The 1946 Baby Name Report

3,195,307 babies, 8,683 unique names — the risers, fallers, and brand-new arrivals of 1946

👑 #1 girls: Mary (67 years running) 👑 #1 boys: James (7 years running) 312 debuts

Top girls

  1. Mary67,467
  2. Linda52,710
  3. Patricia46,298
  4. Barbara45,125
  5. Carol34,283
  6. Sandra31,694
  7. Nancy28,345
  8. Susan28,268
  9. Sharon27,825
  10. Judith22,310

Top boys

  1. James87,436
  2. Robert84,138
  3. John79,266
  4. William60,030
  5. Richard58,871
  6. David46,444
  7. Michael41,192
  8. Thomas38,876
  9. Charles38,212
  10. Ronald31,856

Full top-50 rankings for 1946 →

🚀 Fastest risers

  1. Suzette #1,046 → #417 (+629)
  2. Gilda #920 → #442 (+478)
  3. Candice #743 → #477 (+266)
  4. Veda #829 → #563 (+266)
  5. Drew #646 → #415 (+231)
  6. Cheri #491 → #304 (+187)
  7. Crystal #690 → #514 (+176)
  8. Kristin #659 → #510 (+149)
  9. Kristine #503 → #360 (+143)
  10. Debra #511 → #369 (+142)

📉 Biggest fallers

  1. Laraine #472 → #647 (−175)
  2. Truman #248 → #387 (−139)
  3. Lottie #444 → #535 (−91)
  4. Teri #465 → #550 (−85)
  5. Freddie #456 → #537 (−81)
  6. Elnora #499 → #570 (−71)
  7. Cornelia #460 → #530 (−70)
  8. Willa #380 → #448 (−68)
  9. Leola #438 → #504 (−66)
  10. Essie #350 → #414 (−64)

✨ Never recorded before 1946

Suzzette (17) Krystal (16) Darlia (13) Kandis (13) Lesli (13) Trish (13) Jami (12) Jerrolyn (11) Marni (11) Tereasa (11)

312 names appeared in SSA records for the first time ever in 1946.

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What were the most popular baby names in 1946?
Mary was the #1 girl name and James the #1 boy name in 1946, out of 3,195,307 recorded births.
What baby name rose fastest in 1946?
Suzette made the biggest jump in 1946, climbing 629 spots to #417.
How many new baby names appeared in 1946?
312 names were recorded by the SSA for the first time ever in 1946.