Popular baby names of 1940

In 1940, the most popular baby names in the United States were Mary for girls (56,216 babies) and James for boys (62,481). Social Security records show 2,302,700 babies with a name given to at least five children of the same sex that year, sharing 5,028 girls' names and 3,937 boys' names.

1940 at a glance

The top 10 girls' names went to 23.1% of girls recorded.
The top 10 boys' names went to 33.5% of boys recorded.
New in the girls' top 100: Connie, Katherine, Rebecca, Edith.
New in the boys' top 100: Franklin, Harvey.

Top 100 girls' and boys' names, 1940

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1939
1	Mary	56,216	–
2	Barbara	36,736	–
3	Patricia	32,665	–
4	Judith	22,385	↑4
5	Betty	22,077	↓1
6	Carol	21,759	–
7	Nancy	19,737	–
8	Linda	18,370	↑7
9	Shirley	17,881	↓4
10	Sandra	16,153	↑3
11	Margaret	15,063	↓1
12	Dorothy	14,875	↓3
13	Joyce	14,801	↓1
14	Joan	13,292	↓3
15	Carolyn	12,657	↓1
16	Judy	11,382	↑12
17	Sharon	11,121	↑6
18	Helen	10,203	↓2
19	Janet	10,105	↓2
20	Elizabeth	9,955	↓2
21	Virginia	9,554	–
22	Janice	9,318	↑2
23	Donna	9,232	↓3
24	Ruth	8,888	↓2
25	Marilyn	8,704	↓6
26	Martha	8,695	↑1
27	Beverly	8,657	↓2
28	Frances	8,621	↓2
29	Jean	8,063	↑3
30	Gloria	8,026	↑6
31	Doris	7,767	↓2
32	Alice	7,603	↓1
33	Phyllis	7,416	↓3
34	Karen	7,283	↑5
35	Ann	7,196	↓2
36	Susan	6,756	↑8
37	Peggy	6,128	↓3
38	Lois	6,125	↓3
39	Bonnie	5,957	↑22
40	Kathleen	5,697	↑8
41	Marie	5,542	↓4
42	Brenda	5,442	↑44
43	Norma	5,334	↓5
44	Rose	5,198	↓2
45	Diane	5,172	↑6
46	Geraldine	5,150	↓5
47	Jane	5,091	↓1
48	Evelyn	4,982	↓8
49	Carole	4,790	↓2
50	Elaine	4,782	↓5
51	Anna	4,717	↓8
52	Wanda	4,708	↓2
53	Catherine	4,584	↓4
54	Joanne	4,418	↓1
55	Charlotte	4,291	↑11
56	Annie	4,216	↓2
57	Patsy	4,079	↓1
58	Mildred	3,938	↓3
59	Louise	3,928	–
60	Sarah	3,869	↑8
61	Sally	3,803	↓9
62	Sylvia	3,802	–
63	Joann	3,789	↓6
64	Marjorie	3,681	↓4
65	Gail	3,621	↑8
66	Ruby	3,619	↑1
67	Dolores	3,604	↓9
68	Eleanor	3,584	↓5
69	Loretta	3,502	↓4
70	Rita	3,442	↑8
71	Roberta	3,431	–
72	Jo	3,427	↓2
73	Irene	3,394	↑1
74	Ellen	3,318	↑6
75	Arlene	3,257	↓6
76	Jacqueline	3,215	↓4
77	Kay	3,200	↓1
78	Juanita	3,174	↓1
79	Darlene	3,120	↓4
80	Marlene	3,118	↓16
81	Sue	3,104	↑11
82	June	2,949	↑1
83	Delores	2,929	↓4
84	Anne	2,897	↑1
85	Rosemary	2,874	↑8
86	Edna	2,835	↓5
87	Anita	2,828	↑10
88	Connie	2,795	new
89	Josephine	2,744	↓5
90	Jeanette	2,727	↓8
91	Julia	2,709	–
92	Katherine	2,709	new
93	Wilma	2,621	↓6
94	Emma	2,606	↓5
95	Lorraine	2,579	–
96	Rebecca	2,555	new
97	Lillian	2,525	↑2
98	Edith	2,510	new
99	Audrey	2,501	↓1
100	Florence	2,467	↓4

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1939
1	James	62,481	↑1
2	Robert	61,198	↓1
3	John	54,786	–
4	William	44,779	–
5	Richard	37,425	–
6	Charles	31,689	–
7	David	27,690	–
8	Thomas	23,991	↑1
9	Donald	23,115	↓1
10	Ronald	20,741	–
11	George	18,315	–
12	Joseph	18,208	–
13	Larry	17,199	↑1
14	Jerry	15,213	↑2
15	Kenneth	15,132	↓2
16	Edward	14,405	↓1
17	Paul	14,097	–
18	Michael	13,228	–
19	Gary	12,573	↑2
20	Frank	10,595	–
21	Gerald	10,236	↓2
22	Raymond	9,567	–
23	Harold	8,080	–
24	Dennis	7,845	↑10
25	Walter	7,723	–
26	Roger	7,598	↑2
27	Billy	7,596	↓3
28	Joe	7,216	↓1
29	Jack	7,048	↓3
30	Bobby	6,882	↓1
31	Henry	6,822	–
32	Carl	6,752	↓2
33	Arthur	6,510	↓1
34	Daniel	6,225	↑4
35	Willie	6,176	↓2
36	Lawrence	6,173	–
37	Ralph	5,838	↓2
38	Eugene	5,804	↓1
39	Wayne	5,727	–
40	Fred	5,581	–
41	Albert	5,572	–
42	Roy	5,565	–
43	Peter	5,049	↑3
44	Jimmy	4,962	↓1
45	Howard	4,824	↑2
46	Anthony	4,769	↑2
47	Harry	4,681	↓2
48	Norman	4,576	↓4
49	Stephen	4,423	↑16
50	Louis	4,324	↓1
51	Johnny	4,006	↑11
52	Earl	3,944	↓2
53	Melvin	3,935	↓2
54	Leonard	3,817	–
55	Bruce	3,789	↑9
56	Douglas	3,732	↑2
57	Dale	3,699	↑2
58	Ernest	3,698	↓3
59	Stanley	3,694	↓2
60	Philip	3,674	↑6
61	Francis	3,607	↓8
62	Don	3,547	↓6
63	Marvin	3,502	↓11
64	Clarence	3,487	↓4
65	Samuel	3,364	↓2
66	Leroy	3,311	↓5
67	Bill	3,267	–
68	Frederick	3,096	↑3
69	Alfred	3,062	↑1
70	Gene	3,060	↓1
71	Allen	3,029	↑1
72	Russell	3,012	↑1
73	Terry	2,982	↑10
74	Patrick	2,883	↑5
75	Herbert	2,875	↓7
76	Tommy	2,827	↑1
77	Ray	2,795	↓3
78	Jim	2,715	↓3
79	Phillip	2,628	↑13
80	Lee	2,624	↓2
81	Eddie	2,576	–
82	Bernard	2,468	↓6
83	Glenn	2,465	↑4
84	Andrew	2,431	–
85	Martin	2,423	↑6
86	Jimmie	2,408	↓6
87	Franklin	2,391	new
88	Alan	2,377	↓3
89	Leon	2,318	↓3
90	Theodore	2,306	–
91	Gordon	2,296	↓9
92	Tom	2,287	↑5
93	Jesse	2,205	↑6
94	Clifford	2,185	↓6
95	Jerome	2,178	↓2
96	Edwin	2,116	–
97	Curtis	2,103	↑1
98	Harvey	2,088	new
99	Bob	2,082	↓10
100	Lloyd	2,067	↓5

Every name given in 1940

All 8,965 names Social Security recorded for 1940, with their rank and count. Type to filter.

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