,809	down 1
22	Daniel	16,510	same
23	Steven	15,979	up 1
24	Roger	12,818	up 1
25	Frank	12,698	down 2
26	Terry	12,136	same
27	Raymond	11,612	same
28	Bruce	11,065	up 1
29	Mark	10,267	up 18
30	Gerald	9,842	down 2
31	Lawrence	9,768	up 1
32	Gregory	9,724	up 1
33	Douglas	9,468	down 2
34	Wayne	8,682	down 4
35	Walter	8,627	down 1
36	Harold	8,144	down 1
37	Peter	8,048	down 1
38	Timothy	8,043	up 14
39	Danny	8,009	same
40	Willie	7,971	up 2
41	Anthony	7,878	same
42	Carl	7,829	down 2
43	Jack	7,612	down 6
44	Arthur	7,576	down 6
45	Henry	7,421	up 1
46	Alan	7,394	down 1
47	Joe	7,288	down 4
48	Patrick	7,192	up 5
49	Roy	7,067	down 1
50	Jimmy	6,927	down 6
51	Ralph	6,915	down 1
52	Johnny	6,862	down 3
53	Billy	6,220	down 2
54	Philip	6,162	up 3
55	Albert	6,156	same
56	Dale	6,091	up 7
57	Harry	5,945	down 3
58	Jeffrey	5,929	up 8
59	Ronnie	5,902	up 2
60	Steve	5,742	down 2
61	Eugene	5,608	down 2
62	Bobby	5,581	down 2
63	Howard	5,497	down 1
64	Louis	5,386	same
65	Stanley	5,383	up 2
66	Fred	5,376	down 10
67	Russell	5,109	up 2
68	Mike	5,045	down 3
69	Phillip	5,018	up 5
70	Samuel	5,002	up 2
71	Leonard	4,781	same
72	Allen	4,755	up 1
73	Glenn	4,740	down 3
74	Barry	4,670	down 6
75	Frederick	4,516	up 3
76	Ernest	4,512	down 1
77	Andrew	4,305	up 5
78	Eddie	4,234	up 2
79	Tommy	4,220	same
80	Francis	4,214	up 4
81	Melvin	4,057	up 4
82	Craig	3,985	up 11
83	Earl	3,977	same
84	Bill	3,926	down 8
85	Norman	3,894	down 4
86	Jim	3,808	down 9
87	Clarence	3,790	up 1
88	Martin	3,698	up 2
89	Keith	3,660	up 2
90	Marvin	3,625	down 1
91	Don	3,546	down 5
92	Rodney	3,466	up 2
93	Lee	3,445	down 1
94	Tom	3,429	down 7
95	Brian	3,358	same
96	Alfred	3,245	same
97	Leroy	3,234	up 1
98	Randall	3,179	up 8
99	Randy	3,141	up 17
100	Ray	3,134	down 3

Biggest climbers in 1948

The names that gained the most ground within the top 1,000 compared with 1947.

Girls

Coleen: up 284 places, from 804th to 520th
Unknown: up 227 places, from 696th to 469th
Valarie: up 225 places, from 882nd to 657th
Shelley: up 187 places, from 578th to 391st
Mickey: up 187 places, from 732nd to 545th
Debby: up 185 places, from 768th to 583rd
Juliana: up 182 places, from 902nd to 720th
Gaynell: up 179 places, from 996th to 817th
Vikki: up 170 places, from 965th to 795th
Belinda: up 161 places, from 542nd to 381st

Boys

Shawn: up 375 places, from 936th to 561st
Brock: up 267 places, from 1000th to 733rd
Darnell: up 212 places, from 861st to 649th
Kris: up 212 places, from 902nd to 690th
Mahlon: up 201 places, from 993rd to 792nd
Rory: up 197 places, from 813th to 616th
Marcos: up 188 places, from 981st to 793rd
Unknown: up 177 places, from 697th to 520th
Zane: up 154 places, from 853rd to 699th
Rand: up 151 places, from 867th to 716th

New to the top 1,000 in 1948

Girls

Regenia, 767th (its first time ever)
Mickie, 771st (back after dropping out)
Debora, 791st (its first time ever)
Shelly, 866th (back after dropping out)
Lina, 874th (back after dropping out)
Maura, 878th (its first time ever)
Caryn, 881st (its first time ever)
Hollis, 886th (its first time ever)
Kristie, 893rd (its first time ever)
Juliann, 899th (back after dropping out)

Boys

Federico, 753rd (back after dropping out)
Stevie, 771st (its first time ever)
Arnulfo, 802nd (back after dropping out)
Isidro, 815th (back after dropping out)
Rupert, 818th (back after dropping out)
Jeremy, 833rd (back after dropping out)
Derrick, 847th (its first time ever)
Lawrance, 859th (back after dropping out)
Esteban, 864th (back after dropping out)
Garfield, 869th (back after dropping out)

How spread out were names in 1948?

The ten most popular girls' names went to 25.5% of the girls counted in 1948, and the top ten boys' names to 33.9% of the boys. In 1928, those shares were 22.4% for girls and 33.2% 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.