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Top Baby Names of the 1940s

Across the 1940s, US parents gave these names most often. The lists below rank the top 25 girls’ and boys’ names by the number of babies who received each name over the decade, from US Social Security Administration data (about 14.5 million girls and 14.9 million boys recorded).

The most popular names of the 1940s were Mary for girls and James for boys.

Top 25 girls’ names of the 1940s

  1. #1 Mary 640,080
  2. #2 Linda 531,660
  3. #3 Barbara 425,271
  4. #4 Patricia 411,412
  5. #5 Carol 292,333
  6. #6 Sandra 265,538
  7. #7 Nancy 252,061
  8. #8 Sharon 221,237
  9. #9 Judith 218,037
  10. #10 Susan 212,016
  11. #11 Betty 194,623
  12. #12 Carolyn 181,858
  13. #13 Margaret 173,028
  14. #14 Shirley 171,780
  15. #15 Judy 167,719
  16. #16 Karen 167,700
  17. #17 Donna 165,523
  18. #18 Kathleen 152,981
  19. #19 Joyce 151,494
  20. #20 Dorothy 132,257
  21. #21 Janet 130,755
  22. #22 Diane 122,878
  23. #23 Janice 118,893
  24. #24 Joan 117,708
  25. #25 Elizabeth 116,551

Top 25 boys’ names of the 1940s

  1. #1 James 795,775
  2. #2 Robert 758,126
  3. #3 John 711,614
  4. #4 William 556,478
  5. #5 Richard 477,476
  6. #6 David 426,372
  7. #7 Charles 361,772
  8. #8 Thomas 350,775
  9. #9 Michael 336,568
  10. #10 Ronald 282,489
  11. #11 Larry 255,908
  12. #12 Donald 247,834
  13. #13 Joseph 230,285
  14. #14 Gary 217,772
  15. #15 George 209,013
  16. #16 Kenneth 198,553
  17. #17 Paul 183,364
  18. #18 Edward 174,801
  19. #19 Jerry 167,257
  20. #20 Dennis 162,114
  21. #21 Frank 119,417
  22. #22 Daniel 112,778
  23. #23 Raymond 109,076
  24. #24 Roger 107,602
  25. #25 Stephen 106,812

Counts are US births recorded by the Social Security Administration. Numbers show babies given each name across the whole decade.

Frequently asked questions

What was the most popular girls’ name in the 1940s?

Mary was the most popular girls’ name in the 1940s, according to US Social Security Administration data.

What was the most popular boys’ name in the 1940s?

James was the most popular boys’ name in the 1940s.

Where does this ranking come from?

These rankings are compiled from US Social Security Administration records of names given to babies born in the United States, counted separately for girls and boys.

See this year’s most popular names →