State roster

Top names in Alabama

The names most likely to appear on 1940 Alabama birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 58,342 Alabama births in 1940 across 1,012 distinct names.

Distinctively Alabama

Names that rank far higher here than they do nationally — the ones that say Alabama more than they say America.

#54Johnnieoutside the national top 200
#23Mattie#163 nationally
#68Fannieoutside the national top 200
#68Rooseveltoutside the national top 200
#57Earnest#184 nationally
#80Hattie#198 nationally
#71Shelby#187 nationally
#85Bettyeoutside the national top 200
#30Lillie#143 nationally
#55Minnie#168 nationally
#61Rosie#174 nationally
#18Willie#128 nationally

Girls

#1Mary2,078US #1
#2Betty1,158US #5
#3Barbara817US #2
#4Dorothy663US #12
#5Annie654US #56
#6Shirley572US #9
#7Martha536US #26
#8Patricia511US #3
#9Margaret419US #11
#10Carolyn408US #15
#11Doris391US #31
#12Linda366US #8
#13Peggy335US #37
#14Sarah307US #60
#15Joyce304US #13
#16Elizabeth294US #20
#17Virginia294US #21
#18Willie291US #128
#19Helen281US #18
#20Ruby265US #66
#21Frances263US #28
#22Alice248US #32
#23Mattie205US #163
#24Mildred205US #58
#25Nancy204US #7
#26Evelyn189US #48
#27Emma186US #94
#28Sandra186US #10
#29Gloria181US #30
#30Lillie169US #143
#31Louise168US #59
#32Juanita167US #78
#33Janice163US #22
#34Geraldine162US #46
#35Glenda158US #107
#36Ruth158US #24
#37Bobbie157US #147
#38Ann155US #35
#39Edna152US #86
#40Brenda151US #42
#41Carol151US #6
#42Ethel147US #106
#43Judy145US #16
#44Rebecca144US #96
#45Patsy143US #57
#46Charlotte141US #55
#47Sara136US #122
#48Bonnie134US #39
#49Wanda134US #52
#50Jean130US #29
#51Julia130US #91
#52Bernice126US #121
#53Judith125US #4
#54Johnnie121
#55Minnie121US #168
#56Clara120US #111
#57Jo120US #72
#58Sylvia120US #62
#59Marie119US #41
#60Ella118US #146
#61Rosie117US #174
#62Bertha116US #141
#63Catherine116US #53
#64Joan116US #14
#65Nellie114US #161
#66Faye112US #153
#67Jessie110US #158
#68Fannie105
#69Hazel105US #123
#70Carrie104US #176
#71Shelby104US #187
#72Christine103US #118
#73Bessie102US #162
#74Lois102US #38
#75Annette100US #126
#76Norma100US #43
#77Sue99US #81
#78Jane98US #47
#79Eva97US #132
#80Hattie96US #198
#81Josephine96US #89
#82Laura96US #108
#83Rosa94US #148
#84Thelma94US #101
#85Bettye91
#86Billie90US #149
#87Georgia90US #138
#88Eleanor89US #68
#89Jeanette89US #90
#90Gladys88US #116
#91Gwendolyn87US #169
#92Ida87US #144
#93Margie86US #114
#94Rose84US #44
#95Wilma84US #93
#96Lillian82US #97
#97Alma79US #152
#98Jimmie78
#99Mamie78
#100Bettie74

Boys

#1James2,283US #1
#2John1,266US #3
#3William1,264US #4
#4Robert1,199US #2
#5Charles1,080US #6
#6Willie859US #35
#7Billy614US #27
#8Jerry558US #14
#9Bobby517US #30
#10Thomas502US #8
#11George464US #11
#12Jimmy455US #44
#13Joe427US #28
#14David414US #7
#15Donald379US #9
#16Henry321US #31
#17Joseph305US #12
#18Edward304US #16
#19Kenneth282US #15
#20Johnny277US #51
#21Richard277US #5
#22Walter274US #25
#23Frank241US #20
#24Roy226US #42
#25Harold204US #23
#26Eddie200US #81
#27Paul198US #17
#28Samuel192US #65
#29Arthur190US #33
#30Charlie189US #111
#31Larry182US #13
#32Ronald174US #10
#33Jimmie169US #86
#34Clarence168US #64
#35Eugene161US #38
#36Wayne156US #39
#37Carl155US #32
#38Raymond153US #22
#39Jack150US #29
#40Tommy147US #76
#41Fred142US #40
#42Howard141US #45
#43Jesse141US #93
#44Albert140US #41
#45Gerald138US #21
#46Johnnie128US #129
#47Ralph126US #37
#48Curtis113US #97
#49Franklin106US #87
#50Leon105US #89
#51Lee104US #80
#52Melvin101US #53
#53Ernest100US #58
#54Gary99US #19
#55Cecil98US #117
#56Earl96US #52
#57Earnest92US #184
#58Herman92US #113
#59Ray92US #77
#60Louis91US #50
#61Jessie87US #162
#62Alfred86US #69
#63Daniel86US #34
#64Don85US #62
#65Marvin85US #63
#66Lewis84US #107
#67Gene81US #70
#68Roosevelt81
#69Herbert80US #75
#70Leroy78US #66
#71Bennie76US #175
#72Clyde75US #102
#73Phillip75US #79
#74Terry75US #73
#75Nathaniel74US #176
#76Jackie71US #108
#77Andrew69US #84
#78Norman69US #48
#79Calvin68US #127
#80Douglas68US #56
#81Floyd68US #103
#82Sam68US #150
#83Harry67US #47
#84Oscar65US #167
#85Lawrence63US #36
#86Wendell63US #114
#87Freddie62US #138
#88Glenn62US #83
#89Leonard62US #54
#90Milton61US #132
#91Hugh60US #157
#92Michael60US #18
#93Luther58US #177
#94Bill57US #67
#95Dan57US #155
#96Horace57US #199
#97Hubert57US #187
#98Otis57US #200
#99Allen56US #71
#100Jim56US #78

On the move since 1939

Rising

↑39Gary#54
↑29Charlotte#46
↑29Judith#53
↑24Bonnie#48
↑22Sandra#28
↑22Rebecca#44
↑21Ray#59
↑17Glenda#35

Falling

↓38Jeanette#89
↓32Norma#76
↓29Jo#57
↓28Margie#93
↓20Clara#56
↓19Laura#82
↓18Ella#60
↓18Leonard#89

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1939 rankings.