Popular baby names of 1947

In 1947, the most popular baby names in the United States were Linda for girls (99,692 babies) and James for boys (94,767). Social Security records show 3,602,365 babies with a name given to at least five children of the same sex that year, sharing 6,104 girls' names and 4,266 boys' names.

1947 at a glance

The top 10 girls' names went to 25.7% of girls recorded.
The top 10 boys' names went to 34.4% of boys recorded.
New in the girls' top 100: Deborah, Lynda.
New in the boys' top 100: Craig, Brian, Bernard.

Top 100 girls' and boys' names, 1947

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1946
1	Linda	99,692	↑1
2	Mary	71,690	↓1
3	Patricia	51,278	–
4	Barbara	48,800	–
5	Sandra	34,779	↑1
6	Carol	33,543	↓1
7	Nancy	32,445	–
8	Susan	31,952	–
9	Sharon	28,533	–
10	Donna	23,517	↑3
11	Kathleen	22,095	↑5
12	Judith	21,996	↓2
13	Karen	21,648	↑2
14	Judy	21,037	↓3
15	Carolyn	20,742	↓3
16	Margaret	20,101	↑1
17	Betty	18,966	↓3
18	Diane	17,775	↑1
19	Shirley	17,648	↓1
20	Joyce	15,915	–
21	Brenda	15,830	↑3
22	Janice	15,409	–
23	Janet	15,236	↓2
24	Cheryl	13,890	↑3
25	Elizabeth	13,440	–
26	Dorothy	12,753	↓3
27	Gloria	12,627	↓1
28	Pamela	12,398	↑6
29	Marilyn	11,881	–
30	Joan	11,277	↓2
31	Beverly	11,205	↓1
32	Martha	10,651	–
33	Cynthia	10,530	↑13
34	Virginia	10,407	↓3
35	Bonnie	10,214	↓2
36	Jane	9,943	↓1
37	Phyllis	9,187	↑4
38	Helen	8,979	↓2
39	Frances	8,943	–
40	Jean	8,940	↓3
41	Ann	8,894	↓1
42	Peggy	8,877	↑1
43	Connie	8,645	↑2
44	Ruth	8,482	↓6
45	Christine	8,379	↑5
46	Catherine	7,889	↑2
47	Alice	7,849	↓3
48	Diana	7,622	↓6
49	Gail	7,242	–
50	Elaine	7,059	↓3
51	Jo	6,724	↑2
52	Rebecca	6,333	↑16
53	Suzanne	6,231	↓1
54	Paula	6,102	↑15
55	Kathryn	6,091	↑8
56	Joanne	6,062	↑1
57	Marie	6,057	↓3
58	Doris	6,029	↓7
59	Jacqueline	6,011	↑3
60	Rita	5,982	↓4
61	Ellen	5,856	↓3
62	Deborah	5,837	new
63	Lois	5,717	↓8
64	Kathy	5,697	↑15
65	Rose	5,654	↓5
66	Wanda	5,649	↓7
67	Sherry	5,579	↑6
68	Charlotte	5,386	↓4
69	Sue	5,306	↓8
70	Sally	5,265	↓3
71	Darlene	5,255	–
72	Evelyn	5,243	↓7
73	Sheila	5,095	↓3
74	Laura	5,051	↑1
75	Lynn	4,994	↑19
76	Katherine	4,884	↑2
77	Lynda	4,840	new
78	Geraldine	4,811	↓12
79	Maria	4,712	↑9
80	Rosemary	4,542	↓6
81	Marcia	4,472	↑8
82	Norma	4,425	↓5
83	Dianne	4,415	↓7
84	Lorraine	4,414	↑9
85	Theresa	4,390	↑11
86	Jeanne	4,364	↓3
87	Patsy	4,344	↓2
88	Marsha	4,339	↑10
89	Joann	4,276	↑1
90	Roberta	4,261	↓4
91	Eileen	4,251	↓11
92	Anna	4,238	↓5
93	Sarah	4,223	↓1
94	Anita	4,187	↓10
95	Anne	4,187	↓14
96	Glenda	4,156	↑3
97	Sylvia	4,100	↓15
98	Maureen	4,085	↓3
99	Louise	4,050	↓8
100	Constance	3,894	–

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1946
1	James	94,767	–
2	Robert	91,655	–
3	John	88,324	–
4	William	67,002	–
5	Richard	58,532	–
6	David	57,810	–
7	Michael	50,506	–
8	Thomas	44,842	–
9	Charles	40,781	–
10	Larry	34,946	↑1
11	Ronald	34,899	↓1
12	Gary	30,029	–
13	Donald	28,260	–
14	Joseph	27,520	–
15	Kenneth	24,586	–
16	George	23,916	–
17	Dennis	23,686	–
18	Paul	22,796	–
19	Edward	20,539	–
20	Jerry	18,794	–
21	Stephen	15,328	↑3
22	Daniel	15,189	↓1
23	Frank	13,994	↓1
24	Steven	13,528	↑4
25	Roger	12,760	↓2
26	Terry	12,751	–
27	Raymond	12,352	↓2
28	Gerald	10,750	↓1
29	Bruce	10,524	↑3
30	Wayne	10,169	↓1
31	Douglas	9,895	↑3
32	Lawrence	9,582	↓1
33	Gregory	9,327	↑23
34	Walter	9,218	↓4
35	Harold	8,904	↓2
36	Peter	8,590	↑2
37	Jack	8,507	↓2
38	Arthur	8,255	↓2
39	Danny	8,069	↑7
40	Carl	8,050	↓1
41	Anthony	8,014	↑3
42	Willie	7,997	↓2
43	Joe	7,904	↓6
44	Jimmy	7,881	↓2
45	Alan	7,823	↑4
46	Henry	7,807	↓5
47	Mark	7,773	↑11
48	Roy	7,560	↓5
49	Johnny	7,441	↓2
50	Ralph	7,389	↓2
51	Billy	6,933	↓6
52	Timothy	6,747	↑8
53	Patrick	6,622	↑6
54	Harry	6,515	↓4
55	Albert	6,462	↓3
56	Fred	6,392	↓5
57	Philip	6,235	↑4
58	Steve	6,231	↑11
59	Eugene	6,178	↓2
60	Bobby	6,116	↓7
61	Ronnie	6,110	↓7
62	Howard	6,061	↓7
63	Dale	5,936	↓1
64	Louis	5,778	↓1
65	Mike	5,750	↓1
66	Jeffrey	5,665	↑12
67	Stanley	5,501	↓2
68	Barry	5,472	–
69	Russell	5,270	↓3
70	Glenn	5,157	↑11
71	Leonard	5,155	↓4
72	Samuel	5,110	↓2
73	Allen	5,075	↑1
74	Phillip	4,789	↑9
75	Ernest	4,787	↓4
76	Bill	4,681	↓4
77	Jim	4,640	↓4
78	Frederick	4,637	↓3
79	Tommy	4,594	↓2
80	Eddie	4,457	↑5
81	Norman	4,410	↓5
82	Andrew	4,346	↑2
83	Earl	4,242	↓1
84	Francis	4,208	↓4
85	Melvin	4,169	↑1
86	Don	4,007	↓7
87	Tom	3,922	–
88	Clarence	3,921	↑1
89	Marvin	3,773	↓1
90	Martin	3,724	↑2
91	Keith	3,684	↑5
92	Lee	3,676	↓1
93	Craig	3,640	new
94	Rodney	3,564	↓1
95	Brian	3,450	new
96	Alfred	3,417	↓2
97	Ray	3,379	↓2
98	Leroy	3,347	↓8
99	Curtis	3,037	–
100	Bernard	2,994	new

Every name given in 1947

All 10,370 names Social Security recorded for 1947, with their rank and count. Type to filter.

← 1946 All years and states 1948 →