State roster

Top names in Texas

The names most likely to appear on 1940 Texas birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 122,335 Texas births in 1940 across 1,827 distinct names.

Distinctively Texas

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

#21Juan#196 nationally
#38Jesusoutside the national top 200
#45Antoniooutside the national top 200
#48Guadalupeoutside the national top 200
#53Pedrooutside the national top 200
#57Robertooutside the national top 200
#61Ramonoutside the national top 200
#62Rubenoutside the national top 200
#64Carlosoutside the national top 200
#65Franciscooutside the national top 200
#66Rauloutside the national top 200
#15Jose#148 nationally

Girls

#1Mary3,375US #1
#2Barbara1,678US #2
#3Betty1,464US #5
#4Linda1,277US #8
#5Maria1,260US #119
#6Patricia1,192US #3
#7Shirley921US #9
#8Dorothy829US #12
#9Carolyn704US #15
#10Sandra701US #10
#11Martha676US #26
#12Nancy675US #7
#13Patsy669US #57
#14Joyce667US #13
#15Gloria651US #30
#16Virginia630US #21
#17Margaret577US #11
#18Wanda573US #52
#19Frances533US #28
#20Helen526US #18
#21Carol520US #6
#22Doris509US #31
#23Peggy472US #37
#24Alice424US #32
#25Judy423US #16
#26Elizabeth419US #20
#27Jo393US #72
#28Juanita374US #78
#29Judith364US #4
#30Ruby344US #66
#31Brenda325US #42
#32Bobbie324US #147
#33Glenda316US #107
#34Norma313US #43
#35Janice312US #22
#36Beverly279US #27
#37Billie277US #149
#38Annie267US #56
#39Ruth264US #24
#40Sylvia258US #62
#41Sharon254US #17
#42Ann250US #35
#43Rosa249US #148
#44Evelyn245US #48
#45Emma240US #94
#46Sue233US #81
#47Anita232US #87
#48Guadalupe231
#49Rose231US #44
#50Eva230US #132
#51Joan228US #14
#52Jean227US #29
#53Sarah220US #60
#54Marilyn219US #25
#55Margie218US #114
#56Julia216US #91
#57Donna211US #23
#58Anna208US #51
#59Dolores206US #67
#60Irene206US #73
#61Dora200US #181
#62Charlotte196US #55
#63Jane196US #47
#64Lois193US #38
#65Bonnie187US #39
#66Kay185US #77
#67Mildred185US #58
#68Edna174US #86
#69Rebecca172US #96
#70Willie171US #128
#71Margarita170
#72Carmen169
#73Josephine169US #89
#74Paula169US #155
#75Janie166
#76Irma161
#77Nelda161
#78Marie160US #41
#79Lydia158
#80Esther152US #131
#81Clara151US #111
#82Alicia150
#83Loretta150US #69
#84Lynda150US #165
#85Olga149
#86Thelma149US #101
#87Bertha148US #141
#88Yolanda147
#89Laura146US #108
#90Lupe143
#91Wilma142US #93
#92Melba140
#93Connie139US #88
#94Jeanette139US #90
#95Karen138US #34
#96Alma137US #152
#97Sara137US #122
#98Beatrice135US #140
#99Carole133US #49
#100Janet132US #19

Boys

#1James2,971US #1
#2Robert2,151US #2
#3John2,109US #3
#4Charles1,844US #6
#5William1,549US #4
#6Jerry1,401US #14
#7Joe1,260US #28
#8David1,084US #7
#9Billy1,079US #27
#10Richard967US #5
#11Donald906US #9
#12Bobby801US #30
#13George800US #11
#14Thomas777US #8
#15Jose755US #148
#16Kenneth734US #15
#17Jimmy709US #44
#18Larry597US #13
#19Johnny537US #51
#20Frank493US #20
#21Juan486US #196
#22Edward477US #16
#23Roy442US #42
#24Raymond427US #22
#25Manuel419US #147
#26Henry411US #31
#27Ronald408US #10
#28Willie400US #35
#29Tommy387US #76
#30Don386US #62
#31Gary380US #19
#32Paul378US #17
#33Jack374US #29
#34Michael354US #18
#35Walter353US #25
#36Harold350US #23
#37Joseph319US #12
#38Jesus316
#39Daniel310US #34
#40Jesse297US #93
#41Gerald289US #21
#42Albert280US #41
#43Carl278US #32
#44Jimmie275US #86
#45Antonio255
#46Arthur255US #33
#47Fred252US #40
#48Bill235US #67
#49Louis231US #50
#50Eddie224US #81
#51Eugene222US #38
#52Melvin220US #53
#53Pedro217
#54Ray215US #77
#55Ernest212US #58
#56Wayne207US #39
#57Roberto202
#58Marvin201US #63
#59Clarence197US #64
#60Gene197US #70
#61Ramon193
#62Ruben192
#63Ralph191US #37
#64Carlos186
#65Francisco181
#66Raul180
#67Ronnie180US #101
#68Lawrence178US #36
#69Samuel177US #65
#70Alfred176US #69
#71Lee174US #80
#72Howard169US #45
#73Leon169US #89
#74Mike169US #122
#75Earl166US #52
#76Jackie165US #108
#77Curtis164US #97
#78Guadalupe159
#79Gilbert158US #124
#80Oscar156US #167
#81Roger156US #26
#82Douglas155US #56
#83Alvin151US #106
#84Cecil151US #117
#85Freddie151US #138
#86Leonard142US #54
#87Jim139US #78
#88Jessie136US #162
#89Norman135US #48
#90Bob134US #99
#91Herman134US #113
#92Harry133US #47
#93Herbert133US #75
#94Martin133US #85
#95Victor132US #120
#96Luis130
#97Milton130US #132
#98Clyde129US #102
#99Tony127US #142
#100Edwin126US #96

On the move since 1939

Rising

↑22Sharon#41
↑22Leon#73
↑20Gary#31
↑17Judith#29
↑17Josephine#73
↑16Ray#54
↑14Francisco#65
↑13Irma#76

Falling

↓22Nelda#77
↓18Curtis#77
↓18Norman#89
↓16Julia#56
↓15Dolores#59
↓14Clara#81
↓14Jim#87
↓13Jackie#76

Every state

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