State roster

Top names in Rhode Island

The names most likely to appear on 1940 Rhode Island birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 9,124 Rhode Island births in 1940 across 278 distinct names.

Distinctively Rhode Island

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

#27Claire#194 nationally
#51Domenicoutside the national top 200
#59Normandoutside the national top 200
#62Gerardoutside the national top 200
#70Angelooutside the national top 200
#71Murieloutside the national top 200
#73Armandoutside the national top 200
#75Jeanoutside the national top 200
#78Wilfredoutside the national top 200
#82Cecileoutside the national top 200
#86Edmundoutside the national top 200
#87Emileoutside the national top 200

Girls

#1Barbara207US #2
#2Patricia180US #3
#3Mary177US #1
#4Carol174US #6
#5Joan139US #14
#6Judith125US #4
#7Ann95US #35
#8Dorothy85US #12
#9Beverly77US #27
#10Margaret77US #11
#11Nancy77US #7
#12Joyce75US #13
#13Elizabeth74US #20
#14Marie70US #41
#15Jean68US #29
#16Sandra66US #10
#17Elaine64US #50
#18Pauline58US #104
#19Linda56US #8
#20Carolyn54US #15
#21Shirley54US #9
#22Janet50US #19
#23Jane49US #47
#24Janice47US #22
#25Marilyn46US #25
#26Lucille45US #113
#27Claire44US #194
#28Helen44US #18
#29Jacqueline41US #76
#30Eleanor40US #68
#31Gail39US #65
#32Anne38US #84
#33Frances38US #28
#34Jeanne38US #129
#35Irene37US #73
#36Susan37US #36
#37Virginia37US #21
#38Dolores36US #67
#39Maureen36US #135
#40Theresa36US #102
#41Doris34US #31
#42Kathleen34US #40
#43Lorraine33US #95
#44Geraldine32US #46
#45Brenda31US #42
#46Catherine30US #53
#47Alice29US #32
#48Gloria29US #30
#49Diane28US #45
#50Eileen28US #125
#51Anna27US #51
#52Constance27US #124
#53Ruth27US #24
#54Annette26US #126
#55Arlene26US #75
#56Marcia26US #112
#57Phyllis26US #33
#58Sheila26US #130
#59Suzanne26US #109
#60Florence24US #100
#61Rose24US #44
#62Roberta23US #71
#63Cynthia22US #133
#64Lillian22US #97
#65Marjorie22US #64
#66Marion21US #120
#67Norma21US #43
#68Priscilla21US #127
#69Rita21US #70
#70Lois20US #38
#71Muriel20
#72Anita18US #87
#73Carole18US #49
#74Louise18US #59
#75Sylvia18US #62
#76June17US #82
#77Paula17US #155
#78Rosemary17US #85
#79Beatrice16US #140
#80Betty16US #5
#81Joann16US #63
#82Cecile15
#83Evelyn15US #48
#84Grace15US #105
#85Joanne15US #54
#86Judy15US #16
#87Loretta15US #69
#88Martha15US #26
#89Angela14
#90Claudette14
#91Ellen14US #74
#92Estelle13
#93Vivian13US #115
#94Audrey12US #99
#95Christine12US #118
#96Deborah12
#97Jeanette12US #90
#98Jeannette12US #182
#99Karen12US #34
#100Mildred12US #58

Boys

#1Robert430US #2
#2Richard303US #5
#3John281US #3
#4William225US #4
#5Joseph182US #12
#6James174US #1
#7Edward138US #16
#8Thomas133US #8
#9Ronald128US #10
#10David117US #7
#11Raymond115US #22
#12Donald113US #9
#13George108US #11
#14Paul107US #17
#15Anthony88US #46
#16Charles86US #6
#17Frank73US #20
#18Peter66US #43
#19Michael65US #18
#20Kenneth64US #15
#21Roger62US #26
#22Albert53US #41
#23Francis50US #61
#24Walter48US #25
#25Arthur47US #33
#26Gerald46US #21
#27Norman44US #48
#28Alfred42US #69
#29Henry41US #31
#30Stephen41US #49
#31Louis34US #50
#32Dennis32US #24
#33Daniel31US #34
#34Alan30US #88
#35Leo29US #112
#36Ralph29US #37
#37Ernest27US #58
#38Eugene27US #38
#39Roland27US #141
#40Bruce25US #55
#41Frederick25US #68
#42Harold24US #23
#43Vincent23US #104
#44Harry22US #47
#45Russell22US #72
#46Leonard21US #54
#47Douglas19US #56
#48Lawrence19US #36
#49Bernard18US #82
#50Fred18US #40
#51Domenic17
#52Carl16US #32
#53Manuel16US #147
#54Allan15US #115
#55Andrew15US #84
#56Earl15US #52
#57Howard15US #45
#58Maurice15US #161
#59Normand15
#60Arnold14US #118
#61Everett14US #168
#62Gerard14
#63Herbert14US #75
#64Theodore14US #90
#65Philip13US #60
#66Nicholas12US #154
#67Victor12US #120
#68Wayne12US #39
#69Allen11US #71
#70Angelo11
#71Leon11US #89
#72Martin11US #85
#73Armand10
#74Gilbert10US #124
#75Jean10
#76Milton10US #132
#77Stanley10US #59
#78Wilfred10
#79Barry9US #109
#80Benjamin9US #128
#81Gordon9US #91
#82Larry9US #13
#83Samuel9US #65
#84Brian8US #163
#85Clifford8US #94
#86Edmund8
#87Emile8
#88Harvey8US #98
#89Patrick8US #74
#90Steven8US #119
#91Alexander7US #188
#92Duncan7
#93Edwin7US #96
#94Gary7US #19
#95Jerry7US #14
#96Lionel7
#97Lucien7
#98Salvatore7
#99Warren7US #110
#100Andre6

On the move since 1939

Rising

↑53Linda#19
↑42Geraldine#44
↑38Susan#36
↑30Cynthia#63
↑30Everett#61
↑29Arnold#60
↑29Allen#69
↑27Andrew#55

Falling

↓40Carole#73
↓35Evelyn#83
↓23Edmund#86
↓22Stanley#77
↓21Barry#79
↓20Norma#67
↓20Alexander#91
↓19Lorraine#43

Every state

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