NAMES BY DECADE
Most popular baby names of the 1940s
Top 50 U.S. baby names by total births in the 1940s (1940–1949). Data from the Social Security Administration.
| # | Name | Gender | 1940s births | Total (all years) | Peak year | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James | M | 797,940 | 5,274,520 | 1947 | — |
| 2 | Robert | M | 759,721 | 4,869,849 | 1947 | — |
| 3 | John | M | 713,188 | 5,204,377 | 1947 | — |
| 4 | Mary | F | 641,915 | 4,156,654 | 1921 | — |
| 5 | William | M | 557,507 | 4,215,725 | 1947 | — |
| 6 | Linda | F | 532,438 | 1,458,899 | 1947 | — |
| 7 | Richard | M | 478,097 | 2,587,082 | 1946 | — |
| 8 | David | M | 426,869 | 3,689,613 | 1955 | — |
| 9 | Barbara | F | 425,880 | 1,440,831 | 1947 | — |
| 10 | Patricia | F | 412,094 | 1,578,584 | 1951 | — |
| 11 | Charles | M | 362,752 | 2,447,135 | 1947 | — |
| 12 | Thomas | M | 351,239 | 2,367,087 | 1952 | — |
| 13 | Michael | M | 337,518 | 4,448,633 | 1957 | — |
| 14 | Carol | F | 293,809 | 825,584 | 1946 | — |
| 15 | Ronald | M | 282,774 | 1,086,091 | 1947 | — |
| 16 | Sandra | F | 265,740 | 878,223 | 1947 | — |
| 17 | Larry | M | 256,115 | 811,148 | 1947 | — |
| 18 | Nancy | F | 252,208 | 1,007,393 | 1947 | — |
| 19 | Donald | M | 247,985 | 1,420,387 | 1934 | — |
| 20 | Joseph | M | 230,538 | 2,680,213 | 1956 | — |
| 21 | Sharon | F | 221,487 | 726,130 | 1947 | — |
| 22 | Judith | F | 218,268 | 455,955 | 1943 | — |
| 23 | Gary | M | 217,921 | 905,438 | 1952 | — |
| 24 | Susan | F | 212,194 | 1,126,022 | 1955 | — |
| 25 | George | M | 209,774 | 1,497,260 | 1921 | — |
| 26 | Kenneth | M | 198,597 | 1,289,312 | 1957 | — |
| 27 | Betty | F | 194,932 | 1,004,857 | 1930 | — |
| 28 | Paul | M | 183,507 | 1,404,135 | 1957 | — |
| 29 | Carolyn | F | 181,913 | 558,397 | 1947 | — |
| 30 | Edward | M | 174,881 | 1,308,955 | 1924 | — |
| 31 | Margaret | F | 173,131 | 1,268,519 | 1921 | — |
| 32 | Shirley | F | 172,832 | 695,934 | 1935 | — |
| 33 | Jerry | M | 171,895 | 632,416 | 1947 | — |
| 34 | Karen | F | 167,835 | 990,774 | 1957 | — |
| 35 | Judy | F | 167,790 | 384,073 | 1947 | — |
| 36 | Donna | F | 165,584 | 833,874 | 1959 | — |
| 37 | Dennis | M | 162,178 | 623,692 | 1952 | — |
| 38 | Kathleen | F | 153,054 | 715,336 | 1951 | — |
| 39 | Joyce | F | 151,616 | 512,232 | 1942 | — |
| 40 | Dorothy | F | 132,374 | 1,115,908 | 1924 | — |
| 41 | Janet | F | 130,768 | 558,291 | 1954 | — |
| 42 | Diane | F | 122,919 | 520,034 | 1955 | — |
| 43 | Frank | M | 119,480 | 920,589 | 1918 | — |
| 44 | Janice | F | 118,892 | 407,605 | 1951 | — |
| 45 | Joan | F | 117,823 | 488,939 | 1932 | — |
| 46 | Elizabeth | F | 116,564 | 1,693,973 | 1990 | — |
| 47 | Daniel | M | 112,815 | 1,991,091 | 1985 | — |
| 48 | Brenda | F | 112,386 | 610,597 | 1957 | — |
| 49 | Raymond | M | 109,126 | 783,311 | 1924 | — |
| 50 | Roger | M | 107,620 | 443,830 | 1953 | — |
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