Popular baby names in Missouri, 1940

The most popular baby names in Missouri in 1940 were Mary for girls (1,707 babies) and James for boys (1,684). Social Security records list 57,168 babies born in Missouri in 1940 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Missouri in 1940

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

Girls

Reva: 26 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Virgie: 22 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Willa: 27 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Dixie: 81 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Wanda: 267 babies, 2.3× the national rate
Patty: 61 babies, 2.3× the national rate
Marcella: 40 babies, 2.3× the national rate
Saundra: 27 babies, 2.3× the national rate
Lora: 16 babies, 2.3× the national rate
Goldie: 15 babies, 2.3× the national rate

Boys

Junior: 41 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Kenny: 25 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Doyle: 47 babies, 3× the national rate
Loyd: 25 babies, 3× the national rate
Orville: 34 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Buddy: 31 babies, 2.7× the national rate
Donnie: 43 babies, 2.5× the national rate
Jackie: 114 babies, 2.4× the national rate
Bob: 122 babies, 2.3× the national rate
Everett: 54 babies, 2.3× the national rate

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

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1939	US rank
1	Mary	1,707	–	1
2	Barbara	1,011	–	2
3	Patricia	798	↑2	3
4	Betty	753	–	5
5	Shirley	697	↓2	9
6	Carol	679	–	6
7	Judith	676	–	4
8	Joyce	512	↑1	13
9	Carolyn	477	↑2	15
10	Linda	471	↑14	8
11	Sandra	455	↑1	10
12	Judy	447	↑8	16
13	Nancy	447	↓5	7
14	Donna	405	–	23
15	Sharon	371	↑12	17
16	Janet	350	↑2	19
17	Margaret	348	↓2	11
18	Dorothy	347	↓8	12
19	Marilyn	345	↓6	25
20	Ruth	302	↓3	24
21	Helen	300	↓5	18
22	Beverly	296	↓1	27
23	Virginia	284	↓4	21
24	Joan	282	↓2	14
25	Bonnie	277	↑5	39
26	Wanda	267	↑2	52
27	Janice	259	↑6	22
28	Doris	248	↓3	31
29	Martha	248	↓3	26
30	Norma	237	↓7	43
31	Peggy	232	↑1	37
32	Phyllis	213	↓1	33
33	Frances	209	↓4	28
34	Patsy	201	↑1	57
35	Karen	198	↑8	34
36	Alice	184	↓2	32
37	Susan	176	new	36
38	Evelyn	171	↑1	48
39	Elizabeth	170	↑1	20
40	Lois	161	↓4	38
41	Anna	159	↓3	51
42	Jean	154	–	29
43	Gloria	152	new	30
44	Rose	142	–	44
45	Jo	136	new	72
46	Charlotte	134	new	55
47	Sue	134	new	81
48	Wilma	130	↓11	93
49	Glenda	129	new	>100
50	Brenda	128	new	42

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1939	US rank
1	James	1,684	–	1
2	Robert	1,474	–	2
3	John	1,323	–	3
4	William	1,098	–	4
5	Charles	1,056	–	6
6	Larry	877	↑2	13
7	Donald	861	↓1	9
8	Richard	855	↓1	5
9	David	732	↑1	7
10	Ronald	685	↑1	10
11	Jerry	671	↓2	14
12	Gary	529	↑3	19
13	Kenneth	515	↓1	15
14	Thomas	475	↓1	8
15	George	448	↓1	11
16	Paul	368	–	17
17	Billy	315	↑2	27
18	Harold	293	–	23
19	Edward	288	↓2	16
20	Michael	288	↑5	18
21	Joseph	284	↓1	12
22	Gerald	278	↓1	21
23	Carl	266	↑1	32
24	Bobby	254	↑2	30
25	Raymond	231	↓2	22
26	Jack	204	↓4	29
27	Roy	202	↑3	42
28	Dennis	191	↑8	24
29	Frank	190	↑2	20
30	Lawrence	190	↑3	36
31	Roger	186	↓2	26
32	Joe	185	↓5	28
33	Wayne	171	↓1	39
34	Walter	162	↑1	25
35	Marvin	157	↑3	63
36	Bill	156	↓8	67
37	Fred	156	↑4	40
38	Norman	154	↑10	48
39	Ralph	154	↓5	37
40	Don	153	↓3	62
41	Dale	146	↑2	57
42	Henry	143	new	31
43	Howard	143	↑7	45
44	Arthur	137	↑1	33
45	Earl	133	↓6	52
46	Jim	130	↑1	78
47	Daniel	125	new	34
48	Harry	123	↓2	47
49	Bob	122	–	99
50	Jimmie	122	new	86

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