Popular baby names of 1941

In 1941, the most popular baby names in the United States were Mary for girls (58,048 babies) and James for boys (66,751). Social Security records show 2,436,437 babies with a name given to at least five children of the same sex that year, sharing 5,085 girls' names and 4,002 boys' names.

1941 at a glance

The top 10 girls' names went to 23.5% of girls recorded.
The top 10 boys' names went to 33.6% of boys recorded.
New in the girls' top 100: Kathryn, Theresa, Glenda, Suzanne, Diana.
New in the boys' top 100: Ronnie, Steven, Barry.

Top 100 girls' and boys' names, 1941

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1940
1	Mary	58,048	–
2	Barbara	39,543	–
3	Patricia	36,905	–
4	Carol	24,187	↑2
5	Linda	23,721	↑3
6	Judith	23,320	↓2
7	Betty	20,905	↓2
8	Nancy	20,885	↓1
9	Sandra	19,500	↑1
10	Shirley	16,954	↓1
11	Carolyn	16,273	↑4
12	Margaret	15,696	↓1
13	Joyce	15,684	–
14	Dorothy	14,566	↓2
15	Sharon	14,272	↑2
16	Judy	13,968	–
17	Joan	13,380	↓3
18	Janet	11,136	↑1
19	Karen	10,831	↑15
20	Donna	10,446	↑3
21	Elizabeth	10,267	↓1
22	Janice	10,061	–
23	Virginia	10,043	↓2
24	Helen	9,887	↓6
25	Martha	9,156	↑1
26	Gloria	9,008	↑4
27	Susan	8,889	↑9
28	Ruth	8,863	↓4
29	Beverly	8,727	↓2
30	Marilyn	8,556	↓5
31	Frances	8,468	↓3
32	Jean	7,840	↓3
33	Bonnie	7,762	↑6
34	Alice	7,445	↓2
35	Phyllis	7,346	↓2
36	Kathleen	7,160	↑4
37	Ann	7,121	↓2
38	Doris	7,081	↓7
39	Peggy	6,561	↓2
40	Diane	6,427	↑5
41	Brenda	6,332	↑1
42	Marie	6,152	↓1
43	Lois	6,105	↓5
44	Elaine	5,376	↑6
45	Geraldine	5,229	↑1
46	Jane	5,090	↑1
47	Norma	5,021	↓4
48	Carole	4,966	↑1
49	Rose	4,955	↓5
50	Evelyn	4,928	↓2
51	Catherine	4,884	↑2
52	Patsy	4,788	↑5
53	Wanda	4,735	↓1
54	Joanne	4,665	–
55	Charlotte	4,564	–
56	Anna	4,432	↓5
57	Dolores	4,384	↑10
58	Joann	4,275	↑5
59	Annie	4,073	↓3
60	Sarah	3,982	–
61	Sally	3,965	–
62	Louise	3,910	↓3
63	Rita	3,879	↑7
64	Mildred	3,846	↓6
65	Sylvia	3,788	↓3
66	Jo	3,757	↑6
67	Ellen	3,664	↑7
68	Gail	3,609	↓3
69	Ruby	3,581	↓3
70	Kay	3,538	↑7
71	Marjorie	3,517	↓7
72	Roberta	3,396	↓1
73	Jacqueline	3,388	↑3
74	Irene	3,370	↓1
75	Sue	3,359	↑6
76	Darlene	3,344	↑3
77	Arlene	3,291	↓2
78	Eleanor	3,250	↓10
79	Connie	3,205	↑9
80	Delores	3,160	↑3
81	Loretta	3,100	↓12
82	Anne	3,096	↑2
83	Marlene	3,068	↓3
84	Juanita	3,044	↓6
85	Katherine	3,004	↑7
86	Rebecca	2,924	↑10
87	Kathryn	2,869	new
88	Julia	2,844	↑3
89	Edna	2,835	↓3
90	June	2,766	↓8
91	Anita	2,740	↓4
92	Josephine	2,726	↓3
93	Lorraine	2,688	↑2
94	Rosemary	2,677	↓9
95	Theresa	2,675	new
96	Glenda	2,643	new
97	Suzanne	2,611	new
98	Jeanette	2,596	↓8
99	Emma	2,546	↓5
100	Diana	2,544	new

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1940
1	James	66,751	–
2	Robert	64,247	–
3	John	57,520	–
4	William	47,798	–
5	Richard	39,112	–
6	Charles	32,742	–
7	David	30,553	–
8	Thomas	26,641	–
9	Ronald	24,407	↑1
10	Donald	22,641	↓1
11	Larry	20,134	↑2
12	Joseph	19,808	–
13	George	19,260	↓2
14	Jerry	16,799	–
15	Kenneth	16,143	–
16	Michael	15,935	↑2
17	Edward	15,580	↓1
18	Paul	15,166	↓1
19	Gary	14,568	–
20	Gerald	10,942	↑1
21	Frank	10,795	↓1
22	Raymond	9,951	–
23	Dennis	9,562	↑1
24	Harold	8,102	↓1
25	Roger	8,095	↑1
26	Walter	7,745	↓1
27	Billy	7,655	–
28	Henry	7,165	↑3
29	Carl	7,160	↑3
30	Joe	7,158	↓2
31	Daniel	7,050	↑3
32	Jack	6,950	↓3
33	Arthur	6,739	–
34	Lawrence	6,653	↑2
35	Bobby	6,589	↓5
36	Willie	6,526	↓1
37	Wayne	6,112	↑2
38	Ralph	6,040	↓1
39	Roy	5,950	↑3
40	Albert	5,927	↑1
41	Stephen	5,811	↑8
42	Eugene	5,754	↓4
43	Fred	5,619	↓3
44	Peter	5,607	↓1
45	Jimmy	5,336	↓1
46	Anthony	5,239	–
47	Howard	5,067	↓2
48	Harry	5,056	↓1
49	Norman	4,459	↓1
50	Louis	4,447	–
51	Bruce	4,302	↑4
52	Philip	4,166	↑8
53	Douglas	4,146	↑3
54	Leonard	3,986	–
55	Johnny	3,983	↓4
56	Melvin	3,951	↓3
57	Stanley	3,926	↑2
58	Earl	3,806	↓6
59	Dale	3,791	↓2
60	Francis	3,738	↑1
61	Ernest	3,726	↓3
62	Clarence	3,671	↑2
63	Marvin	3,626	–
64	Terry	3,606	↑9
65	Samuel	3,538	–
66	Don	3,533	↓4
67	Leroy	3,524	↓1
68	Bill	3,453	↓1
69	Frederick	3,288	↓1
70	Patrick	3,155	↑4
71	Tommy	3,087	↑5
72	Gene	3,073	↓2
73	Allen	3,060	↓2
74	Alfred	3,052	↓5
75	Russell	3,032	↓3
76	Herbert	2,964	↓1
77	Phillip	2,871	↑2
78	Eddie	2,850	↑3
79	Ronnie	2,848	new
80	Jim	2,843	↓2
81	Lee	2,742	↓1
82	Andrew	2,708	↑2
83	Ray	2,695	↓6
84	Alan	2,624	↑4
85	Martin	2,605	–
86	Glenn	2,523	↓3
87	Bernard	2,509	↓5
88	Tom	2,500	↑4
89	Jimmie	2,473	↓3
90	Steven	2,468	new
91	Barry	2,465	new
92	Gordon	2,404	↓1
93	Leon	2,375	↓4
94	Clifford	2,363	–
95	Theodore	2,330	↓5
96	Lloyd	2,252	↑4
97	Edwin	2,214	↓1
98	Franklin	2,205	↓11
99	Jesse	2,184	↓6
100	Curtis	2,164	↓3

Every name given in 1941

All 9,087 names Social Security recorded for 1941, with their rank and count. Type to filter.

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