Most popular baby names of 1940

In 1940, the most popular names for US babies were James for boys (62,481 babies, 5.4% of boys) and Mary for girls (56,214 babies, 4.9% of girls). The rest of the top five were Robert, John, William and Richard for boys and Barbara, Patricia, Judith and Betty for girls. SSA recorded 3,937 different boy names and 5,027 different girl names that year.

Top 100 boy names, 1940
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	James	62,481	▲ 1
2	Robert	61,194	▼ 1
3	John	54,784	–
4	William	44,781	–
5	Richard	37,425	–
6	Charles	31,690	–
7	David	27,691	–
8	Thomas	23,992	▲ 1
9	Donald	23,113	▼ 1
10	Ronald	20,740	–
11	George	18,313	–
12	Joseph	18,207	–
13	Larry	17,200	▲ 1
14	Jerry	15,213	▲ 2
15	Kenneth	15,131	▼ 2
16	Edward	14,404	▼ 1
17	Paul	14,097	–
18	Michael	13,228	–
19	Gary	12,573	▲ 2
20	Frank	10,596	–
21	Gerald	10,237	▼ 2
22	Raymond	9,568	–
23	Harold	8,078	–
24	Dennis	7,845	▲ 10
25	Walter	7,723	–
26	Roger	7,597	▲ 2
27	Billy	7,596	▼ 3
28	Joe	7,216	▼ 1
29	Jack	7,049	▼ 3
30	Bobby	6,882	▼ 1
31	Henry	6,822	–
32	Carl	6,752	▼ 2
33	Arthur	6,510	▼ 1
34	Daniel	6,225	▲ 4
35	Willie	6,175	▼ 2
36	Lawrence	6,173	–
37	Ralph	5,838	▼ 2
38	Eugene	5,802	▼ 1
39	Wayne	5,727	–
40	Fred	5,582	–
41	Albert	5,571	–
42	Roy	5,564	–
43	Peter	5,049	▲ 3
44	Jimmy	4,962	▼ 1
45	Howard	4,824	▲ 2
46	Anthony	4,769	▲ 2
47	Harry	4,681	▼ 2
48	Norman	4,576	▼ 4
49	Stephen	4,422	▲ 16
50	Louis	4,324	▼ 1
51	Johnny	4,006	▲ 11
52	Earl	3,945	▼ 2
53	Melvin	3,935	▼ 2
54	Leonard	3,817	–
55	Bruce	3,789	▲ 9
56	Douglas	3,732	▲ 2
57	Dale	3,699	▲ 2
58	Ernest	3,698	▼ 3
59	Stanley	3,693	▼ 2
60	Philip	3,674	▲ 6
61	Francis	3,607	▼ 8
62	Don	3,547	▼ 6
63	Marvin	3,502	▼ 11
64	Clarence	3,487	▼ 4
65	Samuel	3,362	▼ 2
66	Leroy	3,311	▼ 5
67	Bill	3,267	–
68	Frederick	3,096	▲ 3
69	Alfred	3,062	▲ 1
70	Gene	3,061	▼ 1
71	Allen	3,028	▲ 1
72	Russell	3,012	▲ 1
73	Terry	2,982	▲ 10
74	Patrick	2,883	▲ 5
75	Herbert	2,875	▼ 7
76	Tommy	2,827	▲ 1
77	Ray	2,795	▼ 3
78	Jim	2,715	▼ 3
79	Phillip	2,628	▲ 13
80	Lee	2,623	▼ 2
81	Eddie	2,576	–
82	Bernard	2,468	▼ 6
83	Glenn	2,465	▲ 4
84	Andrew	2,431	–
85	Martin	2,423	▲ 6
86	Jimmie	2,408	▼ 6
87	Franklin	2,391	▲ 19
88	Alan	2,377	▼ 3
89	Leon	2,318	▼ 3
90	Theodore	2,306	–
91	Gordon	2,296	▼ 9
92	Tom	2,287	▲ 5
93	Jesse	2,205	▲ 6
94	Clifford	2,185	▼ 6
95	Jerome	2,178	▼ 2
96	Edwin	2,116	–
97	Curtis	2,103	▲ 1
98	Harvey	2,088	▲ 4
99	Bob	2,082	▼ 10
100	Lloyd	2,067	▼ 5

Top 100 girl names, 1940
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	Mary	56,214	–
2	Barbara	36,735	–
3	Patricia	32,667	–
4	Judith	22,385	▲ 4
5	Betty	22,077	▼ 1
6	Carol	21,759	–
7	Nancy	19,737	–
8	Linda	18,369	▲ 7
9	Shirley	17,880	▼ 4
10	Sandra	16,154	▲ 3
11	Margaret	15,062	▼ 1
12	Dorothy	14,875	▼ 3
13	Joyce	14,802	▼ 1
14	Joan	13,292	▼ 3
15	Carolyn	12,657	▼ 1
16	Judy	11,383	▲ 12
17	Sharon	11,120	▲ 6
18	Helen	10,203	▼ 2
19	Janet	10,105	▼ 2
20	Elizabeth	9,956	▼ 2
21	Virginia	9,554	–
22	Janice	9,318	▲ 2
23	Donna	9,232	▼ 3
24	Ruth	8,887	▼ 2
25	Marilyn	8,703	▼ 6
26	Martha	8,695	▲ 1
27	Beverly	8,658	▼ 2
28	Frances	8,621	▼ 2
29	Jean	8,064	▲ 3
30	Gloria	8,026	▲ 6
31	Doris	7,767	▼ 2
32	Alice	7,603	▼ 1
33	Phyllis	7,416	▼ 3
34	Karen	7,283	▲ 5
35	Ann	7,196	▼ 2
36	Susan	6,756	▲ 8
37	Peggy	6,128	▼ 3
38	Lois	6,124	▼ 3
39	Bonnie	5,957	▲ 22
40	Kathleen	5,697	▲ 8
41	Marie	5,542	▼ 4
42	Brenda	5,442	▲ 44
43	Norma	5,334	▼ 5
44	Rose	5,198	▼ 2
45	Diane	5,172	▲ 6
46	Geraldine	5,150	▼ 5
47	Jane	5,092	▼ 1
48	Evelyn	4,982	▼ 8
49	Carole	4,790	▼ 2
50	Elaine	4,782	▼ 5
51	Anna	4,717	▼ 8
52	Wanda	4,708	▼ 2
53	Catherine	4,584	▼ 4
54	Joanne	4,418	▼ 1
55	Charlotte	4,291	▲ 11
56	Annie	4,216	▼ 2
57	Patsy	4,078	▼ 1
58	Mildred	3,938	▼ 3
59	Louise	3,927	–
60	Sarah	3,869	▲ 8
61	Sally	3,803	▼ 9
62	Sylvia	3,802	–
63	Joann	3,790	▼ 6
64	Marjorie	3,681	▼ 4
65	Gail	3,621	▲ 8
66	Ruby	3,619	▲ 1
67	Dolores	3,604	▼ 9
68	Eleanor	3,584	▼ 5
69	Loretta	3,502	▼ 4
70	Rita	3,442	▲ 8
71	Roberta	3,431	–
72	Jo	3,427	▼ 2
73	Irene	3,394	▲ 1
74	Ellen	3,318	▲ 6
75	Arlene	3,257	▼ 6
76	Jacqueline	3,215	▼ 4
77	Kay	3,200	▼ 1
78	Juanita	3,174	▼ 1
79	Darlene	3,120	▼ 4
80	Marlene	3,118	▼ 16
81	Sue	3,106	▲ 11
82	June	2,949	▲ 1
83	Delores	2,929	▼ 4
84	Anne	2,897	▲ 1
85	Rosemary	2,874	▲ 8
86	Edna	2,836	▼ 5
87	Anita	2,828	▲ 10
88	Connie	2,795	▲ 23
89	Josephine	2,744	▼ 5
90	Jeanette	2,727	▼ 8
91	Katherine	2,709	▲ 10
92	Julia	2,708	▼ 1
93	Wilma	2,621	▼ 6
94	Emma	2,606	▼ 5
95	Lorraine	2,579	–
96	Rebecca	2,555	▲ 38
97	Lillian	2,525	▲ 2
98	Edith	2,510	▲ 4
99	Audrey	2,501	▼ 1
100	Florence	2,468	▼ 4

Source: US Social Security Administration baby name data, 1940. Counts are Social Security card applications for US births; SSA leaves out names given to fewer than 5 babies in a year. Updated 2026-10-05. How these numbers are made.