babynamepicker

Girl Names of the 1940s

The 100 most common girl names given in the United States during the 1940s, by the number of children recorded with each name across those years.

All 100 names

  1. Mary 640,080
  2. Linda 531,660
  3. Barbara 425,271
  4. Patricia 411,412
  5. Carol 292,333
  6. Sandra 265,538
  7. Nancy 252,061
  8. Sharon 221,237
  9. Judith 218,037
  10. Susan 212,016
  11. Betty 194,623
  12. Carolyn 181,858
  13. Margaret 173,028
  14. Shirley 171,780
  15. Judy 167,719
  16. Karen 167,700
  17. Donna 165,523
  18. Kathleen 152,981
  19. Joyce 151,494
  20. Dorothy 132,257
  21. Janet 130,755
  22. Diane 122,878
  23. Janice 118,893
  24. Joan 117,708
  25. Elizabeth 116,551
  26. Brenda 112,415
  27. Gloria 105,055
  28. Virginia 99,000
  29. Marilyn 98,977
  30. Martha 95,384
  31. Beverly 95,122
  32. Helen 90,742
  33. Bonnie 86,886
  34. Ruth 85,666
  35. Frances 85,448
  36. Jean 80,363
  37. Ann 76,797
  38. Phyllis 76,143
  39. Pamela 73,121
  40. Jane 72,537
  41. Alice 72,392
  42. Peggy 72,122
  43. Cheryl 70,959
  44. Doris 64,144
  45. Catherine 62,086
  46. Elaine 60,105
  47. Cynthia 58,061
  48. Marie 57,521
  49. Lois 56,854
  50. Connie 56,604
  51. Christine 54,565
  52. Diana 53,698
  53. Gail 53,140
  54. Joanne 51,655
  55. Rose 51,643
  56. Wanda 50,775
  57. Carole 50,303
  58. Rita 49,853
  59. Charlotte 49,478
  60. Jo 48,449
  61. Evelyn 48,157
  62. Geraldine 47,933
  63. Jacqueline 45,559
  64. Ellen 45,404
  65. Sally 45,344
  66. Rebecca 45,313
  67. Kathryn 44,581
  68. Deborah 44,054
  69. Norma 43,030
  70. Suzanne 41,405
  71. Anna 41,282
  72. Sue 40,943
  73. Darlene 40,321
  74. Patsy 40,282
  75. Joann 40,015
  76. Sarah 39,977
  77. Katherine 39,912
  78. Paula 39,044
  79. Annie 38,714
  80. Louise 38,665
  81. Roberta 38,051
  82. Sylvia 37,288
  83. Anne 36,146
  84. Theresa 35,789
  85. Sheila 35,740
  86. Maria 35,571
  87. Laura 35,071
  88. Kathy 34,766
  89. Eileen 34,695
  90. Marcia 34,397
  91. Rosemary 34,297
  92. Glenda 33,348
  93. Dolores 33,099
  94. Mildred 33,071
  95. Lorraine 33,047
  96. Marjorie 32,901
  97. Sherry 32,759
  98. Kay 32,654
  99. Anita 32,531
  100. Dianne 32,296

How 1940s girl names compare

Mary was the most common girl name of the 1940s, given to 640,080 girls across those years, with Linda, Barbara, Patricia and Carol behind it. The hundredth name on the list, Dianne, accounts for 32,296. Between them the hundred names cover 9,750,908 births. Two different names took the number one spot across the decade: Mary for seven years and Linda for three years.

71 of these names were also in the 1930s top 100, and 29 were not. Six are still in the 2025 top 100 — Elizabeth, Alice, Charlotte, Evelyn, Sarah and Maria — and 25 are inside the top 500.

Those hundred names cover 67.3% of all girls born in the 1940s — 9,750,908 of 14,484,828 — and Mary alone accounts for 4.4% of them. The hundred most common names of 2025 take 31.5% between them, so naming has spread wider since. Every one of the hundred was already in the record before the 1940s began.

Questions about 1940s girl names

What was the most popular girl name of the 1940s?

Mary, given to 640,080 girls across those years. The next two were Linda and Barbara.

Are 1940s girl names still used today?

Six of the hundred are in the 2025 top 100: Elizabeth, Alice, Charlotte, Evelyn, Sarah and Maria.