Born in 1945 · Silent Generation
Baby names of 1945
The Social Security name files, which cover every name given to at least 5 babies, list 2,652,945 babies born in 1945: 1,307,090 girls and 1,345,855 boys. Mary and James were the most popular names, and 29.1% of all babies got a top-10 name, up from 29.0% in 1935. The name most tied to 1945 is Sharyn: among girls, it was 18× as common that year as in the decades around it.
Quick facts
- Generation
- Silent Generation
- Born 1928–1945
- Babies on record
- 2,652,945
- 1,307,090 girls · 1,345,855 boys
- Different names
- 5,242
- for girls, plus 3,783 for boys (5+ babies each)
- Top-10 names
- 29.1%
- of babies got one · girls 23.8%, boys 34.3%
Top 10 names of 1945
- Mary was already the #1 name for girls in 1935 and stayed there through 1946.
- James was the #1 name for boys every year from 1940 to 1952.
How many babies got a top-10 name?
In 1945, 29.1% of babies were given one of that year's 10 most popular names. Across all years, that share fell from 29.0% in 1935 to 7.5% in 2025.
Names that sound like 1945
These names were far more common in 1945 than in the decades around it: the multiplier compares each name's share of 1945 babies with its average share 6–25 years before and after.
| Name | Sex | Rank | Vs. nearby |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharyn | Girl | #241 | 18× |
| Judith | Girl | #9 | 5.1× |
| Judy | Girl | #13 | 5.0× |
| Sharron | Girl | #282 | 4.2× |
| Paulette | Girl | #148 | 4.0× |
| Saundra | Girl | #280 | 3.9× |
| Dianne | Girl | #72 | 3.7× |
| Carole | Girl | #51 | 3.7× |
| Truman | Boy | #248 | 3.6× |
| Lynda | Girl | #111 | 3.5× |
Names that peaked in 1945
Each of these reached its highest share of US babies in 1945, the high point in records going back to 1880. Rank is for 1945.
| Name | Sex | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Carol | Girl | #5 |
| Gloria | Girl | #23 |
| Roger | Boy | #22 |
| Jane | Girl | #36 |
| Elaine | Girl | #44 |
| Johnny | Boy | #45 |
| Dianne | Girl | #72 |
| Sharyn | Girl | #241 |
| Frankie | Boy | #232 |
| Rodger | Boy | #243 |
New to the top 1,000 in 1945
Names that made the national top 1,000 for the first time in 1945 (records go back to 1880).
Where are they now?
Top-100 names of 1945 that have since dropped out of the top 1,000. Ranks are for 1945 and 2025.
Girls
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data