Popular baby names of 1949

In 1949, the most popular baby names in the United States were Linda for girls (91,015 babies) and James for boys (86,858). Social Security records show 3,484,816 babies with a name given to at least five children of the same sex that year, sharing 6,066 girls' names and 4,205 boys' names.

1949 at a glance

The top 10 girls' names went to 24.7% of girls recorded.
The top 10 boys' names went to 33.9% of boys recorded.
New in the girls' top 100: Cathy, Victoria, Roberta, Anita, Charlene.
New in the boys' top 100: Christopher, Kevin, Curtis, Scott, Theodore.

Top 100 girls' and boys' names, 1949

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

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

Every name given in 1949

All 10,271 names Social Security recorded for 1949, with their rank and count. Type to filter.

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