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Popular 1940s Girl Names

1940s girl names

One of the most exciting parts of expecting a baby girl is deciding on a name for that tiny human currently doing backflips in your belly. But with so many options to choose from, you might need a little help to get started on the process.

If you have a thing for old-fashioned names, the top names of the 1940s could be a good starting point for your search (or, if you have a taste for the off-beat and singular, we also have a whole list full of unusual 1940s' names for baby girls).

To be fair, many of the names topping the charts in the 1940s sound a bit too dated to contemporary ears, but there are also a ton of wonderful names that fit right in with today's baby names.

First, let's have a look at the top 10 girl names of the decade, as ranked by the Social Security Administration, which keeps track of the most popular baby names in the U.S. Note: Names marked with an asterisk (*) reached the height of their popularity in the 40s.

Top 10 Girl's Names of the 1940s

  1. Mary. This biblical classic was the undisputed #1 girl's name in the 1940s, with about 640,000 baby Marys born from 1940 through 1949.
  2. Linda. Linda spectacularly entered the Girls' Top 10 at #2 in the 1940s, and remained there throughout the following two decades.
  3. Barbara*. Today, baby Barbara*s are thin on the ground, but in the 1940s, Barbara* was the 3rd most common name among baby girls.
  4. Patricia. From the same roots as the word 'patrician', meaning 'noble', this elegant name comes with a variety of short and punchy nicknames (Pat, Patti, Tris, Tricia...).
  5. Carol*. This Christmassy girl's name was all the rage in the 1950s and 60s. Fast forward to the current century, and you're unlikely to meet a baby called Carol*.
  6. Sandra*. One of the rising stars of the decade, Sandra* reached its pinnacle in 1947, when nearly 35,000 little Sandra*s were welcomed into the world.
  7. Nancy. An Old Hollywood powerhouse, shared by 20th century stars Sinatra, Kovack, Gates and Kelly. Add in first lady Nancy Reagan and politician Nancy Pelosi, and you've got a solid old-fashioned name with plenty of distinguished namesake cred.
  8. Sharon. From 1940 though 1949, more than 220,000 American girls were given the name Sharon, enough to earn it spot #8 on this list.
  9. Judith*. A strong biblical name at the peak of its popularity in the 1940s.
  10. Susan. At the beginning of the previous decade, Susan wasn't even a top 100 name, and now it was ranked at #10. That's quite an achievement!

Any keepers? No? Then let's move on to the Top 100. The following list includes all the names that were among the 100 most popular baby girl names in the 1940s, except the top 10 names which are listed above.