1940s Baby Names

7,630 names were given to children in the United States between 1940 and 1949, ranked below by how many.

A name's place is its total across those ten years. Names that appear in only some of the decade say so, because a name recorded once is a different fact from one recorded every year.

  • #11,127
    Jenney
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,134
    Prudie
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,135
    Vernessa
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,137
    Cherylin
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,138
    Carmina
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,140
    Francelle
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,143
    Cathline
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,144
    Rissa
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,145
    Memorie
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,146
    Vonice
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,149
    Carleene
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,150
    Dilys
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,151
    Sarahann
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,154
    Maelene
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,158
    Geneal
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,159
    Radene
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,160
    Ellanor
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,166
    Ozetta
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,168
    Nolie
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,169
    Gailene
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,173
    Metha
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,176
    Dove
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,179
    Melisa
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,180
    Macey
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,182
    Kyong
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,184
    Carlye
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,186
    Elfredia
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,188
    Lavida
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,192
    Thela
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,193
    Drenna
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,194
    Rayanna
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,196
    Noralyn
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,197
    Roxey
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,198
    Geniel
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,199
    Araminta
    10 in the 1940s 1 of 10 years
  • #11,202
    Shirle
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,203
    Doralene
    10 in the 1940s 1 of 10 years
  • #11,204
    Lovene
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,209
    Joeleen
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,210
    Mazella
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,211
    Derita
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,212
    Celsa
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,213
    Angelean
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,218
    Cathelene
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,219
    Roselea
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,220
    Jolean
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,221
    Wilmina
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years
  • #11,226
    Rietta
    10 in the 1940s 2 of 10 years

What Made a 1940s Name

Children in the United States were registered with it between 1940 and 1949. A name's position here is how many of them were.

Why Some Names Only Cover Part of the Decade

A name that appears in three of the ten years either arrived partway through or faded out — and either is more interesting than the total on its own. The statistics offices do not publish names given to very few children in a year, so a gap can also mean the count dropped below the threshold rather than to nothing.

Where to Go Next

Open any name to see its full curve — most of these have a hundred and forty years of it. Or compare the ends of the same measurement: the most popular names now and the rarest.