Popular baby names in Michigan, 1940

The most popular baby names in Michigan in 1940 were Mary for girls (2,018 babies) and Robert for boys (2,943). Robert ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 89,749 babies born in Michigan in 1940 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Michigan in 1940

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

Girls

Delphine: 36 babies, 8.1× the national rate
Ruthann: 31 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Ilene: 32 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Angeline: 30 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Sharron: 61 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Marilynn: 35 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Sharon: 1,146 babies, 2.7× the national rate
Marylou: 31 babies, 2.7× the national rate
Denise: 32 babies, 2.6× the national rate
Kaye: 33 babies, 2.4× the national rate

Boys

Gordon: 219 babies, 2.4× the national rate
Duane: 130 babies, 2.4× the national rate
Ken: 29 babies, 2.4× the national rate
Gerald: 930 babies, 2.3× the national rate
Dale: 332 babies, 2.3× the national rate
Fredrick: 68 babies, 2.3× the national rate
Clayton: 53 babies, 2.2× the national rate
Brent: 24 babies, 2.1× the national rate

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

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1939	US rank
1	Mary	2,018	–	1
2	Patricia	1,823	↑1	3
3	Barbara	1,645	↓1	2
4	Judith	1,597	↑1	4
5	Carol	1,373	↓1	6
6	Nancy	1,221	–	7
7	Sharon	1,146	–	17
8	Sandra	954	↑2	10
9	Janet	858	↓1	19
10	Judy	756	↑8	16
11	Joyce	708	–	13
12	Shirley	679	↓3	9
13	Joan	665	↓1	14
14	Linda	618	↑9	8
15	Margaret	588	–	11
16	Donna	557	–	23
17	Beverly	555	–	27
18	Marilyn	543	↓4	25
19	Betty	529	↓6	5
20	Ruth	468	↓1	24
21	Karen	465	–	34
22	Carolyn	440	↑2	15
23	Dorothy	431	↓3	12
24	Janice	396	↓2	22
25	Kathleen	379	↑7	40
26	Susan	360	↑9	36
27	Bonnie	351	new	39
28	Gloria	340	↑17	30
29	Virginia	340	↑1	21
30	Jean	338	↓4	29
31	Diane	335	↑7	45
32	Helen	311	↓4	18
33	Phyllis	306	↓8	33
34	Carole	295	–	49
35	Elizabeth	294	↓6	20
36	Ann	279	↑7	35
37	Joanne	279	↓6	54
38	Kay	275	↑6	77
39	Sally	271	↓12	61
40	Geraldine	264	↓1	46
41	Lois	259	↓5	38
42	Alice	258	↓2	32
43	Elaine	256	↓2	50
44	Joann	243	↓7	63
45	Frances	239	↓3	28
46	Doris	224	↑4	31
47	Rose	210	↑2	44
48	Gail	208	new	65
49	Jane	206	new	47
50	Norma	205	↓3	43

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1939	US rank
1	Robert	2,943	–	2
2	James	2,489	–	1
3	John	2,138	↑1	3
4	Richard	2,039	↓1	5
5	William	1,758	–	4
6	David	1,625	–	7
7	Thomas	1,309	↑2	8
8	Ronald	1,273	↓1	10
9	Donald	1,171	↓1	9
10	Charles	1,115	–	6
11	Gerald	930	–	21
12	Kenneth	874	–	15
13	Larry	840	–	13
14	Michael	819	–	18
15	Gary	803	↑3	19
16	Joseph	659	↑1	12
17	Paul	599	↑3	17
18	George	598	↓3	11
19	Edward	589	↓3	16
20	Jerry	584	↓1	14
21	Dennis	510	↑2	24
22	Roger	459	↓1	26
23	Jack	432	↓1	29
24	Lawrence	428	↑2	36
25	Frank	412	–	20
26	Raymond	411	↓2	22
27	Daniel	368	–	34
28	Carl	358	↑1	32
29	Dale	332	↑2	57
30	Harold	328	↓2	23
31	Douglas	285	↑1	56
32	Arthur	280	↑3	33
33	Walter	280	↑1	25
34	Fred	268	↑4	40
35	Norman	264	↓5	48
36	Ralph	250	↓3	37
37	Wayne	232	↓1	39
38	Bruce	227	↑9	55
39	Gordon	219	↓2	91
40	Eugene	216	↓1	38
41	Patrick	212	↑2	74
42	Peter	209	↓2	43
43	Leonard	202	↑2	54
44	Philip	200	new	60
45	Frederick	197	↓4	68
46	Howard	191	new	45
47	Albert	190	↓5	41
48	Terry	190	↑1	73
49	Anthony	184	new	46
50	Henry	182	↓6	31

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