Name Awesome

Most Popular Baby Names Of 1941

The 100 most-used girls’ and boys’ names among U.S. births in 1941 — 2,436,399 recorded births in total that year.

19401942 The 1940s as a wholeNames that peaked in 1941

Girls’ names

  1. 1Mary58,0484.8%
  2. 2Barbara39,5433.3%
  3. 3Patricia36,9053.1%
  4. 4Carol24,1872.0%
  5. 5Linda23,7212.0%
  6. 6Judith23,3201.9%
  7. 7Betty20,9051.7%
  8. 8Nancy20,8851.7%
  9. 9Sandra19,5001.6%
  10. 10Shirley16,9541.4%
  11. 11Carolyn16,2731.3%
  12. 12Margaret15,6961.3%
  13. 13Joyce15,6841.3%
  14. 14Dorothy14,5661.2%
  15. 15Sharon14,2721.2%
  16. 16Judy13,9681.2%
  17. 17Joan13,3801.1%
  18. 18Janet11,1360.9%
  19. 19Karen10,8310.9%
  20. 20Donna10,4460.9%
  21. 21Elizabeth10,2670.8%
  22. 22Janice10,0610.8%
  23. 23Virginia10,0430.8%
  24. 24Helen9,8870.8%
  25. 25Martha9,1560.8%
  26. 26Gloria9,0080.7%
  27. 27Susan8,8890.7%
  28. 28Ruth8,8630.7%
  29. 29Beverly8,7270.7%
  30. 30Marilyn8,5560.7%
  31. 31Frances8,4680.7%
  32. 32Jean7,8400.6%
  33. 33Bonnie7,7620.6%
  34. 34Alice7,4450.6%
  35. 35Phyllis7,3460.6%
  36. 36Kathleen7,1600.6%
  37. 37Ann7,1210.6%
  38. 38Doris7,0810.6%
  39. 39Peggy6,5610.5%
  40. 40Diane6,4270.5%
  41. 41Brenda6,3320.5%
  42. 42Marie6,1520.5%
  43. 43Lois6,1050.5%
  44. 44Elaine5,3760.4%
  45. 45Geraldine5,2290.4%
  46. 46Jane5,0900.4%
  47. 47Norma5,0210.4%
  48. 48Carole4,9660.4%
  49. 49Rose4,9550.4%
  50. 50Evelyn4,9280.4%
  51. 51Catherine4,8840.4%
  52. 52Patsy4,7880.4%
  53. 53Wanda4,7350.4%
  54. 54Joanne4,6650.4%
  55. 55Charlotte4,5640.4%
  56. 56Anna4,4320.4%
  57. 57Dolores4,3840.4%
  58. 58Joann4,2750.4%
  59. 59Annie4,0730.3%
  60. 60Sarah3,9820.3%
  61. 61Sally3,9650.3%
  62. 62Louise3,9100.3%
  63. 63Rita3,8790.3%
  64. 64Mildred3,8460.3%
  65. 65Sylvia3,7880.3%
  66. 66Jo3,7570.3%
  67. 67Ellen3,6640.3%
  68. 68Gail3,6090.3%
  69. 69Ruby3,5810.3%
  70. 70Kay3,5380.3%
  71. 71Marjorie3,5170.3%
  72. 72Roberta3,3960.3%
  73. 73Jacqueline3,3880.3%
  74. 74Irene3,3700.3%
  75. 75Sue3,3590.3%
  76. 76Darlene3,3440.3%
  77. 77Arlene3,2910.3%
  78. 78Eleanor3,2500.3%
  79. 79Connie3,2050.3%
  80. 80Delores3,1600.3%
  81. 81Loretta3,1000.3%
  82. 82Anne3,0960.3%
  83. 83Marlene3,0680.3%
  84. 84Juanita3,0440.3%
  85. 85Katherine3,0040.2%
  86. 86Rebecca2,9240.2%
  87. 87Kathryn2,8690.2%
  88. 88Julia2,8440.2%
  89. 89Edna2,8350.2%
  90. 90June2,7660.2%
  91. 91Anita2,7400.2%
  92. 92Josephine2,7260.2%
  93. 93Lorraine2,6880.2%
  94. 94Rosemary2,6770.2%
  95. 95Theresa2,6750.2%
  96. 96Glenda2,6430.2%
  97. 97Suzanne2,6110.2%
  98. 98Jeanette2,5960.2%
  99. 99Emma2,5460.2%
  100. 100Diana2,5440.2%

Boys’ names

  1. 1James66,7515.4%
  2. 2Robert64,2475.2%
  3. 3John57,5204.7%
  4. 4William47,7983.9%
  5. 5Richard39,1123.2%
  6. 6Charles32,7422.7%
  7. 7David30,5532.5%
  8. 8Thomas26,6412.2%
  9. 9Ronald24,4072.0%
  10. 10Donald22,6411.8%
  11. 11Larry20,1341.6%
  12. 12Joseph19,8081.6%
  13. 13George19,2601.6%
  14. 14Jerry16,7991.4%
  15. 15Kenneth16,1431.3%
  16. 16Michael15,9351.3%
  17. 17Edward15,5801.3%
  18. 18Paul15,1661.2%
  19. 19Gary14,5681.2%
  20. 20Gerald10,9420.9%
  21. 21Frank10,7950.9%
  22. 22Raymond9,9510.8%
  23. 23Dennis9,5620.8%
  24. 24Harold8,1020.7%
  25. 25Roger8,0950.7%
  26. 26Walter7,7450.6%
  27. 27Billy7,6550.6%
  28. 28Henry7,1650.6%
  29. 29Carl7,1600.6%
  30. 30Joe7,1580.6%
  31. 31Daniel7,0500.6%
  32. 32Jack6,9500.6%
  33. 33Arthur6,7390.5%
  34. 34Lawrence6,6530.5%
  35. 35Bobby6,5890.5%
  36. 36Willie6,5260.5%
  37. 37Wayne6,1120.5%
  38. 38Ralph6,0400.5%
  39. 39Roy5,9500.5%
  40. 40Albert5,9270.5%
  41. 41Stephen5,8110.5%
  42. 42Eugene5,7540.5%
  43. 43Fred5,6190.5%
  44. 44Peter5,6070.5%
  45. 45Jimmy5,3360.4%
  46. 46Anthony5,2390.4%
  47. 47Howard5,0670.4%
  48. 48Harry5,0560.4%
  49. 49Norman4,4590.4%
  50. 50Louis4,4470.4%
  51. 51Bruce4,3020.4%
  52. 52Philip4,1660.3%
  53. 53Douglas4,1460.3%
  54. 54Leonard3,9860.3%
  55. 55Johnny3,9830.3%
  56. 56Melvin3,9510.3%
  57. 57Stanley3,9260.3%
  58. 58Earl3,8060.3%
  59. 59Dale3,7910.3%
  60. 60Francis3,7380.3%
  61. 61Ernest3,7260.3%
  62. 62Clarence3,6710.3%
  63. 63Marvin3,6260.3%
  64. 64Terry3,6060.3%
  65. 65Samuel3,5380.3%
  66. 66Don3,5330.3%
  67. 67Leroy3,5240.3%
  68. 68Bill3,4530.3%
  69. 69Frederick3,2880.3%
  70. 70Patrick3,1550.3%
  71. 71Tommy3,0870.3%
  72. 72Gene3,0730.3%
  73. 73Allen3,0600.2%
  74. 74Alfred3,0520.2%
  75. 75Russell3,0320.2%
  76. 76Herbert2,9640.2%
  77. 77Phillip2,8710.2%
  78. 78Eddie2,8500.2%
  79. 79Ronnie2,8480.2%
  80. 80Jim2,8430.2%
  81. 81Lee2,7420.2%
  82. 82Andrew2,7080.2%
  83. 83Ray2,6950.2%
  84. 84Alan2,6240.2%
  85. 85Martin2,6050.2%
  86. 86Glenn2,5230.2%
  87. 87Bernard2,5090.2%
  88. 88Tom2,5000.2%
  89. 89Jimmie2,4730.2%
  90. 90Steven2,4680.2%
  91. 91Barry2,4650.2%
  92. 92Gordon2,4040.2%
  93. 93Leon2,3750.2%
  94. 94Clifford2,3630.2%
  95. 95Theodore2,3300.2%
  96. 96Lloyd2,2520.2%
  97. 97Edwin2,2140.2%
  98. 98Franklin2,2050.2%
  99. 99Jesse2,1840.2%
  100. 100Curtis2,1640.2%

Percentages are each name’s share of all 1941 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.