Popular baby names in Kentucky, 1942

The most popular baby names in Kentucky in 1942 were Mary for girls (1,749 babies) and James for boys (2,391). Social Security records list 59,324 babies born in Kentucky in 1942 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Kentucky in 1942

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

Girls

Pauletta: 15 babies, 8.5× the national rate
Ima: 20 babies, 8.4× the national rate
Reva: 33 babies, 8.2× the national rate
Gearldine: 26 babies, 7.6× the national rate
Nannie: 27 babies, 7.5× the national rate
Imogene: 40 babies, 6.8× the national rate
Maudie: 20 babies, 6.7× the national rate
Garnet: 15 babies, 6.5× the national rate
Annetta: 20 babies, 6× the national rate
Aileen: 16 babies, 5.4× the national rate

Boys

Garnett: 18 babies, 17.3× the national rate
Shelby: 31 babies, 8.9× the national rate
Arlie: 15 babies, 7.6× the national rate
Hobert: 16 babies, 7.4× the national rate
Denver: 22 babies, 6.6× the national rate
Kelly: 35 babies, 6.5× the national rate
Donnie: 106 babies, 5.8× the national rate
Forest: 16 babies, 5.8× the national rate
Noah: 22 babies, 5.6× the national rate
Delmer: 16 babies, 5.5× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Kentucky, 1942

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1941	US rank
1	Mary	1,749	–	1
2	Barbara	965	↑1	2
3	Betty	951	↓1	9
4	Patricia	734	–	3
5	Linda	709	–	4
6	Shirley	622	–	12
7	Joyce	581	–	13
8	Carolyn	560	↑1	10
9	Nancy	511	↑2	8
10	Wanda	468	↓2	54
11	Brenda	432	↑4	40
12	Phyllis	419	–	37
13	Carol	386	↑6	5
14	Judy	386	↑8	15
15	Margaret	379	↑2	14
16	Judith	370	–	7
17	Anna	361	↓4	59
18	Martha	351	↓8	29
19	Janice	335	↓5	25
20	Sandra	330	↑9	6
21	Dorothy	307	↓3	17
22	Ruth	299	↑1	33
23	Elizabeth	291	↑1	22
24	Helen	286	↓3	26
25	Doris	279	↑2	41
26	Bonnie	265	↓6	34
27	Virginia	257	↓2	23
28	Peggy	253	↓2	42
29	Donna	242	↑4	20
30	Patsy	231	↑6	57
31	Janet	222	↓1	19
32	Alice	214	↓1	39
33	Lois	209	↑1	44
34	Frances	206	↑3	30
35	Norma	203	↓7	52
36	Ruby	199	↓1	77
37	Wilma	194	↓5	>100
38	Sharon	190	new	11
39	Jo	179	↑3	65
40	Sue	176	↓2	73
41	Joan	166	–	18
42	Ann	162	↑3	38
43	Beverly	160	new	32
44	Mildred	154	↓5	71
45	Charlotte	151	↓5	51
46	Juanita	147	↓3	90
47	Gloria	143	–	31
48	Thelma	137	new	>100
49	Edna	132	new	99
50	Rita	125	new	55

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1941	US rank
1	James	2,391	–	1
2	William	1,469	–	4
3	Charles	1,212	–	7
4	Robert	1,151	–	2
5	John	1,026	–	3
6	Donald	737	–	10
7	David	578	–	6
8	Jerry	570	↑4	16
9	Larry	550	↑2	12
10	Ronald	534	–	9
11	Thomas	530	↑4	8
12	Billy	499	↓3	35
13	Bobby	444	↓5	43
14	Paul	441	↓1	19
15	George	434	↑1	14
16	Kenneth	431	↓2	15
17	Richard	409	–	5
18	Joseph	404	–	11
19	Douglas	376	new	23
20	Harold	326	↓1	27
21	Roy	281	↓1	42
22	Edward	272	–	17
23	Jimmy	247	↑2	47
24	Raymond	245	–	24
25	Joe	244	↓2	33
26	Gary	239	–	18
27	Carl	237	↓6	36
28	Michael	195	–	13
29	Ronnie	185	↑9	78
30	Ralph	181	↑2	38
31	Walter	175	↓1	26
32	Earl	172	↑4	62
33	Henry	172	↑1	31
34	Gerald	159	↓7	22
35	Johnny	156	↑4	55
36	Phillip	155	↑5	77
37	Roger	154	↓6	25
38	Jackie	149	↓9	>100
39	Tommy	143	↑7	73
40	Frank	138	↓5	21
41	Jack	138	↓8	34
42	Dennis	136	new	20
43	Wayne	133	↓3	41
44	Howard	132	↑3	49
45	Arthur	131	new	29
46	Ray	128	new	84
47	Eugene	127	↓2	45
48	Clarence	125	↓6	67
49	Lawrence	125	↓1	30
50	Danny	124	new	>100

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