Birth year roster

Top names in 1940

The 100 most common names on 1940 birth certificates, for girls and boys, ranked by SSA records.

Mary and James led the 1940 baby-name charts, the top names among Silent Generation births. Mary was the #1 girls’ name for 76 years in all (between 1880 and 1961); James was the #1 boys’ name for 13 years in all (1940–1952). Of the 200 names below, 148 are now endangered or extinct; the tag on each shows where it stands today.

Explore the 1940s decade

Girls

#1Mary Endangered56,216
#2Barbara Endangered36,736
#3Patricia Endangered32,665
#4Judith Endangered22,385
#5Betty Endangered22,077
#6Carol Endangered21,759
#7Nancy Endangered19,737
#8Linda Endangered18,370
#9Shirley Endangered17,881
#10Sandra Endangered16,153
#11Margaret Endangered15,063
#12Dorothy Endangered14,875
#13Joyce Endangered14,801
#14Joan Endangered13,292
#15Carolyn Endangered12,657
#16Judy Endangered11,382
#17Sharon Endangered11,121
#18Helen Endangered10,203
#19Janet Endangered10,105
#20Elizabeth Stable9,955
#21Virginia Endangered9,554
#22Janice Endangered9,318
#23Donna Endangered9,232
#24Ruth Endangered8,888
#25Marilyn Endangered8,704
#26Martha Endangered8,695
#27Beverly Endangered8,657
#28Frances Endangered8,621
#29Jean Endangered8,063
#30Gloria Endangered8,026
#31Doris Endangered7,767
#32Alice Stable7,603
#33Phyllis Endangered7,416
#34Karen Endangered7,283
#35Ann Endangered7,196
#36Susan Endangered6,756
#37Peggy Endangered6,128
#38Lois Endangered6,125
#39Bonnie Endangered5,957
#40Kathleen Endangered5,697
#41Marie Endangered5,542
#42Brenda Endangered5,442
#43Norma Endangered5,334
#44Rose Stable5,198
#45Diane Endangered5,172
#46Geraldine Endangered5,150
#47Jane Stable5,091
#48Evelyn Stable4,982
#49Carole Endangered4,790
#50Elaine Rising4,782
#51Anna Declining4,717
#52Wanda Endangered4,708
#53Catherine Endangered4,584
#54Joanne Endangered4,418
#55Charlotte Stable4,291
#56Annie Rising4,216
#57Patsy Endangered4,079
#58Mildred Endangered3,938
#59Louise Endangered3,928
#60Sarah Endangered3,869
#61Sally Endangered3,803
#62Sylvia Rising3,802
#63Joann Endangered3,789
#64Marjorie Endangered3,681
#65Gail Endangered3,621
#66Ruby Stable3,619
#67Dolores Endangered3,604
#68Eleanor Rising3,584
#69Loretta Rising3,502
#70Rita Endangered3,442
#71Roberta Endangered3,431
#72Jo Endangered3,427
#73Irene Endangered3,394
#74Ellen Endangered3,318
#75Arlene Endangered3,257
#76Jacqueline Endangered3,215
#77Kay Endangered3,200
#78Juanita Endangered3,174
#79Darlene Endangered3,120
#80Marlene Endangered3,118
#81Sue Endangered3,104
#82June Rising2,949
#83Delores Endangered2,929
#84Anne Endangered2,897
#85Rosemary Rising2,874
#86Edna Endangered2,835
#87Anita Endangered2,828
#88Connie Endangered2,795
#89Josephine Rising2,744
#90Jeanette Endangered2,727
#91Julia Stable2,709
#92Katherine Declining2,709
#93Wilma Endangered2,621
#94Emma Declining2,606
#95Lorraine Endangered2,579
#96Rebecca Endangered2,555
#97Lillian Declining2,525
#98Edith Endangered2,510
#99Audrey Declining2,501
#100Florence Endangered2,467

Boys

#1James Stable62,481
#2Robert Endangered61,198
#3John Past peak54,786
#4William Declining44,779
#5Richard Endangered37,425
#6Charles Stable31,689
#7David Past peak27,690
#8Thomas Stable23,991
#9Donald Endangered23,115
#10Ronald Endangered20,741
#11George Stable18,315
#12Joseph Declining18,208
#13Larry Endangered17,199
#14Jerry Endangered15,213
#15Kenneth Endangered15,132
#16Edward Endangered14,405
#17Paul Endangered14,097
#18Michael Past peak13,228
#19Gary Endangered12,573
#20Frank Endangered10,595
#21Gerald Endangered10,236
#22Raymond Endangered9,567
#23Harold Endangered8,080
#24Dennis Endangered7,845
#25Walter Stable7,723
#26Roger Endangered7,598
#27Billy Endangered7,596
#28Joe Endangered7,216
#29Jack Stable7,048
#30Bobby Endangered6,882
#31Henry Stable6,822
#32Carl Endangered6,752
#33Arthur Rising6,510
#34Daniel Declining6,225
#35Willie Endangered6,176
#36Lawrence Endangered6,173
#37Ralph Endangered5,838
#38Eugene Endangered5,804
#39Wayne Endangered5,727
#40Fred Endangered5,581
#41Albert Endangered5,572
#42Roy Endangered5,565
#43Peter Stable5,049
#44Jimmy Endangered4,962
#45Howard Endangered4,824
#46Anthony Declining4,769
#47Harry Endangered4,681
#48Norman Endangered4,576
#49Stephen Endangered4,423
#50Louis Stable4,324
#51Johnny Endangered4,006
#52Earl Endangered3,944
#53Melvin Endangered3,935
#54Leonard Endangered3,817
#55Bruce Endangered3,789
#56Douglas Endangered3,732
#57Dale Endangered3,699
#58Ernest Endangered3,698
#59Stanley Endangered3,694
#60Philip Endangered3,674
#61Francis Stable3,607
#62Don Endangered3,547
#63Marvin Endangered3,502
#64Clarence Endangered3,487
#65Samuel Stable3,364
#66Leroy Endangered3,311
#67Bill Endangered3,267
#68Frederick Stable3,096
#69Alfred Endangered3,062
#70Gene Endangered3,060
#71Allen Endangered3,029
#72Russell Stable3,012
#73Terry Endangered2,982
#74Patrick Declining2,883
#75Herbert Endangered2,875
#76Tommy Endangered2,827
#77Ray Endangered2,795
#78Jim Endangered2,715
#79Phillip Endangered2,628
#80Lee Endangered2,624
#81Eddie Endangered2,576
#82Bernard Endangered2,468
#83Glenn Endangered2,465
#84Andrew Declining2,431
#85Martin Stable2,423
#86Jimmie Endangered2,408
#87Franklin Stable2,391
#88Alan Stable2,377
#89Leon Rising2,318
#90Theodore Rising2,306
#91Gordon Endangered2,296
#92Tom Endangered2,287
#93Jesse Stable2,205
#94Clifford Endangered2,185
#95Jerome Endangered2,178
#96Edwin Stable2,116
#97Curtis Endangered2,103
#98Harvey Rising2,088
#99Bob Endangered2,082
#100Lloyd Endangered2,067