State roster

Top names in Illinois

The names most likely to appear on 1940 Illinois birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 115,155 Illinois births in 1940 across 1,178 distinct names.

Distinctively Illinois

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

#86Charlene#145 nationally
#79Pat#134 nationally
#48Jerome#95 nationally
#91Maureen#135 nationally
#88Sheila#130 nationally
#72Marcia#112 nationally
#85Eileen#125 nationally
#53Tom#92 nationally
#98Leslie#136 nationally
#80Diana#117 nationally
#85Steve#121 nationally
#75Suzanne#109 nationally

Girls

#1Mary2,771US #1
#2Judith2,198US #4
#3Patricia2,109US #3
#4Barbara2,034US #2
#5Carol1,677US #6
#6Nancy1,278US #7
#7Sandra1,216US #10
#8Sharon1,070US #17
#9Linda1,009US #8
#10Judy997US #16
#11Joyce879US #13
#12Joan787US #14
#13Shirley771US #9
#14Donna756US #23
#15Janet738US #19
#16Betty717US #5
#17Marilyn714US #25
#18Margaret704US #11
#19Karen702US #34
#20Carolyn685US #15
#21Dorothy662US #12
#22Beverly657US #27
#23Janice554US #22
#24Diane519US #45
#25Ruth519US #24
#26Phyllis484US #33
#27Susan454US #36
#28Bonnie449US #39
#29Jean431US #29
#30Helen424US #18
#31Virginia421US #21
#32Carole378US #49
#33Kathleen367US #40
#34Gloria365US #30
#35Elizabeth362US #20
#36Alice352US #32
#37Frances343US #28
#38Lois339US #38
#39Doris325US #31
#40Joanne318US #54
#41Ann309US #35
#42Geraldine287US #46
#43Elaine282US #50
#44Rose278US #44
#45Roberta265US #71
#46Joann262US #63
#47Martha259US #26
#48Arlene257US #75
#49Norma251US #43
#50Jacqueline248US #76
#51Darlene246US #79
#52Dolores242US #67
#53Rosemary242US #85
#54Marie232US #41
#55Marlene232US #80
#56Charlotte229US #55
#57Catherine215US #53
#58Loretta214US #69
#59Rita213US #70
#60Gail209US #65
#61Kay205US #77
#62Evelyn202US #48
#63Jane199US #47
#64Sally198US #61
#65Brenda197US #42
#66Peggy197US #37
#67Marjorie190US #64
#68Ellen184US #74
#69Jeanette181US #90
#70Anna178US #51
#71Delores177US #83
#72Marcia175US #112
#73Wanda172US #52
#74Louise167US #59
#75Suzanne165US #109
#76Connie163US #88
#77Kathryn162US #103
#78Sue162US #81
#79Pat159US #134
#80Diana155US #117
#81June154US #82
#82Anita153US #87
#83Eleanor152US #68
#84Jo150US #72
#85Eileen149US #125
#86Charlene148US #145
#87Lorraine145US #95
#88Sheila145US #130
#89Sylvia139US #62
#90Josephine132US #89
#91Maureen130US #135
#92Florence129US #100
#93Irene129US #73
#94Katherine128US #92
#95Jeanne127US #129
#96Mildred126US #58
#97Yvonne125US #110
#98Audrey124US #99
#99Christine124US #118
#100Wilma123US #93

Boys

#1Robert3,840US #2
#2James3,264US #1
#3John3,251US #3
#4Richard2,512US #5
#5William2,497US #4
#6Ronald1,748US #10
#7Charles1,576US #6
#8Thomas1,567US #8
#9Donald1,471US #9
#10David1,470US #7
#11Larry1,243US #13
#12Kenneth1,036US #15
#13Michael962US #18
#14Joseph959US #12
#15George915US #11
#16Edward878US #16
#17Paul803US #17
#18Jerry791US #14
#19Gerald725US #21
#20Gary692US #19
#21Dennis656US #24
#22Frank644US #20
#23Raymond598US #22
#24Roger520US #26
#25Jack444US #29
#26Walter419US #25
#27Harold416US #23
#28Lawrence414US #36
#29Daniel401US #34
#30Carl394US #32
#31Wayne386US #39
#32Fred380US #40
#33Arthur314US #33
#34Ralph301US #37
#35Bruce286US #55
#36Leonard273US #54
#37Eugene272US #38
#38Anthony270US #46
#39Dale266US #57
#40Norman265US #48
#41Peter264US #43
#42Henry256US #31
#43Howard256US #45
#44Terry249US #73
#45Philip246US #60
#46Albert244US #41
#47Roy227US #42
#48Jerome222US #95
#49Bill220US #67
#50Stanley216US #59
#51Stephen213US #49
#52Jim212US #78
#53Tom210US #92
#54Phillip205US #79
#55Harry203US #47
#56Louis202US #50
#57Patrick202US #74
#58Allen198US #71
#59Joe198US #28
#60Don195US #62
#61Bernard186US #82
#62Melvin183US #53
#63Russell183US #72
#64Earl182US #52
#65Alan176US #88
#66Martin166US #85
#67Leroy163US #66
#68Douglas160US #56
#69Gene159US #70
#70Frederick156US #68
#71Marvin153US #63
#72Ray150US #77
#73Clarence149US #64
#74Theodore144US #90
#75Glenn140US #83
#76Francis138US #61
#77Billy134US #27
#78Ronnie134US #101
#79Lee133US #80
#80Warren127US #110
#81Bob126US #99
#82Ernest125US #58
#83Allan122US #115
#84Herbert118US #75
#85Steve111US #121
#86Edwin109US #96
#87Clifford108US #94
#88Andrew107US #84
#89Jon107US #123
#90Gordon105US #91
#91Lloyd105US #100
#92Samuel105US #65
#93Keith104US #125
#94Alfred102US #69
#95Barry102US #109
#96Mike101US #122
#97Jackie96US #108
#98Leslie94US #136
#99Darrell92US #131
#100Glen89US #130

On the move since 1939

Rising

↑31Bonnie#28
↑23Connie#76
↑20Stephen#51
↑18Brenda#65
↑15Douglas#68
↑13Gloria#34
↑13Kathryn#77
↑12Phillip#54

Falling

↓20Bob#81
↓19Audrey#98
↓16Arlene#48
↓16Marvin#71
↓16Gordon#90
↓13Sally#64
↓13Alfred#94
↓12Marlene#55

Every state

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