Popular baby names in Minnesota, 1942

The most popular baby names in Minnesota in 1942 were Mary for girls (1,293 babies) and James for boys (1,511). Social Security records list 52,137 babies born in Minnesota in 1942 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Minnesota in 1942

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

Girls

Marlys: 99 babies, 19.9× the national rate
Ione: 17 babies, 13.3× the national rate
Lavonne: 73 babies, 11.5× the national rate
Ardis: 21 babies, 9.9× the national rate
Mavis: 42 babies, 7.8× the national rate
Corrine: 16 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Darlene: 301 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Colleen: 65 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Renee: 38 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Gretchen: 36 babies, 4.1× the national rate

Boys

Arvid: 19 babies, 17.8× the national rate
Duane: 192 babies, 6.1× the national rate
Loren: 75 babies, 5.8× the national rate
Lyle: 89 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Merlin: 22 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Darrel: 52 babies, 5.1× the national rate
Harlan: 35 babies, 5.1× the national rate
Dean: 114 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Terrance: 33 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Jerome: 186 babies, 4.1× the national rate

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

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1941	US rank
1	Mary	1,293	–	1
2	Sharon	922	–	11
3	Carol	916	↑2	5
4	Karen	904	↑2	16
5	Judith	872	↓2	7
6	Barbara	817	↑1	2
7	Patricia	783	↓3	3
8	Sandra	714	–	6
9	Kathleen	599	↑2	24
10	Judy	463	↓1	15
11	Nancy	438	↓1	8
12	Diane	427	↑3	28
13	Janet	425	↓1	19
14	Janice	425	↓1	25
15	Joyce	344	↑1	13
16	Susan	339	↑3	21
17	Joan	324	↓3	18
18	Shirley	316	–	12
19	Darlene	301	↑5	78
20	Margaret	294	↑1	14
21	Donna	293	↓4	20
22	Jean	286	↑3	36
23	Marilyn	285	↓1	27
24	Linda	280	↑11	4
25	Beverly	279	↓5	32
26	Carolyn	256	↑4	10
27	Betty	251	↓4	9
28	Bonnie	239	–	34
29	Virginia	214	↑5	23
30	Ruth	205	↓3	33
31	Lois	201	↑2	44
32	Carole	196	↑10	35
33	Dorothy	194	↓2	17
34	Gloria	174	↓8	31
35	Joanne	171	↓6	48
36	Dianne	169	↑8	>100
37	Joann	166	↓5	58
38	Marlene	156	↓1	84
39	Kathryn	152	↑8	82
40	Phyllis	150	↓4	37
41	Elaine	148	↓1	45
42	Elizabeth	143	↓4	22
43	Jane	140	↓4	46
44	Kay	136	↑1	75
45	Helen	132	↓2	26
46	Marie	132	–	43
47	Ann	123	new	38
48	Geraldine	119	↓7	47
49	Roberta	102	new	66
50	Delores	100	new	86

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1941	US rank
1	James	1,511	–	1
2	Robert	1,395	–	2
3	John	1,259	↑1	3
4	Richard	1,251	↓1	5
5	David	1,210	–	6
6	Thomas	802	–	8
7	Gary	728	↑2	18
8	Dennis	722	↑2	20
9	William	699	↓1	4
10	Donald	628	↑1	10
11	Ronald	620	↓4	9
12	Michael	599	↑2	13
13	Gerald	527	↓1	22
14	Roger	506	↓1	25
15	Larry	505	↑2	12
16	Charles	455	↓1	7
17	Kenneth	431	↓1	15
18	Douglas	339	↑11	23
19	Bruce	332	–	50
20	Paul	311	↓2	19
21	Jerry	261	↑1	16
22	George	251	↓1	14
23	Edward	229	↑4	17
24	Wayne	222	↓4	41
25	Joseph	217	↓1	11
26	Dale	214	↓3	63
27	Eugene	206	↓1	45
28	Duane	192	↓3	>100
29	Raymond	190	↑2	24
30	Jerome	186	↓2	>100
31	Daniel	179	↓1	28
32	Patrick	170	↑5	64
33	Harold	164	–	27
34	Lawrence	161	↓2	30
35	Leroy	158	↓1	69
36	Stephen	138	↑3	32
37	Peter	132	↑1	39
38	Allen	125	↑2	71
39	Steven	123	new	75
40	Gordon	120	↓4	92
41	Marvin	120	↓6	66
42	Frank	119	–	21
43	Curtis	114	–	98
44	Dean	114	↑2	>100
45	Arthur	113	↑2	29
46	Leonard	112	new	57
47	Walter	108	new	26
48	Russell	106	new	70
49	Keith	105	new	>100
50	Stanley	101	↓5	56

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