State roster

Top names in Mississippi

The names most likely to appear on 1940 Mississippi birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 44,414 Mississippi births in 1940 across 899 distinct names.

Distinctively Mississippi

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

#35Rooseveltoutside the national top 200
#15Rosie#174 nationally
#48Tommieoutside the national top 200
#47Hattie#198 nationally
#51Lulaoutside the national top 200
#53Johnnieoutside the national top 200
#56Sammieoutside the national top 200
#57Earnestineoutside the national top 200
#60Percyoutside the national top 200
#27Jessie#162 nationally
#28Mattie#163 nationally
#34Minnie#168 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,557US #1
#2Betty631US #5
#3Dorothy605US #12
#4Annie492US #56
#5Barbara456US #2
#6Shirley392US #9
#7Martha360US #26
#8Willie270US #128
#9Ruby238US #66
#10Peggy236US #37
#11Linda235US #8
#12Patricia235US #3
#13Helen230US #18
#14Doris220US #31
#15Rosie209US #174
#16Carolyn201US #15
#17Emma201US #94
#18Margaret198US #11
#19Gloria194US #30
#20Elizabeth191US #20
#21Lillie190US #143
#22Sarah184US #60
#23Alice181US #32
#24Mildred176US #58
#25Nancy175US #7
#26Frances172US #28
#27Bobbie169US #147
#28Mattie169US #163
#29Joyce156US #13
#30Virginia155US #21
#31Ruth149US #24
#32Clara143US #111
#33Ethel139US #106
#34Minnie138US #168
#35Bernice135US #121
#36Louise133US #59
#37Bertha131US #141
#38Patsy130US #57
#39Edna129US #86
#40Catherine121US #53
#41Bessie119US #162
#42Jessie115US #158
#43Bonnie114US #39
#44Ida110US #144
#45Carrie109US #176
#46Ann108US #35
#47Hattie106US #198
#48Ella105US #146
#49Jean104US #29
#50Juanita104US #78
#51Lula102
#52Evelyn97US #48
#53Johnnie94
#54Sandra93US #10
#55Thelma92US #101
#56Christine91US #118
#57Earnestine90
#58Brenda88US #42
#59Margie86US #114
#60Mae85US #185
#61Rose85US #44
#62Laura84US #108
#63Gladys83US #116
#64Vera83US #159
#65Georgia81US #138
#66Jo81US #72
#67Katie81
#68Marie80US #41
#69Fannie79
#70Geraldine79US #46
#71Yvonne79US #110
#72Hazel78US #123
#73Mamie77
#74Rebecca76US #96
#75Sylvia76US #62
#76Pearlie75
#77Josephine74US #89
#78Glenda72US #107
#79Jane72US #47
#80Maggie72
#81Velma72US #188
#82Jimmie71
#83Julia71US #91
#84Alma70US #152
#85Eva70US #132
#86Katherine70US #92
#87Bettye69
#88Ruthie68
#89Bettie67
#90Billie66US #149
#91Charlotte65US #55
#92Cora64US #191
#93Joan63US #14
#94Nellie63US #161
#95Norma63US #43
#96Eddie62
#97Janice62US #22
#98Ora62
#99Susie62
#100Lucille61US #113

Boys

#1James1,780US #1
#2Robert1,026US #2
#3John916US #3
#4Charles853US #6
#5Willie823US #35
#6William806US #4
#7George417US #11
#8Billy401US #27
#9Thomas390US #8
#10Bobby387US #30
#11Joe385US #28
#12Henry333US #31
#13Jerry306US #14
#14Walter263US #25
#15David261US #7
#16Jimmy229US #44
#17Eddie225US #81
#18Richard213US #5
#19Jimmie211US #86
#20Frank207US #20
#21Joseph205US #12
#22Johnny199US #51
#23Charlie190US #111
#24Edward190US #16
#25Paul178US #17
#26Roy172US #42
#27Jessie164US #162
#28Donald163US #9
#29Albert160US #41
#30Johnnie149US #129
#31Larry140US #13
#32Arthur130US #33
#33Eugene130US #38
#34Kenneth129US #15
#35Roosevelt128
#36Fred124US #40
#37Lee123US #80
#38Earl119US #52
#39Tommy117US #76
#40Leroy116US #66
#41Samuel112US #65
#42Harold110US #23
#43Curtis109US #97
#44Jesse107US #93
#45Melvin104US #53
#46Clarence98US #64
#47Howard96US #45
#48Tommie94
#49Louis93US #50
#50Carl90US #32
#51Jack90US #29
#52Ernest84US #58
#53Gerald82US #21
#54Earnest79US #184
#55Leon77US #89
#56Sammie77
#57Andrew76US #84
#58Sam76US #150
#59Freddie72US #138
#60Percy69
#61Raymond68US #22
#62Wayne68US #39
#63Clyde65US #102
#64Bennie64US #175
#65Lawrence61US #36
#66Oscar61US #167
#67Herman59US #113
#68Herbert57US #75
#69Milton56US #132
#70Ralph55US #37
#71Ben54US #178
#72Gene54US #70
#73Alfred52US #69
#74Floyd52US #103
#75Lewis52US #107
#76Clifton51
#77Daniel50US #34
#78Lonnie50US #153
#79Otis50US #200
#80Allen49US #71
#81Lester49US #116
#82Don48US #62
#83Gary48US #19
#84Sidney48US #169
#85Chester47US #137
#86Claude47US #145
#87Marvin47US #63
#88Nathaniel46US #176
#89Hugh45US #157
#90Luther45US #177
#91Ronald45US #10
#92Calvin44US #127
#93Harvey44US #98
#94Ray44US #77
#95Tom44US #92
#96Dennis43US #24
#97Harry43US #47
#98Sylvester43
#99Cecil42US #117
#100Jim41US #78

On the move since 1939

Rising

↑30Jean#49
↑25Earnestine#57
↑24Gloria#19
↑20Patsy#38
↑20Sandra#54
↑17Linda#11
↑16Sidney#84
↑15Sammie#56

Falling

↓34Lucille#100
↓32Marvin#87
↓27Bettie#89
↓26Billie#90
↓23Ora#98
↓22Marie#68
↓22Norma#95
↓22Harry#97

Every state

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