Birth year roster

Top names in 1941

The 100 most common names on 1941 birth certificates, for girls and boys, ranked by SSA records.

Mary and James led the 1941 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, 150 are now endangered or extinct; the tag on each shows where it stands today.

Explore the 1940s decade

Girls

#1Mary Endangered58,048
#2Barbara Endangered39,543
#3Patricia Endangered36,905
#4Carol Endangered24,187
#5Linda Endangered23,721
#6Judith Endangered23,320
#7Betty Endangered20,905
#8Nancy Endangered20,885
#9Sandra Endangered19,500
#10Shirley Endangered16,954
#11Carolyn Endangered16,273
#12Margaret Endangered15,696
#13Joyce Endangered15,684
#14Dorothy Endangered14,566
#15Sharon Endangered14,272
#16Judy Endangered13,968
#17Joan Endangered13,380
#18Janet Endangered11,136
#19Karen Endangered10,831
#20Donna Endangered10,446
#21Elizabeth Stable10,267
#22Janice Endangered10,061
#23Virginia Endangered10,043
#24Helen Endangered9,887
#25Martha Endangered9,156
#26Gloria Endangered9,008
#27Susan Endangered8,889
#28Ruth Endangered8,863
#29Beverly Endangered8,727
#30Marilyn Endangered8,556
#31Frances Endangered8,468
#32Jean Endangered7,840
#33Bonnie Endangered7,762
#34Alice Stable7,445
#35Phyllis Endangered7,346
#36Kathleen Endangered7,160
#37Ann Endangered7,121
#38Doris Endangered7,081
#39Peggy Endangered6,561
#40Diane Endangered6,427
#41Brenda Endangered6,332
#42Marie Endangered6,152
#43Lois Endangered6,105
#44Elaine Rising5,376
#45Geraldine Endangered5,229
#46Jane Stable5,090
#47Norma Endangered5,021
#48Carole Endangered4,966
#49Rose Stable4,955
#50Evelyn Stable4,928
#51Catherine Endangered4,884
#52Patsy Endangered4,788
#53Wanda Endangered4,735
#54Joanne Endangered4,665
#55Charlotte Stable4,564
#56Anna Declining4,432
#57Dolores Endangered4,384
#58Joann Endangered4,275
#59Annie Rising4,073
#60Sarah Endangered3,982
#61Sally Endangered3,965
#62Louise Endangered3,910
#63Rita Endangered3,879
#64Mildred Endangered3,846
#65Sylvia Rising3,788
#66Jo Endangered3,757
#67Ellen Endangered3,664
#68Gail Endangered3,609
#69Ruby Stable3,581
#70Kay Endangered3,538
#71Marjorie Endangered3,517
#72Roberta Endangered3,396
#73Jacqueline Endangered3,388
#74Irene Endangered3,370
#75Sue Endangered3,359
#76Darlene Endangered3,344
#77Arlene Endangered3,291
#78Eleanor Rising3,250
#79Connie Endangered3,205
#80Delores Endangered3,160
#81Loretta Rising3,100
#82Anne Endangered3,096
#83Marlene Endangered3,068
#84Juanita Endangered3,044
#85Katherine Declining3,004
#86Rebecca Endangered2,924
#87Kathryn Endangered2,869
#88Julia Stable2,844
#89Edna Endangered2,835
#90June Rising2,766
#91Anita Endangered2,740
#92Josephine Rising2,726
#93Lorraine Endangered2,688
#94Rosemary Rising2,677
#95Theresa Endangered2,675
#96Glenda Endangered2,643
#97Suzanne Endangered2,611
#98Jeanette Endangered2,596
#99Emma Declining2,546
#100Diana Stable2,544

Boys

#1James Stable66,751
#2Robert Endangered64,247
#3John Past peak57,520
#4William Declining47,798
#5Richard Endangered39,112
#6Charles Stable32,742
#7David Past peak30,553
#8Thomas Stable26,641
#9Ronald Endangered24,407
#10Donald Endangered22,641
#11Larry Endangered20,134
#12Joseph Declining19,808
#13George Stable19,260
#14Jerry Endangered16,799
#15Kenneth Endangered16,143
#16Michael Past peak15,935
#17Edward Endangered15,580
#18Paul Endangered15,166
#19Gary Endangered14,568
#20Gerald Endangered10,942
#21Frank Endangered10,795
#22Raymond Endangered9,951
#23Dennis Endangered9,562
#24Harold Endangered8,102
#25Roger Endangered8,095
#26Walter Stable7,745
#27Billy Endangered7,655
#28Henry Stable7,165
#29Carl Endangered7,160
#30Joe Endangered7,158
#31Daniel Declining7,050
#32Jack Stable6,950
#33Arthur Rising6,739
#34Lawrence Endangered6,653
#35Bobby Endangered6,589
#36Willie Endangered6,526
#37Wayne Endangered6,112
#38Ralph Endangered6,040
#39Roy Endangered5,950
#40Albert Endangered5,927
#41Stephen Endangered5,811
#42Eugene Endangered5,754
#43Fred Endangered5,619
#44Peter Stable5,607
#45Jimmy Endangered5,336
#46Anthony Declining5,239
#47Howard Endangered5,067
#48Harry Endangered5,056
#49Norman Endangered4,459
#50Louis Stable4,447
#51Bruce Endangered4,302
#52Philip Endangered4,166
#53Douglas Endangered4,146
#54Leonard Endangered3,986
#55Johnny Endangered3,983
#56Melvin Endangered3,951
#57Stanley Endangered3,926
#58Earl Endangered3,806
#59Dale Endangered3,791
#60Francis Stable3,738
#61Ernest Endangered3,726
#62Clarence Endangered3,671
#63Marvin Endangered3,626
#64Terry Endangered3,606
#65Samuel Stable3,538
#66Don Endangered3,533
#67Leroy Endangered3,524
#68Bill Endangered3,453
#69Frederick Stable3,288
#70Patrick Declining3,155
#71Tommy Endangered3,087
#72Gene Endangered3,073
#73Allen Endangered3,060
#74Alfred Endangered3,052
#75Russell Stable3,032
#76Herbert Endangered2,964
#77Phillip Endangered2,871
#78Eddie Endangered2,850
#79Ronnie Endangered2,848
#80Jim Endangered2,843
#81Lee Endangered2,742
#82Andrew Declining2,708
#83Ray Endangered2,695
#84Alan Stable2,624
#85Martin Stable2,605
#86Glenn Endangered2,523
#87Bernard Endangered2,509
#88Tom Endangered2,500
#89Jimmie Endangered2,473
#90Steven Endangered2,468
#91Barry Endangered2,465
#92Gordon Endangered2,404
#93Leon Rising2,375
#94Clifford Endangered2,363
#95Theodore Rising2,330
#96Lloyd Endangered2,252
#97Edwin Stable2,214
#98Franklin Stable2,205
#99Jesse Stable2,184
#100Curtis Endangered2,164