US baby names · 1941

Most popular baby names of 1941

In 1941, Social Security card applications recorded 1,208,119 girls and 1,228,318 boys born in the US under names given to at least five babies of the same sex. That covers 5,085 distinct girls’ names and 4,002 boys’ names.

The most common names were Mary (58,048 girls) and James (66,751 boys). The ten most common girls’ names together account for 24% of recorded girls, and the top ten boys’ names for 34% of boys. Compared with 1940, 133,737 more babies were recorded in total.

Against the top 100 of 1940, 5 girls’ names and 3 boys’ names in 1941 are newcomers (girls: Kathryn, Theresa, Glenda; boys: Ronnie, Steven, Barry). Of these names, 9 of the 100 girls’ names and 17 of the 100 boys’ names are still in the top 100 in 2025.

Ranks follow SSA’s order: most births first, with ties listed alphabetically. Each sparkline shows the name’s full history from 1880 to 2025, so you can see whether a 1941 favourite was rising, at its peak or already fading.

SSA names.zip · Social Security card applications · retrieved 2026-10-05

← 1940 1942 →

Top 100 girls’ names, 1941

Rank	Name	Girls
#1	Mary	58,048
#2	Barbara	39,543
#3	Patricia	36,905
#4	Carol	24,187
#5	Linda	23,721
#6	Judith	23,320
#7	Betty	20,905
#8	Nancy	20,885
#9	Sandra	19,500
#10	Shirley	16,954
#11	Carolyn	16,273
#12	Margaret	15,696
#13	Joyce	15,684
#14	Dorothy	14,566
#15	Sharon	14,272
#16	Judy	13,968
#17	Joan	13,380
#18	Janet	11,136
#19	Karen	10,831
#20	Donna	10,446
#21	Elizabeth	10,267
#22	Janice	10,061
#23	Virginia	10,043
#24	Helen	9,887
#25	Martha	9,156
#26	Gloria	9,008
#27	Susan	8,889
#28	Ruth	8,863
#29	Beverly	8,727
#30	Marilyn	8,556
#31	Frances	8,468
#32	Jean	7,840
#33	Bonnie	7,762
#34	Alice	7,445
#35	Phyllis	7,346
#36	Kathleen	7,160
#37	Ann	7,121
#38	Doris	7,081
#39	Peggy	6,561
#40	Diane	6,427
#41	Brenda	6,332
#42	Marie	6,152
#43	Lois	6,105
#44	Elaine	5,376
#45	Geraldine	5,229
#46	Jane	5,090
#47	Norma	5,021
#48	Carole	4,966
#49	Rose	4,955
#50	Evelyn	4,928
#51	Catherine	4,884
#52	Patsy	4,788
#53	Wanda	4,735
#54	Joanne	4,665
#55	Charlotte	4,564
#56	Anna	4,432
#57	Dolores	4,384
#58	Joann	4,275
#59	Annie	4,073
#60	Sarah	3,982
#61	Sally	3,965
#62	Louise	3,910
#63	Rita	3,879
#64	Mildred	3,846
#65	Sylvia	3,788
#66	Jo	3,757
#67	Ellen	3,664
#68	Gail	3,609
#69	Ruby	3,581
#70	Kay	3,538
#71	Marjorie	3,517
#72	Roberta	3,396
#73	Jacqueline	3,388
#74	Irene	3,370
#75	Sue	3,359
#76	Darlene	3,344
#77	Arlene	3,291
#78	Eleanor	3,250
#79	Connie	3,205
#80	Delores	3,160
#81	Loretta	3,100
#82	Anne	3,096
#83	Marlene	3,068
#84	Juanita	3,044
#85	Katherine	3,004
#86	Rebecca	2,924
#87	Kathryn	2,869
#88	Julia	2,844
#89	Edna	2,835
#90	June	2,766
#91	Anita	2,740
#92	Josephine	2,726
#93	Lorraine	2,688
#94	Rosemary	2,677
#95	Theresa	2,675
#96	Glenda	2,643
#97	Suzanne	2,611
#98	Jeanette	2,596
#99	Emma	2,546
#100	Diana	2,544

Top 100 boys’ names, 1941

Rank	Name	Boys
#1	James	66,751
#2	Robert	64,247
#3	John	57,520
#4	William	47,798
#5	Richard	39,112
#6	Charles	32,742
#7	David	30,553
#8	Thomas	26,641
#9	Ronald	24,407
#10	Donald	22,641
#11	Larry	20,134
#12	Joseph	19,808
#13	George	19,260
#14	Jerry	16,799
#15	Kenneth	16,143
#16	Michael	15,935
#17	Edward	15,580
#18	Paul	15,166
#19	Gary	14,568
#20	Gerald	10,942
#21	Frank	10,795
#22	Raymond	9,951
#23	Dennis	9,562
#24	Harold	8,102
#25	Roger	8,095
#26	Walter	7,745
#27	Billy	7,655
#28	Henry	7,165
#29	Carl	7,160
#30	Joe	7,158
#31	Daniel	7,050
#32	Jack	6,950
#33	Arthur	6,739
#34	Lawrence	6,653
#35	Bobby	6,589
#36	Willie	6,526
#37	Wayne	6,112
#38	Ralph	6,040
#39	Roy	5,950
#40	Albert	5,927
#41	Stephen	5,811
#42	Eugene	5,754
#43	Fred	5,619
#44	Peter	5,607
#45	Jimmy	5,336
#46	Anthony	5,239
#47	Howard	5,067
#48	Harry	5,056
#49	Norman	4,459
#50	Louis	4,447
#51	Bruce	4,302
#52	Philip	4,166
#53	Douglas	4,146
#54	Leonard	3,986
#55	Johnny	3,983
#56	Melvin	3,951
#57	Stanley	3,926
#58	Earl	3,806
#59	Dale	3,791
#60	Francis	3,738
#61	Ernest	3,726
#62	Clarence	3,671
#63	Marvin	3,626
#64	Terry	3,606
#65	Samuel	3,538
#66	Don	3,533
#67	Leroy	3,524
#68	Bill	3,453
#69	Frederick	3,288
#70	Patrick	3,155
#71	Tommy	3,087
#72	Gene	3,073
#73	Allen	3,060
#74	Alfred	3,052
#75	Russell	3,032
#76	Herbert	2,964
#77	Phillip	2,871
#78	Eddie	2,850
#79	Ronnie	2,848
#80	Jim	2,843
#81	Lee	2,742
#82	Andrew	2,708
#83	Ray	2,695
#84	Alan	2,624
#85	Martin	2,605
#86	Glenn	2,523
#87	Bernard	2,509
#88	Tom	2,500
#89	Jimmie	2,473
#90	Steven	2,468
#91	Barry	2,465
#92	Gordon	2,404
#93	Leon	2,375
#94	Clifford	2,363
#95	Theodore	2,330
#96	Lloyd	2,252
#97	Edwin	2,214
#98	Franklin	2,205
#99	Jesse	2,184
#100	Curtis	2,164