Popular baby names of 1945

In 1945, the most popular baby names in the United States were Mary for girls (59,278 babies) and James for boys (74,464). Social Security records show 2,652,945 babies with a name given to at least five children of the same sex that year, sharing 5,242 girls' names and 3,783 boys' names.

1945 at a glance

The top 10 girls' names went to 23.8% of girls recorded.
The top 10 boys' names went to 34.3% of boys recorded.
New in the girls' top 100: Laura, Sheila, Cynthia, Jeanne, Arlene.
New in the boys' top 100: Jeffrey, Victor, Gregory.

Top 100 girls' and boys' names, 1945

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1944
1	Mary	59,278	–
2	Linda	41,465	↑1
3	Barbara	38,273	↓1
4	Patricia	35,844	–
5	Carol	30,389	–
6	Sandra	24,700	–
7	Nancy	21,456	–
8	Sharon	20,838	–
9	Judith	20,192	–
10	Susan	19,222	↑3
11	Betty	18,387	↓1
12	Carolyn	17,244	↓1
13	Judy	17,001	↓1
14	Shirley	16,150	↑1
15	Margaret	15,685	↓1
16	Karen	15,680	–
17	Donna	15,397	–
18	Joyce	13,950	–
19	Kathleen	13,802	↑1
20	Janet	12,326	↑1
21	Dorothy	12,323	↓2
22	Diane	12,223	↑2
23	Gloria	11,037	↑2
24	Janice	10,781	↑4
25	Joan	10,394	↓3
26	Elizabeth	10,343	↓3
27	Marilyn	9,534	–
28	Virginia	9,244	↓2
29	Brenda	9,203	↑1
30	Martha	8,752	↓1
31	Helen	8,301	–
32	Cheryl	8,149	↑4
33	Ruth	8,046	↓1
34	Frances	7,940	↓1
35	Bonnie	7,745	↓1
36	Jane	7,639	↑5
37	Beverly	7,618	↓2
38	Jean	7,429	↓1
39	Ann	7,038	–
40	Phyllis	6,530	–
41	Alice	6,359	↓3
42	Pamela	6,169	↑2
43	Diana	6,047	↑17
44	Elaine	5,887	↑2
45	Peggy	5,839	–
46	Doris	5,820	↓4
47	Connie	5,337	↑4
48	Lois	5,148	↓1
49	Marie	5,084	↓1
50	Catherine	5,031	↓1
51	Carole	4,842	↓8
52	Gail	4,832	↑4
53	Joanne	4,618	↑2
54	Rose	4,557	↓2
55	Charlotte	4,529	↓5
56	Geraldine	4,475	↓3
57	Evelyn	4,377	–
58	Wanda	4,295	–
59	Rita	4,282	↓5
60	Jo	4,224	↑1
61	Ellen	4,189	↑2
62	Christine	4,077	↑13
63	Jacqueline	3,989	↑1
64	Sally	3,982	↓5
65	Kathryn	3,971	↑3
66	Sue	3,914	↓4
67	Paula	3,798	↑15
68	Suzanne	3,770	↑10
69	Annie	3,741	↑2
70	Eileen	3,637	↑3
71	Darlene	3,626	↑5
72	Dianne	3,611	↑18
73	Anna	3,607	↑1
74	Norma	3,603	↓8
75	Roberta	3,602	↓5
76	Sarah	3,592	↓9
77	Laura	3,589	new
78	Louise	3,514	↓9
79	Rosemary	3,500	↑20
80	Joann	3,465	↓15
81	Anne	3,407	↑5
82	Katherine	3,393	↓5
83	Sylvia	3,375	–
84	Patsy	3,350	↓12
85	Rebecca	3,331	↓1
86	Maria	3,313	↓6
87	Lorraine	3,207	↑6
88	Marcia	3,206	↑1
89	Sheila	3,178	new
90	Cynthia	3,127	new
91	Kay	3,058	↓3
92	Glenda	2,963	↓13
93	Mildred	2,960	↓12
94	Marjorie	2,929	↓9
95	Ruby	2,904	↓8
96	Theresa	2,895	–
97	Irene	2,883	↓6
98	Jeanne	2,861	new
99	Arlene	2,771	new
100	Anita	2,768	↓5

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1944
1	James	74,464	–
2	Robert	69,947	–
3	John	66,117	–
4	William	50,218	–
5	Richard	46,046	–
6	David	37,110	–
7	Charles	32,469	–
8	Thomas	31,874	–
9	Michael	29,902	–
10	Ronald	23,665	–
11	Larry	22,824	↑1
12	Donald	22,138	↓1
13	Gary	21,345	↑2
14	Joseph	20,823	↓1
15	George	19,327	↓1
16	Kenneth	18,096	–
17	Paul	16,995	–
18	Edward	15,870	–
19	Dennis	14,990	↑1
20	Jerry	14,704	↓1
21	Frank	10,874	–
22	Roger	10,571	↑1
23	Raymond	9,858	↓1
24	Daniel	9,708	↑1
25	Gerald	8,857	↓1
26	Stephen	8,641	↑2
27	Walter	7,574	↓1
28	Harold	7,524	↓1
29	Douglas	7,394	↑5
30	Lawrence	7,163	↑2
31	Willie	7,030	–
32	Jack	6,857	↓2
33	Terry	6,834	↑10
34	Arthur	6,802	↓5
35	Wayne	6,738	↑2
36	Joe	6,625	↓3
37	Henry	6,606	↓2
38	Peter	6,483	↑2
39	Carl	6,314	↓3
40	Roy	6,183	↓1
41	Jimmy	6,159	–
42	Billy	6,022	↓4
43	Steven	5,974	↑9
44	Ralph	5,785	↓2
45	Johnny	5,699	–
46	Anthony	5,686	–
47	Harry	5,650	↑2
48	Bruce	5,615	↑3
49	Albert	5,432	↓5
50	Eugene	5,167	↓2
51	Fred	5,118	↓4
52	Alan	5,073	↑3
53	Bobby	5,052	↓3
54	Howard	4,768	↓1
55	Louis	4,480	↓1
56	Danny	4,175	↑20
57	Leonard	4,125	↓1
58	Philip	4,112	↑2
59	Stanley	4,058	↓2
60	Ernest	4,005	↓1
61	Dale	3,957	–
62	Samuel	3,957	–
63	Patrick	3,854	↑1
64	Russell	3,806	↓1
65	Norman	3,726	↓7
66	Bill	3,711	–
67	Ronnie	3,651	↑2
68	Jim	3,625	–
69	Mike	3,592	↑11
70	Timothy	3,591	↑22
71	Earl	3,567	↓6
72	Mark	3,545	↑21
73	Don	3,482	↓1
74	Allen	3,481	↑3
75	Tommy	3,449	↓5
76	Francis	3,448	↓5
77	Frederick	3,437	↓4
78	Melvin	3,408	↓11
79	Steve	3,384	↑10
80	Marvin	3,294	↓5
81	Eddie	3,223	↓2
82	Clarence	3,196	↓8
83	Leroy	3,170	↓5
84	Barry	3,138	–
85	Phillip	3,081	↓2
86	Andrew	3,007	↓5
87	Lee	2,942	↓2
88	Alfred	2,894	↓6
89	Tom	2,893	↓2
90	Martin	2,823	↑1
91	Jeffrey	2,782	new
92	Ray	2,740	↓6
93	Glenn	2,734	↓5
94	Herbert	2,664	↓4
95	Victor	2,631	new
96	Gregory	2,474	new
97	Curtis	2,393	–
98	Bernard	2,388	↓4
99	Clifford	2,384	–
100	Gene	2,373	↓5

Every name given in 1945

All 9,025 names Social Security recorded for 1945, with their rank and count. Type to filter.

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