Name Awesome

Most Popular Baby Names Of 1940

The 100 most-used girls’ and boys’ names among U.S. births in 1940 — 2,302,666 recorded births in total that year.

19391941 The 1940s as a wholeNames that peaked in 1940

Girls’ names

  1. 1Mary56,2164.9%
  2. 2Barbara36,7363.2%
  3. 3Patricia32,6652.9%
  4. 4Judith22,3852.0%
  5. 5Betty22,0771.9%
  6. 6Carol21,7591.9%
  7. 7Nancy19,7371.7%
  8. 8Linda18,3701.6%
  9. 9Shirley17,8811.6%
  10. 10Sandra16,1531.4%
  11. 11Margaret15,0631.3%
  12. 12Dorothy14,8751.3%
  13. 13Joyce14,8011.3%
  14. 14Joan13,2921.2%
  15. 15Carolyn12,6571.1%
  16. 16Judy11,3821.0%
  17. 17Sharon11,1211.0%
  18. 18Helen10,2030.9%
  19. 19Janet10,1050.9%
  20. 20Elizabeth9,9550.9%
  21. 21Virginia9,5540.8%
  22. 22Janice9,3180.8%
  23. 23Donna9,2320.8%
  24. 24Ruth8,8880.8%
  25. 25Marilyn8,7040.8%
  26. 26Martha8,6950.8%
  27. 27Beverly8,6570.8%
  28. 28Frances8,6210.8%
  29. 29Jean8,0630.7%
  30. 30Gloria8,0260.7%
  31. 31Doris7,7670.7%
  32. 32Alice7,6030.7%
  33. 33Phyllis7,4160.6%
  34. 34Karen7,2830.6%
  35. 35Ann7,1960.6%
  36. 36Susan6,7560.6%
  37. 37Peggy6,1280.5%
  38. 38Lois6,1250.5%
  39. 39Bonnie5,9570.5%
  40. 40Kathleen5,6970.5%
  41. 41Marie5,5420.5%
  42. 42Brenda5,4420.5%
  43. 43Norma5,3340.5%
  44. 44Rose5,1980.5%
  45. 45Diane5,1720.5%
  46. 46Geraldine5,1500.5%
  47. 47Jane5,0910.4%
  48. 48Evelyn4,9820.4%
  49. 49Carole4,7900.4%
  50. 50Elaine4,7820.4%
  51. 51Anna4,7170.4%
  52. 52Wanda4,7080.4%
  53. 53Catherine4,5840.4%
  54. 54Joanne4,4180.4%
  55. 55Charlotte4,2910.4%
  56. 56Annie4,2160.4%
  57. 57Patsy4,0790.4%
  58. 58Mildred3,9380.3%
  59. 59Louise3,9280.3%
  60. 60Sarah3,8690.3%
  61. 61Sally3,8030.3%
  62. 62Sylvia3,8020.3%
  63. 63Joann3,7890.3%
  64. 64Marjorie3,6810.3%
  65. 65Gail3,6210.3%
  66. 66Ruby3,6190.3%
  67. 67Dolores3,6040.3%
  68. 68Eleanor3,5840.3%
  69. 69Loretta3,5020.3%
  70. 70Rita3,4420.3%
  71. 71Roberta3,4310.3%
  72. 72Jo3,4270.3%
  73. 73Irene3,3940.3%
  74. 74Ellen3,3180.3%
  75. 75Arlene3,2570.3%
  76. 76Jacqueline3,2150.3%
  77. 77Kay3,2000.3%
  78. 78Juanita3,1740.3%
  79. 79Darlene3,1200.3%
  80. 80Marlene3,1180.3%
  81. 81Sue3,1040.3%
  82. 82June2,9490.3%
  83. 83Delores2,9290.3%
  84. 84Anne2,8970.3%
  85. 85Rosemary2,8740.3%
  86. 86Edna2,8350.2%
  87. 87Anita2,8280.2%
  88. 88Connie2,7950.2%
  89. 89Josephine2,7440.2%
  90. 90Jeanette2,7270.2%
  91. 91Julia2,7090.2%
  92. 92Katherine2,7090.2%
  93. 93Wilma2,6210.2%
  94. 94Emma2,6060.2%
  95. 95Lorraine2,5790.2%
  96. 96Rebecca2,5550.2%
  97. 97Lillian2,5250.2%
  98. 98Edith2,5100.2%
  99. 99Audrey2,5010.2%
  100. 100Florence2,4670.2%

Boys’ names

  1. 1James62,4815.4%
  2. 2Robert61,1985.3%
  3. 3John54,7864.7%
  4. 4William44,7793.9%
  5. 5Richard37,4253.2%
  6. 6Charles31,6892.7%
  7. 7David27,6902.4%
  8. 8Thomas23,9912.1%
  9. 9Donald23,1152.0%
  10. 10Ronald20,7411.8%
  11. 11George18,3151.6%
  12. 12Joseph18,2081.6%
  13. 13Larry17,1991.5%
  14. 14Jerry15,2131.3%
  15. 15Kenneth15,1321.3%
  16. 16Edward14,4051.2%
  17. 17Paul14,0971.2%
  18. 18Michael13,2281.1%
  19. 19Gary12,5731.1%
  20. 20Frank10,5950.9%
  21. 21Gerald10,2360.9%
  22. 22Raymond9,5670.8%
  23. 23Harold8,0800.7%
  24. 24Dennis7,8450.7%
  25. 25Walter7,7230.7%
  26. 26Roger7,5980.7%
  27. 27Billy7,5960.7%
  28. 28Joe7,2160.6%
  29. 29Jack7,0480.6%
  30. 30Bobby6,8820.6%
  31. 31Henry6,8220.6%
  32. 32Carl6,7520.6%
  33. 33Arthur6,5100.6%
  34. 34Daniel6,2250.5%
  35. 35Willie6,1760.5%
  36. 36Lawrence6,1730.5%
  37. 37Ralph5,8380.5%
  38. 38Eugene5,8040.5%
  39. 39Wayne5,7270.5%
  40. 40Fred5,5810.5%
  41. 41Albert5,5720.5%
  42. 42Roy5,5650.5%
  43. 43Peter5,0490.4%
  44. 44Jimmy4,9620.4%
  45. 45Howard4,8240.4%
  46. 46Anthony4,7690.4%
  47. 47Harry4,6810.4%
  48. 48Norman4,5760.4%
  49. 49Stephen4,4230.4%
  50. 50Louis4,3240.4%
  51. 51Johnny4,0060.3%
  52. 52Earl3,9440.3%
  53. 53Melvin3,9350.3%
  54. 54Leonard3,8170.3%
  55. 55Bruce3,7890.3%
  56. 56Douglas3,7320.3%
  57. 57Dale3,6990.3%
  58. 58Ernest3,6980.3%
  59. 59Stanley3,6940.3%
  60. 60Philip3,6740.3%
  61. 61Francis3,6070.3%
  62. 62Don3,5470.3%
  63. 63Marvin3,5020.3%
  64. 64Clarence3,4870.3%
  65. 65Samuel3,3640.3%
  66. 66Leroy3,3110.3%
  67. 67Bill3,2670.3%
  68. 68Frederick3,0960.3%
  69. 69Alfred3,0620.3%
  70. 70Gene3,0600.3%
  71. 71Allen3,0290.3%
  72. 72Russell3,0120.3%
  73. 73Terry2,9820.3%
  74. 74Patrick2,8830.2%
  75. 75Herbert2,8750.2%
  76. 76Tommy2,8270.2%
  77. 77Ray2,7950.2%
  78. 78Jim2,7150.2%
  79. 79Phillip2,6280.2%
  80. 80Lee2,6240.2%
  81. 81Eddie2,5760.2%
  82. 82Bernard2,4680.2%
  83. 83Glenn2,4650.2%
  84. 84Andrew2,4310.2%
  85. 85Martin2,4230.2%
  86. 86Jimmie2,4080.2%
  87. 87Franklin2,3910.2%
  88. 88Alan2,3770.2%
  89. 89Leon2,3180.2%
  90. 90Theodore2,3060.2%
  91. 91Gordon2,2960.2%
  92. 92Tom2,2870.2%
  93. 93Jesse2,2050.2%
  94. 94Clifford2,1850.2%
  95. 95Jerome2,1780.2%
  96. 96Edwin2,1160.2%
  97. 97Curtis2,1030.2%
  98. 98Harvey2,0880.2%
  99. 99Bob2,0820.2%
  100. 100Lloyd2,0670.2%

Percentages are each name’s share of all 1940 applications for that sex — a useful reminder of how much more concentrated naming used to be. In 1880 the top girls’ name alone accounted for several percent of all girls; today the #1 name is well under one percent.

Counts are based on U.S. births and are tracked separately for girls and boys. Names used fewer than 5 times in a year aren’t published for that year, so totals here are a floor — the shortfall is largest in the sparse early years.