Most Popular Baby Names of the 1940s

The top U.S. baby names across the 1940s (1940–1949), totaled over the whole decade. The decade's #1 names were Mary for girls and James for boys.

Girls — Top 50

#	Name	Babies
1	Mary	640,070
2	Linda	531,658
3	Barbara	425,267
4	Patricia	411,412
5	Carol	292,330
6	Sandra	265,536
7	Nancy	252,058
8	Sharon	221,236
9	Judith	218,035
10	Susan	212,014
11	Betty	194,622
12	Carolyn	181,855
13	Margaret	173,025
14	Shirley	171,780
15	Judy	167,718
16	Karen	167,699
17	Donna	165,523
18	Kathleen	152,981
19	Joyce	151,493
20	Dorothy	132,255
21	Janet	130,754
22	Diane	122,877
23	Janice	118,892
24	Joan	117,708
25	Elizabeth	116,551
26	Brenda	112,414
27	Gloria	105,054
28	Virginia	98,998
29	Marilyn	98,977
30	Martha	95,386
31	Beverly	95,124
32	Helen	90,742
33	Bonnie	86,886
34	Ruth	85,664
35	Frances	85,447
36	Jean	80,364
37	Ann	76,797
38	Phyllis	76,142
39	Pamela	73,121
40	Jane	72,537
41	Alice	72,392
42	Peggy	72,121
43	Cheryl	70,959
44	Doris	64,142
45	Catherine	62,086
46	Elaine	60,104
47	Cynthia	58,060
48	Marie	57,521
49	Lois	56,854
50	Connie	56,604

Boys — Top 50

#	Name	Babies
1	James	795,767
2	Robert	758,115
3	John	711,600
4	William	556,469
5	Richard	477,472
6	David	426,365
7	Charles	361,760
8	Thomas	350,771
9	Michael	336,564
10	Ronald	282,478
11	Larry	255,907
12	Donald	247,829
13	Joseph	230,281
14	Gary	217,769
15	George	209,005
16	Kenneth	198,551
17	Paul	183,356
18	Edward	174,798
19	Jerry	167,250
20	Dennis	162,113
21	Frank	119,420
22	Daniel	112,776
23	Raymond	109,070
24	Roger	107,597
25	Stephen	106,810
26	Gerald	103,342
27	Walter	83,726
28	Harold	82,177
29	Steven	81,205
30	Douglas	80,757
31	Lawrence	80,459
32	Terry	76,966
33	Wayne	75,130
34	Arthur	73,966
35	Jack	73,920
36	Carl	72,739
37	Henry	72,486
38	Willie	72,419
39	Bruce	72,096
40	Joe	72,013
41	Peter	69,328
42	Billy	67,831
43	Roy	65,645
44	Ralph	64,980
45	Anthony	64,824
46	Jimmy	63,522
47	Albert	60,276
48	Bobby	58,890
49	Eugene	57,273
50	Johnny	57,199