Names that Peaked in 1941

Suellen is a smoosh name that combines two classic names into one that feels both mid-century and modern, a little like Carolyn, a bit like Elowen. Notably used by Margaret Hill in her novel, Gone with the Wind, Suellen peaked in the 1940s and is rarely used today.

Nedra was one of a phalanx of names -- Delma, Verda, Vernice -- popular in the late 19th and early 20th century that dropped out of fashion after World War II and now have disappeared completely. Like the others, Nedra is now extinct.

Marge used to be as common as Maggie or Megan, ranking on its own in the girls' Top 1000 from 1900 until right after World War II, when so many Old School names fell off the list in favor of a new generation cuter, perkier choices.

An early and still quintessentially gender-neutral name, now supplanted by thousands of fresher options. Hasn't been recorded as a given name since 1991.

The meaning of Mary is uncertain, but theories include "drop of the sea" (from Hebrew roots mar "drop" and yam "sea"); "bitter" (from Hebrew marah "bitterness"); and "beloved" (from the Egyptian root mr).

In English, Jere could be an alternative spelling to Jerry, a short form of Jeremy, Jerald, Jeremiah and similar. In Croatian and Finnish, however, it is pronounced "YEH-reh" and is used as a diminutive and stand alone form of Jeronim (Croation for Jerome) and for Jeremias (the Finnish form of Jeremiah).

As with many names, the spelling variation Judyth saw some use during the heyday of its then-popular original form Judith. Eighteen baby girls were named Judyth in 1940, when more than 22,000 girls were named Judith. Today, fewer than 300 baby girls are named Judith and none called Judyth.