Popular baby names of 1942

In 1942, the most popular baby names in the United States were Mary for girls (63,256 babies) and James for boys (77,182). Social Security records show 2,731,880 babies with a name given to at least five children of the same sex that year, sharing 5,378 girls' names and 4,044 boys' names.

1942 at a glance

The top 10 girls' names went to 24.0% of girls recorded.
The top 10 boys' names went to 33.8% of boys recorded.
New in the girls' top 100: Eileen, Sheila, Christine, Maria.
New in the boys' top 100: Warren, Victor.

Top 100 girls' and boys' names, 1942

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1941
1	Mary	63,256	–
2	Barbara	44,739	–
3	Patricia	39,465	–
4	Linda	31,613	↑1
5	Carol	30,272	↓1
6	Sandra	24,994	↑3
7	Judith	24,792	↓1
8	Nancy	23,327	–
9	Betty	21,659	↓2
10	Carolyn	19,978	↑1
11	Sharon	19,648	↑4
12	Shirley	17,750	↓2
13	Joyce	16,728	–
14	Margaret	16,549	↓2
15	Judy	15,667	↑1
16	Karen	15,387	↑3
17	Dorothy	15,037	↓3
18	Joan	14,514	↓1
19	Janet	13,065	↓1
20	Donna	12,987	–
21	Susan	12,015	↑6
22	Elizabeth	11,186	↓1
23	Virginia	10,803	–
24	Kathleen	10,696	↑12
25	Janice	10,286	↓3
26	Helen	10,016	↓2
27	Marilyn	9,906	↑3
28	Diane	9,551	↑12
29	Martha	9,513	↓4
30	Frances	9,471	↑1
31	Gloria	9,450	↓5
32	Beverly	9,411	↓3
33	Ruth	9,315	↓5
34	Bonnie	8,823	↓1
35	Carole	8,407	↑13
36	Jean	8,257	↓4
37	Phyllis	7,793	↓2
38	Ann	7,666	↓1
39	Alice	7,382	↓5
40	Brenda	7,241	↑1
41	Doris	7,176	↓3
42	Peggy	6,580	↓3
43	Marie	6,559	↓1
44	Lois	6,406	↓1
45	Elaine	5,986	↓1
46	Jane	5,707	–
47	Geraldine	5,437	↓2
48	Joanne	5,342	↑6
49	Catherine	5,267	↑2
50	Rose	5,253	↓1
51	Charlotte	5,022	↑4
52	Norma	4,971	↓5
53	Evelyn	4,940	↓3
54	Wanda	4,792	↓1
55	Rita	4,706	↑8
56	Sally	4,655	↑5
57	Patsy	4,559	↓5
58	Joann	4,506	–
59	Anna	4,488	↓3
60	Gail	4,445	↑8
61	Louise	4,343	↑1
62	Annie	4,293	↓3
63	Dolores	4,267	↓6
64	Ellen	4,197	↑3
65	Jo	4,175	↑1
66	Roberta	4,105	↑6
67	Sarah	4,100	↓7
68	Diana	3,857	↑32
69	Jacqueline	3,831	↑4
70	Connie	3,825	↑9
71	Mildred	3,808	↓7
72	Sylvia	3,728	↓7
73	Sue	3,631	↑2
74	Marjorie	3,625	↓3
75	Kay	3,622	↓5
76	Anne	3,526	↑6
77	Ruby	3,519	↓8
78	Darlene	3,517	↓2
79	Loretta	3,406	↑2
80	Irene	3,383	↓6
81	Katherine	3,376	↑4
82	Kathryn	3,350	↑5
83	Arlene	3,331	↓6
84	Marlene	3,253	↓1
85	Rebecca	3,241	↑1
86	Delores	3,171	↓6
87	Eleanor	3,165	↓9
88	Eileen	3,108	new
89	Glenda	3,089	↑7
90	Juanita	3,074	↓6
91	Lorraine	3,010	↑2
92	Rosemary	3,005	↑2
93	Anita	2,998	↓2
94	Sheila	2,973	new
95	Julia	2,906	↓7
96	Christine	2,900	new
97	Maria	2,817	new
98	Theresa	2,799	↓3
99	Edna	2,764	↓10
100	Josephine	2,748	↓8

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1941
1	James	77,182	–
2	Robert	71,845	–
3	John	66,043	–
4	William	54,890	–
5	Richard	43,593	–
6	David	35,905	↑1
7	Charles	35,854	↓1
8	Thomas	31,100	–
9	Ronald	27,138	–
10	Donald	23,955	–
11	Joseph	22,429	↑1
12	Larry	22,099	↓1
13	Michael	21,728	↑3
14	George	21,275	↓1
15	Kenneth	18,210	–
16	Jerry	17,488	↓2
17	Edward	17,470	–
18	Gary	17,068	↑1
19	Paul	16,492	↓1
20	Dennis	13,281	↑3
21	Frank	12,248	–
22	Gerald	11,484	↓2
23	Douglas	11,233	↑30
24	Raymond	11,116	↓2
25	Roger	9,174	–
26	Walter	8,682	–
27	Harold	8,582	↓3
28	Daniel	8,507	↑3
29	Arthur	8,027	↑4
30	Lawrence	7,639	↑4
31	Henry	7,561	↓3
32	Stephen	7,503	↑9
33	Joe	7,383	↓3
34	Jack	7,365	↓2
35	Billy	7,313	↓8
36	Carl	7,268	↓7
37	Willie	7,094	↓1
38	Ralph	6,637	–
39	Peter	6,587	↑5
40	Albert	6,496	–
41	Wayne	6,484	↓4
42	Roy	6,311	↓3
43	Bobby	6,248	↓8
44	Anthony	6,210	↑2
45	Eugene	6,092	↓3
46	Fred	6,088	↓3
47	Jimmy	5,949	↓2
48	Harry	5,629	–
49	Howard	5,571	↓2
50	Bruce	5,385	↑1
51	Louis	5,151	↓1
52	Terry	4,810	↑12
53	Norman	4,683	↓4
54	Philip	4,604	↓2
55	Johnny	4,588	–
56	Stanley	4,587	↑1
57	Leonard	4,370	↓3
58	Francis	4,297	↑2
59	Samuel	4,190	↑6
60	Melvin	4,188	↓4
61	Ernest	4,079	–
62	Earl	4,050	↓4
63	Dale	3,863	↓4
64	Patrick	3,804	↑6
65	Bill	3,794	↑3
66	Marvin	3,792	↓3
67	Clarence	3,741	↓5
68	Frederick	3,738	↑1
69	Leroy	3,717	↓2
70	Russell	3,676	↑5
71	Allen	3,571	↑2
72	Don	3,564	↓6
73	Tommy	3,532	↓2
74	Jim	3,514	↑6
75	Steven	3,505	↑15
76	Alfred	3,408	↓2
77	Phillip	3,373	–
78	Ronnie	3,363	↑1
79	Barry	3,209	↑12
80	Andrew	3,142	↑2
81	Alan	3,134	↑3
82	Gene	3,127	↓10
83	Herbert	3,113	↓7
84	Ray	3,067	↓1
85	Martin	3,045	–
86	Eddie	3,019	↓8
87	Lee	2,923	↓6
88	Glenn	2,888	↓2
89	Tom	2,875	↓1
90	Bernard	2,724	↓3
91	Theodore	2,665	↑4
92	Gordon	2,606	–
93	Leon	2,550	–
94	Jimmie	2,541	↓5
95	Clifford	2,533	↓1
96	Lloyd	2,462	–
97	Warren	2,423	new
98	Curtis	2,420	↑2
99	Victor	2,397	new
100	Jesse	2,396	↓1

Every name given in 1942

All 9,422 names Social Security recorded for 1942, with their rank and count. Type to filter.

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