The naming of newborns reflects changing tastes, cultural influences, and other factors. Among the fashionable boys’ names that have become increasingly common in the U.S. today are Aiden, Sebastian, and Maverick – but at the same time, some names that were popular during the baby boomer generation remain nearly as common today. (Read about the biggest name fads of the last 40 years.)
For instance, William, Daniel, and Michael were among the top 20 boys’ names during the boomer generation, and are still in the top 20 today. James was the single most popular boys’ name for boomers, with 4.12% of all boys born between 1946 and 1964 receiving that name. In 2022, James remained the fourth most popular boys’ name, given to 0.65% of all boys.
To determine the most popular boy names among the baby boomer generation, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data on boy names from the U.S. Social Security Administration. Names were ranked based on the total number of boys that received the name from 1946 to 1964. Supplemental name data for 2022 is also from the SSA.
Click here to see the most popular boys’ names of the baby boomer generation
Some popular boomer names, on the other hand, are rapidly falling out of use. Larry, Ronald, and Dennis, for example, were among the top names during the baby boom, but currently don’t even place in the top 500 boys’ names in the U.S. (These are the fastest growing boys’ names in America.)
25. George
> Boys named George, 1946-1964: 333,860 (0.88% of all boys)
> Boys named George, 2022: 2,620 (0.14% of all boys)
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24. Edward
> Boys named Edward, 1946-1964: 344,495 (0.90% of all boys)
> Boys named Edward, 2022: 1,736 (0.09% of all boys)
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23. Dennis
> Boys named Dennis, 1946-1964: 349,468 (0.92% of all boys)
> Boys named Dennis, 2022: 417 (0.02% of all boys)
22. Stephen
> Boys named Stephen, 1946-1964: 349,857 (0.92% of all boys)
> Boys named Stephen, 2022: 911 (0.05% of all boys)
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21. Jeffrey
> Boys named Jeffrey, 1946-1964: 364,165 (0.96% of all boys)
> Boys named Jeffrey, 2022: 677 (0.04% of all boys)
20. Timothy
> Boys named Timothy, 1946-1964: 368,671 (0.97% of all boys)
> Boys named Timothy, 2022: 1,827 (0.10% of all boys)
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19. Daniel
> Boys named Daniel, 1946-1964: 433,029 (1.14% of all boys)
> Boys named Daniel, 2022: 9,047 (0.49% of all boys)
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18. Larry
> Boys named Larry, 1946-1964: 439,933 (1.15% of all boys)
> Boys named Larry, 2022: 263 (0.01% of all boys)
17. Paul
> Boys named Paul, 1946-1964: 468,493 (1.23% of all boys)
> Boys named Paul, 2022: 1,326 (0.07% of all boys)
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16. Donald
> Boys named Donald, 1946-1964: 483,153 (1.27% of all boys)
> Boys named Donald, 2022: 402 (0.02% of all boys)
15. Kenneth
> Boys named Kenneth, 1946-1964: 485,673 (1.27% of all boys)
> Boys named Kenneth, 2022: 1,297 (0.07% of all boys)
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14. Ronald
> Boys named Ronald, 1946-1964: 504,012 (1.32% of all boys)
> Boys named Ronald, 2022: 529 (0.03% of all boys)
13. Gary
> Boys named Gary, 1946-1964: 545,067 (1.43% of all boys)
> Boys named Gary, 2022: 234 (0.01% of all boys)
12. Steven
> Boys named Steven, 1946-1964: 547,787 (1.44% of all boys)
> Boys named Steven, 2022: 1,339 (0.07% of all boys)
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11. Joseph
> Boys named Joseph, 1946-1964: 554,906 (1.46% of all boys)
> Boys named Joseph, 2022: 7,771 (0.42% of all boys)
10. Charles
> Boys named Charles, 1946-1964: 657,990 (1.73% of all boys)
> Boys named Charles, 2022: 5,889 (0.32% of all boys)
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9. Mark
> Boys named Mark, 1946-1964: 684,253 (1.79% of all boys)
> Boys named Mark, 2022: 1,420 (0.08% of all boys)
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8. Thomas
> Boys named Thomas, 1946-1964: 810,328 (2.13% of all boys)
> Boys named Thomas, 2022: 6,465 (0.35% of all boys)
7. Richard
> Boys named Richard, 1946-1964: 959,677 (2.52% of all boys)
> Boys named Richard, 2022: 1,673 (0.09% of all boys)
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6. William
> Boys named William, 1946-1964: 1,072,583 (2.81% of all boys)
> Boys named William, 2022: 11,282 (0.61% of all boys)
5. David
> Boys named David, 1946-1964: 1,395,874 (3.66% of all boys)
> Boys named David, 2022: 7,741 (0.42% of all boys)
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4. Michael
> Boys named Michael, 1946-1964: 1,464,225 (3.84% of all boys)
> Boys named Michael, 2022: 8,829 (0.47% of all boys)
3. John
> Boys named John, 1946-1964: 1,525,040 (4.00% of all boys)
> Boys named John, 2022: 7,930 (0.43% of all boys)
2. Robert
> Boys named Robert, 1946-1964: 1,530,946 (4.02% of all boys)
> Boys named Robert, 2022: 4,051 (0.22% of all boys)
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1. James
> Boys named James, 1946-1964: 1,571,013 (4.12% of all boys)
> Boys named James, 2022: 12,028 (0.65% of all boys)
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