Birth year roster

Top names in 1942

The 100 most common names on 1942 birth certificates, for girls and boys, ranked by SSA records.

Mary and James led the 1942 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 Endangered63,256
#2Barbara Endangered44,739
#3Patricia Endangered39,465
#4Linda Endangered31,613
#5Carol Endangered30,272
#6Sandra Endangered24,994
#7Judith Endangered24,792
#8Nancy Endangered23,327
#9Betty Endangered21,659
#10Carolyn Endangered19,978
#11Sharon Endangered19,648
#12Shirley Endangered17,750
#13Joyce Endangered16,728
#14Margaret Endangered16,549
#15Judy Endangered15,667
#16Karen Endangered15,387
#17Dorothy Endangered15,037
#18Joan Endangered14,514
#19Janet Endangered13,065
#20Donna Endangered12,987
#21Susan Endangered12,015
#22Elizabeth Stable11,186
#23Virginia Endangered10,803
#24Kathleen Endangered10,696
#25Janice Endangered10,286
#26Helen Endangered10,016
#27Marilyn Endangered9,906
#28Diane Endangered9,551
#29Martha Endangered9,513
#30Frances Endangered9,471
#31Gloria Endangered9,450
#32Beverly Endangered9,411
#33Ruth Endangered9,315
#34Bonnie Endangered8,823
#35Carole Endangered8,407
#36Jean Endangered8,257
#37Phyllis Endangered7,793
#38Ann Endangered7,666
#39Alice Stable7,382
#40Brenda Endangered7,241
#41Doris Endangered7,176
#42Peggy Endangered6,580
#43Marie Endangered6,559
#44Lois Endangered6,406
#45Elaine Rising5,986
#46Jane Stable5,707
#47Geraldine Endangered5,437
#48Joanne Endangered5,342
#49Catherine Endangered5,267
#50Rose Stable5,253
#51Charlotte Stable5,022
#52Norma Endangered4,971
#53Evelyn Stable4,940
#54Wanda Endangered4,792
#55Rita Endangered4,706
#56Sally Endangered4,655
#57Patsy Endangered4,559
#58Joann Endangered4,506
#59Anna Declining4,488
#60Gail Endangered4,445
#61Louise Endangered4,343
#62Annie Rising4,293
#63Dolores Endangered4,267
#64Ellen Endangered4,197
#65Jo Endangered4,175
#66Roberta Endangered4,105
#67Sarah Endangered4,100
#68Diana Stable3,857
#69Jacqueline Endangered3,831
#70Connie Endangered3,825
#71Mildred Endangered3,808
#72Sylvia Rising3,728
#73Sue Endangered3,631
#74Marjorie Endangered3,625
#75Kay Endangered3,622
#76Anne Endangered3,526
#77Ruby Stable3,519
#78Darlene Endangered3,517
#79Loretta Rising3,406
#80Irene Endangered3,383
#81Katherine Declining3,376
#82Kathryn Endangered3,350
#83Arlene Endangered3,331
#84Marlene Endangered3,253
#85Rebecca Endangered3,241
#86Delores Endangered3,171
#87Eleanor Rising3,165
#88Eileen Stable3,108
#89Glenda Endangered3,089
#90Juanita Endangered3,074
#91Lorraine Endangered3,010
#92Rosemary Rising3,005
#93Anita Endangered2,998
#94Sheila Endangered2,973
#95Julia Stable2,906
#96Christine Endangered2,900
#97Maria Stable2,817
#98Theresa Endangered2,799
#99Edna Endangered2,764
#100Josephine Rising2,748

Boys

#1James Stable77,182
#2Robert Endangered71,845
#3John Past peak66,043
#4William Declining54,890
#5Richard Endangered43,593
#6David Past peak35,905
#7Charles Stable35,854
#8Thomas Stable31,100
#9Ronald Endangered27,138
#10Donald Endangered23,955
#11Joseph Declining22,429
#12Larry Endangered22,099
#13Michael Past peak21,728
#14George Stable21,275
#15Kenneth Endangered18,210
#16Jerry Endangered17,488
#17Edward Endangered17,470
#18Gary Endangered17,068
#19Paul Endangered16,492
#20Dennis Endangered13,281
#21Frank Endangered12,248
#22Gerald Endangered11,484
#23Douglas Endangered11,233
#24Raymond Endangered11,116
#25Roger Endangered9,174
#26Walter Stable8,682
#27Harold Endangered8,582
#28Daniel Declining8,507
#29Arthur Rising8,027
#30Lawrence Endangered7,639
#31Henry Stable7,561
#32Stephen Endangered7,503
#33Joe Endangered7,383
#34Jack Stable7,365
#35Billy Endangered7,313
#36Carl Endangered7,268
#37Willie Endangered7,094
#38Ralph Endangered6,637
#39Peter Stable6,587
#40Albert Endangered6,496
#41Wayne Endangered6,484
#42Roy Endangered6,311
#43Bobby Endangered6,248
#44Anthony Declining6,210
#45Eugene Endangered6,092
#46Fred Endangered6,088
#47Jimmy Endangered5,949
#48Harry Endangered5,629
#49Howard Endangered5,571
#50Bruce Endangered5,385
#51Louis Stable5,151
#52Terry Endangered4,810
#53Norman Endangered4,683
#54Philip Endangered4,604
#55Johnny Endangered4,588
#56Stanley Endangered4,587
#57Leonard Endangered4,370
#58Francis Stable4,297
#59Samuel Stable4,190
#60Melvin Endangered4,188
#61Ernest Endangered4,079
#62Earl Endangered4,050
#63Dale Endangered3,863
#64Patrick Declining3,804
#65Bill Endangered3,794
#66Marvin Endangered3,792
#67Clarence Endangered3,741
#68Frederick Stable3,738
#69Leroy Endangered3,717
#70Russell Stable3,676
#71Allen Endangered3,571
#72Don Endangered3,564
#73Tommy Endangered3,532
#74Jim Endangered3,514
#75Steven Endangered3,505
#76Alfred Endangered3,408
#77Phillip Endangered3,373
#78Ronnie Endangered3,363
#79Barry Endangered3,209
#80Andrew Declining3,142
#81Alan Stable3,134
#82Gene Endangered3,127
#83Herbert Endangered3,113
#84Ray Endangered3,067
#85Martin Stable3,045
#86Eddie Endangered3,019
#87Lee Endangered2,923
#88Glenn Endangered2,888
#89Tom Endangered2,875
#90Bernard Endangered2,724
#91Theodore Rising2,665
#92Gordon Endangered2,606
#93Leon Rising2,550
#94Jimmie Endangered2,541
#95Clifford Endangered2,533
#96Lloyd Endangered2,462
#97Warren Rising2,423
#98Curtis Endangered2,420
#99Victor Declining2,397
#100Jesse Stable2,396