Popular baby names in Nebraska, 1940

The most popular baby names in Nebraska in 1940 were Mary for girls (460 babies) and Robert for boys (517). Robert ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 18,956 babies born in Nebraska in 1940 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Nebraska in 1940

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

Girls

Lavonne: 15 babies, 5.6× the national rate
Sharron: 19 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Karen: 286 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Colleen: 25 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Sharon: 362 babies, 4× the national rate
Connie: 90 babies, 4× the national rate
Lila: 16 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Patty: 29 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Janis: 15 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Deanna: 45 babies, 3.1× the national rate

Boys

Lavern: 15 babies, 10.3× the national rate
Harlan: 19 babies, 7.5× the national rate
Eldon: 27 babies, 6.6× the national rate
Lyle: 46 babies, 6.4× the national rate
Dick: 41 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Rodney: 60 babies, 5.1× the national rate
Dean: 51 babies, 5× the national rate
Loren: 24 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Keith: 56 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Duane: 50 babies, 4.3× the national rate

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

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1939	US rank
1	Mary	460	–	1
2	Sharon	362	–	17
3	Barbara	300	–	2
4	Karen	286	↑2	34
5	Patricia	260	↓1	3
6	Carol	249	↑3	6
7	Judy	244	↑9	16
8	Judith	221	↑5	4
9	Sandra	198	↑3	10
10	Betty	182	–	5
11	Donna	179	–	23
12	Marilyn	178	↓7	25
13	Janice	174	↓5	22
14	Shirley	168	↓7	9
15	Janet	160	↑2	19
16	Joyce	154	↑2	13
17	Nancy	151	↓2	7
18	Carolyn	120	↑3	15
19	Joan	118	–	14
20	Beverly	115	↓6	27
21	Linda	113	↑13	8
22	Dorothy	106	↑2	12
23	Phyllis	98	–	33
24	Margaret	97	↓4	11
25	Connie	90	↑18	88
26	Bonnie	87	↑6	39
27	Lois	79	↓5	38
28	Virginia	79	↑2	21
29	Doris	74	↑12	31
30	Ruth	74	↑1	24
31	Helen	73	↑2	18
32	Jean	73	↓6	29
33	Norma	73	↓5	43
34	Marlene	71	↓9	80
35	Joann	65	↑1	63
36	Kathleen	64	↑1	40
37	Elaine	60	↑2	50
38	Alice	58	↓9	32
39	Darlene	56	↓4	79
40	Gloria	53	new	30
41	Jane	52	↑8	47
42	Elizabeth	51	new	20
43	Delores	50	↓3	83
44	Carole	48	new	49
45	Ann	47	new	35
46	Frances	47	↓4	28
47	Kay	47	↓20	77
48	Evelyn	46	new	48
49	Marjorie	46	↓11	64
50	Susan	46	new	36

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1939	US rank
1	Robert	517	–	2
2	Larry	476	–	13
3	James	422	↑1	1
4	Richard	409	↓1	5
5	John	375	–	3
6	Gary	355	↑1	19
7	Donald	310	↓1	9
8	Ronald	287	–	10
9	William	254	–	4
10	Jerry	202	–	14
11	David	189	↑1	7
12	Charles	187	↓1	6
13	Kenneth	179	↑1	15
14	Roger	173	↓1	26
15	Dennis	164	↑2	24
16	Gerald	150	–	21
17	Thomas	148	↓2	8
18	Edward	97	↑1	16
19	Michael	90	↑10	18
20	Harold	88	↑3	23
21	Jack	88	–	29
22	Dale	85	–	57
23	George	84	↓5	11
24	Paul	82	↓4	17
25	Raymond	79	↓1	22
26	Jim	77	–	78
27	Marvin	71	–	63
28	Frank	67	↑8	20
29	Bill	64	↑2	67
30	Gene	64	↑15	70
31	Don	63	↑1	62
32	Rodney	60	↑8	>100
33	Terry	60	↑11	73
34	Lawrence	58	↑5	36
35	Joseph	56	↓7	12
36	Keith	56	new	>100
37	Tom	55	new	92
38	Fred	54	–	40
39	Wayne	54	↓14	39
40	Stanley	53	↑1	59
41	Eugene	52	↓8	38
42	Melvin	52	↓7	53
43	Dean	51	↑5	>100
44	Duane	50	↓2	>100
45	Daniel	48	new	34
46	Leroy	48	↓3	66
47	Norman	47	↓17	48
48	Lyle	46	new	>100
49	Walter	45	↓2	25
50	Douglas	43	↓16	56

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