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 15,155,311 male births and 14,894,029 female births.

**Popular names of the 1940s**
Rank	Name	Number	Name	Number
	Males		Females
1	James	795,660	Mary	640,023
2	Robert	758,018	Linda	531,631
3	John	711,528	Barbara	425,242
4	William	556,399	Patricia	411,393
5	Richard	477,396	Carol	292,321
6	David	426,293	Sandra	265,523
7	Charles	361,691	Nancy	252,037
8	Thomas	350,739	Sharon	221,223
9	Michael	336,533	Judith	218,017
10	Ronald	282,417	Susan	212,012
11	Larry	255,858	Betty	194,612
12	Donald	247,755	Carolyn	181,844
13	Joseph	230,239	Margaret	173,013
14	Gary	217,732	Shirley	171,773
15	George	208,986	Judy	167,711
16	Kenneth	198,512	Karen	167,689
17	Paul	183,330	Donna	165,519
18	Edward	174,765	Kathleen	152,978
19	Jerry	167,220	Joyce	151,484
20	Dennis	162,091	Dorothy	132,245
21	Frank	119,401	Janet	130,744
22	Daniel	112,756	Diane	122,869
23	Raymond	109,063	Janice	118,880
24	Roger	107,584	Joan	117,696
25	Stephen	106,789	Elizabeth	116,535
26	Gerald	103,325	Brenda	112,403
27	Walter	83,720	Gloria	105,041
28	Harold	82,152	Virginia	98,992
29	Steven	81,205	Marilyn	98,968
30	Douglas	80,755	Martha	95,378
31	Lawrence	80,439	Beverly	95,122
32	Terry	76,954	Helen	90,737
33	Wayne	75,118	Bonnie	86,876
34	Arthur	73,958	Ruth	85,657
35	Jack	73,915	Frances	85,431
36	Carl	72,729	Jean	80,364
37	Henry	72,465	Ann	76,792
38	Willie	72,401	Phyllis	76,134
39	Bruce	72,086	Pamela	73,116
40	Joe	72,000	Jane	72,531
41	Peter	69,334	Alice	72,387
42	Billy	67,820	Peggy	72,114
43	Roy	65,623	Cheryl	70,957
44	Ralph	64,963	Doris	64,132
45	Anthony	64,817	Catherine	62,078
46	Jimmy	63,508	Elaine	60,105
47	Albert	60,264	Cynthia	58,057
48	Bobby	58,878	Marie	57,516
49	Eugene	57,260	Lois	56,852
50	Johnny	57,184	Connie	56,595
51	Fred	56,655	Christine	54,567
52	Harry	56,239	Diana	53,689
53	Howard	53,525	Gail	53,139
54	Mark	50,729	Joanne	51,652
55	Alan	50,303	Rose	51,636
56	Louis	49,419	Wanda	50,772
57	Philip	48,731	Carole	50,304
58	Patrick	48,613	Rita	49,852
59	Dale	46,802	Charlotte	49,475
60	Danny	46,654	Jo	48,446
61	Stanley	46,265	Evelyn	48,159
62	Leonard	44,277	Geraldine	47,936
63	Timothy	43,490	Jacqueline	45,558
64	Gregory	43,219	Ellen	45,401
65	Samuel	43,120	Sally	45,342
66	Ronnie	42,452	Rebecca	45,308
67	Norman	42,166	Kathryn	44,581
68	Ernest	41,755	Deborah	44,059
69	Russell	41,326	Norma	43,025
70	Francis	39,518	Suzanne	41,402
71	Melvin	39,227	Anna	41,280
72	Earl	39,125	Sue	40,943
73	Frederick	39,103	Darlene	40,320
74	Allen	39,044	Patsy	40,277
75	Bill	37,758	Joann	40,012
76	Tommy	37,037	Sarah	39,973
77	Phillip	36,985	Katherine	39,911
78	Marvin	36,435	Paula	39,040
79	Steve	36,282	Annie	38,715
80	Don	36,246	Louise	38,653
81	Clarence	36,190	Roberta	38,048
82	Barry	36,188	Sylvia	37,282
83	Glenn	35,712	Anne	36,144
84	Jim	35,628	Theresa	35,792
85	Eddie	34,799	Sheila	35,739
86	Mike	34,644	Maria	35,563
87	Andrew	34,618	Laura	35,074
88	Jeffrey	34,341	Kathy	34,766
89	Leroy	33,855	Eileen	34,691
90	Alfred	31,991	Marcia	34,395
91	Martin	31,405	Rosemary	34,295
92	Lee	30,976	Glenda	33,347
93	Tom	29,881	Dolores	33,099
94	Ray	29,653	Mildred	33,064
95	Herbert	28,697	Lorraine	33,047
96	Gene	27,737	Marjorie	32,900
97	Bernard	26,444	Sherry	32,757
98	Theodore	26,243	Kay	32,650
99	Curtis	26,003	Anita	32,528
100	Keith	25,870	Dianne	32,292
101	Clifford	25,819	Ruby	31,871
102	Rodney	24,844	Irene	31,818
103	Gordon	24,461	Juanita	30,442
104	Jimmie	24,357	Maureen	30,259
105	Jesse	24,334	Loretta	30,118
106	Vincent	23,900	Jeanne	30,114
107	Warren	23,731	Constance	29,907
108	Lloyd	23,595	Lynn	29,384
109	Leon	23,576	Marlene	29,294
110	Jerome	23,106	Arlene	29,094
111	Edwin	22,968	Delores	28,501
112	Brian	22,789	Lynda	27,949
113	Victor	22,522	Julia	27,891
114	Bob	21,373	Marsha	27,410
115	Floyd	20,997	Charlene	26,779
116	Lewis	20,923	June	25,165
117	Harvey	20,757	Jeanette	24,723
118	Clyde	20,706	Edna	24,698
119	Alvin	20,705	Josephine	24,320
120	Craig	20,287	Eleanor	23,758
121	Vernon	20,033	Yvonne	23,672
122	Leslie	19,387	Vicki	23,492
123	Franklin	19,306	Vivian	22,914
124	Calvin	19,237	Emma	22,787
125	Jon	19,035	Georgia	22,390
126	Jay	18,663	Lillian	22,308
127	Charlie	18,260	Edith	22,146
128	Darrell	18,226	Pauline	21,910
129	Jackie	18,120	Wilma	21,192
130	Dan	18,014	Victoria	20,753
131	Allan	17,828	Ethel	20,580
132	Randall	17,776	Lucille	20,455
133	Joel	17,421	Florence	20,392
134	Gilbert	17,346	Sara	20,272
135	Benjamin	17,177	Margie	20,260
136	Lester	17,080	Thelma	20,230
137	Duane	17,067	Clara	20,028
138	Tony	16,959	Audrey	19,718
139	Leo	16,956	Grace	19,371
140	Herman	16,849	Teresa	19,329
141	Jose	16,816	Annette	19,176
142	Glen	16,545	Claudia	19,170
143	Johnnie	16,419	Gladys	19,059
144	Dean	16,356	Julie	19,034
145	Arnold	16,029	Marion	18,490
146	Lonnie	15,895	Gwendolyn	18,342
147	Christopher	15,871	Priscilla	18,122
148	Nicholas	15,507	Willie	18,098
149	Freddie	15,371	Esther	17,638
150	Chester	15,283	Eva	17,563
151	Eric	15,191	Andrea	17,060
152	Milton	14,873	Maryann	17,053
153	Cecil	14,837	Bernice	17,029
154	Lynn	14,200	Rosa	16,793
155	Manuel	14,188	Hazel	16,657
156	Randy	14,165	Billie	16,369
157	Roland	13,089	Bertha	16,225
158	Ted	13,026	Gayle	16,198
159	Dwight	12,861	Bobbie	16,197
160	Claude	12,814	Pat	16,151
161	Wesley	12,458	Maxine	16,071
162	Neil	12,432	Marian	16,041
163	Sam	12,350	Ella	15,973
164	Scott	12,161	Paulette	15,900
165	Dave	11,739	Joy	15,565
166	Wallace	11,464	Beatrice	15,561
167	Kevin	11,278	Cathy	15,551
168	Hugh	10,992	Lillie	15,353
169	Donnie	10,988	Janis	14,861
170	Elmer	10,874	Leslie	14,856
171	Micheal	10,618	Ida	14,291
172	Willard	10,596	Lynne	14,236
173	Juan	10,556	Deanna	13,739
174	Maurice	10,479	Faye	13,707
175	Garry	10,319	Terry	13,698
176	Jessie	10,317	Valerie	13,691
177	Marshall	10,239	Rachel	13,410
178	Oscar	10,188	Emily	13,408
179	Edgar	9,805	Lucy	13,128
180	Karl	9,723	Janie	13,118
181	Marion	9,667	Penny	13,114
182	Sidney	9,611	Jackie	13,090
183	Stuart	9,528	Harriet	12,922
184	Nathaniel	9,491	Regina	12,714
185	Alexander	9,479	Rosalie	12,587
186	Sammy	9,359	Alma	12,400
187	Everett	9,310	Angela	12,260
188	Benny	9,302	Vera	12,188
189	Guy	8,950	Jessie	12,148
190	Virgil	8,947	Marianne	11,944
191	Morris	8,801	Stephanie	11,936
192	Matthew	8,759	Jill	11,866
193	Earnest	8,704	Mattie	11,778
194	Lyle	8,618	Minnie	11,735
195	Max	8,522	Caroline	11,625
196	Bennie	8,478	Michele	11,604
197	Wendell	8,376	Veronica	11,528
198	Kent	8,347	Patty	11,416
199	Jonathan	8,298	Rosie	11,404
200	Fredrick	8,228	Stella	11,360
	Source: 100% sample based on Social Security card application data as of March 2018. See the limitations of this data source.