1940s
Top Names of the 1940s
The 1940s - World War II Era
Ranked by total babies named during 1940-1949
👧
Girl Names
30 names ranked
1
Mary
Peak: 1947
640,070
Best: #1
2
Linda
Peak: 1947
531,658
Best: #1
3
Barbara
Peak: 1947
425,267
Best: #2
4
Patricia
Peak: 1947
411,412
Best: #3
5
Carol
Peak: 1946
292,330
Best: #4
6
Sandra
Peak: 1947
265,536
Best: #5
7
Nancy
Peak: 1947
252,058
Best: #7
8
Sharon
Peak: 1947
221,236
Best: #8
9
Judith
Peak: 1943
218,035
Best: #4
10
Susan
Peak: 1949
212,014
Best: #5
11
Betty
Peak: 1940
194,622
Best: #5
12
Carolyn
Peak: 1947
181,855
Best: #10
13
Margaret
Peak: 1947
173,025
Best: #11
14
Shirley
Peak: 1940
171,780
Best: #9
15
Judy
Peak: 1947
167,718
Best: #11
16
Karen
Peak: 1949
167,699
Best: #11
17
Donna
Peak: 1947
165,523
Best: #10
18
Kathleen
Peak: 1949
152,981
Best: #9
19
Joyce
Peak: 1942
151,493
Best: #13
20
Dorothy
Peak: 1942
132,255
Best: #12
21
Janet
Peak: 1947
130,754
Best: #18
22
Diane
Peak: 1947
122,877
Best: #18
23
Janice
Peak: 1947
118,892
Best: #22
24
Joan
Peak: 1942
117,708
Best: #14
25
Elizabeth
Peak: 1949
116,551
Best: #20
26
Brenda
Peak: 1949
112,414
Best: #13
27
Gloria
Peak: 1947
105,054
Best: #23
28
Virginia
Peak: 1943
98,998
Best: #21
29
Marilyn
Peak: 1947
98,977
Best: #25
30
Martha
Peak: 1947
95,386
Best: #25
👦
Boy Names
30 names ranked
1
James
Peak: 1947
795,767
Best: #1
2
Robert
Peak: 1947
758,115
Best: #2
3
John
Peak: 1947
711,600
Best: #3
4
William
Peak: 1947
556,469
Best: #4
5
Richard
Peak: 1946
477,472
Best: #5
6
David
Peak: 1949
426,365
Best: #5
7
Charles
Peak: 1947
361,760
Best: #6
8
Thomas
Peak: 1949
350,771
Best: #8
9
Michael
Peak: 1949
336,564
Best: #5
10
Ronald
Peak: 1947
282,478
Best: #9
11
Larry
Peak: 1947
255,907
Best: #10
12
Donald
Peak: 1947
247,829
Best: #9
13
Joseph
Peak: 1947
230,281
Best: #11
14
Gary
Peak: 1947
217,769
Best: #12
15
George
Peak: 1947
209,005
Best: #11
16
Kenneth
Peak: 1947
198,551
Best: #15
17
Paul
Peak: 1947
183,356
Best: #17
18
Edward
Peak: 1947
174,798
Best: #16
19
Jerry
Peak: 1947
167,250
Best: #14
20
Dennis
Peak: 1947
162,113
Best: #16
21
Frank
Peak: 1947
119,420
Best: #20
22
Daniel
Peak: 1949
112,776
Best: #21
23
Raymond
Peak: 1947
109,070
Best: #22
24
Roger
Peak: 1949
107,597
Best: #22
25
Stephen
Peak: 1949
106,810
Best: #19
26
Gerald
Peak: 1942
103,342
Best: #20
27
Walter
Peak: 1947
83,726
Best: #25
28
Harold
Peak: 1947
82,177
Best: #23
29
Steven
Peak: 1949
81,205
Best: #20
30
Douglas
Peak: 1949
80,757
Best: #23
About 1940s Baby Name Rankings
These rankings show the most popular baby names in the United States during the 1940s (1940-1949), based on Social Security Administration data. Names are ranked by the total number of babies given each name across the entire decade.
Click on any name to see its complete history, including year-by-year popularity trends and regional data across all 50 states. You can also compare decades to see how naming trends have evolved over 147 years of American history.