d13 // Shutterstock
1 / 50#25 Boy: Stephen
- Rank in the 1940s: #25
- Births in the 1940s: 106,812
- Rank in 2025: #383
- Births in 2025: 829
The most popular baby names of the 1940s — and how they rank today
As history tells, the 1940s were a decade that shaped American life. The country faced World War II, ration books, factory work, radio news, and families waiting for letters from loved ones who were overseas. By the end of the decade, the war was completely over, and people were starting fresh, and the first signs of the baby boom were starting to appear.
The most popular names of the 1940s reflected a country leaning on tradition. These were names that could belong to a soldier writing letters home, a movie star on the silver screen, a schoolteacher, or the kid next door. James and Mary topped the decade, while Robert, John, Linda, and Barbara filled classrooms, church pews, and family photo albums across the country.
Naming trends were also far less scattered than they are today. In the 1940s, the top 10 boys' names accounted for about one-third of all boys born in the decade, while the top 10 girls' names represented nearly one-quarter of baby girls. Today, parents are more likely to search for names that feel distinctive, personal, or unexpected.
As a look back at the names that shaped wartime childhoods and postwar family life, Stacker used the Social Security Administration's historical archives to calculate the most popular baby names from the 1940s. Scroll down to see which names still feel timeless, which ones have quietly faded, and which ones sound like they were born wearing saddle shoes.
Roman Nerud // Shutterstock
2 / 50#25 Girl: Elizabeth
- Rank in the 1940s: #25
- Births in the 1940s: 116,551
- Rank in 2025: #17
- Births in 2025: 6,760
Rachel L. Fischer // Shutterstock
3 / 50#24 Boy: Roger
- Rank in the 1940s: #24
- Births in the 1940s: 107,602
- Rank in 2025: #834
- Births in 2025: 297
Everett Collection // Shutterstock
4 / 50#24 Girl: Joan
- Rank in the 1940s: #24
- Births in the 1940s: 117,708
- Rank in 2025: Outside the top 1,000
- Births in 2025: N/A
Xenium // Shutterstock
5 / 50#23 Boy: Raymond
- Rank in the 1940s: #23
- Births in the 1940s: 109,076
- Rank in 2025: #395
- Births in 2025: 807
Quaresmeira // Shutterstock
6 / 50#23 Girl: Janice
- Rank in the 1940s: #23
- Births in the 1940s: 118,893
- Rank in 2025: #2,243
- Births in 2025: 83
Xenium // Shutterstock
7 / 50#22 Boy: Daniel
- Rank in the 1940s: #22
- Births in the 1940s: 112,778
- Rank in 2025: #22
- Births in 2025: 8,085
Everett Collection // Shutterstock
8 / 50#22 Girl: Diane
- Rank in the 1940s: #22
- Births in the 1940s: 122,878
- Rank in 2025: Outside the top 1,000
- Births in 2025: N/A
Travelling Tourist // Shutterstock
9 / 50#21 Boy: Frank
- Rank in the 1940s: #21
- Births in the 1940s: 119,417
- Rank in 2025: #514
- Births in 2025: 584
IgorGolovniov // Shutterstock
10 / 50#21 Girl: Janet
- Rank in the 1940s: #21
- Births in the 1940s: 130,755
- Rank in 2025: Outside the top 1,000
- Births in 2025: N/A
Roman Nerud // Shutterstock
11 / 50#20 Boy: Dennis
- Rank in the 1940s: #20
- Births in the 1940s: 162,114
- Rank in 2025: Outside the top 1,000
- Births in 2025: N/A
Roman Nerud // Shutterstock
12 / 50#20 Girl: Dorothy
- Rank in the 1940s: #20
- Births in the 1940s: 132,257
- Rank in 2025: #421
- Births in 2025: 743
Fotoak // Shutterstock
13 / 50#19 Boy: Jerry
- Rank in the 1940s: #19
- Births in the 1940s: 167,257
- Rank in 2025: #907
- Births in 2025: 262
Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock
14 / 50#19 Girl: Joyce
- Rank in the 1940s: #19
- Births in the 1940s: 151,494
- Rank in 2025: #984 (2022)
- Births in 2025: 269
Fotoak // Shutterstock
15 / 50#18 Boy: Edward
- Rank in the 1940s: #18
- Births in the 1940s: 174,801
- Rank in 2025: #224
- Births in 2025: 1,591
Elzbieta Sekowska // Shutterstock
16 / 50#18 Girl: Kathleen
- Rank in the 1940s: #18
- Births in the 1940s: 152,981
- Rank in 2025: #987 (2021)
- Births in 2025: 262
Lyudmila2509 // Shutterstock
17 / 50#17 Boy: Paul
- Rank in the 1940s: #17
- Births in the 1940s: 183,364
- Rank in 2025: #262
- Births in 2025: 1,316
KUCO // Shutterstock
18 / 50#17 Girl: Donna
- Rank in the 1940s: #17
- Births in the 1940s: 165,523
- Rank in 2025: Outside the top 1,000
- Births in 2025: N/A
Everett Collection // Shutterstock
19 / 50#16 Boy: Kenneth
- Rank in the 1940s: #16
- Births in the 1940s: 198,553
- Rank in 2025: #294
- Births in 2025: 1,148
Elzbieta Sekowska // Shutterstock
20 / 50#16 Girl: Karen
- Rank in the 1940s: #16
- Births in the 1940s: 167,700
- Rank in 2025: #821 (2020)
- Births in 2025: 332
Travelling Tourist // Shutterstock
21 / 50#15 Boy: George
- Rank in the 1940s: #15
- Births in the 1940s: 209,013
- Rank in 2025: #126
- Births in 2025: 2,848
LiliGraphie // Shutterstock
22 / 50#15 Girl: Judy
- Rank in the 1940s: #15
- Births in the 1940s: 167,719
- Rank in 2025: Outside the top 1,000
- Births in 2025: N/A
Brzostowska // Shutterstock
23 / 50#14 Boy: Gary
- Rank in the 1940s: #14
- Births in the 1940s: 217,772
- Rank in 2025: #956 (2022)
- Births in 2025: 237
Travelling Tourist // Shutterstock
24 / 50#14 Girl: Shirley
- Rank in the 1940s: #14
- Births in the 1940s: 171,780
- Rank in 2025: Outside the top 1,000
- Births in 2025: N/A
Travelling Tourist // Shutterstock
25 / 50#13 Boy: Joseph
- Rank in the 1940s: #13
- Births in the 1940s: 230,285
- Rank in 2025: #29
- Births in 2025: 7,303
Fotoak // Shutterstock
26 / 50#13 Girl: Margaret
- Rank in the 1940s: #13
- Births in the 1940s: 173,028
- Rank in 2025: #112
- Births in 2025: 2,436
Fotoak // Shutterstock
27 / 50#12 Boy: Donald
- Rank in the 1940s: #12
- Births in the 1940s: 247,834
- Rank in 2025: #690
- Births in 2025: 395
Fotoak // Shutterstock
28 / 50#12 Girl: Carolyn
- Rank in the 1940s: #12
- Births in the 1940s: 181,858
- Rank in 2025: #947 (2020)
- Births in 2025: 270
Fotoak // Shutterstock
29 / 50#11 Boy: Larry
- Rank in the 1940s: #11
- Births in the 1940s: 255,908
- Rank in 2025: #893 (2022)
- Births in 2025: 264
Elzbieta Sekowska // Shutterstock
30 / 50#11 Girl: Betty
- Rank in the 1940s: #11
- Births in the 1940s: 194,623
- Rank in 2025: Outside the top 1,000
- Births in 2025: N/A
Fotoak // Shutterstock
31 / 50#10 Boy: Ronald
- Rank in the 1940s: #10
- Births in the 1940s: 282,489
- Rank in 2025: #638
- Births in 2025: 438
British India Collection // Shutterstock
32 / 50#10 Girl: Susan
- Rank in the 1940s: #10
- Births in the 1940s: 212,016
- Rank in 2025: #975
- Births in 2025: 262
British India Collection // Shutterstock
33 / 50#9 Boy: Michael
- Rank in the 1940s: #9
- Births in the 1940s: 336,568
- Rank in 2025: #21
- Births in 2025: 8,094
Fotoak // Shutterstock
34 / 50#9 Girl: Judith
- Rank in the 1940s: #9
- Births in the 1940s: 218,037
- Rank in 2025: #790
- Births in 2025: 344
British India Collection // Shutterstock
35 / 50#8 Boy: Thomas
- Rank in the 1940s: #8
- Births in the 1940s: 350,775
- Rank in 2025: #34
- Births in 2025: 6,917
Antares_NS // Shutterstock
36 / 50#8 Girl: Sharon
- Rank in the 1940s: #8
- Births in the 1940s: 221,237
- Rank in 2025: Outside the top 1,000
- Births in 2025: N/A
Fotoak // Shutterstock
37 / 50#7 Boy: Charles
- Rank in the 1940s: #7
- Births in the 1940s: 361,772
- Rank in 2025: #48
- Births in 2025: 5,898
British India Collection // Shutterstock
38 / 50#7 Girl: Nancy
- Rank in the 1940s: #7
- Births in the 1940s: 252,061
- Rank in 2025: #967
- Births in 2025: 265
Hintau Aliaksei // Shutterstock
39 / 50#6 Boy: David
- Rank in the 1940s: #6
- Births in the 1940s: 426,372
- Rank in 2025: #35
- Births in 2025: 6,794
Fotoak // Shutterstock
40 / 50#6 Girl: Sandra
- Rank in the 1940s: #6
- Births in the 1940s: 265,538
- Rank in 2025: #994 (2021)
- Births in 2025: 259
Roman Nerud // Shutterstock
41 / 50#5 Boy: Richard
- Rank in the 1940s: #5
- Births in the 1940s: 477,476
- Rank in 2025: #234
- Births in 2025: 1,505
IgorGolovniov // Shutterstock
42 / 50#5 Girl: Carol
- Rank in the 1940s: #5
- Births in the 1940s: 292,333
- Rank in 2025: Outside the top 1,000
- Births in 2025: N/A
Elzbieta Sekowska // Shutterstock
43 / 50#4 Boy: William
- Rank in the 1940s: #4
- Births in the 1940s: 556,478
- Rank in 2025: #9
- Births in 2025: 10,545
Istomina Olena // Shutterstock
44 / 50#4 Girl: Patricia
- Rank in the 1940s: #4
- Births in the 1940s: 411,412
- Rank in 2025: Outside the top 1,000
- Births in 2025: N/A
Hulton Archive // Getty Images
45 / 50#3 Boy: John
- Rank in the 1940s: #3
- Births in the 1940s: 711,614
- Rank in 2025: #23
- Births in 2025: 8,027
Lyudmila2509 // Shutterstock
46 / 50#3 Girl: Barbara
- Rank in the 1940s: #3
- Births in the 1940s: 425,271
- Rank in 2025: #968
- Births in 2025: 264
Galyamin Sergej // Shutterstock
47 / 50#2 Boy: Robert
- Rank in the 1940s: #2
- Births in the 1940s: 758,126
- Rank in 2025: #92
- Births in 2025: 3,772
art-siberia // Shutterstock
48 / 50#2 Girl: Linda
- Rank in the 1940s: #2
- Births in the 1940s: 531,660
- Rank in 2025: #902
- Births in 2025: 294
Fotoak // Shutterstock
49 / 50#1 Boy: James
- Rank in the 1940s: #1
- Births in the 1940s: 795,775
- Rank in 2025: #6
- Births in 2025: 11,945
Quaresmeira // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1 Girl: Mary
- Rank in the 1940s: #1
- Births in the 1940s: 640,080
- Rank in 2025: #125
- Births in 2025: 2,230
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