After serving in the U.S. Army for 34 years — roughly seven of which were spent stationed in the Philippines — officer Douglas MacArthur retired in 1937, at the age of 57.
In mid-1941, when entry into World War II seemed increasingly likely, President Franklin Roosevelt recalled MacArthur to active duty, naming him commander of the U.S. Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE), headquartered in Manila.
In December of the same year, the Empire of Japan attacked Philippines and other U.S. targets (including Hawaii). The Japanese proceeded to invade the Philippines.
MacArthur’s forces held out for several months, but their defense of the islands ultimately failed. In mid-1942, MacArthur received a Congressional Medal of Honor for his “conspicuous leadership in preparing the Philippine Islands to resist conquest.”
So, how many U.S. babies were named in honor of Douglas MacArthur in 1942?
Quite a few. The number of babies named Douglas (and Doug) nearly tripled that year:
| Boys named Douglas | Boys named Doug | |
| 1944 | 6,998 [rank: 34th] | 202 [rank: 429th] |
| 1943 | 8,235 [rank: 28th] | 243 [rank: 390th] |
| 1942 | 11,234 [rank: 23rd] | 229 [rank: 401st] |
| 1941 | 4,146 [rank: 53rd] | 79 [rank: 692nd] |
| 1940 | 3,732 [rank: 56th] | 85 [rank: 657th] |
And the number of baby boys named MacArthur (or some variant thereof) similarly surged:
| Mcarthur | Macarthur | Mcarther | Macarther | |
| 1944 | 133 [rank: 528th] | 38 | . | . |
| 1943 | 173 [rank: 471st] | 60 [rank: 864th] | 13 | . |
| 1942 | 290† [rank: 357th] | 142† [rank: 513th] | 23*† | 10*† |
| 1941 | 14 | 5* | . | . |
| 1940 | 9 | . | . | . |
Variant Mcarther was the top boy-name debut of 1942, and variant Macarther was a one-hit wonder in the data.
It’s curious that Mcarthur became more popular than Macarthur itself, but this probably reflects the fact that his surname was often misspelled in the newspapers of the day.
Speaking of the media, many publications made note of the sudden trendiness of “Douglas MacArthur” as a baby name. For instance, here’s a short item from an April 1942 issue of Time magazine:
Born. Douglas MacArthur Brotherson, Douglas MacArthur Bryant, Douglas MacArthur Francis, Douglas MacArthur Miller, Douglas MacArthur Gunner, Douglas MacArthur Salavec, Douglas MacArthur Thompson, and Douglas Harold MacArthur; all in New York City.
Which do you prefer as a first name, Douglas or MacArthur?
P.S. In late 1944, MacArthur and his forces returned to and reclaimed the Philippines. The following year, Japan surrendered — ending WWII.
P.P.S. Did you know that several men in Douglas MacArthur’s family bore the partially reduplicated name Arthur MacArthur?
Sources:
- Douglas MacArthur – Wikipedia
- Douglas MacArthur – National Museum of the United States Army
- “Milestones.” Time 20 Apr. 1942.
- SSA
Image: Adapted from Douglas MacArthur (public domain)
[Latest update: Dec. 2025]
