State roster

Top names in Pennsylvania

The names most likely to appear on 1947 Pennsylvania birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 232,311 Pennsylvania births in 1947 across 1,456 distinct names.

Distinctively Pennsylvania

Names that rank far higher here than they do nationally — the ones that say Pennsylvania more than they say America.

#100Bernadetteoutside the national top 200
#78Maryann#157 nationally
#77Nicholas#143 nationally
#97Eleanor#158 nationally
#30Francis#84 nationally
#38Eileen#91 nationally
#75Jay#119 nationally
#98Lester#142 nationally
#100Benjamin#144 nationally
#25Barry#68 nationally
#75Marlene#114 nationally
#73Dolores#111 nationally

Girls

#1Linda6,768US #1
#2Mary4,847US #2
#3Patricia3,962US #3
#4Barbara3,818US #4
#5Carol3,278US #6
#6Sandra2,540US #5
#7Nancy2,475US #7
#8Susan2,357US #8
#9Donna2,155US #10
#10Kathleen2,146US #11
#11Judith2,019US #12
#12Karen1,765US #13
#13Margaret1,758US #16
#14Sharon1,460US #9
#15Diane1,343US #18
#16Janet1,220US #23
#17Elizabeth1,100US #25
#18Joan1,065US #30
#19Joyce1,065US #20
#20Cheryl1,022US #24
#21Shirley956US #19
#22Bonnie903US #35
#23Dorothy897US #26
#24Beverly880US #31
#25Jane832US #36
#26Carolyn822US #15
#27Judy816US #14
#28Ruth807US #44
#29Jean801US #40
#30Janice789US #22
#31Joanne776US #56
#32Gloria756US #27
#33Catherine753US #46
#34Elaine745US #50
#35Betty743US #17
#36Virginia713US #34
#37Christine702US #45
#38Eileen671US #91
#39Ann663US #41
#40Marilyn658US #29
#41Helen655US #38
#42Cynthia651US #33
#43Darlene634US #71
#44Frances630US #39
#45Marie615US #57
#46Suzanne611US #53
#47Jacqueline562US #59
#48Phyllis545US #37
#49Lois526US #63
#50Rose517US #65
#51Rosemary512US #80
#52Gail494US #49
#53Deborah491US #62
#54Kathryn484US #55
#55Sally472US #70
#56Anna471US #92
#57Pamela471US #28
#58Connie470US #43
#59Lorraine470US #84
#60Alice457US #47
#61Theresa457US #85
#62Brenda443US #21
#63Martha442US #32
#64Geraldine440US #78
#65Rita420US #60
#66Carole417US #102
#67Ellen416US #61
#68Joann403US #89
#69Anne392US #95
#70Constance385US #100
#71Diana385US #48
#72Doris382US #58
#73Dolores380US #111
#74Charlotte364US #68
#75Marlene362US #114
#76Kathy344US #64
#77Jeanne342US #86
#78Maryann341US #157
#79Rebecca340US #52
#80Paula334US #54
#81Roberta330US #90
#82Maureen325US #98
#83Louise319US #99
#84Lynn317US #75
#85Peggy316US #42
#86Jo315US #51
#87Marjorie315US #106
#88Arlene314US #118
#89Evelyn314US #72
#90Sherry307US #67
#91Andrea290US #126
#92Marcia280US #81
#93Loretta262US #113
#94Marsha261US #88
#95Sheila260US #73
#96Sarah255US #93
#97Eleanor248US #158
#98Anita247US #94
#99Dianne245US #83
#100Bernadette239

Boys

#1John8,048US #3
#2Robert7,756US #2
#3James6,460US #1
#4William6,118US #4
#5Richard4,503US #5
#6David4,307US #6
#7Thomas4,209US #8
#8Joseph3,759US #14
#9Charles3,115US #9
#10Michael3,101US #7
#11Ronald2,706US #11
#12George2,253US #16
#13Edward2,234US #19
#14Donald2,062US #13
#15Dennis1,952US #17
#16Paul1,827US #18
#17Kenneth1,663US #15
#18Gary1,582US #12
#19Larry1,506US #10
#20Daniel1,278US #22
#21Frank1,269US #23
#22Stephen1,051US #21
#23Raymond1,047US #27
#24Anthony982US #41
#25Barry901US #68
#26Gerald891US #28
#27Harry845US #54
#28Terry816US #26
#29Lawrence814US #32
#30Francis751US #84
#31Walter735US #34
#32Wayne667US #30
#33Gregory658US #33
#34Bruce656US #29
#35Carl601US #40
#36Albert596US #55
#37Eugene570US #59
#38Peter548US #36
#39Ralph538US #50
#40Louis536US #64
#41Jack529US #37
#42Harold528US #35
#43Jeffrey516US #66
#44Frederick515US #78
#45Samuel511US #72
#46Arthur502US #38
#47Alan488US #45
#48Mark483US #47
#49Stanley480US #67
#50Philip468US #57
#51Howard463US #62
#52Patrick453US #53
#53Henry446US #46
#54Steven440US #24
#55Andrew439US #82
#56Leonard439US #71
#57Timothy432US #52
#58Glenn422US #70
#59Fred418US #56
#60Dale416US #63
#61Russell410US #69
#62Roger398US #25
#63Douglas368US #31
#64Jerry358US #20
#65Bernard339US #100
#66Earl316US #83
#67Theodore313US #102
#68Vincent312US #105
#69Allen304US #73
#70Martin304US #90
#71Norman303US #81
#72Roy289US #48
#73Ernest278US #75
#74Craig254US #93
#75Jay246US #119
#76Lee240US #92
#77Nicholas231US #143
#78Clarence229US #88
#79Jerome220US #110
#80Alfred217US #96
#81Keith215US #91
#82Leroy210US #98
#83Melvin204US #85
#84Edwin201US #114
#85Herbert194US #104
#86Rodney193US #94
#87Eric189US #122
#88Steve173US #58
#89Clifford172US #101
#90Warren169US #108
#91Ray165US #97
#92Brian163US #95
#93Leon157US #117
#94Allan155US #132
#95Joel154US #133
#96Victor152US #121
#97Harvey149US #131
#98Lester144US #142
#99Phillip144US #74
#100Benjamin143US #144

On the move since 1946

Rising

↑37Deborah#53
↑16Gregory#33
↑15Jacqueline#47
↑15Brenda#62
↑14Jeffrey#43
↑14Craig#74
↑13Kathy#76
↑10Christine#37

Falling

↓20Carole#66
↓19Diana#71
↓14Bernadette#100
↓13Arlene#88
↓13Eleanor#97
↓12Dolores#73
↓11Betty#35
↓11Dianne#99

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1946 rankings.