State roster

Top names in Pennsylvania

The names most likely to appear on 1940 Pennsylvania birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 151,791 Pennsylvania births in 1940 across 1,194 distinct names.

Distinctively Pennsylvania

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

#75Nicholas#154 nationally
#94Rosemarie#173 nationally
#79Maryann#156 nationally
#40Barry#109 nationally
#79Jay#139 nationally
#68Eileen#125 nationally
#90Marian#142 nationally
#73Constance#124 nationally
#98Mark#149 nationally
#89Chester#137 nationally
#57Vincent#104 nationally
#25Dolores#67 nationally

Girls

#1Mary3,942US #1
#2Patricia3,061US #3
#3Barbara2,922US #2
#4Nancy2,048US #7
#5Carol1,846US #6
#6Judith1,810US #4
#7Joan1,567US #14
#8Margaret1,495US #11
#9Sandra1,294US #10
#10Dorothy1,167US #12
#11Shirley1,095US #9
#12Janet1,027US #19
#13Elizabeth977US #20
#14Joyce973US #13
#15Betty936US #5
#16Ruth890US #24
#17Donna845US #23
#18Linda845US #8
#19Helen812US #18
#20Jean747US #29
#21Lois622US #38
#22Ann617US #35
#23Beverly612US #27
#24Gloria607US #30
#25Dolores596US #67
#26Virginia595US #21
#27Frances591US #28
#28Joanne590US #54
#29Marie569US #41
#30Catherine563US #53
#31Anna561US #51
#32Rose554US #44
#33Judy552US #16
#34Kathleen539US #40
#35Janice532US #22
#36Elaine526US #50
#37Carole524US #49
#38Doris524US #31
#39Alice514US #32
#40Jane500US #47
#41Carolyn496US #15
#42Phyllis490US #33
#43Geraldine489US #46
#44Susan489US #36
#45Eleanor450US #68
#46Marilyn421US #25
#47Marlene408US #80
#48Martha408US #26
#49Sally371US #61
#50Evelyn365US #48
#51Rita362US #70
#52Brenda356US #42
#53Loretta347US #69
#54Bonnie346US #39
#55Charlotte337US #55
#56Arlene336US #75
#57Joann321US #63
#58Diane320US #45
#59Florence310US #100
#60Theresa304US #102
#61Kathryn295US #103
#62Louise293US #59
#63Norma286US #43
#64Roberta284US #71
#65Sylvia281US #62
#66Irene277US #73
#67Jacqueline274US #76
#68Eileen271US #125
#69Marjorie269US #64
#70Peggy265US #37
#71Lorraine261US #95
#72Sarah256US #60
#73Constance255US #124
#74Anne254US #84
#75Audrey253US #99
#76Darlene251US #79
#77Rosemary251US #85
#78Mildred247US #58
#79Maryann244US #156
#80Ellen235US #74
#81Grace230US #105
#82Connie229US #88
#83Kay225US #77
#84Josephine224US #89
#85Gail223US #65
#86June222US #82
#87Suzanne218US #109
#88Karen216US #34
#89Marion212US #120
#90Marian208US #142
#91Pauline198US #104
#92Esther197US #131
#93Edith194US #98
#94Rosemarie183US #173
#95Ethel177US #106
#96Yvonne177US #110
#97Delores175US #83
#98Lillian172US #97
#99Jeanne171US #129
#100Sara170US #122

Boys

#1Robert5,351US #2
#2John5,253US #3
#3William4,125US #4
#4James4,109US #1
#5Richard3,218US #5
#6Joseph2,658US #12
#7Thomas2,370US #8
#8Charles2,349US #6
#9Ronald2,207US #10
#10David2,000US #7
#11Donald1,822US #9
#12George1,708US #11
#13Edward1,606US #16
#14Paul1,271US #17
#15Michael1,075US #18
#16Kenneth1,059US #15
#17Frank930US #20
#18Raymond825US #22
#19Larry796US #13
#20Gerald766US #21
#21Harry739US #47
#22Francis690US #61
#23Gary643US #19
#24Walter624US #25
#25Anthony584US #46
#26Daniel579US #34
#27Carl552US #32
#28Eugene522US #38
#29Harold503US #23
#30Albert485US #41
#31Lawrence451US #36
#32Ralph445US #37
#33Jack438US #29
#34Arthur429US #33
#35Dennis428US #24
#36Stephen405US #49
#37Samuel387US #65
#38Fred381US #40
#39Louis367US #50
#40Barry366US #109
#41Howard363US #45
#42Stanley363US #59
#43Henry353US #31
#44Wayne349US #39
#45Peter343US #43
#46Bernard341US #82
#47Frederick323US #68
#48Leonard310US #54
#49Dale307US #57
#50Andrew294US #84
#51Jerry293US #14
#52Norman292US #48
#53Philip290US #60
#54Earl276US #52
#55Russell266US #72
#56Glenn254US #83
#57Vincent245US #104
#58Bruce243US #55
#59Theodore242US #90
#60Roger232US #26
#61Melvin230US #53
#62Roy229US #42
#63Martin226US #85
#64Patrick216US #74
#65Alfred215US #69
#66Ernest198US #58
#67Terry192US #73
#68Clarence191US #64
#69Allen189US #71
#70Herbert184US #75
#71Ray173US #77
#72Leroy171US #66
#73Alan169US #88
#74Edwin168US #96
#75Nicholas166US #154
#76Franklin164US #87
#77Jerome157US #95
#78Lee151US #80
#79Jay149US #139
#80Warren149US #110
#81Leon141US #89
#82Lewis141US #107
#83Harvey136US #98
#84Gene135US #70
#85Clyde131US #102
#86Lester126US #116
#87Leo120US #112
#88Marvin120US #63
#89Chester117US #137
#90Clifford115US #94
#91Lloyd109US #100
#92Steve109US #121
#93Victor108US #120
#94Allan107US #115
#95Timothy105US #135
#96Douglas100US #56
#97Gordon99US #91
#98Mark98US #149
#99Alvin97US #106
#100Bill93US #67

On the move since 1939

Rising

↑47Brenda#52
↑42Bonnie#54
↑23Gloria#24
↑19Peggy#70
↑18Darlene#76
↑16Linda#18
↑15Judy#33
↑15Diane#58

Falling

↓15Grace#81
↓13Josephine#84
↓13Gail#85
↓13Esther#92
↓12Norman#52
↓11Anna#31
↓11Eileen#68
↓10Eleanor#45

Every state

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