Popular baby names in Oklahoma, 1940

The most popular baby names in Oklahoma in 1940 were Mary for girls (1,042 babies) and James for boys (1,090). Social Security records list 41,474 babies born in Oklahoma in 1940 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Oklahoma in 1940

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

Girls

Oleta: 19 babies, 14.8× the national rate
Lavada: 17 babies, 11.6× the national rate
Cleta: 15 babies, 11× the national rate
Treva: 17 babies, 7.4× the national rate
Leta: 17 babies, 7.2× the national rate
Leota: 15 babies, 6.4× the national rate
Retha: 20 babies, 5.8× the national rate
Reta: 16 babies, 5.8× the national rate
Ima: 15 babies, 5.6× the national rate
Melva: 25 babies, 4.9× the national rate

Boys

Burl: 18 babies, 8.7× the national rate
Ronny: 16 babies, 5.9× the national rate
Doyle: 66 babies, 5.8× the national rate
Carrol: 16 babies, 5.1× the national rate
Charley: 17 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Dwayne: 19 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Kennith: 16 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Eldon: 39 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Wilburn: 15 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Loyd: 26 babies, 4.3× the national rate

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

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1939	US rank
1	Mary	1,042	–	1
2	Barbara	702	–	2
3	Betty	579	–	5
4	Patricia	518	↑1	3
5	Shirley	473	↓1	9
6	Linda	451	↑5	8
7	Carolyn	419	↓1	15
8	Joyce	313	–	13
9	Carol	311	–	6
10	Wanda	311	↓3	52
11	Nancy	278	↑1	7
12	Donna	270	↑1	23
13	Judith	256	↑10	4
14	Judy	256	↑5	16
15	Patsy	248	↓5	57
16	Margaret	225	↓2	11
17	Janice	217	↑1	22
18	Dorothy	211	↓3	12
19	Sandra	211	↑6	10
20	Sharon	211	↑10	17
21	Helen	207	↓4	18
22	Virginia	204	↓6	21
23	Norma	194	↓3	43
24	Phyllis	185	↓2	33
25	Martha	184	↑1	26
26	Peggy	175	↓5	37
27	Beverly	165	↑6	27
28	Frances	162	↓1	28
29	Karen	154	↑16	34
30	Ruth	152	↓2	24
31	Alice	151	↑4	32
32	Doris	149	↓8	31
33	Marilyn	148	↓2	25
34	Glenda	139	–	>100
35	Jo	130	↓3	72
36	Wilma	122	↓7	93
37	Ruby	121	↓1	66
38	Elizabeth	118	↑3	20
39	Bonnie	116	–	39
40	Sue	115	–	81
41	Lois	114	↓3	38
42	Anna	108	↓5	51
43	Janet	100	new	19
44	Loretta	100	↑2	69
45	Charlotte	98	↑4	55
46	Gloria	95	new	30
47	Billie	93	↑1	>100
48	Jean	89	↑2	29
49	Evelyn	86	↓7	48
50	Kay	84	↓6	77

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1939	US rank
1	James	1,090	–	1
2	Jerry	799	↑1	14
3	Robert	731	↑1	2
4	John	709	↑1	3
5	Charles	700	↓3	6
6	Donald	627	–	9
7	William	522	–	4
8	Billy	480	–	27
9	David	437	↑3	7
10	Larry	396	↑4	13
11	Richard	393	–	5
12	Kenneth	389	↓3	15
13	Bobby	379	↓3	30
14	Jimmy	336	↓1	44
15	Ronald	307	–	10
16	Gary	303	↑5	19
17	George	290	–	11
18	Joe	283	↓2	28
19	Thomas	233	–	8
20	Harold	219	↓2	23
21	Carl	210	↑5	32
22	Paul	206	–	17
23	Johnny	200	↑5	51
24	Tommy	197	↓1	76
25	Jack	189	–	29
26	Don	185	↓6	62
27	Roy	181	↓3	42
28	Jimmie	158	↑1	86
29	Gerald	157	↓2	21
30	Bill	156	–	67
31	Raymond	150	–	22
32	Earl	133	↑4	52
33	Jim	127	–	78
34	Bob	121	–	99
35	Michael	121	new	18
36	Edward	120	↓4	16
37	Wayne	115	↑3	39
38	Fred	106	↑10	40
39	Jackie	106	–	>100
40	Dale	103	↑2	57
41	Floyd	101	↑2	>100
42	Frank	101	↑2	20
43	Henry	101	new	31
44	Ralph	101	↓3	37
45	Eugene	100	new	38
46	Gene	97	↑1	70
47	Marvin	97	new	63
48	Leon	94	↓10	89
49	Melvin	92	↓12	53
50	Ray	91	↓5	77

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