By year

The top names of 1942

Mary led the girls and James the boys, out of 2,731,880 babies in the public record for that year.

Girls, 1942

#NameBabiesShare
1Mary63,2564.68%
2Barbara44,7393.31%
3Patricia39,4652.92%
4Linda31,6132.34%
5Carol30,2722.24%
6Sandra24,9941.85%
7Judith24,7921.84%
8Nancy23,3271.73%
9Betty21,6591.60%
10Carolyn19,9781.48%
11Sharon19,6481.45%
12Shirley17,7501.31%
13Joyce16,7281.24%
14Margaret16,5491.23%
15Judy15,6671.16%
16Karen15,3871.14%
17Dorothy15,0371.11%
18Joan14,5141.07%
19Janet13,0650.97%
20Donna12,9870.96%
21Susan12,0150.89%
22Elizabeth11,1860.83%
23Virginia10,8030.80%
24Kathleen10,6960.79%
25Janice10,2860.76%
26Helen10,0160.74%
27Marilyn9,9060.73%
28Diane9,5510.71%
29Martha9,5130.70%
30Frances9,4710.70%
31Gloria9,4500.70%
32Beverly9,4110.70%
33Ruth9,3150.69%
34Bonnie8,8230.65%
35Carole8,4070.62%
36Jean8,2570.61%
37Phyllis7,7930.58%
38Ann7,6660.57%
39Alice7,3820.55%
40Brenda7,2410.54%
41Doris7,1760.53%
42Peggy6,5800.49%
43Marie6,5590.49%
44Lois6,4060.47%
45Elaine5,9860.44%
46Jane5,7070.42%
47Geraldine5,4370.40%
48Joanne5,3420.40%
49Catherine5,2670.39%
50Rose5,2530.39%

Boys, 1942

#NameBabiesShare
1James77,1825.59%
2Robert71,8455.20%
3John66,0434.78%
4William54,8903.97%
5Richard43,5933.16%
6David35,9052.60%
7Charles35,8542.60%
8Thomas31,1002.25%
9Ronald27,1381.96%
10Donald23,9551.73%
11Joseph22,4291.62%
12Larry22,0991.60%
13Michael21,7281.57%
14George21,2751.54%
15Kenneth18,2101.32%
16Jerry17,4881.27%
17Edward17,4701.26%
18Gary17,0681.24%
19Paul16,4921.19%
20Dennis13,2810.96%
21Frank12,2480.89%
22Gerald11,4840.83%
23Douglas11,2330.81%
24Raymond11,1160.80%
25Roger9,1740.66%
26Walter8,6820.63%
27Harold8,5820.62%
28Daniel8,5070.62%
29Arthur8,0270.58%
30Lawrence7,6390.55%
31Henry7,5610.55%
32Stephen7,5030.54%
33Joe7,3830.53%
34Jack7,3650.53%
35Billy7,3130.53%
36Carl7,2680.53%
37Willie7,0940.51%
38Ralph6,6370.48%
39Peter6,5870.48%
40Albert6,4960.47%
41Wayne6,4840.47%
42Roy6,3110.46%
43Bobby6,2480.45%
44Anthony6,2100.45%
45Eugene6,0920.44%
46Fred6,0880.44%
47Jimmy5,9490.43%
48Harry5,6290.41%
49Howard5,5710.40%
50Bruce5,3850.39%

United States national data, Social Security Administration. The file counts Social Security applications, so its early decades undercount; the share column is a name's part of the names recorded for that sex that year, not of all births. How we use it.

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