Popular Names of 1945

The 20 most popular names given to female and to male babies born in 1945, as recorded, with each name’s rank in 2025. Carol peaked among human females this year, at 5th.

Table 1. Female names, 1945
Rank	Name	Number	Rank in 2025
1	Mary	59,278	125
2	Linda	41,465	902
3	Barbara	38,273	968
4	Patricia	35,844	1,336
5	Carol	30,389	2,242
6	Sandra	24,700	1,210
7	Nancy	21,456	967
8	Sharon	20,838	1,256
9	Judith	20,192	790
10	Susan	19,222	1,091
11	Betty	18,387	1,113
12	Carolyn	17,244	1,222
13	Judy	17,001	1,874
14	Shirley	16,150	1,586
15	Margaret	15,685	112
16	Karen	15,680	1,281
17	Donna	15,397	1,965
18	Joyce	13,950	1,074
19	Kathleen	13,802	1,156
20	Janet	12,326	2,791

Table 2. Male names, 1945
Rank	Name	Number	Rank in 2025
1	James	74,464	6
2	Robert	69,947	92
3	John	66,117	23
4	William	50,218	9
5	Richard	46,046	234
6	David	37,110	35
7	Charles	32,469	48
8	Thomas	31,874	34
9	Michael	29,902	21
10	Ronald	23,665	638
11	Larry	22,824	1,085
12	Donald	22,138	690
13	Gary	21,345	1,073
14	Joseph	20,823	29
15	George	19,327	126
16	Kenneth	18,096	294
17	Paul	16,995	262
18	Edward	15,870	224
19	Dennis	14,990	707
20	Jerry	14,704	907

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As recorded on the Social Security card application. Names given to fewer than five babies of a sex in a year are not published, so the file is a floor.