Most Popular Baby Names of 1940

In 1940, Mary was the most popular name for girls, given to 56,216 babies, and James topped the boys' list with 62,481. Mary held on to number one for a 61st year in a row, and James took the top spot from Robert.

Social Security counted 1,143,528 girls and 1,159,172 boys born in 1940 under names given to at least five babies, spread across 5,028 different girls' names and 3,937 boys' names.

Top 100 names of 1940

Top girls' names, 1940
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1939
1	Mary	56,216	same
2	Barbara	36,736	same
3	Patricia	32,665	same
4	Judith	22,385	up 4
5	Betty	22,077	down 1
6	Carol	21,759	same
7	Nancy	19,737	same
8	Linda	18,370	up 7
9	Shirley	17,881	down 4
10	Sandra	16,153	up 3
11	Margaret	15,063	down 1
12	Dorothy	14,875	down 3
13	Joyce	14,801	down 1
14	Joan	13,292	down 3
15	Carolyn	12,657	down 1
16	Judy	11,382	up 12
17	Sharon	11,121	up 6
18	Helen	10,203	down 2
19	Janet	10,105	down 2
20	Elizabeth	9,955	down 2
21	Virginia	9,554	same
22	Janice	9,318	up 2
23	Donna	9,232	down 3
24	Ruth	8,888	down 2
25	Marilyn	8,704	down 6
26	Martha	8,695	up 1
27	Beverly	8,657	down 2
28	Frances	8,621	down 2
29	Jean	8,063	up 3
30	Gloria	8,026	up 6
31	Doris	7,767	down 2
32	Alice	7,603	down 1
33	Phyllis	7,416	down 3
34	Karen	7,283	up 5
35	Ann	7,196	down 2
36	Susan	6,756	up 8
37	Peggy	6,128	down 3
38	Lois	6,125	down 3
39	Bonnie	5,957	up 22
40	Kathleen	5,697	up 8
41	Marie	5,542	down 4
42	Brenda	5,442	up 44
43	Norma	5,334	down 5
44	Rose	5,198	down 2
45	Diane	5,172	up 6
46	Geraldine	5,150	down 5
47	Jane	5,091	down 1
48	Evelyn	4,982	down 8
49	Carole	4,790	down 2
50	Elaine	4,782	down 5
51	Anna	4,717	down 8
52	Wanda	4,708	down 2
53	Catherine	4,584	down 4
54	Joanne	4,418	down 1
55	Charlotte	4,291	up 11
56	Annie	4,216	down 2
57	Patsy	4,079	down 1
58	Mildred	3,938	down 3
59	Louise	3,928	same
60	Sarah	3,869	up 8
61	Sally	3,803	down 9
62	Sylvia	3,802	same
63	Joann	3,789	down 6
64	Marjorie	3,681	down 4
65	Gail	3,621	up 8
66	Ruby	3,619	up 1
67	Dolores	3,604	down 9
68	Eleanor	3,584	down 5
69	Loretta	3,502	down 4
70	Rita	3,442	up 8
71	Roberta	3,431	same
72	Jo	3,427	down 2
73	Irene	3,394	up 1
74	Ellen	3,318	up 6
75	Arlene	3,257	down 6
76	Jacqueline	3,215	down 4
77	Kay	3,200	down 1
78	Juanita	3,174	down 1
79	Darlene	3,120	down 4
80	Marlene	3,118	down 16
81	Sue	3,104	up 11
82	June	2,949	up 1
83	Delores	2,929	down 4
84	Anne	2,897	up 1
85	Rosemary	2,874	up 8
86	Edna	2,835	down 5
87	Anita	2,828	up 10
88	Connie	2,795	up 23
89	Josephine	2,744	down 5
90	Jeanette	2,727	down 8
91	Julia	2,709	same
92	Katherine	2,709	up 9
93	Wilma	2,621	down 6
94	Emma	2,606	down 5
95	Lorraine	2,579	same
96	Rebecca	2,555	up 38
97	Lillian	2,525	up 2
98	Edith	2,510	up 4
99	Audrey	2,501	down 1
100	Florence	2,467	down 4

Top boys' names, 1940
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1939
1	James	62,481	up 1
2	Robert	61,198	down 1
3	John	54,786	same
4	William	44,779	same
5	Richard	37,425	same
6	Charles	31,689	same
7	David	27,690	same
8	Thomas	23,991	up 1
9	Donald	23,115	down 1
10	Ronald	20,741	same
11	George	18,315	same
12	Joseph	18,208	same
13	Larry	17,199	up 1
14	Jerry	15,213	up 2
15	Kenneth	15,132	down 2
16	Edward	14,405	down 1
17	Paul	14,097	same
18	Michael	13,228	same
19	Gary	12,573	up 2
20	Frank	10,595	same
21	Gerald	10,236	down 2
22	Raymond	9,567	same
23	Harold	8,080	same
24	Dennis	7,845	up 10
25	Walter	7,723	same
26	Roger	7,598	up 2
27	Billy	7,596	down 3
28	Joe	7,216	down 1
29	Jack	7,048	down 3
30	Bobby	6,882	down 1
31	Henry	6,822	same
32	Carl	6,752	down 2
33	Arthur	6,510	down 1
34	Daniel	6,225	up 4
35	Willie	6,176	down 2
36	Lawrence	6,173	same
37	Ralph	5,838	down 2
38	Eugene	5,804	down 1
39	Wayne	5,727	same
40	Fred	5,581	same
41	Albert	5,572	same
42	Roy	5,565	same
43	Peter	5,049	up 3
44	Jimmy	4,962	down 1
45	Howard	4,824	up 2
46	Anthony	4,769	up 2
47	Harry	4,681	down 2
48	Norman	4,576	down 4
49	Stephen	4,423	up 16
50	Louis	4,324	down 1
51	Johnny	4,006	up 11
52	Earl	3,944	down 2
53	Melvin	3,935	down 2
54	Leonard	3,817	same
55	Bruce	3,789	up 9
56	Douglas	3,732	up 2
57	Dale	3,699	up 2
58	Ernest	3,698	down 3
59	Stanley	3,694	down 2
60	Philip	3,674	up 6
61	Francis	3,607	down 8
62	Don	3,547	down 6
63	Marvin	3,502	down 11
64	Clarence	3,487	down 4
65	Samuel	3,364	down 2
66	Leroy	3,311	down 5
67	Bill	3,267	same
68	Frederick	3,096	up 3
69	Alfred	3,062	up 1
70	Gene	3,060	down 1
71	Allen	3,029	up 1
72	Russell	3,012	up 1
73	Terry	2,982	up 10
74	Patrick	2,883	up 5
75	Herbert	2,875	down 7
76	Tommy	2,827	up 1
77	Ray	2,795	down 3
78	Jim	2,715	down 3
79	Phillip	2,628	up 13
80	Lee	2,624	down 2
81	Eddie	2,576	same
82	Bernard	2,468	down 6
83	Glenn	2,465	up 4
84	Andrew	2,431	same
85	Martin	2,423	up 6
86	Jimmie	2,408	down 6
87	Franklin	2,391	up 19
88	Alan	2,377	down 3
89	Leon	2,318	down 3
90	Theodore	2,306	same
91	Gordon	2,296	down 9
92	Tom	2,287	up 5
93	Jesse	2,205	up 6
94	Clifford	2,185	down 6
95	Jerome	2,178	down 2
96	Edwin	2,116	same
97	Curtis	2,103	up 1
98	Harvey	2,088	up 4
99	Bob	2,082	down 10
100	Lloyd	2,067	down 5

Biggest climbers in 1940

The names that gained the most ground within the top 1,000 compared with 1939.

Girls

Melanie: up 453 places, from 933rd to 480th
Lana: up 426 places, from 732nd to 306th
Vivien: up 412 places, from 986th to 574th
Tamara: up 360 places, from 876th to 516th
Judi: up 274 places, from 750th to 476th
April: up 250 places, from 925th to 675th
Michele: up 242 places, from 934th to 692nd
Daphne: up 237 places, from 940th to 703rd
Paulette: up 227 places, from 679th to 452nd
Jennifer: up 204 places, from 893rd to 689th

Boys

Jeffery: up 326 places, from 838th to 512th
Windell: up 296 places, from 845th to 549th
Reggie: up 257 places, from 915th to 658th
Leigh: up 217 places, from 986th to 769th
Tex: up 216 places, from 973rd to 757th
Gaylon: up 189 places, from 862nd to 673rd
Clint: up 174 places, from 995th to 821st
Meredith: up 169 places, from 841st to 672nd
Williams: up 169 places, from 886th to 717th
Fay: up 169 places, from 982nd to 813th

New to the top 1,000 in 1940

Girls

Suellen, 587th (its first time ever)
Lonna, 746th (its first time ever)
Kathie, 784th (its first time ever)
Bonny, 786th (back after dropping out)
Magnolia, 815th (back after dropping out)
Ilona, 824th (its first time ever)
Larry, 836th (its first time ever)
Rosario, 840th (back after dropping out)
Laraine, 843rd (its first time ever)
Susann, 847th (its first time ever)

Boys

Wilkie, 801st (its first time ever)
Jame, 806th (back after dropping out)
Nicolas, 807th (back after dropping out)
Bertrand, 820th (back after dropping out)
Gregg, 824th (back after dropping out)
Toney, 829th (back after dropping out)
Aurelio, 841st (back after dropping out)
Gonzalo, 852nd (back after dropping out)
Rick, 857th (its first time ever)
Crawford, 859th (back after dropping out)

How spread out were names in 1940?

The ten most popular girls' names went to 23.1% of the girls counted in 1940, and the top ten boys' names to 33.5% of the boys. In 1920, those shares were 23.2% for girls and 31.6% for boys.

Source: Social Security Administration, national baby name data, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.