Names That Peaked In 1938

These names hit their all-time highest U.S. ranking in 1938 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 1937 Peaked in 1939 Full 1938 top 100 The 1930s as a whole

Name & meaning	Babies 2025 · rank	5-year rank movement	Peak year
Janet	61#2,791	Down 780 rank positions in five years	1954
Elaine	1,007#305	Up 214 rank positions in five years	1947
Loretta	485#606	Up 337 rank positions in five years	1938
Jerome	158#1,257	Down 255 rank positions in five years	1954
Rosalie	1,797#171	Up 27 rank positions in five years	1938
Freddie	116#1,510	Up 242 rank positions in five years	1947
Noel	635#478	Down 61 rank positions in five years	2014
Dixie	130#1,605	Down 526 rank positions in five years	1938
Sonja	37#3,965	Down 1,628 rank positions in five years	1968
Myrna	—Unranked	—	1938
Darwin	241#961	Down 56 rank positions in five years	1958
Ilene	19#6,201	Up 1,147 rank positions in five years	1950
Shelby	41#3,031	Down 420 rank positions in five years	1991
Earlene	—Unranked	—	1947
Beverley	12#8,443	Up 3,912 rank positions in five years	1938
Rosalee	270#954	Down 166 rank positions in five years	2020
Sherwood	—Unranked	—	1938
Boyce	8#9,034	Down 1,447 rank positions in five years	1934
Marita	17#6,731	Up 6,261 rank positions in five years	1954
Melvyn	—Unranked	—	1938
Barbara	—Unranked	—	1942
Joetta	5#15,969	Down 1,776 rank positions in five years	1954
Nancy	—Unranked	—	1938
Rayburn	—Unranked	—	1938
Rondal	—Unranked	—	1947
Janyce	—Unranked	—	1947
Helaine	—Unranked	—	1947
Marolyn	—Unranked	—	1946
Maralyn	—Unranked	—	1938
Autry	5#12,219	Down 5,144 rank positions in five years	1938

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How this list is built

A name “peaked” in 1938 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.