Birth year

Born in 1942? Here's your year in charts

In 1942, the top baby names were Mary and James and a newborn could expect to live 66.2 years.

Top baby names of 1942

Girls

  1. 1. Mary 63,256 babies, 4.7% of girls
  2. 2. Barbara 44,739 babies, 3.3% of girls
  3. 3. Patricia 39,465 babies, 2.9% of girls
  4. 4. Linda 31,613 babies, 2.3% of girls
  5. 5. Carol 30,272 babies, 2.2% of girls

Boys

  1. 1. James 77,182 babies, 5.6% of boys
  2. 2. Robert 71,845 babies, 5.2% of boys
  3. 3. John 66,043 babies, 4.8% of boys
  4. 4. William 54,890 babies, 4.0% of boys
  5. 5. Richard 43,593 babies, 3.2% of boys

From Social Security card applications for babies born in the U.S.; names given to fewer than 5 babies are left out. Pick a name to see how many babies got it every year since 1880.

1942 then vs. now

  • Life expectancy at birth

    See the chart

    66.2 years in 1942, compared with 78.7 years in 2018

    How long a baby born that year could expect to live, at that year's death rates.

Prices are in dollars of the day, not adjusted for inflation. A figure is left out when its chart doesn't cover 1942.

$100 in 1942 buys about as much as $2,062.90 in September 2026. Try the inflation calculator

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