Birth year roster
Top names in 1941
The names most likely to appear on 1941 birth certificates, ranked by SSA records.
Mary and James led the 1941 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 1941 classroom and how many have since faded or endured.
Girls
- #1Mary58,048
- #2Barbara39,543
- #3Patricia36,905
- #4Carol24,187
- #5Linda23,721
- #6Judith23,320
- #7Betty20,905
- #8Nancy20,885
- #9Sandra19,500
- #10Shirley16,954
- #11Carolyn16,273
- #12Margaret15,696
- #13Joyce15,684
- #14Dorothy14,566
- #15Sharon14,272
- #16Judy13,968
- #17Joan13,380
- #18Janet11,136
- #19Karen10,831
- #20Donna10,446
- #21Elizabeth10,267
- #22Janice10,061
- #23Virginia10,043
- #24Helen9,887
- #25Martha9,156
Boys
- #1James66,751
- #2Robert64,247
- #3John57,520
- #4William47,798
- #5Richard39,112
- #6Charles32,742
- #7David30,553
- #8Thomas26,641
- #9Ronald24,407
- #10Donald22,641
- #11Larry20,134
- #12Joseph19,808
- #13George19,260
- #14Jerry16,799
- #15Kenneth16,143
- #16Michael15,935
- #17Edward15,580
- #18Paul15,166
- #19Gary14,568
- #20Gerald10,942
- #21Frank10,795
- #22Raymond9,951
- #23Dennis9,562
- #24Harold8,102
- #25Roger8,095