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Top baby names of 1940

One birth year · Mary · James lead

The 100 most-chosen girl and boy names in the US in 1940, from official Social Security birth records. Every name links to its full history and popularity chart. See also the whole 1940s. Then see which names rose and fell after 1940 and what is climbing now.

19391941Compare two names
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The 1940 lists

Girls100

  1. 1Mary56,216
  2. 2Barbara36,736
  3. 3Patricia32,665
  4. 4Judith22,385
  5. 5Betty22,077
  6. 6Carol21,759
  7. 7Nancy19,737
  8. 8Linda18,370
  9. 9Shirley17,881
  10. 10Sandra16,153
  11. 11Margaret15,063
  12. 12Dorothy14,875
  13. 13Joyce14,801
  14. 14Joan13,292
  15. 15Carolyn12,657
  16. 16Judy11,382
  17. 17Sharon11,121
  18. 18Helen10,203
  19. 19Janet10,105
  20. 20Elizabeth9,955
  21. 21Virginia9,554
  22. 22Janice9,318
  23. 23Donna9,232
  24. 24Ruth8,888
  25. 25Marilyn8,704
  26. 26Martha8,695
  27. 27Beverly8,657
  28. 28Frances8,621
  29. 29Jean8,063
  30. 30Gloria8,026
  31. 31Doris7,767
  32. 32Alice7,603
  33. 33Phyllis7,416
  34. 34Karen7,283
  35. 35Ann7,196
  36. 36Susan6,756
  37. 37Peggy6,128
  38. 38Lois6,125
  39. 39Bonnie5,957
  40. 40Kathleen5,697
  41. 41Marie5,542
  42. 42Brenda5,442
  43. 43Norma5,334
  44. 44Rose5,198
  45. 45Diane5,172
  46. 46Geraldine5,150
  47. 47Jane5,091
  48. 48Evelyn4,982
  49. 49Carole4,790
  50. 50Elaine4,782
  51. 51Anna4,717
  52. 52Wanda4,708
  53. 53Catherine4,584
  54. 54Joanne4,418
  55. 55Charlotte4,291
  56. 56Annie4,216
  57. 57Patsy4,079
  58. 58Mildred3,938
  59. 59Louise3,928
  60. 60Sarah3,869
  61. 61Sally3,803
  62. 62Sylvia3,802
  63. 63Joann3,789
  64. 64Marjorie3,681
  65. 65Gail3,621
  66. 66Ruby3,619
  67. 67Dolores3,604
  68. 68Eleanor3,584
  69. 69Loretta3,502
  70. 70Rita3,442
  71. 71Roberta3,431
  72. 72Jo3,427
  73. 73Irene3,394
  74. 74Ellen3,318
  75. 75Arlene3,257
  76. 76Jacqueline3,215
  77. 77Kay3,200
  78. 78Juanita3,174
  79. 79Darlene3,120
  80. 80Marlene3,118
  81. 81Sue3,104
  82. 82June2,949
  83. 83Delores2,929
  84. 84Anne2,897
  85. 85Rosemary2,874
  86. 86Edna2,835
  87. 87Anita2,828
  88. 88Connie2,795
  89. 89Josephine2,744
  90. 90Jeanette2,727
  91. 91Julia2,709
  92. 92Katherine2,709
  93. 93Wilma2,621
  94. 94Emma2,606
  95. 95Lorraine2,579
  96. 96Rebecca2,555
  97. 97Lillian2,525
  98. 98Edith2,510
  99. 99Audrey2,501
  100. 100Florence2,467

US babies given each name in 1940.

Boys100

  1. 1James62,481
  2. 2Robert61,198
  3. 3John54,786
  4. 4William44,779
  5. 5Richard37,425
  6. 6Charles31,689
  7. 7David27,690
  8. 8Thomas23,991
  9. 9Donald23,115
  10. 10Ronald20,741
  11. 11George18,315
  12. 12Joseph18,208
  13. 13Larry17,199
  14. 14Jerry15,213
  15. 15Kenneth15,132
  16. 16Edward14,405
  17. 17Paul14,097
  18. 18Michael13,228
  19. 19Gary12,573
  20. 20Frank10,595
  21. 21Gerald10,236
  22. 22Raymond9,567
  23. 23Harold8,080
  24. 24Dennis7,845
  25. 25Walter7,723
  26. 26Roger7,598
  27. 27Billy7,596
  28. 28Joe7,216
  29. 29Jack7,048
  30. 30Bobby6,882
  31. 31Henry6,822
  32. 32Carl6,752
  33. 33Arthur6,510
  34. 34Daniel6,225
  35. 35Willie6,176
  36. 36Lawrence6,173
  37. 37Ralph5,838
  38. 38Eugene5,804
  39. 39Wayne5,727
  40. 40Fred5,581
  41. 41Albert5,572
  42. 42Roy5,565
  43. 43Peter5,049
  44. 44Jimmy4,962
  45. 45Howard4,824
  46. 46Anthony4,769
  47. 47Harry4,681
  48. 48Norman4,576
  49. 49Stephen4,423
  50. 50Louis4,324
  51. 51Johnny4,006
  52. 52Earl3,944
  53. 53Melvin3,935
  54. 54Leonard3,817
  55. 55Bruce3,789
  56. 56Douglas3,732
  57. 57Dale3,699
  58. 58Ernest3,698
  59. 59Stanley3,694
  60. 60Philip3,674
  61. 61Francis3,607
  62. 62Don3,547
  63. 63Marvin3,502
  64. 64Clarence3,487
  65. 65Samuel3,364
  66. 66Leroy3,311
  67. 67Bill3,267
  68. 68Frederick3,096
  69. 69Alfred3,062
  70. 70Gene3,060
  71. 71Allen3,029
  72. 72Russell3,012
  73. 73Terry2,982
  74. 74Patrick2,883
  75. 75Herbert2,875
  76. 76Tommy2,827
  77. 77Ray2,795
  78. 78Jim2,715
  79. 79Phillip2,628
  80. 80Lee2,624
  81. 81Eddie2,576
  82. 82Bernard2,468
  83. 83Glenn2,465
  84. 84Andrew2,431
  85. 85Martin2,423
  86. 86Jimmie2,408
  87. 87Franklin2,391
  88. 88Alan2,377
  89. 89Leon2,318
  90. 90Theodore2,306
  91. 91Gordon2,296
  92. 92Tom2,287
  93. 93Jesse2,205
  94. 94Clifford2,185
  95. 95Jerome2,178
  96. 96Edwin2,116
  97. 97Curtis2,103
  98. 98Harvey2,088
  99. 99Bob2,082
  100. 100Lloyd2,067

US babies given each name in 1940.

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Questions people ask

Frequently asked

What was the most popular girl name in 1940?
Mary was the #1 girl name in the US in 1940, given to 56,216 babies.
What was the most popular boy name in 1940?
James was the #1 boy name in the US in 1940, given to 62,481 babies.

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