Name Awesome

Most Popular Baby Names Of 1943

The 100 most-used girls’ and boys’ names among U.S. births in 1943 — 2,822,499 recorded births in total that year.

19421944 The 1940s as a wholeNames that peaked in 1943

Girls’ names

  1. 1Mary66,1744.7%
  2. 2Barbara43,4323.1%
  3. 3Patricia39,6202.8%
  4. 4Linda38,4392.8%
  5. 5Carol31,6862.3%
  6. 6Sandra25,9901.9%
  7. 7Judith25,2141.8%
  8. 8Sharon24,7121.8%
  9. 9Nancy23,9881.7%
  10. 10Betty21,5961.5%
  11. 11Carolyn20,3651.5%
  12. 12Shirley17,8161.3%
  13. 13Judy17,3831.2%
  14. 14Margaret17,1531.2%
  15. 15Karen16,8161.2%
  16. 16Joyce16,4851.2%
  17. 17Donna14,9121.1%
  18. 18Susan14,8881.1%
  19. 19Dorothy14,7931.1%
  20. 20Janet13,3161.0%
  21. 21Joan13,2320.9%
  22. 22Kathleen12,1530.9%
  23. 23Elizabeth11,6440.8%
  24. 24Diane11,3260.8%
  25. 25Virginia10,8470.8%
  26. 26Janice10,6510.8%
  27. 27Marilyn10,1450.7%
  28. 28Helen9,8000.7%
  29. 29Martha9,7040.7%
  30. 30Gloria9,6840.7%
  31. 31Frances9,4490.7%
  32. 32Beverly9,4350.7%
  33. 33Ruth9,3700.7%
  34. 34Bonnie8,8700.6%
  35. 35Brenda8,4350.6%
  36. 36Jean8,0960.6%
  37. 37Ann7,8290.6%
  38. 38Alice7,6480.5%
  39. 39Phyllis7,6100.5%
  40. 40Doris7,1280.5%
  41. 41Peggy6,5110.5%
  42. 42Carole6,5060.5%
  43. 43Lois6,1320.4%
  44. 44Jane6,0320.4%
  45. 45Marie5,9800.4%
  46. 46Elaine5,9660.4%
  47. 47Charlotte5,4820.4%
  48. 48Catherine5,4270.4%
  49. 49Joanne5,2700.4%
  50. 50Rose5,2060.4%
  51. 51Geraldine5,1890.4%
  52. 52Rita5,0110.4%
  53. 53Evelyn4,9120.4%
  54. 54Pamela4,8390.3%
  55. 55Gail4,8100.3%
  56. 56Wanda4,7050.3%
  57. 57Sally4,6590.3%
  58. 58Norma4,5420.3%
  59. 59Connie4,5120.3%
  60. 60Joann4,4640.3%
  61. 61Patsy4,3550.3%
  62. 62Diana4,3370.3%
  63. 63Jo4,3000.3%
  64. 64Anna4,2320.3%
  65. 65Jacqueline4,1890.3%
  66. 66Roberta4,1690.3%
  67. 67Ellen4,1520.3%
  68. 68Eileen4,0920.3%
  69. 69Annie4,0700.3%
  70. 70Louise4,0440.3%
  71. 71Sarah3,9900.3%
  72. 72Sue3,8500.3%
  73. 73Darlene3,7740.3%
  74. 74Dolores3,6980.3%
  75. 75Kathryn3,6470.3%
  76. 76Mildred3,6260.3%
  77. 77Sylvia3,6230.3%
  78. 78Katherine3,6160.3%
  79. 79Marjorie3,6080.3%
  80. 80Anne3,5350.3%
  81. 81Kay3,4940.3%
  82. 82Ruby3,4700.2%
  83. 83Glenda3,4030.2%
  84. 84Christine3,3160.2%
  85. 85Irene3,2990.2%
  86. 86Suzanne3,2800.2%
  87. 87Rebecca3,2700.2%
  88. 88Dianne3,1930.2%
  89. 89Loretta3,1690.2%
  90. 90Arlene3,1460.2%
  91. 91Juanita3,0850.2%
  92. 92Sheila3,0630.2%
  93. 93Paula3,0420.2%
  94. 94Lorraine3,0150.2%
  95. 95Julia2,9720.2%
  96. 96Marcia2,9700.2%
  97. 97Rosemary2,9660.2%
  98. 98Anita2,9520.2%
  99. 99Delores2,9290.2%
  100. 100Theresa2,9290.2%

Boys’ names

  1. 1James80,2785.6%
  2. 2Robert74,8925.2%
  3. 3John68,9294.8%
  4. 4William55,9043.9%
  5. 5Richard46,3393.2%
  6. 6David37,2402.6%
  7. 7Charles36,6322.6%
  8. 8Thomas32,8742.3%
  9. 9Ronald29,2392.0%
  10. 10Michael24,7451.7%
  11. 11Donald24,4211.7%
  12. 12Larry22,9781.6%
  13. 13Joseph22,8281.6%
  14. 14George21,6921.5%
  15. 15Kenneth19,1121.3%
  16. 16Gary17,8681.3%
  17. 17Jerry17,7301.2%
  18. 18Edward17,7131.2%
  19. 19Paul17,2531.2%
  20. 20Dennis14,1161.0%
  21. 21Frank12,2460.9%
  22. 22Raymond11,3910.8%
  23. 23Gerald11,3670.8%
  24. 24Roger10,7730.8%
  25. 25Daniel9,1680.6%
  26. 26Walter9,0350.6%
  27. 27Harold8,6700.6%
  28. 28Douglas8,2360.6%
  29. 29Stephen7,9320.6%
  30. 30Arthur7,7850.5%
  31. 31Henry7,6310.5%
  32. 32Lawrence7,5830.5%
  33. 33Carl7,4720.5%
  34. 34Jack7,3980.5%
  35. 35Joe7,3080.5%
  36. 36Willie7,1780.5%
  37. 37Billy7,0120.5%
  38. 38Roy6,9320.5%
  39. 39Peter6,8770.5%
  40. 40Ralph6,7710.5%
  41. 41Wayne6,7610.5%
  42. 42Jimmy6,4440.5%
  43. 43Albert6,3070.4%
  44. 44Anthony6,2020.4%
  45. 45Fred6,1680.4%
  46. 46Bobby6,1210.4%
  47. 47Eugene5,9020.4%
  48. 48Howard5,7390.4%
  49. 49Terry5,7370.4%
  50. 50Harry5,7200.4%
  51. 51Bruce5,4310.4%
  52. 52Johnny5,3810.4%
  53. 53Louis5,0330.4%
  54. 54Stanley4,6990.3%
  55. 55Leonard4,6170.3%
  56. 56Norman4,5220.3%
  57. 57Philip4,4730.3%
  58. 58Steven4,2670.3%
  59. 59Dale4,2350.3%
  60. 60Earl4,1860.3%
  61. 61Ernest4,1720.3%
  62. 62Samuel4,1430.3%
  63. 63Melvin4,0690.3%
  64. 64Francis4,0680.3%
  65. 65Bill3,9900.3%
  66. 66Marvin3,9390.3%
  67. 67Alan3,8550.3%
  68. 68Clarence3,8540.3%
  69. 69Patrick3,8480.3%
  70. 70Frederick3,8400.3%
  71. 71Ronnie3,8260.3%
  72. 72Don3,8170.3%
  73. 73Russell3,7520.3%
  74. 74Leroy3,7410.3%
  75. 75Jim3,6820.3%
  76. 76Allen3,6270.3%
  77. 77Tommy3,6110.3%
  78. 78Alfred3,4450.2%
  79. 79Andrew3,3520.2%
  80. 80Eddie3,2810.2%
  81. 81Phillip3,2510.2%
  82. 82Barry3,1930.2%
  83. 83Martin3,0810.2%
  84. 84Ray3,0630.2%
  85. 85Glenn3,0540.2%
  86. 86Herbert3,0440.2%
  87. 87Tom2,9090.2%
  88. 88Danny2,8980.2%
  89. 89Gene2,8650.2%
  90. 90Mike2,8030.2%
  91. 91Lee2,7890.2%
  92. 92Bernard2,7440.2%
  93. 93Steve2,6840.2%
  94. 94Clifford2,6670.2%
  95. 95Jimmie2,6280.2%
  96. 96Theodore2,6160.2%
  97. 97Victor2,6130.2%
  98. 98Gordon2,6080.2%
  99. 99Timothy2,5780.2%
  100. 100Curtis2,5250.2%

Percentages are each name’s share of all 1943 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.