Popular baby names in Minnesota, 1944

The most popular baby names in Minnesota in 1944 were Mary for girls (1,316 babies) and James for boys (1,405). Social Security records list 49,365 babies born in Minnesota in 1944 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Minnesota in 1944

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: 76 babies, 18.7× the national rate
Lavonne: 47 babies, 9.4× the national rate
Ardis: 17 babies, 8.3× the national rate
Mavis: 33 babies, 6.7× the national rate
Corrine: 23 babies, 6.1× the national rate
Roxanne: 15 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Colleen: 54 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Renee: 43 babies, 4× the national rate
Bonita: 60 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Doreen: 22 babies, 3.2× the national rate

Boys

Duwayne: 17 babies, 14.6× the national rate
Harlan: 36 babies, 6.8× the national rate
Duane: 175 babies, 6× the national rate
Darwin: 33 babies, 5.8× the national rate
Lyle: 81 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Terrance: 47 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Loren: 59 babies, 5.1× the national rate
Merlin: 17 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Darrel: 38 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Lowell: 56 babies, 4.1× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Minnesota, 1944

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1943	US rank
1	Mary	1,316	–	1
2	Sharon	844	–	8
3	Carol	826	–	5
4	Judith	721	–	9
5	Patricia	718	↑2	4
6	Barbara	697	–	2
7	Karen	696	↓2	16
8	Sandra	680	↑1	6
9	Kathleen	644	↓1	20
10	Nancy	497	↑2	7
11	Diane	485	↓1	24
12	Judy	468	↓1	12
13	Susan	451	↑1	13
14	Linda	424	↑2	3
15	Janet	400	↓2	21
16	Janice	326	↓1	28
17	Joan	320	–	22
18	Margaret	293	↑2	14
19	Donna	288	↑2	17
20	Joyce	284	↓1	18
21	Marilyn	259	↓3	27
22	Shirley	256	–	15
23	Cheryl	248	new	36
24	Jean	239	↓1	37
25	Beverly	237	↓1	35
26	Betty	233	–	10
27	Ruth	207	↑2	32
28	Bonnie	204	↓1	34
29	Carolyn	195	↓1	11
30	Darlene	194	↓5	76
31	Gloria	192	↓1	25
32	Kathryn	177	↑8	68
33	Elizabeth	171	↓2	23
34	Dianne	170	↑2	90
35	Joanne	170	↓3	55
36	Dorothy	161	↓2	19
37	Virginia	154	↓2	26
38	Jane	153	↑4	41
39	Elaine	152	↓1	46
40	Lois	152	↓7	47
41	Phyllis	139	↓2	40
42	Joann	129	↓1	65
43	Marlene	126	–	>100
44	Carole	124	↓7	43
45	Jeanne	117	new	>100
46	Ann	116	↓1	39
47	Helen	111	↓1	31
48	Kay	105	↓4	88
49	Pamela	105	new	44
50	Rita	104	new	54

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1943	US rank
1	James	1,405	–	1
2	Robert	1,299	–	2
3	John	1,259	–	3
4	Richard	1,259	–	5
5	David	1,109	–	6
6	Thomas	834	–	8
7	Gary	815	↑1	15
8	Michael	721	↑3	9
9	Dennis	675	↑1	20
10	William	664	↓3	4
11	Donald	622	↑1	11
12	Ronald	608	↓3	10
13	Larry	467	↑1	12
14	Roger	463	↓1	23
15	Charles	435	↑1	7
16	Gerald	412	↓1	24
17	Kenneth	411	–	16
18	Paul	318	–	17
19	Douglas	304	–	34
20	Bruce	264	–	51
21	Joseph	261	↑2	13
22	Dale	254	↑2	61
23	Daniel	237	↑2	25
24	Jerry	225	↓2	19
25	George	216	↑2	14
26	Steven	208	↑6	52
27	Wayne	199	↓6	37
28	Edward	186	↓2	18
29	Raymond	180	↑2	22
30	Duane	175	–	>100
31	Lawrence	163	↑2	32
32	Stephen	157	↑2	28
33	Eugene	156	↓4	48
34	Leroy	147	↑5	78
35	Terry	146	↑2	43
36	Peter	136	↑4	40
37	Jerome	131	↓9	>100
38	Harold	129	↓3	27
39	Patrick	129	↓3	64
40	Keith	123	↑5	>100
41	Dean	115	↑7	>100
42	Frank	115	↑1	21
43	Russell	114	new	63
44	Curtis	110	new	97
45	Jeffrey	105	new	>100
46	Allen	103	↓4	77
47	Jack	100	new	30
48	Arthur	97	new	29
49	Marvin	96	↓8	75
50	Timothy	91	new	92

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