State roster

Top names in Louisiana

The names most likely to appear on 1940 Louisiana birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 46,030 Louisiana births in 1940 across 964 distinct names.

Distinctively Louisiana

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

#82Wilbertoutside the national top 200
#29Bobbie#147 nationally
#83Lioneloutside the national top 200
#79Alton#194 nationally
#57Sidney#169 nationally
#94Rooseveltoutside the national top 200
#98Wilsonoutside the national top 200
#72Rosie#174 nationally
#87Velma#188 nationally
#34Willie#128 nationally
#52Ella#146 nationally
#85Gayle#177 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,410US #1
#2Barbara705US #2
#3Betty645US #5
#4Dorothy502US #12
#5Shirley465US #9
#6Patricia429US #3
#7Gloria349US #30
#8Carolyn308US #15
#9Linda305US #8
#10Helen239US #18
#11Joyce236US #13
#12Margaret222US #11
#13Doris221US #31
#14Geraldine210US #46
#15Alice201US #32
#16Rose201US #44
#17Martha196US #26
#18Annie186US #56
#19Sandra185US #10
#20Elizabeth184US #20
#21Carol182US #6
#22Frances169US #28
#23Marie169US #41
#24Brenda160US #42
#25Virginia145US #21
#26Audrey144US #99
#27Evelyn142US #48
#28Beverly141US #27
#29Bobbie141US #147
#30Patsy138US #57
#31Peggy138US #37
#32Juanita137US #78
#33Sylvia136US #62
#34Willie135US #128
#35Joan134US #14
#36Ethel132US #106
#37Judy129US #16
#38Ruby129US #66
#39Jo128US #72
#40Anna127US #51
#41Judith127US #4
#42Mildred127US #58
#43Janice126US #22
#44Ruth123US #24
#45Nancy120US #7
#46Yvonne119US #110
#47Catherine117US #53
#48Laura116US #108
#49Lois115US #38
#50Emma113US #94
#51Thelma109US #101
#52Ella107US #146
#53Jean107US #29
#54Ann103US #35
#55Rita103US #70
#56Margie101US #114
#57Louise99US #59
#58Jeanette98US #90
#59Norma97US #43
#60Theresa97US #102
#61Hazel96US #123
#62Elaine95US #50
#63Lucille95US #113
#64Edna94US #86
#65Wanda94US #52
#66Marilyn92US #25
#67Delores91US #83
#68Jane91US #47
#69Lillie90US #143
#70Sarah90US #60
#71Joann89US #63
#72Rosie89US #174
#73Bertha86US #141
#74Lillian86US #97
#75Clara85US #111
#76Gladys85US #116
#77Dolores81US #67
#78Julia81US #91
#79Loretta81US #69
#80Bonnie80US #39
#81Gail80US #65
#82Ida80US #144
#83Maxine77US #137
#84Jacqueline76US #76
#85Gayle75US #177
#86Glenda75US #107
#87Velma74US #188
#88Jessie73US #158
#89Vivian73US #115
#90Charlotte71US #55
#91Rosa71US #148
#92Eva69US #132
#93Katherine69US #92
#94Gwendolyn68US #169
#95Carrie67US #176
#96Billie66US #149
#97Irene66US #73
#98Vera66US #159
#99Josephine64US #89
#100Diane62US #45

Boys

#1James1,166US #1
#2John940US #3
#3Robert794US #2
#4Charles736US #6
#5Joseph716US #12
#6William528US #4
#7Willie390US #35
#8Donald356US #9
#9George341US #11
#10Richard341US #5
#11Jerry313US #14
#12Thomas277US #8
#13Edward268US #16
#14Louis255US #50
#15Henry249US #31
#16Larry244US #13
#17David242US #7
#18Frank235US #20
#19Kenneth223US #15
#20Raymond212US #22
#21Billy211US #27
#22Paul210US #17
#23Ronald204US #10
#24Earl197US #52
#25Walter196US #25
#26Albert186US #41
#27Bobby182US #30
#28Clarence180US #64
#29Gerald177US #21
#30Johnny173US #51
#31Harold168US #23
#32Joe163US #28
#33Lawrence156US #36
#34Roy154US #42
#35Eugene146US #38
#36Leroy145US #66
#37Melvin143US #53
#38Arthur142US #33
#39Alvin132US #106
#40Jimmy132US #44
#41Anthony119US #46
#42Herbert113US #75
#43Ernest112US #58
#44Jimmie106US #86
#45Wayne106US #39
#46Daniel103US #34
#47Alfred102US #69
#48Eddie102US #81
#49Herman102US #113
#50Samuel102US #65
#51Carl96US #32
#52Jesse96US #93
#53Michael96US #18
#54Calvin93US #127
#55Allen91US #71
#56Leon91US #89
#57Sidney91US #169
#58Andrew90US #84
#59Floyd88US #103
#60Leonard84US #54
#61Lloyd84US #100
#62Tommy82US #76
#63Freddie81US #138
#64Curtis80US #97
#65Harry80US #47
#66Clyde79US #102
#67Warren79US #110
#68Francis77US #61
#69Lee77US #80
#70Jack76US #29
#71Jessie76US #162
#72Sam76US #150
#73Ralph75US #37
#74Ray75US #77
#75Howard74US #45
#76Norman74US #48
#77Russell74US #72
#78Gene72US #70
#79Alton71US #194
#80Milton71US #132
#81Fred70US #40
#82Wilbert70
#83Lionel69
#84Peter66US #43
#85Charlie65US #111
#86Roland65US #141
#87Leo64US #112
#88Clifford63US #94
#89Douglas62US #56
#90Philip62US #60
#91Terry60US #73
#92Don59US #62
#93Lester59US #116
#94Roosevelt56
#95Gary54US #19
#96Glenn53US #83
#97Johnnie53US #129
#98Wilson52
#99Cecil50US #117
#100Dennis49US #24

On the move since 1939

Rising

↑36Judy#37
↑29Judith#41
↑23Sandra#19
↑20Francis#68
↑19Sam#72
↑18Tommy#62
↑17Jimmie#44
↑17Wayne#45

Falling

↓25Lillie#69
↓22Norma#59
↓21Edna#64
↓20Ruby#38
↓20Lee#69
↓20Lester#93
↓19Harry#65
↓19Jack#70

Every state

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