The 1940 Baby Name Report

2,302,685 babies, 7,987 unique names — the risers, fallers, and brand-new arrivals of 1940

👑 #1 girls: Mary (61 years running) 👑 #1 boys: James 183 debuts

Top girls

  1. Mary56,214
  2. Barbara36,735
  3. Patricia32,667
  4. Judith22,385
  5. Betty22,077
  6. Carol21,759
  7. Nancy19,737
  8. Linda18,369
  9. Shirley17,880
  10. Sandra16,154

Top boys

  1. James62,481
  2. Robert61,194
  3. John54,784
  4. William44,781
  5. Richard37,425
  6. Charles31,690
  7. David27,691
  8. Thomas23,992
  9. Donald23,113
  10. Ronald20,740

Full top-50 rankings for 1940 →

🚀 Fastest risers

  1. Melanie #933 → #480 (+453)
  2. Lana #732 → #306 (+426)
  3. Judi #750 → #476 (+274)
  4. Paulette #679 → #452 (+227)
  5. Winston #432 → #310 (+122)
  6. Robin #586 → #468 (+118)
  7. Jeff #448 → #340 (+108)
  8. Melinda #486 → #383 (+103)
  9. Jeffrey #284 → #183 (+101)
  10. Jeanie #533 → #435 (+98)

📉 Biggest fallers

  1. Arleen #303 → #418 (−115)
  2. Olive #441 → #528 (−87)
  3. Angelina #375 → #450 (−75)
  4. Laurel #339 → #406 (−67)
  5. Lenore #383 → #441 (−58)
  6. Jewel #311 → #367 (−56)
  7. Corinne #391 → #446 (−55)
  8. Ilene #397 → #451 (−54)
  9. Marlys #343 → #394 (−51)
  10. Madelyn #461 → #510 (−49)

✨ Never recorded before 1940

Sierra (32) Carloyn (13) Kathe (13) Lindola (13) Tamera (13) Willkie (13) Maeva (11) Bonni (9) Marcha (9) Rosslyn (9)

183 names appeared in SSA records for the first time ever in 1940.

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What were the most popular baby names in 1940?
Mary was the #1 girl name and James the #1 boy name in 1940, out of 2,302,685 recorded births.
What baby name rose fastest in 1940?
Melanie made the biggest jump in 1940, climbing 453 spots to #480.
How many new baby names appeared in 1940?
183 names were recorded by the SSA for the first time ever in 1940.