This list combines 2,015 spelling variations into 1,002 grouped names based on shared pronunciations. The most popular name in 1946 is James, given to 87,438 babies in total. Learn more about how this works.

Darrell has the most spelling variations with 22 different spellings, while Jerrell has the highest confusion index at 83.8%, indicating the greatest diversity in how parents choose to spell it.

When combining spelling variations, Arlen showed the biggest improvement, moving up 157 positions from 476 to 319, while Walter had the largest drop, falling 4 positions from 30 to 34.

Looking at trends, Ricky shows the strongest upward momentum (births in 1944–1946 are 900% higher compared to 1937–1946), while Seymour shows the steepest decline (57.22% lower). Compared to 1945, Drew had the largest rank improvement, moving up 95 positions to rank #349, while Truman fell 91 positions to rank #327.