Baby naming fads come and go, but plenty of names have staying power.
The Social Security Administration tracks these trends over time and has compiled lists of the most popular names every year since the 1880s. The SSA also shares lists of the top names for each decade.
We decided to take a look at the most popular names of the 1940s. Naturally, there were a lot of baby girls named Mary, Nancy and Carol. As for the boys, names like James, William and Charles are still popular today.
Keep scrolling to see the 50 most popular names for boys and girls born in the U.S. from 1940 to 1949.
Girls
Mary
Linda
Barbara
Patricia
Carol
Sandra
Nancy
Sharon
Judith
Susan
Betty
Carolyn
Margaret
Shirley
Judy
Karen
Donna
Kathleen
Joyce
Dorothy
Janet
Diane
Janice
Joan
Elizabeth
Brenda
Gloria
Virginia
Marilyn
Martha
Beverly
Helen
Bonnie
Ruth
Frances
Jean
Ann
Phyllis
Pamela
Jane
Alice
Peggy
Cheryl
Doris
Catherine
Elaine
Cynthia
Marie
Lois
Connie
Boys
James
Robert
John
William
Richard
David
Charles
Thomas
Michael
Ronald
Larry
Donald
Joseph
Gary
George
Kenneth
Paul
Edward
Jerry
Dennis
Frank
Daniel
Raymond
Roger
Stephen
Gerald
Walter
Harold
Steven
Douglas
Lawrence
Terry
Wayne
Arthur
Jack
Carl
Henry
Willie
Bruce
Joe
Peter
Billy
Roy
Ralph
Anthony
Jimmy
Albert
Bobby
Eugene
Johnny