Top names of the 1940s

The following table shows the 200 most popular given names for male and female babies born during 1940 - 1949. For each rank and sex, the table shows the name and the number of occurrences of that name. The 200 most popular names were taken from a universe that includes 15,155,050 male births and 14,893,790 female births.

**Popular names of the 1940s**
Rank	Name	Number	Name	Number
	Males		Females
1	James	795,647	Mary	639,999
2	Robert	758,005	Linda	531,615
3	John	711,526	Barbara	425,230
4	William	556,384	Patricia	411,389
5	Richard	477,385	Carol	292,316
6	David	426,294	Sandra	265,525
7	Charles	361,671	Nancy	252,030
8	Thomas	350,759	Sharon	221,218
9	Michael	336,559	Judith	218,007
10	Ronald	282,398	Susan	212,011
11	Larry	255,846	Betty	194,607
12	Donald	247,746	Carolyn	181,838
13	Joseph	230,242	Margaret	173,012
14	Gary	217,712	Shirley	171,763
15	George	208,968	Judy	167,710
16	Kenneth	198,502	Karen	167,689
17	Paul	183,336	Donna	165,514
18	Edward	174,769	Kathleen	152,973
19	Jerry	167,209	Joyce	151,490
20	Dennis	162,084	Dorothy	132,237
21	Frank	119,397	Janet	130,744
22	Daniel	112,767	Diane	122,868
23	Raymond	109,050	Janice	118,877
24	Roger	107,581	Joan	117,693
25	Stephen	106,781	Elizabeth	116,534
26	Gerald	103,323	Brenda	112,406
27	Walter	83,720	Gloria	105,035
28	Harold	82,144	Virginia	98,986
29	Steven	81,207	Marilyn	98,965
30	Douglas	80,755	Martha	95,375
31	Lawrence	80,441	Beverly	95,116
32	Terry	76,955	Helen	90,739
33	Wayne	75,117	Bonnie	86,876
34	Arthur	73,961	Ruth	85,650
35	Jack	73,920	Frances	85,431
36	Carl	72,727	Jean	80,364
37	Henry	72,454	Ann	76,793
38	Willie	72,394	Phyllis	76,135
39	Bruce	72,081	Pamela	73,113
40	Joe	71,993	Jane	72,529
41	Peter	69,340	Alice	72,381
42	Billy	67,809	Peggy	72,113
43	Roy	65,620	Cheryl	70,953
44	Ralph	64,952	Doris	64,134
45	Anthony	64,826	Catherine	62,076
46	Jimmy	63,504	Elaine	60,102
47	Albert	60,264	Cynthia	58,056
48	Bobby	58,871	Marie	57,517
49	Eugene	57,258	Lois	56,853
50	Johnny	57,179	Connie	56,595
51	Fred	56,646	Christine	54,561
52	Harry	56,235	Diana	53,684
53	Howard	53,523	Gail	53,140
54	Mark	50,734	Joanne	51,649
55	Alan	50,306	Rose	51,632
56	Louis	49,415	Wanda	50,771
57	Philip	48,733	Carole	50,304
58	Patrick	48,619	Rita	49,849
59	Dale	46,804	Charlotte	49,477
60	Danny	46,650	Jo	48,447
61	Stanley	46,262	Evelyn	48,160
62	Leonard	44,274	Geraldine	47,933
63	Timothy	43,497	Jacqueline	45,557
64	Gregory	43,237	Ellen	45,400
65	Samuel	43,127	Sally	45,343
66	Ronnie	42,446	Rebecca	45,309
67	Norman	42,164	Kathryn	44,582
68	Ernest	41,751	Deborah	44,060
69	Russell	41,323	Norma	43,022
70	Francis	39,523	Suzanne	41,403
71	Melvin	39,221	Anna	41,281
72	Earl	39,120	Sue	40,942
73	Frederick	39,098	Darlene	40,318
74	Allen	39,046	Patsy	40,275
75	Bill	37,760	Joann	40,010
76	Tommy	37,032	Sarah	39,974
77	Phillip	36,995	Katherine	39,916
78	Marvin	36,433	Paula	39,035
79	Steve	36,282	Annie	38,710
80	Don	36,240	Louise	38,651
81	Barry	36,189	Roberta	38,049
82	Clarence	36,188	Sylvia	37,283
83	Glenn	35,709	Anne	36,144
84	Jim	35,624	Theresa	35,787
85	Eddie	34,794	Sheila	35,735
86	Mike	34,644	Maria	35,559
87	Andrew	34,620	Laura	35,072
88	Jeffrey	34,344	Kathy	34,766
89	Leroy	33,849	Eileen	34,689
90	Alfred	31,989	Marcia	34,394
91	Martin	31,402	Rosemary	34,294
92	Lee	30,978	Glenda	33,344
93	Tom	29,883	Dolores	33,099
94	Ray	29,650	Mildred	33,065
95	Herbert	28,698	Lorraine	33,045
96	Gene	27,739	Marjorie	32,900
97	Bernard	26,445	Sherry	32,757
98	Theodore	26,242	Kay	32,649
99	Curtis	25,998	Anita	32,526
100	Keith	25,871	Dianne	32,291
101	Clifford	25,819	Ruby	31,869
102	Rodney	24,845	Irene	31,818
103	Gordon	24,463	Juanita	30,440
104	Jimmie	24,354	Maureen	30,259
105	Jesse	24,334	Loretta	30,119
106	Vincent	23,901	Jeanne	30,113
107	Warren	23,728	Constance	29,907
108	Lloyd	23,590	Lynn	29,386
109	Leon	23,575	Marlene	29,291
110	Jerome	23,108	Arlene	29,094
111	Edwin	22,970	Delores	28,501
112	Brian	22,795	Lynda	27,949
113	Victor	22,517	Julia	27,888
114	Bob	21,372	Marsha	27,408
115	Floyd	20,995	Charlene	26,780
116	Lewis	20,925	June	25,166
117	Harvey	20,756	Jeanette	24,721
118	Alvin	20,706	Edna	24,699
119	Clyde	20,705	Josephine	24,320
120	Craig	20,289	Eleanor	23,757
121	Vernon	20,033	Yvonne	23,672
122	Leslie	19,384	Vicki	23,491
123	Franklin	19,301	Vivian	22,913
124	Calvin	19,239	Emma	22,786
125	Jon	19,036	Georgia	22,391
126	Jay	18,661	Lillian	22,308
127	Charlie	18,251	Edith	22,146
128	Darrell	18,226	Pauline	21,908
129	Jackie	18,119	Wilma	21,193
130	Dan	18,009	Victoria	20,756
131	Allan	17,828	Ethel	20,578
132	Randall	17,778	Lucille	20,455
133	Joel	17,422	Florence	20,391
134	Gilbert	17,341	Sara	20,274
135	Benjamin	17,178	Margie	20,260
136	Lester	17,078	Thelma	20,229
137	Duane	17,069	Clara	20,026
138	Leo	16,958	Audrey	19,716
139	Tony	16,958	Grace	19,371
140	Herman	16,845	Teresa	19,330
141	Jose	16,813	Annette	19,176
142	Glen	16,546	Claudia	19,168
143	Johnnie	16,420	Gladys	19,056
144	Dean	16,358	Julie	19,036
145	Arnold	16,027	Marion	18,488
146	Lonnie	15,895	Gwendolyn	18,341
147	Christopher	15,873	Priscilla	18,122
148	Nicholas	15,507	Willie	18,097
149	Freddie	15,372	Esther	17,637
150	Chester	15,280	Eva	17,563
151	Eric	15,194	Andrea	17,061
152	Milton	14,872	Maryann	17,053
153	Cecil	14,838	Bernice	17,029
154	Lynn	14,197	Rosa	16,795
155	Manuel	14,187	Hazel	16,656
156	Randy	14,165	Billie	16,367
157	Roland	13,090	Bertha	16,224
158	Ted	13,025	Bobbie	16,197
159	Dwight	12,863	Gayle	16,197
160	Claude	12,815	Pat	16,150
161	Wesley	12,459	Maxine	16,070
162	Neil	12,433	Marian	16,041
163	Sam	12,351	Ella	15,974
164	Scott	12,166	Paulette	15,901
165	Dave	11,742	Joy	15,567
166	Wallace	11,462	Beatrice	15,559
167	Kevin	11,291	Cathy	15,552
168	Hugh	10,991	Lillie	15,354
169	Donnie	10,984	Janis	14,861
170	Elmer	10,874	Leslie	14,856
171	Micheal	10,619	Ida	14,292
172	Willard	10,595	Lynne	14,236
173	Juan	10,552	Deanna	13,737
174	Maurice	10,480	Faye	13,708
175	Garry	10,317	Terry	13,700
176	Jessie	10,314	Valerie	13,691
177	Marshall	10,237	Rachel	13,414
178	Oscar	10,187	Emily	13,408
179	Edgar	9,805	Lucy	13,128
180	Karl	9,729	Janie	13,117
181	Marion	9,666	Penny	13,114
182	Sidney	9,609	Jackie	13,093
183	Stuart	9,530	Harriet	12,923
184	Nathaniel	9,490	Regina	12,715
185	Alexander	9,483	Rosalie	12,586
186	Sammy	9,357	Alma	12,401
187	Everett	9,310	Angela	12,259
188	Benny	9,298	Vera	12,188
189	Guy	8,948	Jessie	12,148
190	Virgil	8,946	Marianne	11,945
191	Morris	8,801	Stephanie	11,938
192	Matthew	8,763	Jill	11,866
193	Earnest	8,703	Mattie	11,776
194	Lyle	8,618	Minnie	11,735
195	Max	8,524	Caroline	11,627
196	Bennie	8,479	Michele	11,600
197	Wendell	8,376	Veronica	11,528
198	Kent	8,346	Patty	11,416
199	Jonathan	8,299	Rosie	11,404
200	Fredrick	8,228	Stella	11,359
	Source: 100% sample based on Social Security card application data as of the end of February 2016. See the limitations of this data source.