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.

  • #8,534
    Sherleen
    27 in the 1940s 5 of 10 years
  • #8,535
    Chanda
    27 in the 1940s 3 of 10 years
  • #8,536
    Cyndia
    27 in the 1940s 3 of 10 years
  • #8,537
    Lylia
    27 in the 1940s 5 of 10 years
  • #8,538
    Wannetta
    27 in the 1940s 4 of 10 years
  • #8,539
    Lauran
    27 in the 1940s 3 of 10 years
  • #8,540
    Arcenia
    27 in the 1940s 4 of 10 years
  • #8,541
    Genelda
    27 in the 1940s 4 of 10 years
  • #8,543
    Zenda
    27 in the 1940s 4 of 10 years
  • #8,545
    Jullie
    27 in the 1940s 4 of 10 years
  • #8,546
    Julietta
    27 in the 1940s 4 of 10 years
  • #8,547
    Vaunda
    27 in the 1940s 4 of 10 years
  • #8,548
    Ilse
    27 in the 1940s 4 of 10 years
  • #8,550
    Georgeana
    27 in the 1940s 5 of 10 years
  • #8,551
    Mabelle
    27 in the 1940s 4 of 10 years
  • #8,552
    Ritamae
    27 in the 1940s 5 of 10 years
  • #8,554
    Nela
    27 in the 1940s 4 of 10 years
  • #8,555
    Sherlon
    27 in the 1940s 4 of 10 years
  • #8,556
    Mabeline
    27 in the 1940s 4 of 10 years
  • #8,559
    Luree
    27 in the 1940s 5 of 10 years
  • #8,561
    Darinda
    27 in the 1940s 4 of 10 years
  • #8,562
    Deardra
    27 in the 1940s 4 of 10 years
  • #8,563
    Gerlean
    27 in the 1940s 5 of 10 years
  • #8,564
    Cheryal
    27 in the 1940s 4 of 10 years
  • #8,565
    Jillaine
    27 in the 1940s 4 of 10 years
  • #8,566
    Karenlee
    27 in the 1940s 4 of 10 years
  • #8,567
    Renella
    27 in the 1940s 5 of 10 years
  • #8,568
    Olia
    27 in the 1940s 4 of 10 years
  • #8,571
    Apolonia
    27 in the 1940s 4 of 10 years
  • #8,573
    Sarann
    27 in the 1940s 4 of 10 years
  • #8,574
    Starlette
    27 in the 1940s 4 of 10 years
  • #8,575
    Jomarie
    27 in the 1940s 4 of 10 years
  • #8,577
    Bonnell
    27 in the 1940s 4 of 10 years
  • #8,579
    Rogena
    27 in the 1940s 3 of 10 years
  • #8,580
    Dela
    27 in the 1940s 4 of 10 years
  • #8,581
    Charliene
    27 in the 1940s 4 of 10 years
  • #8,585
    Laverda
    27 in the 1940s 4 of 10 years
  • #8,586
    Jaquelyn
    27 in the 1940s 4 of 10 years
  • #8,587
    Louvina
    27 in the 1940s 4 of 10 years
  • #8,588
    Leathia
    27 in the 1940s 4 of 10 years
  • #8,589
    Gailyn
    27 in the 1940s 5 of 10 years
  • #8,591
    Joean
    27 in the 1940s 5 of 10 years
  • #8,594
    Verdelle
    27 in the 1940s 3 of 10 years
  • #8,597
    Tawny
    27 in the 1940s 3 of 10 years
  • #8,601
    Othelia
    27 in the 1940s 4 of 10 years
  • #8,602
    Jamee
    27 in the 1940s 4 of 10 years
  • #8,603
    Loucinda
    27 in the 1940s 4 of 10 years
  • #8,604
    Janelda
    27 in the 1940s 5 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.