Popular baby names in New York, 1940

The most popular baby names in New York in 1940 were Barbara for girls (3,916 babies) and Robert for boys (6,283). Barbara ranked #2 nationally for girls. Robert ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 183,460 babies born in New York in 1940 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in New York in 1940

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

Girls

Carmela: 100 babies, 6.5× the national rate
Roslyn: 74 babies, 5.9× the national rate
Concetta: 71 babies, 5.9× the national rate
Rochelle: 151 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Francine: 99 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Camille: 97 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Arline: 85 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Rosemarie: 349 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Helene: 132 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Toby: 45 babies, 3.9× the national rate

Boys

Dominick: 149 babies, 7.8× the national rate
Carmine: 65 babies, 7.7× the national rate
Seymour: 51 babies, 7.5× the national rate
Salvatore: 280 babies, 6.5× the national rate
Vito: 58 babies, 6.5× the national rate
Irwin: 109 babies, 5.9× the national rate
Pasquale: 48 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Angelo: 151 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Vincent: 728 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Kevin: 104 babies, 4.3× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in New York, 1940

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1939	US rank
1	Barbara	3,916	–	2
2	Patricia	3,730	↑1	3
3	Mary	3,664	↓1	1
4	Carol	2,584	↑1	6
5	Joan	2,225	↓1	14
6	Judith	2,039	–	4
7	Margaret	1,611	–	11
8	Linda	1,464	↑8	8
9	Nancy	1,418	↓1	7
10	Sandra	1,250	↑1	10
11	Elizabeth	1,213	↓2	20
12	Joyce	1,126	↑2	13
13	Dorothy	1,119	↓3	12
14	Ann	1,107	↓1	35
15	Susan	1,086	↑4	36
16	Marie	994	↓4	41
17	Marilyn	954	↓2	25
18	Helen	908	–	18
19	Jean	869	↑3	29
20	Kathleen	841	↑6	40
21	Frances	833	↓4	28
22	Virginia	733	↑5	21
23	Diane	729	↑11	45
24	Catherine	724	↓3	53
25	Phyllis	694	↓1	33
26	Elaine	691	↓3	50
27	Janet	682	↓2	19
28	Shirley	676	↓8	9
29	Beverly	668	↑1	27
30	Gail	622	↑8	65
31	Gloria	622	↑12	30
32	Ruth	611	↑1	24
33	Alice	608	↑6	32
34	Carolyn	607	↑7	15
35	Rose	604	↓7	44
36	Carole	589	↓5	49
37	Betty	585	↓5	5
38	Arlene	576	↓9	75
39	Anne	575	↓4	84
40	Eileen	550	↓4	>100
41	Jane	541	↑5	47
42	Geraldine	540	↓2	46
43	Joanne	536	new	54
44	Eleanor	533	↓2	68
45	Theresa	519	↓8	>100
46	Ellen	515	↑2	74
47	Maureen	489	new	>100
48	Sheila	480	↓3	>100
49	Lorraine	470	↑1	95
50	Roberta	453	new	71

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1939	US rank
1	Robert	6,283	–	2
2	John	6,164	–	3
3	Richard	4,370	–	5
4	William	4,106	–	4
5	James	3,960	–	1
6	Joseph	3,141	–	12
7	Thomas	2,506	–	8
8	David	2,340	–	7
9	Michael	2,293	–	18
10	Charles	2,148	–	6
11	Edward	1,987	–	16
12	George	1,851	–	11
13	Ronald	1,731	↑1	10
14	Donald	1,727	↓1	9
15	Frank	1,536	–	20
16	Paul	1,450	↑2	17
17	Peter	1,406	–	43
18	Anthony	1,349	↓2	46
19	Kenneth	1,086	–	15
20	Raymond	923	–	22
21	Arthur	920	↑1	33
22	Stephen	909	↑3	49
23	Gerald	879	↓2	21
24	Daniel	765	↓1	34
25	Lawrence	734	↓1	36
26	Vincent	728	↑2	>100
27	Louis	655	↓1	50
28	Walter	653	↓1	25
29	Martin	627	–	85
30	Gary	626	↑6	19
31	Philip	612	↑6	60
32	Harold	603	↓1	23
33	Henry	589	↓1	31
34	Roger	588	↑6	26
35	Howard	574	↓2	45
36	Eugene	566	↓2	38
37	Albert	551	↓2	41
38	Bruce	521	↑8	55
39	Frederick	506	↑3	68
40	Francis	501	↓10	61
41	Dennis	498	↑6	24
42	Stanley	493	↓1	59
43	Carl	491	↓4	32
44	Leonard	490	↑1	54
45	Ralph	487	↓2	37
46	Alan	477	↓2	88
47	Fred	472	↓9	40
48	Jack	437	new	29
49	Patrick	434	↑1	74
50	Norman	422	↓1	48

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