Top 100 History: Girls' 1940s

Today we go through World War II and the beginning of the "baby-boomer" era of names. 

Changes

1940

Left: Thelma, Theresa, Ethel, Yvonne

Entered: Edith, Rebecca, Katherine, Connie

1941

Left: Edith, Lillian, Wilma, Florence, Audrey

Entered: Diana, Suzanne, Glenda, Theresa, Kathryn

1942

Left: Suzanne, Jeanette, June, Emma

Entered: Maria, Christine, Sheila, Eileen

1943

Left: Maria, Marlene, Edna, Eleanor, Josephine

Entered: Marcia, Paula, Dianne, Suzanne, Pamela

1944

Left: Arlene, Julia, Sheila

Entered: Sherry, Maria, Cheryl

1945

Left: Dolores, Sherry, Loretta, Juanita, Delores

Entered: Arlene, Jeanne, Cynthia, Sheila, Laura

1946

Left: Kay, Irene, Mildred, Ruby, Marjorie, Arlene

Entered: Constance, Marsha, Maureen, Lynn, Kathy, Sherry

1947

Left: Carole, Annie

Entered: Lynda, Deborah

1948

Left: Roberta, Anita, Norma

Entered: Annie, Teresa, Vicki

1949

Left: Joann, Lorraine, Annie, Louise, Patsy

Entered: Charlene, Anita, Roberta, Victoria, Cathy

Movement

  • Connie, Diana, Suzanne, Glenda, Christine, Sheila, Constance, Marsha, Marcia, Maureen, Lynn, Kathy, Sherry, Deborah, Lynda, Teresa, Vicki, Pamela, and Cathy became popular for the first time.
  • Thelma, Ethel, Yvonne, Lillian, Wilma, Florence, Audrey, Edna, Eleanor, Josephine, Julia, Loretta, Juanita, Kay, Irene, Mildred, Ruby, Marjorie, Arlene, Marlene, Carole, Norma, Joann, Lorraine, Annie, Louise, and Patsy left the top 100.
  • Rebecca was revived. 
  • Edith entered the top 100 before leaving again.
  • Laura, Katherine, and Kathryn returned after a hiatus.
  • Delores and Dolores retired from the top. 
  • Susan, Kathleen, Sharon, and Linda entered the top 10.
  • Shirley, Judith, Betty, and Dorothy left the top 10.
  • Donna, Sharon, Kathleen, Karen, Deborah, Brenda, Diane, Judy, and Linda entered the top 20.
  • Betty, Elizabeth, Joyce, Dorothy, Marilyn, Joan, and Janet left the top 20.
  • Pamela, Cheryl, Christine, Rebecca, Connie, Kathy, Diana, and Cynthia entered the top 50.
  • Alice, Elaine, Rose, Marie, Lois, Doris, Evelyn, and Wanda left the top 50.
Trends

  • French names continued to fade (Josephine, Marjorie, Lorraine, Louise).
  • Spanish names started to decline (Dolores, Juanita, Delores).
  • Names ending in "ma" no longer trended (Emma, Thelma, Wilma, Norma).
  • Names ending in "da" continued to gain traction (Glenda, Linda, Brenda, Wanda, Lynda).
  • Names ending in "ta" declined (Loretta).
  • Names ending in "arlene" slowed down (Arlene, Marlene).
  • Instead, other names ending in "een" trended (Maureen, Eileen, Darlene, Kathleen).
  • Names containing "or" started to fade (Florence, Marjorie, Lorraine, Eleanor, Loretta).
  • Nicknames ending in "y" or "i" continued to trend (Kathy, Vicki, Cathy, Sherry, Betty, Peggy).
  • Names ending in "is" continued to decline (Delores, Dolores).
  • Names with the "sh" sound trended (Sherry, Sheila, Marsha, Shirley, Charlotte).
  • Long names still trended (Constance, Rosemary, Maureen, Deborah, Teresa, Rebecca, Kathleen, etc.).
What was the most interesting change from the 1940s?

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