Skip to content
NameBattle
My names

Top names by year

Top baby names of 1942

One birth year · Mary · James lead

The 100 most-chosen girl and boy names in the US in 1942, 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 1942 and what is climbing now.

19411943Compare two names
I

The 1942 lists

Girls100

  1. 1Mary63,256
  2. 2Barbara44,739
  3. 3Patricia39,465
  4. 4Linda31,613
  5. 5Carol30,272
  6. 6Sandra24,994
  7. 7Judith24,792
  8. 8Nancy23,327
  9. 9Betty21,659
  10. 10Carolyn19,978
  11. 11Sharon19,648
  12. 12Shirley17,750
  13. 13Joyce16,728
  14. 14Margaret16,549
  15. 15Judy15,667
  16. 16Karen15,387
  17. 17Dorothy15,037
  18. 18Joan14,514
  19. 19Janet13,065
  20. 20Donna12,987
  21. 21Susan12,015
  22. 22Elizabeth11,186
  23. 23Virginia10,803
  24. 24Kathleen10,696
  25. 25Janice10,286
  26. 26Helen10,016
  27. 27Marilyn9,906
  28. 28Diane9,551
  29. 29Martha9,513
  30. 30Frances9,471
  31. 31Gloria9,450
  32. 32Beverly9,411
  33. 33Ruth9,315
  34. 34Bonnie8,823
  35. 35Carole8,407
  36. 36Jean8,257
  37. 37Phyllis7,793
  38. 38Ann7,666
  39. 39Alice7,382
  40. 40Brenda7,241
  41. 41Doris7,176
  42. 42Peggy6,580
  43. 43Marie6,559
  44. 44Lois6,406
  45. 45Elaine5,986
  46. 46Jane5,707
  47. 47Geraldine5,437
  48. 48Joanne5,342
  49. 49Catherine5,267
  50. 50Rose5,253
  51. 51Charlotte5,022
  52. 52Norma4,971
  53. 53Evelyn4,940
  54. 54Wanda4,792
  55. 55Rita4,706
  56. 56Sally4,655
  57. 57Patsy4,559
  58. 58Joann4,506
  59. 59Anna4,488
  60. 60Gail4,445
  61. 61Louise4,343
  62. 62Annie4,293
  63. 63Dolores4,267
  64. 64Ellen4,197
  65. 65Jo4,175
  66. 66Roberta4,105
  67. 67Sarah4,100
  68. 68Diana3,857
  69. 69Jacqueline3,831
  70. 70Connie3,825
  71. 71Mildred3,808
  72. 72Sylvia3,728
  73. 73Sue3,631
  74. 74Marjorie3,625
  75. 75Kay3,622
  76. 76Anne3,526
  77. 77Ruby3,519
  78. 78Darlene3,517
  79. 79Loretta3,406
  80. 80Irene3,383
  81. 81Katherine3,376
  82. 82Kathryn3,350
  83. 83Arlene3,331
  84. 84Marlene3,253
  85. 85Rebecca3,241
  86. 86Delores3,171
  87. 87Eleanor3,165
  88. 88Eileen3,108
  89. 89Glenda3,089
  90. 90Juanita3,074
  91. 91Lorraine3,010
  92. 92Rosemary3,005
  93. 93Anita2,998
  94. 94Sheila2,973
  95. 95Julia2,906
  96. 96Christine2,900
  97. 97Maria2,817
  98. 98Theresa2,799
  99. 99Edna2,764
  100. 100Josephine2,748

US babies given each name in 1942.

Boys100

  1. 1James77,182
  2. 2Robert71,845
  3. 3John66,043
  4. 4William54,890
  5. 5Richard43,593
  6. 6David35,905
  7. 7Charles35,854
  8. 8Thomas31,100
  9. 9Ronald27,138
  10. 10Donald23,955
  11. 11Joseph22,429
  12. 12Larry22,099
  13. 13Michael21,728
  14. 14George21,275
  15. 15Kenneth18,210
  16. 16Jerry17,488
  17. 17Edward17,470
  18. 18Gary17,068
  19. 19Paul16,492
  20. 20Dennis13,281
  21. 21Frank12,248
  22. 22Gerald11,484
  23. 23Douglas11,233
  24. 24Raymond11,116
  25. 25Roger9,174
  26. 26Walter8,682
  27. 27Harold8,582
  28. 28Daniel8,507
  29. 29Arthur8,027
  30. 30Lawrence7,639
  31. 31Henry7,561
  32. 32Stephen7,503
  33. 33Joe7,383
  34. 34Jack7,365
  35. 35Billy7,313
  36. 36Carl7,268
  37. 37Willie7,094
  38. 38Ralph6,637
  39. 39Peter6,587
  40. 40Albert6,496
  41. 41Wayne6,484
  42. 42Roy6,311
  43. 43Bobby6,248
  44. 44Anthony6,210
  45. 45Eugene6,092
  46. 46Fred6,088
  47. 47Jimmy5,949
  48. 48Harry5,629
  49. 49Howard5,571
  50. 50Bruce5,385
  51. 51Louis5,151
  52. 52Terry4,810
  53. 53Norman4,683
  54. 54Philip4,604
  55. 55Johnny4,588
  56. 56Stanley4,587
  57. 57Leonard4,370
  58. 58Francis4,297
  59. 59Samuel4,190
  60. 60Melvin4,188
  61. 61Ernest4,079
  62. 62Earl4,050
  63. 63Dale3,863
  64. 64Patrick3,804
  65. 65Bill3,794
  66. 66Marvin3,792
  67. 67Clarence3,741
  68. 68Frederick3,738
  69. 69Leroy3,717
  70. 70Russell3,676
  71. 71Allen3,571
  72. 72Don3,564
  73. 73Tommy3,532
  74. 74Jim3,514
  75. 75Steven3,505
  76. 76Alfred3,408
  77. 77Phillip3,373
  78. 78Ronnie3,363
  79. 79Barry3,209
  80. 80Andrew3,142
  81. 81Alan3,134
  82. 82Gene3,127
  83. 83Herbert3,113
  84. 84Ray3,067
  85. 85Martin3,045
  86. 86Eddie3,019
  87. 87Lee2,923
  88. 88Glenn2,888
  89. 89Tom2,875
  90. 90Bernard2,724
  91. 91Theodore2,665
  92. 92Gordon2,606
  93. 93Leon2,550
  94. 94Jimmie2,541
  95. 95Clifford2,533
  96. 96Lloyd2,462
  97. 97Warren2,423
  98. 98Curtis2,420
  99. 99Victor2,397
  100. 100Jesse2,396

US babies given each name in 1942.

II

Questions people ask

Frequently asked

What was the most popular girl name in 1942?
Mary was the #1 girl name in the US in 1942, given to 63,256 babies.
What was the most popular boy name in 1942?
James was the #1 boy name in the US in 1942, given to 77,182 babies.

Love a name from 1942? See how it holds up today.

A name from an old list can read timeless or dated depending on where its chart went next. Put it beside a modern favorite and see.

Compare two namesPick another year

Free to start · no account needed · everyone you invite votes in one tap

Lists built from the same records

Short and sweet: names of four letters or fewerThree-letter names: tiny and completeVowel names: soft starts from A to ONames of the '80s and '90s, currently restingAll guides