Names That Peaked In 1931

These names hit their all-time highest U.S. ranking in 1931 and have never ranked as high since — the sound of that moment, frozen in the data. (The #1 names that year were Mary and Robert — reigning champions usually peak in a different year than they reign.)

Peaked in 1930 Peaked in 1932 Full 1931 top 100 The 1930s as a whole

Name & meaning	Babies 2025 · rank	5-year rank movement	Peak year
Joan	222#1,087	Up 460 rank positions in five years	1932
Billy	203#1,068	Down 69 rank positions in five years	1934
Norma	95#2,012	Up 360 rank positions in five years	1931
Norman	169#1,200	Down 72 rank positions in five years	1928
Geraldine	73#2,447	Down 495 rank positions in five years	1930
Bill	18#5,234	Down 1,577 rank positions in five years	1947
Glen	74#2,026	Up 397 rank positions in five years	1957
Myron	102#1,650	Up 34 rank positions in five years	1930
Lowell	36#3,280	Down 224 rank positions in five years	1931
Conrad	770#417	Up 134 rank positions in five years	2025
Doyle	10#7,811	Down 664 rank positions in five years	1931
Glenna	7#12,345	Down 1,793 rank positions in five years	1951
Guadalupe	24#4,298	Down 1,072 rank positions in five years	1948
Bernadine	6#13,461	new	1924
Bobbie	5#12,294	Down 4,131 rank positions in five years	1931
Irwin	13#6,596	Down 1,674 rank positions in five years	1925
Roselyn	259#979	Down 251 rank positions in five years	2018
Delmar	15#5,917	Down 1,612 rank positions in five years	1931
Jacquelin	8#11,313	Down 5,142 rank positions in five years	2000
Stanford	12#7,127	Down 558 rank positions in five years	1954
Ardis	—Unranked	—	1928
Gaylord	—Unranked	—	1931
Norene	—Unranked	—	1931
Hortencia	6#13,840	new	1925
Donal	—Unranked	—	1930
Dorothy	—Unranked	—	1930
Merlyn	6#11,530	Up 1,860 rank positions in five years	1930
Bobbye	—Unranked	—	1931
Bernardine	—Unranked	—	1925
Armida	—Unranked	—	1930
Gerald	—Unranked	—	1927
Belia	—Unranked	—	1931
Arlis	23#4,408	Up 6,295 rank positions in five years	1931
Darl	—Unranked	—	1928
Joretta	—Unranked	—	1931

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How this list is built

A name “peaked” in 1931 when that year holds its best-ever position in the national rankings — rank, not raw count, because raw counts track how many babies were born and would pile every “peak” into the boom years. To qualify, a name must have reached the top 1,000 at its height and have at least 500 all-time applications. Lists are ordered by that peak rank.

Ranks come from U.S. births, counted separately for girls and boys. “Unranked” today means fewer than 5 applications in the latest year — uncommon, never invalid.