Most Popular Baby Names of 1941

In 1941, Mary was the most popular name for girls, given to 58,048 babies, and James topped the boys' list with 66,751. Mary held on to number one for a 62nd year in a row, and James held on to number one for a second year in a row.

Social Security counted 1,208,119 girls and 1,228,318 boys born in 1941 under names given to at least five babies, spread across 5,085 different girls' names and 4,002 boys' names.

Top 100 names of 1941

Top girls' names, 1941
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1940
1	Mary	58,048	same
2	Barbara	39,543	same
3	Patricia	36,905	same
4	Carol	24,187	up 2
5	Linda	23,721	up 3
6	Judith	23,320	down 2
7	Betty	20,905	down 2
8	Nancy	20,885	down 1
9	Sandra	19,500	up 1
10	Shirley	16,954	down 1
11	Carolyn	16,273	up 4
12	Margaret	15,696	down 1
13	Joyce	15,684	same
14	Dorothy	14,566	down 2
15	Sharon	14,272	up 2
16	Judy	13,968	same
17	Joan	13,380	down 3
18	Janet	11,136	up 1
19	Karen	10,831	up 15
20	Donna	10,446	up 3
21	Elizabeth	10,267	down 1
22	Janice	10,061	same
23	Virginia	10,043	down 2
24	Helen	9,887	down 6
25	Martha	9,156	up 1
26	Gloria	9,008	up 4
27	Susan	8,889	up 9
28	Ruth	8,863	down 4
29	Beverly	8,727	down 2
30	Marilyn	8,556	down 5
31	Frances	8,468	down 3
32	Jean	7,840	down 3
33	Bonnie	7,762	up 6
34	Alice	7,445	down 2
35	Phyllis	7,346	down 2
36	Kathleen	7,160	up 4
37	Ann	7,121	down 2
38	Doris	7,081	down 7
39	Peggy	6,561	down 2
40	Diane	6,427	up 5
41	Brenda	6,332	up 1
42	Marie	6,152	down 1
43	Lois	6,105	down 5
44	Elaine	5,376	up 6
45	Geraldine	5,229	up 1
46	Jane	5,090	up 1
47	Norma	5,021	down 4
48	Carole	4,966	up 1
49	Rose	4,955	down 5
50	Evelyn	4,928	down 2
51	Catherine	4,884	up 2
52	Patsy	4,788	up 5
53	Wanda	4,735	down 1
54	Joanne	4,665	same
55	Charlotte	4,564	same
56	Anna	4,432	down 5
57	Dolores	4,384	up 10
58	Joann	4,275	up 5
59	Annie	4,073	down 3
60	Sarah	3,982	same
61	Sally	3,965	same
62	Louise	3,910	down 3
63	Rita	3,879	up 7
64	Mildred	3,846	down 6
65	Sylvia	3,788	down 3
66	Jo	3,757	up 6
67	Ellen	3,664	up 7
68	Gail	3,609	down 3
69	Ruby	3,581	down 3
70	Kay	3,538	up 7
71	Marjorie	3,517	down 7
72	Roberta	3,396	down 1
73	Jacqueline	3,388	up 3
74	Irene	3,370	down 1
75	Sue	3,359	up 6
76	Darlene	3,344	up 3
77	Arlene	3,291	down 2
78	Eleanor	3,250	down 10
79	Connie	3,205	up 9
80	Delores	3,160	up 3
81	Loretta	3,100	down 12
82	Anne	3,096	up 2
83	Marlene	3,068	down 3
84	Juanita	3,044	down 6
85	Katherine	3,004	up 7
86	Rebecca	2,924	up 10
87	Kathryn	2,869	up 16
88	Julia	2,844	up 3
89	Edna	2,835	down 3
90	June	2,766	down 8
91	Anita	2,740	down 4
92	Josephine	2,726	down 3
93	Lorraine	2,688	up 2
94	Rosemary	2,677	down 9
95	Theresa	2,675	up 7
96	Glenda	2,643	up 11
97	Suzanne	2,611	up 12
98	Jeanette	2,596	down 8
99	Emma	2,546	down 5
100	Diana	2,544	up 17

Top boys' names, 1941
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1940
1	James	66,751	same
2	Robert	64,247	same
3	John	57,520	same
4	William	47,798	same
5	Richard	39,112	same
6	Charles	32,742	same
7	David	30,553	same
8	Thomas	26,641	same
9	Ronald	24,407	up 1
10	Donald	22,641	down 1
11	Larry	20,134	up 2
12	Joseph	19,808	same
13	George	19,260	down 2
14	Jerry	16,799	same
15	Kenneth	16,143	same
16	Michael	15,935	up 2
17	Edward	15,580	down 1
18	Paul	15,166	down 1
19	Gary	14,568	same
20	Gerald	10,942	up 1
21	Frank	10,795	down 1
22	Raymond	9,951	same
23	Dennis	9,562	up 1
24	Harold	8,102	down 1
25	Roger	8,095	up 1
26	Walter	7,745	down 1
27	Billy	7,655	same
28	Henry	7,165	up 3
29	Carl	7,160	up 3
30	Joe	7,158	down 2
31	Daniel	7,050	up 3
32	Jack	6,950	down 3
33	Arthur	6,739	same
34	Lawrence	6,653	up 2
35	Bobby	6,589	down 5
36	Willie	6,526	down 1
37	Wayne	6,112	up 2
38	Ralph	6,040	down 1
39	Roy	5,950	up 3
40	Albert	5,927	up 1
41	Stephen	5,811	up 8
42	Eugene	5,754	down 4
43	Fred	5,619	down 3
44	Peter	5,607	down 1
45	Jimmy	5,336	down 1
46	Anthony	5,239	same
47	Howard	5,067	down 2
48	Harry	5,056	down 1
49	Norman	4,459	down 1
50	Louis	4,447	same
51	Bruce	4,302	up 4
52	Philip	4,166	up 8
53	Douglas	4,146	up 3
54	Leonard	3,986	same
55	Johnny	3,983	down 4
56	Melvin	3,951	down 3
57	Stanley	3,926	up 2
58	Earl	3,806	down 6
59	Dale	3,791	down 2
60	Francis	3,738	up 1
61	Ernest	3,726	down 3
62	Clarence	3,671	up 2
63	Marvin	3,626	same
64	Terry	3,606	up 9
65	Samuel	3,538	same
66	Don	3,533	down 4
67	Leroy	3,524	down 1
68	Bill	3,453	down 1
69	Frederick	3,288	down 1
70	Patrick	3,155	up 4
71	Tommy	3,087	up 5
72	Gene	3,073	down 2
73	Allen	3,060	down 2
74	Alfred	3,052	down 5
75	Russell	3,032	down 3
76	Herbert	2,964	down 1
77	Phillip	2,871	up 2
78	Eddie	2,850	up 3
79	Ronnie	2,848	up 22
80	Jim	2,843	down 2
81	Lee	2,742	down 1
82	Andrew	2,708	up 2
83	Ray	2,695	down 6
84	Alan	2,624	up 4
85	Martin	2,605	same
86	Glenn	2,523	down 3
87	Bernard	2,509	down 5
88	Tom	2,500	up 4
89	Jimmie	2,473	down 3
90	Steven	2,468	up 29
91	Barry	2,465	up 18
92	Gordon	2,404	down 1
93	Leon	2,375	down 4
94	Clifford	2,363	same
95	Theodore	2,330	down 5
96	Lloyd	2,252	up 4
97	Edwin	2,214	down 1
98	Franklin	2,205	down 11
99	Jesse	2,184	down 6
100	Curtis	2,164	down 3

Biggest climbers in 1941

The names that gained the most ground within the top 1,000 compared with 1940.

Girls

Shari: up 308 places, from 878th to 570th
Laraine: up 225 places, from 843rd to 618th
Rubye: up 224 places, from 996th to 772nd
Sydney: up 220 places, from 761st to 541st
Holly: up 218 places, from 829th to 611th
Sharen: up 192 places, from 877th to 685th
Lynnette: up 176 places, from 941st to 765th
Sherrie: up 171 places, from 711th to 540th
Shelia: up 162 places, from 785th to 623rd
Jeri: up 160 places, from 804th to 644th

Boys

Lyndon: up 302 places, from 947th to 645th
Ricky: up 269 places, from 927th to 658th
Judy: up 214 places, from 987th to 773rd
Lindsey: up 213 places, from 924th to 711th
Sandra: up 180 places, from 917th to 737th
Cedric: up 172 places, from 952nd to 780th
Giles: up 171 places, from 973rd to 802nd
Lorin: up 164 places, from 946th to 782nd
Arlo: up 153 places, from 904th to 751st
Herb: up 153 places, from 944th to 791st

New to the top 1,000 in 1941

Girls

Jerilyn, 609th (its first time ever)
Portia, 767th (back after dropping out)
Delilah, 809th (back after dropping out)
Sharyn, 818th (its first time ever)
Sherri, 836th (its first time ever)
Suzan, 837th (its first time ever)
Nyla, 856th (its first time ever)
Trina, 857th (its first time ever)
Judyth, 866th (its first time ever)
Dinah, 877th (back after dropping out)

Boys

Ismael, 828th (back after dropping out)
Curt, 841st (back after dropping out)
Lawson, 843rd (back after dropping out)
Rosario, 855th (back after dropping out)
Lawrance, 875th (back after dropping out)
Issac, 880th (back after dropping out)
Joaquin, 881st (back after dropping out)
Sheridan, 885th (back after dropping out)
Adan, 888th (back after dropping out)
Antone, 889th (back after dropping out)

How spread out were names in 1941?

The ten most popular girls' names went to 23.5% of the girls counted in 1941, and the top ten boys' names to 33.6% of the boys. In 1921, those shares were 23.4% for girls and 31.7% 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.