The 200 most popular girls’ names of 1940
5,028 different girls’ names were recorded in 1940, covering 1,143,528 births. These are the top 200.
| # | Name | Births |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mary | 56,216 |
| 2 | Barbara | 36,736 |
| 3 | Patricia | 32,665 |
| 4 | Judith | 22,385 |
| 5 | Betty | 22,077 |
| 6 | Carol | 21,759 |
| 7 | Nancy | 19,737 |
| 8 | Linda | 18,370 |
| 9 | Shirley | 17,881 |
| 10 | Sandra | 16,153 |
| 11 | Margaret | 15,063 |
| 12 | Dorothy | 14,875 |
| 13 | Joyce | 14,801 |
| 14 | Joan | 13,292 |
| 15 | Carolyn | 12,657 |
| 16 | Judy | 11,382 |
| 17 | Sharon | 11,121 |
| 18 | Helen | 10,203 |
| 19 | Janet | 10,105 |
| 20 | Elizabeth | 9,955 |
| 21 | Virginia | 9,554 |
| 22 | Janice | 9,318 |
| 23 | Donna | 9,232 |
| 24 | Ruth | 8,888 |
| 25 | Marilyn | 8,704 |
| 26 | Martha | 8,695 |
| 27 | Beverly | 8,657 |
| 28 | Frances | 8,621 |
| 29 | Jean | 8,063 |
| 30 | Gloria | 8,026 |
| 31 | Doris | 7,767 |
| 32 | Alice | 7,603 |
| 33 | Phyllis | 7,416 |
| 34 | Karen | 7,283 |
| 35 | Ann | 7,196 |
| 36 | Susan | 6,756 |
| 37 | Peggy | 6,128 |
| 38 | Lois | 6,125 |
| 39 | Bonnie | 5,957 |
| 40 | Kathleen | 5,697 |
| 41 | Marie | 5,542 |
| 42 | Brenda | 5,442 |
| 43 | Norma | 5,334 |
| 44 | Rose | 5,198 |
| 45 | Diane | 5,172 |
| 46 | Geraldine | 5,150 |
| 47 | Jane | 5,091 |
| 48 | Evelyn | 4,982 |
| 49 | Carole | 4,790 |
| 50 | Elaine | 4,782 |
| 51 | Anna | 4,717 |
| 52 | Wanda | 4,708 |
| 53 | Catherine | 4,584 |
| 54 | Joanne | 4,418 |
| 55 | Charlotte | 4,291 |
| 56 | Annie | 4,216 |
| 57 | Patsy | 4,079 |
| 58 | Mildred | 3,938 |
| 59 | Louise | 3,928 |
| 60 | Sarah | 3,869 |
| 61 | Sally | 3,803 |
| 62 | Sylvia | 3,802 |
| 63 | Joann | 3,789 |
| 64 | Marjorie | 3,681 |
| 65 | Gail | 3,621 |
| 66 | Ruby | 3,619 |
| 67 | Dolores | 3,604 |
| 68 | Eleanor | 3,584 |
| 69 | Loretta | 3,502 |
| 70 | Rita | 3,442 |
| 71 | Roberta | 3,431 |
| 72 | Jo | 3,427 |
| 73 | Irene | 3,394 |
| 74 | Ellen | 3,318 |
| 75 | Arlene | 3,257 |
| 76 | Jacqueline | 3,215 |
| 77 | Kay | 3,200 |
| 78 | Juanita | 3,174 |
| 79 | Darlene | 3,120 |
| 80 | Marlene | 3,118 |
| 81 | Sue | 3,104 |
| 82 | June | 2,949 |
| 83 | Delores | 2,929 |
| 84 | Anne | 2,897 |
| 85 | Rosemary | 2,874 |
| 86 | Edna | 2,835 |
| 87 | Anita | 2,828 |
| 88 | Connie | 2,795 |
| 89 | Josephine | 2,744 |
| 90 | Jeanette | 2,727 |
| 91 | Julia | 2,709 |
| 91 | Katherine | 2,709 |
| 93 | Wilma | 2,621 |
| 94 | Emma | 2,606 |
| 95 | Lorraine | 2,579 |
| 96 | Rebecca | 2,555 |
| 97 | Lillian | 2,525 |
| 98 | Edith | 2,510 |
| 99 | Audrey | 2,501 |
| 100 | Florence | 2,467 |
| 101 | Thelma | 2,461 |
| 102 | Theresa | 2,441 |
| 103 | Kathryn | 2,438 |
| 104 | Pauline | 2,409 |
| 105 | Grace | 2,386 |
| 106 | Ethel | 2,373 |
| 107 | Glenda | 2,353 |
| 108 | Laura | 2,350 |
| 109 | Suzanne | 2,338 |
| 110 | Yvonne | 2,323 |
| 111 | Clara | 2,316 |
| 112 | Marcia | 2,273 |
| 113 | Lucille | 2,271 |
| 114 | Margie | 2,267 |
| 115 | Vivian | 2,261 |
| 116 | Gladys | 2,246 |
| 117 | Diana | 2,195 |
| 118 | Christine | 2,162 |
| 119 | Maria | 2,135 |
| 120 | Marion | 2,111 |
| 121 | Sara | 2,087 |
| 121 | Bernice | 2,087 |
| 123 | Hazel | 2,068 |
| 124 | Constance | 2,039 |
| 125 | Eileen | 2,034 |
| 126 | Annette | 2,004 |
| 127 | Priscilla | 1,970 |
| 128 | Willie | 1,937 |
| 129 | Jeanne | 1,927 |
| 130 | Sheila | 1,923 |
| 131 | Esther | 1,900 |
| 132 | Eva | 1,890 |
| 133 | Cynthia | 1,882 |
| 134 | Pat | 1,863 |
| 135 | Maureen | 1,810 |
| 136 | Deanna | 1,802 |
| 137 | Maxine | 1,785 |
| 138 | Georgia | 1,774 |
| 139 | Rosalie | 1,735 |
| 140 | Bertha | 1,730 |
| 140 | Beatrice | 1,730 |
| 142 | Marian | 1,694 |
| 143 | Lillie | 1,691 |
| 144 | Ida | 1,688 |
| 145 | Charlene | 1,686 |
| 146 | Ella | 1,671 |
| 147 | Bobbie | 1,632 |
| 148 | Rosa | 1,549 |
| 149 | Billie | 1,485 |
| 150 | Myrna | 1,471 |
| 151 | Elsie | 1,466 |
| 152 | Alma | 1,428 |
| 153 | Faye | 1,391 |
| 154 | Lucy | 1,382 |
| 155 | Paula | 1,372 |
| 156 | Maryann | 1,365 |
| 157 | Harriet | 1,363 |
| 158 | Jessie | 1,336 |
| 159 | Vera | 1,322 |
| 160 | Joy | 1,310 |
| 161 | Nellie | 1,300 |
| 162 | Bessie | 1,297 |
| 163 | Mattie | 1,292 |
| 164 | Emily | 1,269 |
| 165 | Lynda | 1,267 |
| 166 | Rachel | 1,264 |
| 167 | Dianne | 1,235 |
| 168 | Minnie | 1,229 |
| 169 | Gwendolyn | 1,222 |
| 170 | Agnes | 1,190 |
| 171 | Dixie | 1,170 |
| 172 | Caroline | 1,161 |
| 173 | Rosemarie | 1,129 |
| 174 | Rosie | 1,119 |
| 175 | Patty | 1,099 |
| 176 | Carrie | 1,093 |
| 177 | Gayle | 1,085 |
| 178 | Geneva | 1,069 |
| 179 | Naomi | 1,053 |
| 180 | Julie | 1,040 |
| 181 | Dora | 1,039 |
| 181 | Jeannette | 1,039 |
| 183 | Leona | 1,028 |
| 184 | Myrtle | 1,020 |
| 185 | Mae | 1,018 |
| 186 | Gertrude | 1,014 |
| 187 | Shelby | 1,006 |
| 188 | Velma | 986 |
| 189 | Jackie | 981 |
| 190 | Viola | 966 |
| 191 | Cora | 965 |
| 192 | Stella | 962 |
| 193 | Lynn | 957 |
| 194 | Claire | 950 |
| 195 | Alberta | 927 |
| 196 | Nina | 911 |
| 197 | Pearl | 907 |
| 198 | Hattie | 893 |
| 199 | Sondra | 879 |
| 200 | Madeline | 874 |
Source: US Social Security Administration national baby-name files. A name given to fewer than five girls in 1940 is not published, so it is missing from both the count and the total above.