State roster

Top names in New Jersey

The names most likely to appear on 1940 New Jersey birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 53,016 New Jersey births in 1940 across 709 distinct names.

Distinctively New Jersey

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

#67Salvatoreoutside the national top 200
#73Matthew#198 nationally
#81Gerardoutside the national top 200
#87Antoinetteoutside the national top 200
#89Carmenoutside the national top 200
#84Claire#194 nationally
#48Maryann#156 nationally
#48Nicholas#154 nationally
#77Jeffrey#183 nationally
#96Angelooutside the national top 200
#97Marianneoutside the national top 200
#88Alexander#188 nationally

Girls

#1Barbara1,391US #2
#2Patricia1,179US #3
#3Mary1,013US #1
#4Joan795US #14
#5Carol769US #6
#6Judith692US #4
#7Margaret485US #11
#8Joyce439US #13
#9Dorothy430US #12
#10Nancy420US #7
#11Elizabeth413US #20
#12Marie336US #41
#13Jean313US #29
#14Janet281US #19
#15Linda280US #8
#16Sandra271US #10
#17Ruth267US #24
#18Frances264US #28
#19Susan264US #36
#20Helen263US #18
#21Ann257US #35
#22Kathleen249US #40
#23Elaine244US #50
#24Carolyn243US #15
#25Virginia240US #21
#26Lois225US #38
#27Betty222US #5
#28Catherine222US #53
#29Marilyn222US #25
#30Gail219US #65
#31Arlene210US #75
#32Beverly203US #27
#33Shirley198US #9
#34Dolores196US #67
#35Rose192US #44
#36Diane190US #45
#37Phyllis190US #33
#38Carole186US #49
#39Doris174US #31
#40Anna173US #51
#41Gloria170US #30
#42Eleanor169US #68
#43Geraldine167US #46
#44Alice162US #32
#45Lorraine156US #95
#46Jane151US #47
#47Janice149US #22
#48Maryann149US #156
#49Joanne144US #54
#50Judy144US #16
#51Theresa140US #102
#52Brenda135US #42
#53Eileen131US #125
#54Anne130US #84
#55Irene126US #73
#56Florence123US #100
#57Evelyn121US #48
#58Ellen119US #74
#59Rosemary116US #85
#60Louise113US #59
#61Maureen113US #135
#62Marion112US #120
#63Grace108US #105
#64Loretta108US #69
#65Josephine107US #89
#66Lillian105US #97
#67June103US #82
#68Jacqueline102US #76
#69Marjorie101US #64
#70Rita101US #70
#71Roberta96US #71
#72Martha93US #26
#73Audrey91US #99
#74Charlotte90US #55
#75Katherine90US #92
#76Constance87US #124
#77Marlene86US #80
#78Lucille83US #113
#79Anita82US #87
#80Mildred81US #58
#81Rosemarie81US #173
#82Diana75US #117
#83Kathryn74US #103
#84Claire71US #194
#85Julia70US #91
#86Edith67US #98
#87Antoinette66
#88Sally66US #61
#89Harriet65US #157
#90Sheila65US #130
#91Donna64US #23
#92Priscilla63US #127
#93Cynthia62US #133
#94Suzanne62US #109
#95Jeanne61US #129
#96Joann61US #63
#97Marianne61
#98Christine60US #118
#99Bernice59US #121
#100Karen59US #34

Boys

#1Robert2,169US #2
#2John2,090US #3
#3William1,469US #4
#4Richard1,257US #5
#5James1,134US #1
#6Joseph1,106US #12
#7Thomas845US #8
#8Charles765US #6
#9George681US #11
#10Edward671US #16
#11Frank574US #20
#12David546US #7
#13Michael533US #18
#14Ronald503US #10
#15Donald490US #9
#16Anthony408US #46
#17Peter360US #43
#18Paul357US #17
#19Raymond334US #22
#20Kenneth317US #15
#21Walter310US #25
#22Arthur242US #33
#23Louis217US #50
#24Henry213US #31
#25Albert211US #41
#26Harry210US #47
#27Gerald203US #21
#28Daniel189US #34
#29Fred181US #40
#30Stephen180US #49
#31Lawrence178US #36
#32Carl174US #32
#33Bruce169US #55
#34Harold164US #23
#35Vincent162US #104
#36Frederick161US #68
#37Ralph157US #37
#38Eugene154US #38
#39Francis152US #61
#40Howard150US #45
#41Dennis148US #24
#42Philip139US #60
#43Roger134US #26
#44Alfred132US #69
#45Stanley131US #59
#46Andrew115US #84
#47Martin115US #85
#48Nicholas112US #154
#49Theodore112US #90
#50Gary108US #19
#51Leonard108US #54
#52Norman106US #48
#53Douglas103US #56
#54Jack99US #29
#55Ernest95US #58
#56Russell95US #72
#57Barry93US #109
#58Larry92US #13
#59Wayne91US #39
#60Alan89US #88
#61Herbert86US #75
#62Patrick85US #74
#63Samuel80US #65
#64Bernard78US #82
#65Jerry77US #14
#66Allan67US #115
#67Salvatore67
#68Victor60US #120
#69Allen58US #71
#70Edwin57US #96
#71Roy55US #42
#72Warren55US #110
#73Matthew52US #198
#74Arnold50US #118
#75Melvin50US #53
#76Earl49US #52
#77Jeffrey48US #183
#78Clifford45US #94
#79Lewis43US #107
#80Benjamin42US #128
#81Gerard42
#82Brian40US #163
#83Glenn40US #83
#84Gordon40US #91
#85Jerome40US #95
#86Leroy40US #66
#87Mark40US #149
#88Alexander39US #188
#89Carmen39
#90Clarence39US #64
#91Neil38US #156
#92Jay37US #139
#93Milton37US #132
#94Joel35US #140
#95Marvin35US #63
#96Angelo34
#97Franklin34US #87
#98Joe34US #28
#99Lee34US #80
#100Steven34US #119

On the move since 1939

Rising

↑32Linda#15
↑18Susan#19
↑14Sandra#16
↑14Janice#47
↑13Kathleen#22
↑13Rita#70
↑13Gordon#84
↑11Brenda#52

Falling

↓17Josephine#65
↓17Bernice#99
↓15Roberta#71
↓15Jerome#85
↓15Angelo#96
↓14Sally#88
↓14Christine#98
↓14Steven#100

Every state

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