Birth year roster
Top names in 1940
The names most likely to appear on 1940 birth certificates, ranked by SSA records.
Mary and James led the 1940 baby-name charts, a pair that captures the naming culture of mid-century America — a timeless classic that had dominated since the 1880s and James, a perennial powerhouse that would anchor the decade. The full top 25 below reveals which names defined the 1940 classroom and how many have since faded or endured.
Girls
- #1Mary56,216
- #2Barbara36,736
- #3Patricia32,665
- #4Judith22,385
- #5Betty22,077
- #6Carol21,759
- #7Nancy19,737
- #8Linda18,370
- #9Shirley17,881
- #10Sandra16,153
- #11Margaret15,063
- #12Dorothy14,875
- #13Joyce14,801
- #14Joan13,292
- #15Carolyn12,657
- #16Judy11,382
- #17Sharon11,121
- #18Helen10,203
- #19Janet10,105
- #20Elizabeth9,955
- #21Virginia9,554
- #22Janice9,318
- #23Donna9,232
- #24Ruth8,888
- #25Marilyn8,704
Boys
- #1James62,481
- #2Robert61,198
- #3John54,786
- #4William44,779
- #5Richard37,425
- #6Charles31,689
- #7David27,690
- #8Thomas23,991
- #9Donald23,115
- #10Ronald20,741
- #11George18,315
- #12Joseph18,208
- #13Larry17,199
- #14Jerry15,213
- #15Kenneth15,132
- #16Edward14,405
- #17Paul14,097
- #18Michael13,228
- #19Gary12,573
- #20Frank10,595
- #21Gerald10,236
- #22Raymond9,567
- #23Harold8,080
- #24Dennis7,845
- #25Walter7,723