This list combines 2,896 spelling variations into 1,001 grouped names based on shared pronunciations. The most popular name in 1940 is James, given to 62,739 babies in total. Learn more about how this works.

Darrell has the most spelling variations with 22 different spellings, while Jerrell has the highest confusion index at 82.6%, indicating the greatest diversity in how parents choose to spell it.

When combining spelling variations, Corinne showed the biggest improvement, moving up 264 positions from 642 to 378, while Mildred had the largest drop, falling 15 positions from 110 to 125.

Looking at trends, Brenda shows the strongest upward momentum (births in 1938–1940 are 2697.24% higher compared to 1931–1940), while Sophie shows the steepest decline (57.5% lower). Compared to 1939, Lana had the largest rank improvement, moving up 266 positions to rank #464, while Olive fell 75 positions to rank #686.