Popular baby names of 1948

In 1948, the most popular baby names in the United States were Linda for girls (96,220 babies) and James for boys (88,605). Social Security records show 3,452,526 babies with a name given to at least five children of the same sex that year, sharing 6,040 girls' names and 4,199 boys' names.

1948 at a glance

The top 10 girls' names went to 25.5% of girls recorded.
The top 10 boys' names went to 33.9% of boys recorded.
New in the girls' top 100: Vicki, Teresa, Annie.
New in the boys' top 100: Randall, Randy.

Top 100 girls' and boys' names, 1948

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

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

Every name given in 1948

All 10,239 names Social Security recorded for 1948, with their rank and count. Type to filter.

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