The 1941 Baby Name Report

2,436,425 babies, 8,085 unique names — the risers, fallers, and brand-new arrivals of 1941

👑 #1 girls: Mary (62 years running) 👑 #1 boys: James (2 years running) 177 debuts

Top girls

  1. Mary58,049
  2. Barbara39,543
  3. Patricia36,904
  4. Carol24,187
  5. Linda23,721
  6. Judith23,318
  7. Betty20,904
  8. Nancy20,883
  9. Sandra19,498
  10. Shirley16,955

Top boys

  1. James66,752
  2. Robert64,247
  3. John57,519
  4. William47,797
  5. Richard39,111
  6. Charles32,739
  7. David30,553
  8. Thomas26,643
  9. Ronald24,407
  10. Donald22,640

Full top-50 rankings for 1941 →

🚀 Fastest risers

  1. Leslie #427 → #288 (+139)
  2. Marc #530 → #407 (+123)
  3. Diann #603 → #485 (+118)
  4. Cathy #496 → #389 (+107)
  5. Cheryl #410 → #309 (+101)
  6. Jeffery #512 → #412 (+100)
  7. Pamela #251 → #155 (+96)
  8. Geoffrey #476 → #385 (+91)
  9. Melanie #480 → #393 (+87)
  10. Margo #381 → #297 (+84)

📉 Biggest fallers

  1. Truman #395 → #463 (−68)
  2. Cecile #372 → #439 (−67)
  3. Iva #328 → #391 (−63)
  4. Sybil #333 → #394 (−61)
  5. Sonia #388 → #446 (−58)
  6. Dorothea #344 → #401 (−57)
  7. Nolan #384 → #441 (−57)
  8. Corrine #456 → #513 (−57)
  9. Shirley #390 → #447 (−57)
  10. Edwina #421 → #476 (−55)

✨ Never recorded before 1941

Jerilynn (56) Elaina (15) Gloriajean (13) Ronica (12) Mardi (11) Meridee (11) Sherrian (11) Saford (11) Garon (10) Gerlad (10)

177 names appeared in SSA records for the first time ever in 1941.

Expecting in 2027?
From shortlist to first steps — track your baby's growth and milestones with MyBadak. Free to start.
Start with MyBadak →
What were the most popular baby names in 1941?
Mary was the #1 girl name and James the #1 boy name in 1941, out of 2,436,425 recorded births.
What baby name rose fastest in 1941?
Leslie made the biggest jump in 1941, climbing 139 spots to #288.
How many new baby names appeared in 1941?
177 names were recorded by the SSA for the first time ever in 1941.