Most popular baby names of 1946

In 1946, the most popular names for US babies were James for boys (87,436 babies, 5.4% of boys) and Mary for girls (67,467 babies, 4.3% of girls). The rest of the top five were Robert, John, William and Richard for boys and Linda, Patricia, Barbara and Carol for girls. SSA recorded 4,018 different boy names and 5,686 different girl names that year.

Top 100 boy names, 1946
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	James	87,436	–
2	Robert	84,138	–
3	John	79,266	–
4	William	60,030	–
5	Richard	58,871	–
6	David	46,444	–
7	Michael	41,192	▲ 2
8	Thomas	38,876	–
9	Charles	38,212	▼ 2
10	Ronald	31,856	–
11	Larry	28,449	–
12	Gary	26,931	▲ 1
13	Donald	26,271	▼ 1
14	Joseph	24,284	–
15	Kenneth	22,039	▲ 1
16	George	21,574	▼ 1
17	Dennis	21,446	▲ 2
18	Paul	21,063	▼ 1
19	Edward	18,585	▼ 1
20	Jerry	17,568	–
21	Daniel	12,867	▲ 3
22	Frank	12,667	▼ 1
23	Roger	12,410	▼ 1
24	Stephen	11,833	▲ 2
25	Raymond	11,288	▼ 2
26	Terry	10,678	▲ 7
27	Gerald	10,034	▼ 2
28	Steven	8,878	▲ 15
29	Wayne	8,808	▲ 6
30	Walter	8,668	▼ 3
31	Lawrence	8,517	▼ 1
32	Bruce	8,459	▲ 16
33	Harold	8,373	▼ 5
34	Douglas	8,334	▼ 5
35	Jack	7,802	▼ 3
36	Arthur	7,537	▼ 2
37	Joe	7,535	▼ 1
38	Peter	7,481	–
39	Carl	7,380	–
40	Willie	7,339	▼ 9
41	Henry	7,317	▼ 4
42	Jimmy	7,128	▼ 1
43	Roy	6,924	▼ 3
44	Anthony	6,771	▲ 2
45	Billy	6,716	▼ 3
46	Danny	6,650	▲ 10
47	Johnny	6,612	▼ 2
48	Ralph	6,586	▼ 4
49	Alan	6,490	▲ 3
50	Harry	6,029	▼ 3
51	Fred	6,012	–
52	Albert	6,006	▼ 3
53	Bobby	5,771	–
54	Ronnie	5,727	▲ 13
55	Howard	5,694	▼ 1
56	Gregory	5,672	▲ 40
57	Eugene	5,670	▼ 7
58	Mark	5,331	▲ 14
59	Patrick	5,305	▲ 4
60	Timothy	5,152	▲ 10
61	Philip	5,093	▼ 3
62	Dale	5,024	▼ 1
63	Louis	4,918	▼ 8
64	Mike	4,854	▲ 5
65	Stanley	4,767	▼ 6
66	Russell	4,741	▼ 2
67	Leonard	4,702	▼ 10
68	Barry	4,624	▲ 16
69	Steve	4,568	▲ 10
70	Samuel	4,524	▼ 8
71	Ernest	4,395	▼ 11
72	Bill	4,354	▼ 6
73	Jim	4,337	▼ 5
74	Allen	4,294	–
75	Frederick	4,231	▲ 2
76	Norman	4,161	▼ 11
77	Tommy	4,144	▼ 1
78	Jeffrey	4,125	▲ 13
79	Don	4,111	▼ 6
80	Francis	4,006	▼ 5
81	Glenn	3,892	▲ 12
82	Earl	3,831	▼ 11
83	Phillip	3,775	▲ 2
84	Andrew	3,757	▲ 2
85	Eddie	3,745	▼ 4
86	Melvin	3,743	▼ 8
87	Tom	3,624	▲ 2
88	Marvin	3,600	▼ 8
89	Clarence	3,568	▼ 7
90	Leroy	3,471	▼ 7
91	Lee	3,346	▼ 4
92	Martin	3,333	▼ 2
93	Rodney	3,304	▲ 12
94	Alfred	3,238	▼ 6
95	Ray	3,170	▼ 3
96	Keith	2,860	▲ 12
97	Herbert	2,819	▼ 3
98	Gene	2,758	▲ 2
99	Curtis	2,724	▼ 2
100	Clifford	2,616	▼ 1

Top 100 girl names, 1946
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	Mary	67,467	–
2	Linda	52,710	–
3	Patricia	46,298	▲ 1
4	Barbara	45,125	▼ 1
5	Carol	34,283	–
6	Sandra	31,694	–
7	Nancy	28,345	–
8	Susan	28,268	▲ 2
9	Sharon	27,825	▼ 1
10	Judith	22,310	▼ 1
11	Judy	20,478	▲ 2
12	Carolyn	19,902	–
13	Donna	19,767	▲ 4
14	Betty	19,710	▼ 3
15	Karen	19,647	▲ 1
16	Kathleen	18,760	▲ 3
17	Margaret	18,135	▼ 2
18	Shirley	17,869	▼ 4
19	Diane	15,835	▲ 3
20	Joyce	15,209	▼ 2
21	Janet	14,142	▼ 1
22	Janice	14,038	▲ 2
23	Dorothy	12,798	▼ 2
24	Brenda	12,688	▲ 5
25	Elizabeth	11,753	▲ 1
26	Gloria	11,686	▼ 3
27	Cheryl	11,526	▲ 5
28	Joan	11,219	▼ 3
29	Marilyn	10,711	▼ 2
30	Beverly	10,430	▲ 7
31	Virginia	10,016	▼ 3
32	Martha	9,759	▼ 2
33	Bonnie	9,510	▲ 2
34	Pamela	9,367	▲ 8
35	Jane	8,971	▲ 1
36	Helen	8,853	▼ 5
37	Jean	8,555	▲ 1
38	Ruth	8,475	▼ 5
39	Frances	8,450	▼ 5
40	Ann	8,077	▼ 1
41	Phyllis	8,048	▼ 1
42	Diana	7,544	▲ 1
43	Peggy	7,400	▲ 2
44	Alice	7,363	▼ 3
45	Connie	7,215	▲ 2
46	Cynthia	6,895	▲ 44
47	Elaine	6,803	▼ 3
48	Catherine	6,367	▲ 2
49	Gail	6,227	▲ 3
50	Christine	6,201	▲ 12
51	Doris	5,987	▼ 5
52	Suzanne	5,948	▲ 16
53	Jo	5,828	▲ 7
54	Marie	5,758	▼ 5
55	Lois	5,700	▼ 7
56	Rita	5,533	▲ 3
57	Joanne	5,505	▼ 4
58	Ellen	5,237	▲ 3
59	Wanda	5,235	▼ 1
60	Rose	5,183	▼ 6
61	Sue	5,144	▲ 5
62	Jacqueline	5,083	▲ 1
63	Kathryn	4,998	▲ 2
64	Charlotte	4,970	▼ 9
65	Evelyn	4,890	▼ 8
66	Geraldine	4,849	▼ 10
67	Sally	4,843	▼ 3
68	Rebecca	4,840	▲ 17
69	Paula	4,725	▼ 2
70	Sheila	4,706	▲ 19
71	Darlene	4,662	–
72	Carole	4,621	▼ 21
73	Sherry	4,518	▲ 31
74	Rosemary	4,486	▲ 5
75	Laura	4,478	▲ 2
76	Dianne	4,278	▼ 4
77	Norma	4,266	▼ 3
78	Katherine	4,196	▲ 4
79	Kathy	4,179	▲ 22
80	Eileen	4,168	▼ 10
81	Anne	4,116	–
82	Sylvia	4,093	▲ 1
83	Jeanne	4,045	▲ 15
84	Anita	4,027	▲ 16
85	Patsy	4,016	▼ 1
86	Roberta	4,016	▼ 11
87	Anna	3,999	▼ 14
88	Maria	3,960	▼ 2
89	Marcia	3,946	▼ 1
90	Joann	3,945	▼ 10
91	Louise	3,925	▼ 13
92	Sarah	3,909	▼ 16
93	Lorraine	3,886	▼ 6
94	Lynn	3,884	▲ 8
95	Maureen	3,684	▲ 10
96	Theresa	3,684	–
97	Annie	3,652	▼ 28
98	Marsha	3,611	▲ 15
99	Glenda	3,568	▼ 7
100	Constance	3,419	▲ 9

Source: US Social Security Administration baby name data, 1946. Counts are Social Security card applications for US births; SSA leaves out names given to fewer than 5 babies in a year. Updated 2026-10-05. How these numbers are made.