Names That Peaked In 1941

These names hit their all-time highest U.S. ranking in 1941 and have never ranked as high since — the sound of that moment, frozen in the data. (The #1 names that year were Mary and James — reigning champions usually peak in a different year than they reign.)

Peaked in 1940 Peaked in 1942 Full 1941 top 100 The 1940s as a whole

Name & meaning	Babies 2025 · rank	5-year rank movement	Peak year
Ronald	438#638	Down 79 rank positions in five years	1947
Carol	82#2,242	Down 331 rank positions in five years	1946
Philip	568#528	Down 75 rank positions in five years	1953
Bonnie	785#396	Up 210 rank positions in five years	1947
Kay	37#3,945	Down 368 rank positions in five years	1942
Lynn	15#6,029	Up 839 rank positions in five years	1947
Winston	830#382	Up 26 rank positions in five years	2019
Lorna	56#2,980	Up 68 rank positions in five years	1957
Errol	17#5,452	Down 707 rank positions in five years	1941
Nedra	—Unranked	—	1941
Karolyn	18#6,435	Up 333 rank positions in five years	1946
Patricia	—Unranked	—	1942
Georgene	—Unranked	—	1947
Gearld	—Unranked	—	1941
Jere	—Unranked	—	1941
Meredith	—Unranked	—	1920
Marge	—Unranked	—	1941
Marylee	9#10,607	Up 2,395 rank positions in five years	1941
Suellen	—Unranked	—	1941
Phyliss	—Unranked	—	1951
Hedy	7#12,377	Up 264 rank positions in five years	1942
Herb	—Unranked	—	1947
Judith	—Unranked	—	1941
Judy	—Unranked	—	1941
Judyth	—Unranked	—	1941

Page 1 of 1

How this list is built

A name “peaked” in 1941 when that year holds its best-ever position in the national rankings — rank, not raw count, because raw counts track how many babies were born and would pile every “peak” into the boom years. To qualify, a name must have reached the top 1,000 at its height and have at least 500 all-time applications. Lists are ordered by that peak rank.

Ranks come from U.S. births, counted separately for girls and boys. “Unranked” today means fewer than 5 applications in the latest year — uncommon, never invalid.