Popular baby names in Arkansas, 1940

The most popular baby names in Arkansas in 1940 were Mary for girls (1,191 babies) and James for boys (1,474). Social Security records list 38,367 babies born in Arkansas in 1940 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Arkansas in 1940

Names given at least 15 times in Arkansas that year and at least twice as common as in the US as a whole.

Girls

Freddie: 28 babies, 7.3× the national rate
Bobby: 18 babies, 7.2× the national rate
Delois: 22 babies, 7× the national rate
Dorthy: 43 babies, 6.4× the national rate
Pearlie: 34 babies, 5.8× the national rate
Bennie: 19 babies, 5.8× the national rate
Ruthie: 38 babies, 5.7× the national rate
Earnestine: 40 babies, 5.5× the national rate
Eddie: 24 babies, 5× the national rate
Tommie: 22 babies, 4.8× the national rate

Boys

Odis: 21 babies, 10.5× the national rate
Hershel: 21 babies, 8.2× the national rate
Burl: 15 babies, 8× the national rate
Carrol: 19 babies, 6.7× the national rate
Doyle: 66 babies, 6.4× the national rate
Charley: 21 babies, 6.3× the national rate
Kennith: 19 babies, 6× the national rate
Junior: 41 babies, 5.8× the national rate
Shelby: 16 babies, 5.5× the national rate
Coy: 17 babies, 5.3× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Arkansas, 1940

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1939	US rank
1	Mary	1,191	–	1
2	Betty	851	–	5
3	Barbara	581	↑1	2
4	Shirley	542	↓1	9
5	Linda	360	↑4	8
6	Dorothy	353	↓1	12
7	Carolyn	332	–	15
8	Patricia	313	↑5	3
9	Martha	279	↑1	26
10	Joyce	272	↑1	13
11	Patsy	266	↓3	57
12	Helen	245	–	18
13	Wanda	227	↓7	52
14	Margaret	218	–	11
15	Peggy	211	↑1	37
16	Ruby	207	↑3	66
17	Nancy	192	–	7
18	Alice	184	↑5	32
19	Virginia	180	↓4	21
20	Doris	176	↓2	31
21	Frances	174	↓1	28
22	Norma	143	↓1	43
23	Bonnie	141	↑4	39
24	Glenda	134	↑6	>100
25	Bobbie	126	↓3	>100
26	Elizabeth	123	–	20
27	Jo	122	↓3	72
28	Donna	116	↑7	23
29	Carol	113	↑17	6
30	Emma	112	↑1	94
31	Juanita	112	↑13	78
32	Lois	112	↓7	38
33	Ruth	111	↓5	24
34	Wilma	110	↓5	93
35	Judy	109	new	16
36	Willie	109	↑4	>100
37	Anna	108	↓4	51
38	Gloria	108	↑4	30
39	Janice	107	↑8	22
40	Mildred	104	↓4	58
41	Sandra	103	↑2	10
42	Brenda	102	new	42
43	Evelyn	98	↓6	48
44	Annie	96	↓12	56
45	Phyllis	92	new	33
46	Louise	90	new	59
47	Sarah	90	↓6	60
48	Edna	88	↑2	86
49	Margie	88	new	>100
50	Marilyn	87	↓16	25

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1939	US rank
1	James	1,474	–	1
2	Charles	768	–	6
3	John	707	–	3
4	Robert	691	–	2
5	William	646	–	4
6	Billy	545	–	27
7	Jerry	531	↑1	14
8	Bobby	472	↓1	30
9	Donald	370	–	9
10	Jimmy	362	–	44
11	Thomas	289	↑1	8
12	Joe	282	↑1	28
13	George	276	↑3	11
14	David	265	↑1	7
15	Willie	257	↓4	35
16	Harold	222	↑2	23
17	Richard	222	–	5
18	Kenneth	220	↓4	15
19	Larry	219	↑3	13
20	Paul	198	↑1	17
21	Johnny	183	↑4	51
22	Roy	183	↓3	42
23	Carl	161	↑3	32
24	Edward	152	↓4	16
25	Tommy	152	↓2	76
26	Henry	139	↑1	31
27	Jimmie	124	↓3	86
28	Don	116	↑2	62
29	Raymond	116	↓1	22
30	Walter	113	↑5	25
31	Gerald	110	↑2	21
32	Jack	109	↑7	29
33	Gary	108	new	19
34	Ronald	106	↓2	10
35	Joseph	105	↑7	12
36	Eddie	103	↓7	81
37	Frank	100	↑10	20
38	Bill	99	↓4	67
39	Earl	96	↓1	52
40	Floyd	96	new	>100
41	Curtis	95	new	97
42	Lee	94	↑2	80
43	Wayne	93	↑3	39
44	Jesse	85	new	93
45	Leon	85	new	89
46	Wendell	85	new	>100
47	Albert	84	↓16	41
48	Louis	82	new	50
49	Eugene	80	new	38
50	Howard	80	↓2	45

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