State roster

Top names in Wisconsin

The names most likely to appear on 1940 Wisconsin birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 49,313 Wisconsin births in 1940 across 710 distinct names.

Distinctively Wisconsin

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

#72Lyle#173 nationally
#36Duane#134 nationally
#73Dianne#167 nationally
#100Lynn#193 nationally
#99Gregory#189 nationally
#96Karl#174 nationally
#95Caroline#172 nationally
#84Maryann#156 nationally
#86Neil#156 nationally
#26Jerome#95 nationally
#94Brian#163 nationally
#69Jeanne#129 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,462US #1
#2Judith1,228US #4
#3Carol896US #6
#4Patricia885US #3
#5Barbara884US #2
#6Nancy676US #7
#7Karen608US #34
#8Sandra575US #10
#9Sharon528US #17
#10Joan437US #14
#11Donna391US #23
#12Shirley380US #9
#13Janet359US #19
#14Kathleen351US #40
#15Joyce349US #13
#16Beverly344US #27
#17Judy341US #16
#18Betty323US #5
#19Janice320US #22
#20Jean318US #29
#21Marilyn283US #25
#22Susan278US #36
#23Diane255US #45
#24Ruth251US #24
#25Margaret247US #11
#26Darlene234US #79
#27Bonnie219US #39
#28Joanne201US #54
#29Marlene200US #80
#30Dorothy193US #12
#31Lois192US #38
#32Virginia179US #21
#33Helen176US #18
#34Linda172US #8
#35Elaine171US #50
#36Gloria164US #30
#37Ann157US #35
#38Elizabeth154US #20
#39Alice153US #32
#40Kay147US #77
#41Arlene145US #75
#42Jane141US #47
#43Carolyn137US #15
#44Phyllis128US #33
#45Geraldine127US #46
#46Sally124US #61
#47Audrey119US #99
#48Carole119US #49
#49Gail117US #65
#50Joann116US #63
#51Rose110US #44
#52Marie108US #41
#53Doris103US #31
#54Rita102US #70
#55Suzanne101US #109
#56Charlotte99US #55
#57Ellen99US #74
#58Marjorie97US #64
#59Catherine96US #53
#60Kathryn94US #103
#61Frances92US #28
#62Rosemary89US #85
#63Jeanette87US #90
#64Yvonne82US #110
#65Delores80US #83
#66Marion78US #120
#67Irene77US #73
#68Jacqueline74US #76
#69Jeanne74US #129
#70Lucille72US #113
#71Eileen71US #125
#72June71US #82
#73Dianne70US #167
#74Evelyn67US #48
#75Sue67US #81
#76Diana65US #117
#77Roberta65US #71
#78Lorraine61US #95
#79Katherine60US #92
#80Bernice58US #121
#81Louise56US #59
#82Christine53US #118
#83Deanna53US #136
#84Maryann53US #156
#85Anita52US #87
#86Constance52US #124
#87Loretta52US #69
#88Dolores51US #67
#89Annette50US #126
#90Norma50US #43
#91Marcia49US #112
#92Maxine49US #137
#93Rosalie49US #139
#94Anna48US #51
#95Caroline46US #172
#96Patsy46US #57
#97Theresa46US #102
#98Beatrice45US #140
#99Mildred45US #58
#100Lynn44US #193

Boys

#1Robert1,577US #2
#2James1,552US #1
#3John1,318US #3
#4Richard1,255US #5
#5Thomas909US #8
#6David903US #7
#7William879US #4
#8Ronald728US #10
#9Donald726US #9
#10Gerald577US #21
#11Kenneth518US #15
#12Dennis476US #24
#13Charles457US #6
#14Roger447US #26
#15Gary436US #19
#16Michael418US #18
#17Larry325US #13
#18Edward294US #16
#19Joseph284US #12
#20Wayne281US #39
#21Paul250US #17
#22Jerry231US #14
#23George230US #11
#24Daniel216US #34
#25Eugene207US #38
#26Jerome191US #95
#27Raymond187US #22
#28Dale186US #57
#29Peter186US #43
#30Lawrence180US #36
#31Harold150US #23
#32Bruce146US #55
#33Ralph138US #37
#34Gordon136US #91
#35Carl135US #32
#36Duane131US #134
#37Frank128US #20
#38Patrick126US #74
#39Walter124US #25
#40Allen121US #71
#41Jack117US #29
#42Russell116US #72
#43Douglas114US #56
#44Frederick114US #68
#45Marvin110US #63
#46Norman110US #48
#47Gene109US #70
#48Terry102US #73
#49Leroy100US #66
#50Fred99US #40
#51Henry96US #31
#52Arthur95US #33
#53Stanley91US #59
#54Tom90US #92
#55Howard88US #45
#56Leonard87US #54
#57Glenn85US #83
#58Philip84US #60
#59Francis81US #61
#60Lee80US #80
#61Allan78US #115
#62Anthony76US #46
#63Bernard76US #82
#64Jon73US #123
#65Alan72US #88
#66Keith71US #125
#67Melvin70US #53
#68Theodore70US #90
#69Roy68US #42
#70Albert67US #41
#71Stephen66US #49
#72Lyle65US #173
#73Vernon64US #105
#74Clarence62US #64
#75Jim60US #78
#76Darrell57US #131
#77Lloyd56US #100
#78Louis56US #50
#79Phillip56US #79
#80Herbert55US #75
#81Earl54US #52
#82Arnold52US #118
#83Don52US #62
#84Harvey51US #98
#85Edwin50US #96
#86Neil50US #156
#87Rodney50US #133
#88Timothy50US #135
#89Clifford49US #94
#90Dean49US #143
#91Leon49US #89
#92Harry46US #47
#93Mark46US #149
#94Brian45US #163
#95Glen45US #130
#96Karl44US #174
#97Martin44US #85
#98Leo42US #112
#99Gregory41US #189
#100Bill40US #67

On the move since 1939

Rising

↑27Lucille#70
↑22Darrell#76
↑20Bonnie#27
↑19Herbert#80
↑18Sue#75
↑17Suzanne#55
↑17Stephen#71
↑16Howard#55

Falling

↓27Dean#90
↓23Loretta#87
↓23Earl#81
↓22Rodney#87
↓22Leo#98
↓19Lorraine#78
↓19Leon#91
↓18Dolores#88

Every state

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