Popular baby names in Kentucky, 1940

The most popular baby names in Kentucky in 1940 were Mary for girls (1,788 babies) and James for boys (2,238). Social Security records list 57,207 babies born in Kentucky in 1940 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Kentucky in 1940

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

Girls

Nancye: 16 babies, 18.8× the national rate
Alene: 21 babies, 7.4× the national rate
Emogene: 16 babies, 6.6× the national rate
Nannie: 33 babies, 6.5× the national rate
Jewell: 45 babies, 5.8× the national rate
Imogene: 46 babies, 5.1× the national rate
Annetta: 21 babies, 5.1× the national rate
Gearldine: 19 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Goldie: 32 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Beulah: 72 babies, 4.6× the national rate

Boys

Rondal: 16 babies, 15.5× the national rate
Denver: 37 babies, 10.6× the national rate
Hobert: 20 babies, 9.7× the national rate
Shelby: 35 babies, 8.1× the national rate
Herschel: 16 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Millard: 25 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Shirley: 25 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Kennith: 22 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Buford: 21 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Hershel: 17 babies, 4.5× the national rate

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

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1939	US rank
1	Mary	1,788	–	1
2	Betty	1,136	–	5
3	Barbara	957	–	2
4	Shirley	683	–	9
5	Patricia	615	↑1	3
6	Joyce	590	↓1	13
7	Linda	521	↑11	8
8	Wanda	517	–	52
9	Anna	435	–	51
10	Martha	424	–	26
11	Nancy	419	↓4	7
12	Phyllis	378	↓1	33
13	Margaret	356	↓1	11
14	Janice	343	↑3	22
15	Dorothy	341	↓2	12
16	Helen	337	↓1	18
17	Ruth	320	↑4	24
18	Carolyn	318	↓4	15
19	Doris	294	↓3	31
20	Judith	290	↑14	4
21	Norma	289	↓1	43
22	Elizabeth	284	–	20
23	Peggy	273	↓4	37
24	Virginia	260	↓1	21
25	Carol	258	↑1	6
26	Wilma	246	↓2	93
27	Brenda	238	new	42
28	Bonnie	233	↑3	39
29	Judy	216	↑17	16
30	Alice	215	↓5	32
31	Patsy	208	↑1	57
32	Ruby	205	↓5	66
33	Janet	202	↓3	19
34	Lois	194	↓5	38
35	Frances	189	↓7	28
36	Donna	183	–	23
37	Sandra	182	new	10
38	Sue	182	↓3	81
39	Juanita	171	↓6	78
40	Ann	167	↓2	35
41	Mildred	163	↓4	58
42	Joan	154	↑5	14
43	Jo	150	↓3	72
44	Edna	144	↓2	86
45	Jean	140	↑4	29
46	Sarah	140	new	60
47	Geraldine	139	↓3	46
48	Loretta	139	–	69
49	Charlotte	138	new	55
50	Emma	137	↓9	94

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1939	US rank
1	James	2,238	–	1
2	William	1,360	–	4
3	Robert	1,162	↑1	2
4	Charles	1,129	↓1	6
5	John	955	–	3
6	Donald	776	–	9
7	David	542	↑1	7
8	Billy	531	↑1	27
9	Bobby	499	↓2	30
10	Jerry	478	↑5	14
11	Thomas	461	↑2	8
12	Kenneth	446	↓1	15
13	Paul	445	↓1	17
14	Ronald	437	–	10
15	George	421	↓5	11
16	Larry	416	↑3	13
17	Richard	404	↑1	5
18	Harold	353	↓2	23
19	Joseph	338	↓2	12
20	Joe	276	↑2	28
21	Roy	261	↑3	42
22	Carl	260	↓2	32
23	Edward	251	↓2	16
24	Raymond	245	↓1	22
25	Jimmy	201	↑1	44
26	Jack	191	↑4	29
27	Ralph	188	↑1	37
28	Gary	182	↑8	19
29	Earl	178	↓2	52
30	Gerald	170	↓5	21
31	Walter	167	↑11	25
32	Henry	157	↓1	31
33	Johnny	154	↑6	51
34	Frank	152	↑1	20
35	Roger	150	↓6	26
36	Wendell	145	new	>100
37	Jimmie	140	↓4	86
38	Jackie	137	↓4	>100
39	Ray	134	↓1	77
40	Clarence	130	–	64
41	Eugene	130	↓9	38
42	Wayne	125	↓1	39
43	Phillip	124	new	79
44	Arthur	119	new	33
45	Michael	118	new	18
46	Howard	117	↑2	45
47	Marvin	114	↓1	63
48	Tommy	112	new	76
49	Ernest	110	new	58
50	Fred	109	↓6	40

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