This list combines 2,060 spelling variations into 1,001 grouped names based on shared pronunciations. The most popular name in 1949 is James, given to 86,858 babies in total. Learn more about how this works.

Darrell has the most spelling variations with 23 different spellings, while Jerrell has the highest confusion index at 79.7%, indicating the greatest diversity in how parents choose to spell it.

When combining spelling variations, Arlen showed the biggest improvement, moving up 151 positions from 491 to 340, while Walter had the largest drop, falling 7 positions from 37 to 44.

Looking at trends, Unknown shows the strongest upward momentum (births in 1947–1949 are 852.38% higher compared to 1940–1949), while Shirley shows the steepest decline (53.89% lower). Compared to 1948, Kirk had the largest rank improvement, moving up 104 positions to rank #220, while Stan fell 57 positions to rank #441.