Popular Names of 1942

The 20 most popular names given to female and to male babies born in 1942, as recorded, with each name’s rank in 2025. Janet peaked among human females this year, at 19th.

Table 1. Female names, 1942
Rank	Name	Number	Rank in 2025
1	Mary	63,256	125
2	Barbara	44,739	968
3	Patricia	39,465	1,336
4	Linda	31,613	902
5	Carol	30,272	2,242
6	Sandra	24,994	1,210
7	Judith	24,792	790
8	Nancy	23,327	967
9	Betty	21,659	1,113
10	Carolyn	19,978	1,222
11	Sharon	19,648	1,256
12	Shirley	17,750	1,586
13	Joyce	16,728	1,074
14	Margaret	16,549	112
15	Judy	15,667	1,874
16	Karen	15,387	1,281
17	Dorothy	15,037	421
18	Joan	14,514	1,087
19	Janet	13,065	2,791
20	Donna	12,987	1,965

Table 2. Male names, 1942
Rank	Name	Number	Rank in 2025
1	James	77,182	6
2	Robert	71,845	92
3	John	66,043	23
4	William	54,890	9
5	Richard	43,593	234
6	David	35,905	35
7	Charles	35,854	48
8	Thomas	31,100	34
9	Ronald	27,138	638
10	Donald	23,955	690
11	Joseph	22,429	29
12	Larry	22,099	1,085
13	Michael	21,728	21
14	George	21,275	126
15	Kenneth	18,210	294
16	Jerry	17,488	907
17	Edward	17,470	224
18	Gary	17,068	1,073
19	Paul	16,492	262
20	Dennis	13,281	707

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As recorded on the Social Security card application. Names given to fewer than five babies of a sex in a year are not published, so the file is a floor.