State roster

Top names in Massachusetts

The names most likely to appear on 1940 Massachusetts birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 60,088 Massachusetts births in 1940 across 631 distinct names.

Distinctively Massachusetts

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

#41Claire#194 nationally
#63Gerardoutside the national top 200
#64Kevinoutside the national top 200
#83Edmundoutside the national top 200
#91Laurenceoutside the national top 200
#93Wilfredoutside the national top 200
#95Deborahoutside the national top 200
#95Normandoutside the national top 200
#97Armandoutside the national top 200
#98Christopheroutside the national top 200
#99Murieloutside the national top 200
#96Stuart#195 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,322US #1
#2Patricia1,229US #3
#3Barbara1,139US #2
#4Judith1,109US #4
#5Carol1,009US #6
#6Joan746US #14
#7Nancy726US #7
#8Sandra704US #10
#9Margaret516US #11
#10Ann489US #35
#11Elizabeth440US #20
#12Janet429US #19
#13Jean428US #29
#14Dorothy417US #12
#15Linda365US #8
#16Joyce360US #13
#17Beverly350US #27
#18Janice324US #22
#19Elaine315US #50
#20Marie314US #41
#21Joanne307US #54
#22Susan296US #36
#23Marilyn287US #25
#24Anne279US #84
#25Helen272US #18
#26Virginia266US #21
#27Frances261US #28
#28Kathleen259US #40
#29Lorraine259US #95
#30Ruth255US #24
#31Jane249US #47
#32Carolyn242US #15
#33Brenda239US #42
#34Diane239US #45
#35Eleanor239US #68
#36Gail239US #65
#37Catherine234US #53
#38Phyllis234US #33
#39Carole226US #49
#40Maureen218US #135
#41Claire212US #194
#42Ellen212US #74
#43Alice200US #32
#44Shirley200US #9
#45Pauline193US #104
#46Rita188US #70
#47Cynthia183US #133
#48Sheila178US #130
#49Jacqueline170US #76
#50Theresa170US #102
#51Roberta168US #71
#52Louise166US #59
#53Donna165US #23
#54Lois159US #38
#55Jeanne155US #129
#56Marjorie152US #64
#57Geraldine149US #46
#58Priscilla149US #127
#59Betty146US #5
#60Irene146US #73
#61Marcia145US #112
#62Doris143US #31
#63Sally143US #61
#64Constance139US #124
#65June138US #82
#66Martha137US #26
#67Rose133US #44
#68Gloria129US #30
#69Marion128US #120
#70Eileen127US #125
#71Evelyn116US #48
#72Rosemary115US #85
#73Judy108US #16
#74Dolores106US #67
#75Katherine105US #92
#76Anna98US #51
#77Arlene92US #75
#78Florence92US #100
#79Lucille92US #113
#80Paula92US #155
#81Charlotte91US #55
#82Diana86US #117
#83Grace84US #105
#84Anita83US #87
#85Josephine83US #89
#86Suzanne82US #109
#87Annette81US #126
#88Sylvia81US #62
#89Norma79US #43
#90Lillian78US #97
#91Loretta73US #69
#92Christine70US #118
#93Joann70US #63
#94Audrey65US #99
#95Deborah65
#96Karen65US #34
#97Rosemarie61US #173
#98Mildred60US #58
#99Muriel58
#100Sarah57US #60

Boys

#1Robert2,640US #2
#2John2,386US #3
#3Richard1,980US #5
#4William1,614US #4
#5James1,314US #1
#6David1,162US #7
#7Paul1,009US #17
#8Joseph987US #12
#9Thomas826US #8
#10Edward776US #16
#11Charles719US #6
#12George704US #11
#13Donald637US #9
#14Ronald637US #10
#15Peter502US #43
#16Michael475US #18
#17Kenneth413US #15
#18Francis392US #61
#19Raymond368US #22
#20Arthur361US #33
#21Frank321US #20
#22Gerald319US #21
#23Walter291US #25
#24Roger277US #26
#25Stephen274US #49
#26Anthony264US #46
#27Daniel261US #34
#28Albert233US #41
#29Philip224US #60
#30Henry212US #31
#31Frederick208US #68
#32Lawrence207US #36
#33Bruce199US #55
#34Ralph184US #37
#35Alfred180US #69
#36Norman178US #48
#37Carl169US #32
#38Alan156US #88
#39Leonard154US #54
#40Dennis149US #24
#41Ernest142US #58
#42Louis133US #50
#43Leo127US #112
#44Stanley126US #59
#45Eugene121US #38
#46Russell120US #72
#47Harold119US #23
#48Bernard110US #82
#49Wayne102US #39
#50Fred99US #40
#51Vincent99US #104
#52Barry97US #109
#53Theodore92US #90
#54Martin90US #85
#55Howard89US #45
#56Douglas83US #56
#57Harry83US #47
#58Herbert82US #75
#59Roland82US #141
#60Allan81US #115
#61Nicholas79US #154
#62Warren77US #110
#63Gerard75
#64Kevin73
#65Gordon71US #91
#66Roy68US #42
#67Andrew65US #84
#68Brian65US #163
#69Allen61US #71
#70Steven58US #119
#71Edwin57US #96
#72Patrick57US #74
#73Leon56US #89
#74Timothy55US #135
#75Harvey53US #98
#76Maurice53US #161
#77Mark52US #149
#78Neil52US #156
#79Joel50US #140
#80Samuel50US #65
#81Victor48US #120
#82Gary47US #19
#83Edmund44
#84Arnold43US #118
#85Chester43US #137
#86Earl43US #52
#87Manuel42US #147
#88Clifford41US #94
#89Jack38US #29
#90Larry38US #13
#91Laurence37
#92Phillip37US #79
#93Wilfred37
#94Jeffrey36US #183
#95Normand36
#96Stuart36US #195
#97Armand35
#98Christopher35
#99Lee35US #80
#100Gilbert34US #124

On the move since 1939

Rising

↑26Linda#15
↑20Susan#22
↑17Leon#73
↑16Donna#53
↑16Grace#83
↑16Dennis#40
↑16Steven#70
↑15Ellen#42

Falling

↓21Normand#95
↓20Shirley#44
↓15Earl#86
↓14Norma#89
↓14Lillian#90
↓11Eileen#70
↓11Laurence#91
↓10Carole#39

Every state

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