Popular baby names in Indiana, 1940

The most popular baby names in Indiana in 1940 were Mary for girls (1,285 babies) and James for boys (1,724). Social Security records list 55,289 babies born in Indiana in 1940 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Indiana in 1940

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

Girls

Madonna: 21 babies, 6.5× the national rate
Becky: 37 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Ruthann: 17 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Sondra: 74 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Saundra: 41 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Marietta: 17 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Sharron: 32 babies, 3× the national rate
Dixie: 80 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Sharon: 742 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Patty: 72 babies, 2.8× the national rate

Boys

Herschel: 17 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Rex: 58 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Max: 90 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Merrill: 20 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Larry: 1,303 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Dallas: 34 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Ronnie: 135 babies, 2.7× the national rate
Phillip: 160 babies, 2.5× the national rate
Danny: 89 babies, 2.5× the national rate
Micheal: 18 babies, 2.5× the national rate

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

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1939	US rank
1	Mary	1,285	–	1
2	Judith	1,119	↑1	4
3	Linda	855	↑7	8
4	Patricia	831	–	3
5	Barbara	776	↓3	2
6	Nancy	764	↓1	7
7	Sharon	742	↓1	17
8	Carolyn	695	↓1	15
9	Sandra	649	↑3	10
10	Carol	592	↓2	6
11	Janet	538	–	19
12	Judy	503	↑4	16
13	Betty	493	–	5
14	Shirley	445	↓5	9
15	Janice	403	↑5	22
16	Beverly	401	↑2	27
17	Marilyn	393	↓2	25
18	Phyllis	377	↑1	33
19	Joyce	368	↓2	13
20	Donna	350	↓6	23
21	Margaret	284	↑1	11
22	Martha	281	↑1	26
23	Ruth	266	↓2	24
24	Karen	255	↑1	34
25	Dorothy	232	↑1	12
26	Joan	219	↓2	14
27	Virginia	218	↑1	21
28	Bonnie	212	↑8	39
29	Susan	205	↑18	36
30	Elizabeth	189	↑4	20
31	Sue	189	↓1	81
32	Norma	185	↓3	43
33	Helen	181	↓6	18
34	Wanda	181	↓3	52
35	Alice	163	↓3	32
36	Jane	163	↓1	47
37	Gloria	159	new	30
38	Lois	159	↓5	38
39	Peggy	159	↓2	37
40	Doris	151	↓2	31
41	Brenda	149	new	42
42	Jean	144	↑8	29
43	Ann	141	new	35
44	Rose	136	↑5	44
45	Charlotte	135	–	55
46	Rita	131	↑2	70
47	Connie	125	new	88
48	Carole	123	↓7	49
49	Darlene	123	new	79
50	Anna	122	↓6	51

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1939	US rank
1	James	1,724	–	1
2	Robert	1,537	–	2
3	John	1,399	–	3
4	Larry	1,303	–	13
5	William	1,146	–	4
6	Richard	1,102	–	5
7	David	1,083	–	7
8	Charles	919	–	6
9	Jerry	849	↑1	14
10	Donald	801	↓1	9
11	Ronald	775	–	10
12	Thomas	700	–	8
13	Paul	452	–	17
14	Kenneth	435	–	15
15	Michael	434	↑2	18
16	George	378	↓1	11
17	Gary	338	↑3	19
18	Joseph	312	–	12
19	Jack	310	↓3	29
20	Harold	255	↑2	23
21	Gerald	249	↓2	21
22	Edward	228	↓1	16
23	Carl	226	–	32
24	Raymond	224	↑1	22
25	Dennis	215	↓1	24
26	Stephen	185	↑12	49
27	Roger	178	↓1	26
28	Terry	166	↑11	73
29	Ralph	162	↓2	37
30	Phillip	160	↑6	79
31	Wayne	159	↑4	39
32	Daniel	157	↑1	34
33	Don	155	↓5	62
34	Frank	153	↓5	20
35	Lawrence	153	new	36
36	Walter	151	↑1	25
37	Norman	147	↓6	48
38	Joe	145	↓4	28
39	Fred	138	↓9	40
40	Dale	135	↓8	57
41	Ronnie	135	↑8	>100
42	Billy	124	↑3	27
43	Philip	121	new	60
44	Arthur	120	↑2	33
45	Bill	119	↓5	67
46	Harry	119	↓5	47
47	Roy	109	new	42
48	Marvin	107	↓5	63
49	Tom	105	↓2	92
50	Earl	103	↓2	52

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