Most Popular Baby Names of 1949

In 1949, Linda was the most popular name for girls, given to 91,015 babies, and James topped the boys' list with 86,858. Linda held on to number one for a third year in a row, and James held on to number one for a tenth year in a row.

Social Security counted 1,710,877 girls and 1,773,939 boys born in 1949 under names given to at least five babies, spread across 6,066 different girls' names and 4,205 boys' names.

Top 100 names of 1949

Top girls' names, 1949
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1948
1	Linda	91,015	same
2	Mary	66,874	same
3	Patricia	46,324	up 1
4	Barbara	42,600	down 1
5	Susan	37,709	same
6	Sandra	30,643	same
7	Nancy	29,249	same
8	Carol	26,780	same
9	Kathleen	26,357	up 1
10	Sharon	25,713	down 1
11	Karen	22,468	up 1
12	Donna	22,056	down 1
13	Brenda	20,543	up 4
14	Margaret	19,452	down 1
15	Deborah	19,209	up 15
16	Judith	17,610	down 1
17	Carolyn	17,404	down 3
18	Shirley	17,281	up 2
19	Diane	17,252	same
20	Judy	15,979	down 4
21	Pamela	15,132	up 1
22	Betty	14,936	down 4
23	Janet	14,860	up 1
24	Janice	14,453	down 1
25	Elizabeth	13,714	up 1
26	Joyce	13,572	down 5
27	Cynthia	12,901	same
28	Cheryl	12,007	down 3
29	Gloria	11,879	down 1
30	Christine	11,797	up 5
31	Beverly	10,552	same
32	Dorothy	10,410	down 3
33	Marilyn	9,865	same
34	Martha	9,808	down 2
35	Bonnie	9,732	down 1
36	Joan	9,206	up 1
37	Catherine	9,137	up 4
38	Peggy	9,118	same
39	Virginia	8,896	down 3
40	Rebecca	8,778	up 10
41	Jane	8,719	down 2
42	Kathy	8,451	up 13
43	Connie	8,219	same
44	Ann	7,870	same
45	Jean	7,760	up 2
46	Helen	7,707	down 6
47	Ruth	7,651	down 2
48	Diana	7,535	same
49	Frances	7,440	down 7
50	Phyllis	7,315	down 4
51	Gail	7,225	same
52	Kathryn	7,184	up 2
53	Alice	6,660	down 4
54	Rita	6,653	up 5
55	Paula	6,577	down 3
56	Wanda	6,307	up 1
57	Elaine	6,214	down 4
58	Jacqueline	6,040	same
59	Katherine	6,039	up 9
60	Jo	5,802	down 4
61	Joanne	5,746	up 4
62	Suzanne	5,609	up 4
63	Theresa	5,603	same
64	Ellen	5,504	up 3
65	Laura	5,384	up 8
66	Rose	5,371	down 4
67	Marie	5,306	down 7
68	Sherry	5,295	down 7
69	Doris	5,284	down 5
70	Vicki	5,193	up 11
71	Charlotte	5,142	down 2
72	Maria	5,123	up 3
73	Lois	4,915	down 3
74	Lynn	4,880	up 6
75	Darlene	4,799	up 2
76	Sheila	4,774	down 5
77	Sally	4,773	down 5
78	Marcia	4,651	up 1
79	Marsha	4,611	down 3
80	Evelyn	4,529	down 6
81	Cathy	4,407	up 23
82	Teresa	4,328	same
83	Constance	4,327	up 10
84	Sarah	4,295	up 1
85	Dianne	4,141	up 1
86	Anne	4,052	up 1
87	Glenda	3,975	up 5
88	Sue	3,926	down 10
89	Maureen	3,923	down 1
90	Geraldine	3,919	down 7
91	Anna	3,897	down 2
92	Jeanne	3,865	up 3
93	Lynda	3,830	down 9
94	Sylvia	3,816	up 6
95	Eileen	3,722	down 4
96	Victoria	3,669	up 12
97	Roberta	3,660	up 4
98	Rosemary	3,633	down 8
99	Anita	3,591	up 3
100	Charlene	3,541	up 5

Top boys' names, 1949
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1948
1	James	86,858	same
2	Robert	83,873	same
3	John	81,178	same
4	William	61,506	same
5	Michael	60,047	up 1
6	David	59,611	down 1
7	Richard	50,946	same
8	Thomas	45,192	same
9	Charles	40,052	same
10	Larry	31,819	up 1
11	Ronald	31,502	down 1
12	Gary	28,935	same
13	Donald	27,121	up 1
14	Joseph	26,408	down 1
15	Kenneth	23,589	same
16	Dennis	21,746	up 1
17	Paul	21,589	up 1
18	George	21,308	down 2
19	Stephen	20,488	up 1
20	Steven	19,923	up 3
21	Edward	19,174	down 2
22	Daniel	18,240	same
23	Jerry	15,871	down 2
24	Mark	13,725	up 5
25	Roger	12,821	down 1
26	Bruce	12,265	up 2
27	Frank	11,960	down 2
28	Terry	11,457	down 2
29	Douglas	11,322	up 4
30	Raymond	11,305	down 3
31	Gregory	10,979	up 1
32	Lawrence	10,253	down 1
33	Gerald	9,808	down 3
34	Timothy	9,346	up 4
35	Wayne	8,927	down 1
36	Anthony	8,452	up 5
37	Walter	8,297	down 2
38	Peter	8,266	down 1
39	Patrick	8,075	up 9
40	Danny	8,023	down 1
41	Willie	7,916	down 1
42	Harold	7,817	down 6
43	Carl	7,689	down 1
44	Arthur	7,482	same
45	Alan	7,255	up 1
46	Henry	7,183	down 1
47	Jack	7,128	down 4
48	Jeffrey	6,987	up 10
49	Johnny	6,968	up 3
50	Ralph	6,748	up 1
51	Roy	6,622	down 2
52	Joe	6,535	down 5
53	Jimmy	6,417	down 3
54	Dale	6,229	up 2
55	Philip	6,224	down 1
56	Albert	6,064	down 1
57	Billy	5,821	down 4
58	Eugene	5,595	up 3
59	Harry	5,544	down 2
60	Stanley	5,527	up 5
61	Glenn	5,415	up 12
62	Samuel	5,356	up 8
63	Howard	5,284	same
64	Louis	5,235	same
65	Ronnie	5,235	down 6
66	Phillip	5,201	up 3
67	Bobby	5,120	down 5
68	Steve	5,027	down 8
69	Russell	5,007	down 2
70	Frederick	4,748	up 5
71	Allen	4,735	up 1
72	Fred	4,731	down 6
73	Barry	4,607	up 1
74	Leonard	4,551	down 3
75	Andrew	4,513	up 2
76	Ernest	4,346	same
77	Craig	4,328	up 5
78	Francis	4,281	up 2
79	Randall	4,161	up 19
80	Eddie	4,106	down 2
81	Christopher	4,000	up 21
82	Melvin	3,972	down 1
83	Martin	3,903	up 5
84	Tommy	3,886	down 5
85	Keith	3,878	up 4
86	Brian	3,854	up 9
87	Rodney	3,826	up 5
88	Mike	3,742	down 20
89	Marvin	3,725	up 1
90	Norman	3,668	down 5
91	Earl	3,652	down 8
92	Randy	3,623	up 7
93	Lee	3,562	same
94	Clarence	3,395	down 7
95	Kevin	3,292	up 32
96	Alfred	3,190	same
97	Curtis	3,088	up 4
98	Don	3,060	down 7
99	Scott	3,055	up 23
100	Theodore	3,041	up 4

Biggest climbers in 1949

The names that gained the most ground within the top 1,000 compared with 1948.

Girls

Shelly: up 251 places, from 866th to 615th
Janell: up 241 places, from 883rd to 642nd
Blanca: up 228 places, from 993rd to 765th
Althea: up 216 places, from 761st to 545th
Caryn: up 206 places, from 881st to 675th
Laureen: up 206 places, from 933rd to 727th
Belinda: up 196 places, from 381st to 185th
Debora: up 187 places, from 791st to 604th
Renae: up 180 places, from 991st to 811th
Jacque: up 178 places, from 897th to 719th

Boys

Derek: up 221 places, from 863rd to 642nd
Jerel: up 210 places, from 949th to 739th
Gaylen: up 165 places, from 875th to 710th
Donn: up 164 places, from 530th to 366th
Erik: up 155 places, from 692nd to 537th
Hardy: up 152 places, from 895th to 743rd
Reynold: up 148 places, from 961st to 813th
Stacy: up 146 places, from 837th to 691st
Randell: up 145 places, from 610th to 465th
Nicolas: up 138 places, from 843rd to 705th

New to the top 1,000 in 1949

Girls

Shauna, 691st (its first time ever)
Roseanna, 762nd (back after dropping out)
Sharman, 771st (its first time ever)
Valorie, 790th (its first time ever)
Sanjuanita, 797th (its first time ever)
Abigail, 823rd (back after dropping out)
Jacalyn, 825th (back after dropping out)
Aida, 833rd (back after dropping out)
Adrian, 872nd (its first time ever)
Rosario, 877th (back after dropping out)

Boys

Lannie, 571st (back after dropping out)
Christophe, 699th (its first time ever)
Dirk, 779th (back after dropping out)
Bruno, 803rd (back after dropping out)
Denzil, 811th (back after dropping out)
Adolphus, 834th (back after dropping out)
Vernell, 854th (back after dropping out)
Eliseo, 870th (back after dropping out)
Emmanuel, 873rd (back after dropping out)
Porter, 877th (back after dropping out)

How spread out were names in 1949?

The ten most popular girls' names went to 24.7% of the girls counted in 1949, and the top ten boys' names to 33.9% of the boys. In 1929, those shares were 22.3% for girls and 33.5% 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.