The 1940s Baby Name Report

29,371,399 babies, 14,458 unique names — the risers, fallers, and brand-new arrivals of the 1940s

1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949
👑 #1 girls: Mary 👑 #1 boys: James 2,475 debuts

Top girls

  1. Mary640,070
  2. Linda531,658
  3. Barbara425,267
  4. Patricia411,412
  5. Carol292,330
  6. Sandra265,536
  7. Nancy252,058
  8. Sharon221,236
  9. Judith218,035
  10. Susan212,014

Top boys

  1. James795,767
  2. Robert758,115
  3. John711,600
  4. William556,469
  5. Richard477,472
  6. David426,365
  7. Charles361,760
  8. Thomas350,771
  9. Michael336,564
  10. Ronald282,478

Full top-50 rankings for the 1940s →

🚀 Fastest risers

  1. Alexis #8,798 → #685 (+8,113)
  2. Lauren #5,832 → #519 (+5,313)
  3. Jerilyn #5,071 → #639 (+4,432)
  4. Cheryle #4,585 → #622 (+3,963)
  5. Alana #4,171 → #749 (+3,422)
  6. Rickie #3,845 → #577 (+3,268)
  7. Caren #3,925 → #729 (+3,196)
  8. Kimberly #3,865 → #737 (+3,128)
  9. Cathie #3,746 → #653 (+3,093)
  10. Kerry #3,682 → #637 (+3,045)

📉 Biggest fallers

  1. Emogene #568 → #1,139 (−571)
  2. Ione #557 → #1,047 (−490)
  3. Tillie #636 → #1,105 (−469)
  4. Seymour #370 → #837 (−467)
  5. Philomena #660 → #1,112 (−452)
  6. Una #665 → #1,108 (−443)
  7. Dortha #549 → #989 (−440)
  8. Berniece #547 → #977 (−430)
  9. Leatrice #616 → #1,046 (−430)
  10. Bobbye #629 → #1,049 (−420)

✨ Never recorded before the 1940s

Kristi (656) Jerilynn (444) Kristie (378) Macarthur (357) Kathe (340) Cherri (321) Candyce (321) Deidra (306) Kristy (291) Cherlyn (282)

2,475 names appeared in SSA records for the first time ever in the 1940s.

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What were the most popular baby names in the 1940s?
Mary was the #1 girl name and James the #1 boy name in the 1940s, out of 29,371,399 recorded births.
What baby name rose fastest in the 1940s?
Alexis made the biggest jump in the 1940s, climbing 8,113 spots to #685.
How many new baby names appeared in the 1940s?
2,475 names were recorded by the SSA for the first time ever in the 1940s.