Popular baby names in Wisconsin, 1942

The most popular baby names in Wisconsin in 1942 were Mary for girls (1,583 babies) and James for boys (1,936). Social Security records list 57,842 babies born in Wisconsin in 1942 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Wisconsin in 1942

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

Girls

Lavonne: 27 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Karla: 15 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Darlene: 270 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Maryjane: 17 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Karen: 1,081 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Dawn: 44 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Marlys: 17 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Kathleen: 658 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Marilynn: 22 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Monica: 19 babies, 2.8× the national rate

Boys

Laverne: 31 babies, 6.6× the national rate
Norbert: 37 babies, 5.6× the national rate
Lavern: 17 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Jerold: 23 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Jerome: 224 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Duane: 134 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Merlin: 18 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Lyle: 71 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Kurt: 18 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Gregory: 65 babies, 3× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Wisconsin, 1942

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1941	US rank
1	Mary	1,583	–	1
2	Judith	1,303	–	7
3	Karen	1,081	↑3	16
4	Barbara	1,027	↓1	2
5	Carol	1,012	–	5
6	Patricia	941	↓2	3
7	Sandra	921	–	6
8	Sharon	840	↑1	11
9	Nancy	681	↓1	8
10	Kathleen	658	–	24
11	Susan	483	↑4	21
12	Diane	458	↑9	28
13	Joan	453	↓1	18
14	Donna	442	↓3	20
15	Judy	428	↓1	15
16	Janet	373	↓3	19
17	Bonnie	371	↑3	34
18	Jean	367	–	36
19	Janice	365	↓3	25
20	Shirley	351	↓3	12
21	Joyce	321	↓2	13
22	Betty	313	–	9
23	Marilyn	298	↑4	27
24	Linda	288	↑5	4
25	Beverly	285	↓1	32
26	Margaret	281	↓3	14
27	Ruth	272	↓1	33
28	Darlene	270	↓3	78
29	Virginia	251	↑1	23
30	Joanne	241	↑3	48
31	Carolyn	210	–	10
32	Gloria	204	–	31
33	Carole	198	↑14	35
34	Lois	190	–	44
35	Elizabeth	185	↑2	22
36	Dorothy	182	↓8	17
37	Jane	177	↓1	46
38	Marlene	168	↓3	84
39	Ann	166	↑4	38
40	Elaine	166	↓1	45
41	Joann	166	↓1	58
42	Helen	160	↓4	26
43	Sally	150	↑1	56
44	Rita	134	new	55
45	Dianne	131	new	>100
46	Kay	129	↓5	75
47	Kathryn	127	new	82
48	Alice	125	–	39
49	Geraldine	122	new	47
50	Suzanne	119	new	>100

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1941	US rank
1	James	1,936	–	1
2	Robert	1,731	–	2
3	John	1,421	↑1	3
4	Richard	1,408	↓1	5
5	David	1,200	–	6
6	Thomas	1,166	–	8
7	William	1,061	–	4
8	Ronald	870	–	9
9	Dennis	741	↑4	20
10	Donald	720	↓1	10
11	Michael	672	↑4	13
12	Gerald	613	↓2	22
13	Gary	606	↓1	18
14	Kenneth	582	↓3	15
15	Charles	487	↓1	7
16	Roger	456	–	25
17	Larry	405	–	12
18	Edward	321	↑4	17
19	Joseph	317	–	11
20	Paul	312	↓2	19
21	Douglas	296	↑18	23
22	Daniel	288	↓1	28
23	George	280	–	14
24	Wayne	276	↓4	41
25	Jerry	261	↓1	16
26	Peter	243	–	39
27	Eugene	236	↓2	45
28	Raymond	229	↓1	24
29	Jerome	224	↑1	>100
30	Dale	221	↓2	63
31	Lawrence	218	↓2	30
32	Patrick	186	↑3	64
33	Bruce	182	–	50
34	Allen	163	↑12	71
35	Frank	157	↓1	21
36	Harold	153	↓5	27
37	Terry	144	↑5	52
38	Jack	140	↓2	34
39	Arthur	139	↑2	29
40	Russell	138	–	70
41	Duane	134	↑3	>100
42	Carl	131	↓10	36
43	Frederick	124	–	68
44	Marvin	115	new	66
45	Ralph	115	↓8	38
46	Gene	113	↑4	82
47	Leroy	113	↑1	69
48	Norman	112	new	53
49	Gordon	110	↓11	92
50	Philip	110	↓3	54

← Wisconsin 1941 Wisconsin: all years · US 1942 Wisconsin 1943 →