Popular baby names in Wisconsin, 1940

The most popular baby names in Wisconsin in 1940 were Mary for girls (1,462 babies) and Robert for boys (1,577). Robert ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 49,313 babies born in Wisconsin in 1940 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Wisconsin in 1940

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

Girls

Ardis: 17 babies, 6.3× the national rate
Darleen: 16 babies, 5.6× the national rate
Angeline: 21 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Karen: 608 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Lavonne: 25 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Monica: 22 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Darlene: 234 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Clarice: 20 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Marlene: 200 babies, 3× the national rate
Kathleen: 351 babies, 2.9× the national rate

Boys

Duwayne: 16 babies, 11.9× the national rate
Lavern: 28 babies, 7.4× the national rate
Norbert: 38 babies, 6.1× the national rate
Merlin: 28 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Laverne: 26 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Duane: 131 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Jerome: 191 babies, 4× the national rate
Otto: 19 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Lyle: 65 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Terrence: 30 babies, 3.5× the national rate

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

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1939	US rank
1	Mary	1,462	–	1
2	Judith	1,228	–	4
3	Carol	896	↑2	6
4	Patricia	885	↓1	3
5	Barbara	884	↓1	2
6	Nancy	676	–	7
7	Karen	608	↑2	34
8	Sandra	575	↑4	10
9	Sharon	528	↑2	17
10	Joan	437	↓3	14
11	Donna	391	↓3	23
12	Shirley	380	↓2	9
13	Janet	359	–	19
14	Kathleen	351	↑8	40
15	Joyce	349	↑1	13
16	Beverly	344	↑1	27
17	Judy	341	↑7	16
18	Betty	323	↓3	5
19	Janice	320	↓5	22
20	Jean	318	↓1	29
21	Marilyn	283	↓3	25
22	Susan	278	↑6	36
23	Diane	255	↑4	45
24	Ruth	251	↓4	24
25	Margaret	247	–	11
26	Darlene	234	↓3	79
27	Bonnie	219	↑20	39
28	Joanne	201	↑1	54
29	Marlene	200	↓3	80
30	Dorothy	193	↓9	12
31	Lois	192	–	38
32	Virginia	179	↑2	21
33	Helen	176	–	18
34	Linda	172	↑15	8
35	Elaine	171	↓5	50
36	Gloria	164	↑14	30
37	Ann	157	↑5	35
38	Elizabeth	154	↓3	20
39	Alice	153	↓7	32
40	Kay	147	new	77
41	Arlene	145	↓4	75
42	Jane	141	↓1	47
43	Carolyn	137	–	15
44	Phyllis	128	↓8	33
45	Geraldine	127	↓5	46
46	Sally	124	↓2	61
47	Audrey	119	↓1	99
48	Carole	119	↓3	49
49	Gail	117	new	65
50	Joann	116	↓11	63

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1939	US rank
1	Robert	1,577	–	2
2	James	1,552	–	1
3	John	1,318	↑1	3
4	Richard	1,255	↓1	5
5	Thomas	909	↑1	8
6	David	903	↓1	7
7	William	879	↑1	4
8	Ronald	728	↑1	10
9	Donald	726	↓2	9
10	Gerald	577	–	21
11	Kenneth	518	–	15
12	Dennis	476	↑2	24
13	Charles	457	–	6
14	Roger	447	↓2	26
15	Gary	436	–	19
16	Michael	418	–	18
17	Larry	325	–	13
18	Edward	294	↑3	16
19	Joseph	284	–	12
20	Wayne	281	–	39
21	Paul	250	↓3	17
22	Jerry	231	↑2	14
23	George	230	↓1	11
24	Daniel	216	↑5	34
25	Eugene	207	↓2	38
26	Jerome	191	↓1	95
27	Raymond	187	↓1	22
28	Dale	186	–	57
29	Peter	186	↑1	43
30	Lawrence	180	↓3	36
31	Harold	150	↑2	23
32	Bruce	146	↑13	55
33	Ralph	138	↑1	37
34	Gordon	136	↑5	91
35	Carl	135	↑3	32
36	Duane	131	↑6	>100
37	Frank	128	↓6	20
38	Patrick	126	↑6	74
39	Walter	124	↑2	25
40	Allen	121	↓8	71
41	Jack	117	↓5	29
42	Russell	116	↑7	72
43	Douglas	114	↓3	56
44	Frederick	114	↓1	68
45	Marvin	110	↑3	63
46	Norman	110	↓11	48
47	Gene	109	new	70
48	Terry	102	↑2	73
49	Leroy	100	↓12	66
50	Fred	99	new	40

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