Name Yearbook

Top Baby Names of the 1940s

In the 1940s, Mary was the most popular name for babies recorded as girls (640,080 babies) and James for babies recorded as boys (795,775).

Recorded as girls

Rank	Name	Babies in the 1940s
1	Mary	640,080
2	Linda	531,660
3	Barbara	425,271
4	Patricia	411,412
5	Carol	292,333
6	Sandra	265,538
7	Nancy	252,061
8	Sharon	221,237
9	Judith	218,037
10	Susan	212,016
11	Betty	194,623
12	Carolyn	181,858
13	Margaret	173,028
14	Shirley	171,780
15	Judy	167,719
16	Karen	167,700
17	Donna	165,523
18	Kathleen	152,981
19	Joyce	151,494
20	Dorothy	132,257
21	Janet	130,755
22	Diane	122,878
23	Janice	118,893
24	Joan	117,708
25	Elizabeth	116,551
26	Brenda	112,415
27	Gloria	105,055
28	Virginia	99,000
29	Marilyn	98,977
30	Martha	95,384
31	Beverly	95,122
32	Helen	90,742
33	Bonnie	86,886
34	Ruth	85,666
35	Frances	85,448
36	Jean	80,363
37	Ann	76,797
38	Phyllis	76,143
39	Pamela	73,121
40	Jane	72,537
41	Alice	72,392
42	Peggy	72,122
43	Cheryl	70,959
44	Doris	64,144
45	Catherine	62,086
46	Elaine	60,105
47	Cynthia	58,061
48	Marie	57,521
49	Lois	56,854
50	Connie	56,604
51	Christine	54,565
52	Diana	53,698
53	Gail	53,140
54	Joanne	51,655
55	Rose	51,643
56	Wanda	50,775
57	Carole	50,303
58	Rita	49,853
59	Charlotte	49,478
60	Jo	48,449
61	Evelyn	48,157
62	Geraldine	47,933
63	Jacqueline	45,559
64	Ellen	45,404
65	Sally	45,344
66	Rebecca	45,313
67	Kathryn	44,581
68	Deborah	44,054
69	Norma	43,030
70	Suzanne	41,405
71	Anna	41,282
72	Sue	40,943
73	Darlene	40,321
74	Patsy	40,282
75	Joann	40,015
76	Sarah	39,977
77	Katherine	39,912
78	Paula	39,044
79	Annie	38,714
80	Louise	38,665
81	Roberta	38,051
82	Sylvia	37,288
83	Anne	36,146
84	Theresa	35,789
85	Sheila	35,740
86	Maria	35,571
87	Laura	35,071
88	Kathy	34,766
89	Eileen	34,695
90	Marcia	34,397
91	Rosemary	34,297
92	Glenda	33,348
93	Dolores	33,099
94	Mildred	33,071
95	Lorraine	33,047
96	Marjorie	32,901
97	Sherry	32,759
98	Kay	32,654
99	Anita	32,531
100	Dianne	32,296

Recorded as boys

Rank	Name	Babies in the 1940s
1	James	795,775
2	Robert	758,126
3	John	711,614
4	William	556,478
5	Richard	477,476
6	David	426,372
7	Charles	361,772
8	Thomas	350,775
9	Michael	336,568
10	Ronald	282,489
11	Larry	255,908
12	Donald	247,834
13	Joseph	230,285
14	Gary	217,772
15	George	209,013
16	Kenneth	198,553
17	Paul	183,364
18	Edward	174,801
19	Jerry	167,257
20	Dennis	162,114
21	Frank	119,417
22	Daniel	112,778
23	Raymond	109,076
24	Roger	107,602
25	Stephen	106,812
26	Gerald	103,342
27	Walter	83,728
28	Harold	82,176
29	Steven	81,204
30	Douglas	80,760
31	Lawrence	80,461
32	Terry	76,965
33	Wayne	75,131
34	Arthur	73,968
35	Jack	73,919
36	Carl	72,739
37	Henry	72,488
38	Willie	72,422
39	Bruce	72,097
40	Joe	72,015
41	Peter	69,330
42	Billy	67,833
43	Roy	65,648
44	Ralph	64,983
45	Anthony	64,825
46	Jimmy	63,523
47	Albert	60,278
48	Bobby	58,890
49	Eugene	57,275
50	Johnny	57,200
51	Fred	56,665
52	Harry	56,245
53	Howard	53,530
54	Mark	50,731
55	Alan	50,302
56	Louis	49,430
57	Philip	48,735
58	Patrick	48,619
59	Dale	46,815
60	Danny	46,661
61	Stanley	46,263
62	Leonard	44,289
63	Timothy	43,503
64	Gregory	43,222
65	Samuel	43,129
66	Ronnie	42,456
67	Norman	42,164
68	Ernest	41,762
69	Russell	41,336
70	Francis	39,519
71	Melvin	39,236
72	Earl	39,128
73	Frederick	39,114
74	Allen	39,049
75	Bill	37,756
76	Tommy	37,046
77	Phillip	36,989
78	Marvin	36,445
79	Steve	36,286
80	Don	36,255
81	Clarence	36,197
82	Barry	36,192
83	Glenn	35,717
84	Jim	35,632
85	Eddie	34,807
86	Mike	34,645
87	Andrew	34,618
88	Jeffrey	34,340
89	Leroy	33,864
90	Alfred	31,998
91	Martin	31,402
92	Lee	30,978
93	Tom	29,884
94	Ray	29,656
95	Herbert	28,710
96	Gene	27,739
97	Bernard	26,446
98	Theodore	26,249
99	Curtis	26,009
100	Keith	25,871

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