Baby names of the 1940s

1940–1949 · United States

Mary was the most common girls’ name of the 1940s with 640,080 births, and James the most common boys’ name with 795,775.

Top 50 girls’ names of the 1940s

#	Name	Births
1	Mary	640,080
2	Linda	531,660
3	Barbara	425,271
4	Patricia	411,412
5	Carol	292,333
6	Sandra	265,538
7	Nancy	252,061
8	Sharon	221,237
9	Judith	218,037
10	Susan	212,016
11	Betty	194,623
12	Carolyn	181,858
13	Margaret	173,028
14	Shirley	171,780
15	Judy	167,719
16	Karen	167,700
17	Donna	165,523
18	Kathleen	152,981
19	Joyce	151,494
20	Dorothy	132,257
21	Janet	130,755
22	Diane	122,878
23	Janice	118,893
24	Joan	117,708
25	Elizabeth	116,551
26	Brenda	112,415
27	Gloria	105,055
28	Virginia	99,000
29	Marilyn	98,977
30	Martha	95,384
31	Beverly	95,122
32	Helen	90,742
33	Bonnie	86,886
34	Ruth	85,666
35	Frances	85,448
36	Jean	80,363
37	Ann	76,797
38	Phyllis	76,143
39	Pamela	73,121
40	Jane	72,537
41	Alice	72,392
42	Peggy	72,122
43	Cheryl	70,959
44	Doris	64,144
45	Catherine	62,086
46	Elaine	60,105
47	Cynthia	58,061
48	Marie	57,521
49	Lois	56,854
50	Connie	56,604

Top 50 boys’ names of the 1940s

#	Name	Births
1	James	795,775
2	Robert	758,126
3	John	711,614
4	William	556,478
5	Richard	477,476
6	David	426,372
7	Charles	361,772
8	Thomas	350,775
9	Michael	336,568
10	Ronald	282,489
11	Larry	255,908
12	Donald	247,834
13	Joseph	230,285
14	Gary	217,772
15	George	209,013
16	Kenneth	198,553
17	Paul	183,364
18	Edward	174,801
19	Jerry	167,257
20	Dennis	162,114
21	Frank	119,417
22	Daniel	112,778
23	Raymond	109,076
24	Roger	107,602
25	Stephen	106,812
26	Gerald	103,342
27	Walter	83,728
28	Harold	82,176
29	Steven	81,204
30	Douglas	80,760
31	Lawrence	80,461
32	Terry	76,965
33	Wayne	75,131
34	Arthur	73,968
35	Jack	73,919
36	Carl	72,739
37	Henry	72,488
38	Willie	72,422
39	Bruce	72,097
40	Joe	72,015
41	Peter	69,330
42	Billy	67,833
43	Roy	65,648
44	Ralph	64,983
45	Anthony	64,825
46	Jimmy	63,523
47	Albert	60,278
48	Bobby	58,890
49	Eugene	57,275
50	Johnny	57,200

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Source: U.S.A. Social Security Administration. Years 1880-2025. Names given to fewer than five babies in a year are withheld at source. namelegacy.org