Popular baby names in Minnesota, 1940

The most popular baby names in Minnesota in 1940 were Mary for girls (1,135 babies) and Robert for boys (1,314). Robert ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 46,638 babies born in Minnesota in 1940 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Minnesota in 1940

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

Girls

Sharalyn: 15 babies, 32.9× the national rate
Arlys: 16 babies, 27.8× the national rate
Marlys: 121 babies, 20.7× the national rate
Lavonne: 77 babies, 11.8× the national rate
Ione: 17 babies, 9.4× the national rate
Ardis: 21 babies, 8.3× the national rate
Mavis: 46 babies, 7× the national rate
Avis: 21 babies, 5.5× the national rate
Ladonna: 17 babies, 5× the national rate
Darlene: 294 babies, 4.7× the national rate

Boys

Arvid: 18 babies, 14.8× the national rate
Duwayne: 18 babies, 14.1× the national rate
Harlan: 40 babies, 6.4× the national rate
Lyle: 108 babies, 6.1× the national rate
Duane: 171 babies, 6× the national rate
Loren: 68 babies, 5.6× the national rate
Darrel: 53 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Daryl: 35 babies, 5.1× the national rate
Merlin: 24 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Jerome: 202 babies, 4.5× the national rate

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

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1939	US rank
1	Mary	1,135	–	1
2	Judith	748	↑4	4
3	Carol	738	–	6
4	Sharon	730	↑1	17
5	Patricia	696	↓1	3
6	Barbara	682	↓4	2
7	Karen	598	–	34
8	Sandra	481	↑9	10
9	Janice	427	↓1	22
10	Janet	387	↑4	19
11	Nancy	385	↑2	7
12	Shirley	363	↓3	9
13	Joyce	360	↑6	13
14	Judy	349	↑9	16
15	Donna	331	↓4	23
16	Joan	313	↓4	14
17	Kathleen	304	↑5	40
18	Beverly	296	↓2	27
19	Darlene	294	↓9	79
20	Marilyn	292	↓5	25
21	Margaret	276	↓3	11
22	Jean	265	↑8	29
23	Diane	254	↑6	45
24	Betty	242	↓4	5
25	Susan	228	↑8	36
26	Gloria	223	↑19	30
27	Lois	213	↑1	38
28	Joanne	202	↓4	54
29	Dorothy	192	↓8	12
30	Phyllis	192	↓3	33
31	Virginia	190	↑6	21
32	Marlene	188	↓7	80
33	Elaine	180	↓1	50
34	Ruth	177	↓8	24
35	Joann	172	↓4	63
36	Bonnie	170	new	39
37	Helen	165	↓3	18
38	Carolyn	154	↑9	15
39	Elizabeth	151	↓1	20
40	Carole	143	↑3	49
41	Jane	129	↑7	47
42	Arlene	125	↓7	75
43	Geraldine	124	↓3	46
44	Kay	124	–	77
45	Linda	124	new	8
46	Delores	121	↓5	83
47	Marlys	121	↓11	>100
48	Audrey	112	↓2	99
49	Jeanette	112	↑1	90
50	Gail	106	↓1	65

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1939	US rank
1	Robert	1,314	–	2
2	James	1,276	–	1
3	Richard	1,152	–	5
4	John	1,129	–	3
5	David	989	–	7
6	William	654	↑1	4
7	Gary	637	↑7	19
8	Donald	630	↓2	9
9	Thomas	615	↑1	8
10	Ronald	608	↓2	10
11	Dennis	577	↑1	24
12	Gerald	548	↓3	21
13	Roger	547	↓2	26
14	Kenneth	446	↑1	15
15	Charles	435	↓2	6
16	Michael	404	↑1	18
17	Larry	387	↓1	13
18	Paul	284	–	17
19	Jerry	232	↑6	14
20	Dale	225	↑6	57
21	Wayne	223	↓1	39
22	George	214	–	11
23	Edward	212	↓2	16
24	Jerome	202	↓5	95
25	Eugene	197	↓1	38
26	Bruce	196	↑6	55
27	Raymond	192	↑1	22
28	Joseph	191	↓5	12
29	Duane	171	↓2	>100
30	Douglas	170	–	56
31	Lawrence	157	↓2	36
32	Harold	156	↓1	23
33	Daniel	148	↑2	34
34	Gordon	145	↓1	91
35	Peter	133	↓1	43
36	Leroy	124	↑1	66
37	Patrick	123	↑6	74
38	Marvin	119	↓2	63
39	Gene	115	↑3	70
40	Arthur	112	↑8	33
41	Curtis	110	↑6	97
42	Ralph	110	↓3	37
43	Lyle	108	new	>100
44	Norman	106	↓4	48
45	Frank	105	↑4	20
46	Jon	93	new	>100
47	Darrell	91	new	>100
48	Stanley	91	↓2	59
49	Rodney	90	↓5	>100
50	Howard	89	↓5	45

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