Name Awesome

Most Popular Baby Names Of 1942

The 100 most-used girls’ and boys’ names among U.S. births in 1942 — 2,731,825 recorded births in total that year.

19411943 The 1940s as a wholeNames that peaked in 1942

Girls’ names

  1. 1Mary63,2564.7%
  2. 2Barbara44,7393.3%
  3. 3Patricia39,4652.9%
  4. 4Linda31,6132.3%
  5. 5Carol30,2722.2%
  6. 6Sandra24,9941.9%
  7. 7Judith24,7921.8%
  8. 8Nancy23,3271.7%
  9. 9Betty21,6591.6%
  10. 10Carolyn19,9781.5%
  11. 11Sharon19,6481.5%
  12. 12Shirley17,7501.3%
  13. 13Joyce16,7281.2%
  14. 14Margaret16,5491.2%
  15. 15Judy15,6671.2%
  16. 16Karen15,3871.1%
  17. 17Dorothy15,0371.1%
  18. 18Joan14,5141.1%
  19. 19Janet13,0651.0%
  20. 20Donna12,9871.0%
  21. 21Susan12,0150.9%
  22. 22Elizabeth11,1860.8%
  23. 23Virginia10,8030.8%
  24. 24Kathleen10,6960.8%
  25. 25Janice10,2860.8%
  26. 26Helen10,0160.7%
  27. 27Marilyn9,9060.7%
  28. 28Diane9,5510.7%
  29. 29Martha9,5130.7%
  30. 30Frances9,4710.7%
  31. 31Gloria9,4500.7%
  32. 32Beverly9,4110.7%
  33. 33Ruth9,3150.7%
  34. 34Bonnie8,8230.7%
  35. 35Carole8,4070.6%
  36. 36Jean8,2570.6%
  37. 37Phyllis7,7930.6%
  38. 38Ann7,6660.6%
  39. 39Alice7,3820.5%
  40. 40Brenda7,2410.5%
  41. 41Doris7,1760.5%
  42. 42Peggy6,5800.5%
  43. 43Marie6,5590.5%
  44. 44Lois6,4060.5%
  45. 45Elaine5,9860.4%
  46. 46Jane5,7070.4%
  47. 47Geraldine5,4370.4%
  48. 48Joanne5,3420.4%
  49. 49Catherine5,2670.4%
  50. 50Rose5,2530.4%
  51. 51Charlotte5,0220.4%
  52. 52Norma4,9710.4%
  53. 53Evelyn4,9400.4%
  54. 54Wanda4,7920.4%
  55. 55Rita4,7060.3%
  56. 56Sally4,6550.3%
  57. 57Patsy4,5590.3%
  58. 58Joann4,5060.3%
  59. 59Anna4,4880.3%
  60. 60Gail4,4450.3%
  61. 61Louise4,3430.3%
  62. 62Annie4,2930.3%
  63. 63Dolores4,2670.3%
  64. 64Ellen4,1970.3%
  65. 65Jo4,1750.3%
  66. 66Roberta4,1050.3%
  67. 67Sarah4,1000.3%
  68. 68Diana3,8570.3%
  69. 69Jacqueline3,8310.3%
  70. 70Connie3,8250.3%
  71. 71Mildred3,8080.3%
  72. 72Sylvia3,7280.3%
  73. 73Sue3,6310.3%
  74. 74Marjorie3,6250.3%
  75. 75Kay3,6220.3%
  76. 76Anne3,5260.3%
  77. 77Ruby3,5190.3%
  78. 78Darlene3,5170.3%
  79. 79Loretta3,4060.3%
  80. 80Irene3,3830.3%
  81. 81Katherine3,3760.2%
  82. 82Kathryn3,3500.2%
  83. 83Arlene3,3310.2%
  84. 84Marlene3,2530.2%
  85. 85Rebecca3,2410.2%
  86. 86Delores3,1710.2%
  87. 87Eleanor3,1650.2%
  88. 88Eileen3,1080.2%
  89. 89Glenda3,0890.2%
  90. 90Juanita3,0740.2%
  91. 91Lorraine3,0100.2%
  92. 92Rosemary3,0050.2%
  93. 93Anita2,9980.2%
  94. 94Sheila2,9730.2%
  95. 95Julia2,9060.2%
  96. 96Christine2,9000.2%
  97. 97Maria2,8170.2%
  98. 98Theresa2,7990.2%
  99. 99Edna2,7640.2%
  100. 100Josephine2,7480.2%

Boys’ names

  1. 1James77,1825.6%
  2. 2Robert71,8455.2%
  3. 3John66,0434.8%
  4. 4William54,8904.0%
  5. 5Richard43,5933.2%
  6. 6David35,9052.6%
  7. 7Charles35,8542.6%
  8. 8Thomas31,1002.3%
  9. 9Ronald27,1382.0%
  10. 10Donald23,9551.7%
  11. 11Joseph22,4291.6%
  12. 12Larry22,0991.6%
  13. 13Michael21,7281.6%
  14. 14George21,2751.5%
  15. 15Kenneth18,2101.3%
  16. 16Jerry17,4881.3%
  17. 17Edward17,4701.3%
  18. 18Gary17,0681.2%
  19. 19Paul16,4921.2%
  20. 20Dennis13,2811.0%
  21. 21Frank12,2480.9%
  22. 22Gerald11,4840.8%
  23. 23Douglas11,2330.8%
  24. 24Raymond11,1160.8%
  25. 25Roger9,1740.7%
  26. 26Walter8,6820.6%
  27. 27Harold8,5820.6%
  28. 28Daniel8,5070.6%
  29. 29Arthur8,0270.6%
  30. 30Lawrence7,6390.6%
  31. 31Henry7,5610.5%
  32. 32Stephen7,5030.5%
  33. 33Joe7,3830.5%
  34. 34Jack7,3650.5%
  35. 35Billy7,3130.5%
  36. 36Carl7,2680.5%
  37. 37Willie7,0940.5%
  38. 38Ralph6,6370.5%
  39. 39Peter6,5870.5%
  40. 40Albert6,4960.5%
  41. 41Wayne6,4840.5%
  42. 42Roy6,3110.5%
  43. 43Bobby6,2480.5%
  44. 44Anthony6,2100.4%
  45. 45Eugene6,0920.4%
  46. 46Fred6,0880.4%
  47. 47Jimmy5,9490.4%
  48. 48Harry5,6290.4%
  49. 49Howard5,5710.4%
  50. 50Bruce5,3850.4%
  51. 51Louis5,1510.4%
  52. 52Terry4,8100.3%
  53. 53Norman4,6830.3%
  54. 54Philip4,6040.3%
  55. 55Johnny4,5880.3%
  56. 56Stanley4,5870.3%
  57. 57Leonard4,3700.3%
  58. 58Francis4,2970.3%
  59. 59Samuel4,1900.3%
  60. 60Melvin4,1880.3%
  61. 61Ernest4,0790.3%
  62. 62Earl4,0500.3%
  63. 63Dale3,8630.3%
  64. 64Patrick3,8040.3%
  65. 65Bill3,7940.3%
  66. 66Marvin3,7920.3%
  67. 67Clarence3,7410.3%
  68. 68Frederick3,7380.3%
  69. 69Leroy3,7170.3%
  70. 70Russell3,6760.3%
  71. 71Allen3,5710.3%
  72. 72Don3,5640.3%
  73. 73Tommy3,5320.3%
  74. 74Jim3,5140.3%
  75. 75Steven3,5050.3%
  76. 76Alfred3,4080.2%
  77. 77Phillip3,3730.2%
  78. 78Ronnie3,3630.2%
  79. 79Barry3,2090.2%
  80. 80Andrew3,1420.2%
  81. 81Alan3,1340.2%
  82. 82Gene3,1270.2%
  83. 83Herbert3,1130.2%
  84. 84Ray3,0670.2%
  85. 85Martin3,0450.2%
  86. 86Eddie3,0190.2%
  87. 87Lee2,9230.2%
  88. 88Glenn2,8880.2%
  89. 89Tom2,8750.2%
  90. 90Bernard2,7240.2%
  91. 91Theodore2,6650.2%
  92. 92Gordon2,6060.2%
  93. 93Leon2,5500.2%
  94. 94Jimmie2,5410.2%
  95. 95Clifford2,5330.2%
  96. 96Lloyd2,4620.2%
  97. 97Warren2,4230.2%
  98. 98Curtis2,4200.2%
  99. 99Victor2,3970.2%
  100. 100Jesse2,3960.2%

Percentages are each name’s share of all 1942 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.