These Were The Most Popular Baby Names In The 1940s

Baby naming fads come and go, but plenty of names have staying power.

The Social Security Administration tracks these trends over time and has compiled lists of the most popular names every year since the 1880s. The SSA also shares lists of the top names for each decade.

We decided to take a look at the most popular names of the 1940s. Naturally, there were a lot of baby girls named Mary, Nancy and Carol. As for the boys, names like James, William and Charles are still popular today.

Keep scrolling to see the 50 most popular names for boys and girls born in the U.S. from 1940 to 1949.

Girls

1. Mary

2. Linda

3. Barbara

4. Patricia

5. Carol

6. Sandra

7. Nancy

8. Sharon

9. Judith

10. Susan

11. Betty

12. Carolyn

13. Margaret

14. Shirley

15. Judy

16. Karen

17. Donna

18. Kathleen

19. Joyce

20. Dorothy

21. Janet

22. Diane

23. Janice

24. Joan

25. Elizabeth

26. Brenda

27. Gloria

28. Virginia

29. Marilyn

30. Martha

31. Beverly

32. Helen

33. Bonnie

34. Ruth

35. Frances

36. Jean

37. Ann

38. Phyllis

39. Pamela

40. Jane

41. Alice

42. Peggy

43. Cheryl

44. Doris

45. Catherine

46. Elaine

47. Cynthia

48. Marie

49. Lois

50. Connie

Boys

1. James

2. Robert

3. John

4. William

5. Richard

6. David

7. Charles

8. Thomas

9. Michael

10. Ronald

11. Larry

12. Donald

13. Joseph

14. Gary

15. George

16. Kenneth

17. Paul

18. Edward

19. Jerry

20. Dennis

21. Frank

22. Daniel

23. Raymond

24. Roger

25. Stephen

26. Gerald

27. Walter

28. Harold

29. Steven

30. Douglas

31. Lawrence

32. Terry

33. Wayne

34. Arthur

35. Jack

36. Carl

37. Henry

38. Willie

39. Bruce

40. Joe

41. Peter

42. Billy

43. Roy

44. Ralph

45. Anthony

46. Jimmy

47. Albert

48. Bobby

49. Eugene

50. Johnny