Top 100 baby names in the United States in 1942
See the most popular baby names, how many were recorded, and how each rank changed from 1941.
Top 100
| Rank | Name | Recorded count | Change from 1941 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James | 77,462 | 0 |
| 2 | Robert | 72,053 | 0 |
| 3 | John | 66,284 | +1 |
| 4 | Mary | 63,534 | -1 |
| 5 | William | 55,060 | 0 |
| 6 | Barbara | 44,903 | 0 |
| 7 | Richard | 43,720 | 0 |
| 8 | Patricia | 39,624 | 0 |
| 9 | David | 36,019 | +1 |
| 10 | Charles | 36,017 | -1 |
| 11 | Linda | 31,734 | +3 |
| 12 | Thomas | 31,203 | -1 |
| 13 | Carol | 30,539 | 0 |
| 14 | Ronald | 27,216 | -2 |
| 15 | Sandra | 25,070 | +6 |
| 16 | Judith | 24,867 | -1 |
| 17 | Donald | 24,031 | -1 |
| 18 | Nancy | 23,392 | 0 |
| 19 | Joseph | 22,508 | +1 |
| 20 | Larry | 22,163 | -1 |
| 21 | Michael | 21,884 | +6 |
| 22 | Betty | 21,770 | -5 |
| 23 | George | 21,425 | -1 |
| 24 | Carolyn | 20,038 | +1 |
| 25 | Sharon | 19,726 | +9 |
| 26 | Kenneth | 18,270 | 0 |
| 27 | Jerry | 18,099 | -4 |
| 28 | Shirley | 17,955 | -4 |
| 29 | Edward | 17,540 | +1 |
| 30 | Gary | 17,128 | +3 |
| 31 | Joyce | 16,807 | -3 |
| 32 | Margaret | 16,613 | -3 |
| 33 | Paul | 16,539 | -2 |
| 34 | Judy | 15,724 | +1 |
| 35 | Karen | 15,452 | +4 |
| 36 | Dorothy | 15,099 | -4 |
| 37 | Joan | 14,581 | -1 |
| 38 | Dennis | 13,313 | +9 |
| 39 | Janet | 13,104 | -2 |
| 40 | Donna | 13,037 | +1 |
| 41 | Frank | 12,291 | -1 |
| 42 | Susan | 12,069 | +8 |
| 43 | Gerald | 11,521 | -5 |
| 44 | Douglas | 11,271 | +67 |
| 45 | Elizabeth | 11,238 | -3 |
| 46 | Raymond | 11,154 | -1 |
| 47 | Virginia | 10,838 | -3 |
| 48 | Kathleen | 10,732 | +19 |
| 49 | Janice | 10,331 | -6 |
| 50 | Helen | 10,053 | -4 |
| 51 | Marilyn | 9,938 | +2 |
| 52 | Diane | 9,582 | +24 |
| 53 | Martha | 9,538 | -5 |
| 54 | Frances | 9,530 | 0 |
| 55 | Beverly | 9,498 | -3 |
| 55 | Gloria | 9,498 | -6 |
| 57 | Ruth | 9,358 | -6 |
| 58 | Roger | 9,206 | -1 |
| 59 | Willie | 9,161 | -4 |
| 60 | Bonnie | 8,907 | -1 |
| 61 | Walter | 8,727 | -1 |
| 62 | Harold | 8,608 | -6 |
| 63 | Daniel | 8,535 | +7 |
| 64 | Carole | 8,440 | +33 |
| 65 | Jean | 8,414 | -7 |
| 66 | Arthur | 8,064 | +6 |
| 67 | Phyllis | 7,819 | -3 |
| 68 | Ann | 7,707 | +1 |
| 69 | Lawrence | 7,672 | +5 |
| 70 | Henry | 7,626 | -5 |
| 71 | Joe | 7,619 | -8 |
| 72 | Stephen | 7,526 | +12 |
| 73 | Alice | 7,416 | -11 |
| 74 | Jack | 7,388 | -3 |
| 75 | Billy | 7,381 | -14 |
| 76 | Carl | 7,300 | -10 |
| 77 | Brenda | 7,269 | 0 |
| 78 | Doris | 7,233 | -10 |
| 79 | Ralph | 6,654 | +2 |
| 80 | Peter | 6,605 | +7 |
| 81 | Peggy | 6,602 | -6 |
| 82 | Marie | 6,594 | -4 |
| 83 | Albert | 6,528 | 0 |
| 84 | Wayne | 6,505 | -4 |
| 85 | Lois | 6,458 | -6 |
| 86 | Bobby | 6,380 | -13 |
| 87 | Roy | 6,356 | -5 |
| 88 | Anthony | 6,233 | +3 |
| 89 | Eugene | 6,124 | -4 |
| 90 | Fred | 6,113 | -4 |
| 91 | Elaine | 6,005 | -3 |
| 92 | Jimmy | 5,981 | -3 |
| 93 | Jane | 5,731 | -1 |
| 94 | Harry | 5,649 | -1 |
| 95 | Terry | 5,628 | +20 |
| 96 | Howard | 5,591 | -3 |
| 97 | Geraldine | 5,468 | -7 |
| 98 | Bruce | 5,402 | +10 |
| 99 | Joanne | 5,363 | +3 |
| 100 | Catherine | 5,293 | -1 |
Data from US Social Security Administration · through 2025.