The 1944 Baby Name Report

2,690,079 babies, 8,163 unique names — the risers, fallers, and brand-new arrivals of 1944

👑 #1 girls: Mary (65 years running) 👑 #1 boys: James (5 years running) 220 debuts

Top girls

  1. Mary62,472
  2. Barbara39,196
  3. Linda38,415
  4. Patricia36,872
  5. Carol30,456
  6. Sandra26,023
  7. Nancy23,217
  8. Sharon22,432
  9. Judith22,431
  10. Betty19,760

Top boys

  1. James76,951
  2. Robert70,855
  3. John66,611
  4. William52,373
  5. Richard45,643
  6. David37,379
  7. Charles34,663
  8. Thomas31,603
  9. Michael26,717
  10. Ronald25,514

Full top-50 rankings for 1944 →

🚀 Fastest risers

  1. Debra #769 → #485 (+284)
  2. Sharyn #665 → #438 (+227)
  3. Camilla #683 → #484 (+199)
  4. Rickey #622 → #424 (+198)
  5. Ricky #465 → #302 (+163)
  6. Sherri #640 → #501 (+139)
  7. Jennifer #397 → #263 (+134)
  8. Rick #400 → #286 (+114)
  9. Cathleen #534 → #423 (+111)
  10. Dana #462 → #372 (+90)

📉 Biggest fallers

  1. Olive #530 → #721 (−191)
  2. Madeleine #503 → #624 (−121)
  3. Carolee #454 → #551 (−97)
  4. Carmela #526 → #616 (−90)
  5. Darleen #494 → #582 (−88)
  6. Fredric #421 → #509 (−88)
  7. Rosalind #306 → #384 (−78)
  8. Rosanne #414 → #491 (−77)
  9. Arleen #388 → #464 (−76)
  10. Angelina #456 → #529 (−73)

✨ Never recorded before 1944

Deatra (29) Dietra (25) Deitra (23) Sherianne (23) Sherrianne (23) Drinda (22) Detra (20) Diedra (19) Dedra (18) Deadra (15)

220 names appeared in SSA records for the first time ever in 1944.

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What were the most popular baby names in 1944?
Mary was the #1 girl name and James the #1 boy name in 1944, out of 2,690,079 recorded births.
What baby name rose fastest in 1944?
Debra made the biggest jump in 1944, climbing 284 spots to #485.
How many new baby names appeared in 1944?
220 names were recorded by the SSA for the first time ever in 1944.