Name Awesome

Most Popular Baby Names Of 1928

The 100 most-used girls’ and boys’ names among U.S. births in 1928 — 2,260,857 recorded births in total that year.

19271929 The 1920s as a wholeNames that peaked in 1928

Girls’ names

  1. 1Mary66,8715.8%
  2. 2Betty36,0833.1%
  3. 3Dorothy33,7332.9%
  4. 4Helen22,9372.0%
  5. 5Margaret20,2951.8%
  6. 6Ruth17,8591.5%
  7. 7Doris16,5751.4%
  8. 8Barbara14,8721.3%
  9. 9Virginia14,5001.3%
  10. 10Shirley14,2151.2%
  11. 11Patricia12,3311.1%
  12. 12Jean12,2091.1%
  13. 13Frances12,1371.1%
  14. 14Elizabeth11,7671.0%
  15. 15Mildred11,6531.0%
  16. 16Anna10,5750.9%
  17. 17Evelyn10,5330.9%
  18. 18Lois10,4250.9%
  19. 19Alice10,1390.9%
  20. 20Dolores9,6150.8%
  21. 21Marie9,2860.8%
  22. 22Martha8,2520.7%
  23. 23Norma8,1660.7%
  24. 24Rose8,1610.7%
  25. 25Gloria8,1190.7%
  26. 26Phyllis7,9240.7%
  27. 27Joan7,8540.7%
  28. 28Irene7,7310.7%
  29. 29Marjorie7,6320.7%
  30. 30Joyce7,2440.6%
  31. 31Louise7,0530.6%
  32. 32Florence6,9700.6%
  33. 33Catherine6,9100.6%
  34. 34Ruby6,6920.6%
  35. 35Lillian6,5770.6%
  36. 36Eleanor6,5350.6%
  37. 37Annie6,3290.5%
  38. 38Marilyn6,0660.5%
  39. 39Lorraine5,9820.5%
  40. 40Thelma5,9780.5%
  41. 41Gladys5,7910.5%
  42. 42Josephine5,6710.5%
  43. 43Nancy5,5370.5%
  44. 44June5,5170.5%
  45. 45Edna5,4730.5%
  46. 46Beverly5,4370.5%
  47. 47Marion5,4200.5%
  48. 48Pauline5,3910.5%
  49. 49Theresa5,3300.5%
  50. 50Geraldine5,1560.4%
  51. 51Lucille5,0940.4%
  52. 52Grace4,9890.4%
  53. 53Bernice4,9430.4%
  54. 54Ann4,9320.4%
  55. 55Ethel4,9280.4%
  56. 56Edith4,8460.4%
  57. 57Rita4,8100.4%
  58. 58Juanita4,7340.4%
  59. 59Hazel4,6490.4%
  60. 60Audrey4,6300.4%
  61. 61Donna4,4700.4%
  62. 62Jane4,4110.4%
  63. 63Wanda4,3180.4%
  64. 64Sarah4,2440.4%
  65. 65Clara4,1060.4%
  66. 66Esther4,0960.4%
  67. 67Emma4,0170.3%
  68. 68Elaine4,0040.3%
  69. 69Wilma3,9370.3%
  70. 70Beatrice3,9220.3%
  71. 71Marian3,8860.3%
  72. 72Charlotte3,4750.3%
  73. 73Elsie3,4700.3%
  74. 74Willie3,4440.3%
  75. 75Katherine3,3980.3%
  76. 76Peggy3,3820.3%
  77. 77Carol3,3490.3%
  78. 78Vivian3,3100.3%
  79. 79Eva3,2120.3%
  80. 80Julia3,2060.3%
  81. 81Bertha3,1610.3%
  82. 82Kathleen3,1510.3%
  83. 83Laura3,1460.3%
  84. 84Maxine3,1240.3%
  85. 85Agnes3,0230.3%
  86. 86Gertrude3,0110.3%
  87. 87Ida2,9940.3%
  88. 88Rosemary2,9720.3%
  89. 89Bonnie2,9230.3%
  90. 90Jeanne2,8790.2%
  91. 91Carolyn2,8470.2%
  92. 92Vera2,8410.2%
  93. 93Anne2,8240.2%
  94. 94Delores2,8100.2%
  95. 95Janet2,7820.2%
  96. 96Billie2,7770.2%
  97. 97Jacqueline2,7390.2%
  98. 98Ellen2,6820.2%
  99. 99Kathryn2,6810.2%
  100. 100Ella2,6700.2%

Boys’ names

  1. 1Robert60,7015.5%
  2. 2John53,7604.9%
  3. 3James52,7524.8%
  4. 4William49,1184.4%
  5. 5Charles31,2432.8%
  6. 6Richard28,7932.6%
  7. 7Donald25,7042.3%
  8. 8George24,3912.2%
  9. 9Joseph22,3222.0%
  10. 10Edward18,4921.7%
  11. 11Thomas16,5821.5%
  12. 12Frank13,5701.2%
  13. 13Paul13,1601.2%
  14. 14Harold12,6701.1%
  15. 15Jack12,4941.1%
  16. 16Raymond11,9461.1%
  17. 17Kenneth11,1671.0%
  18. 18Walter10,6511.0%
  19. 19David9,9900.9%
  20. 20Eugene9,7080.9%
  21. 21Henry9,3130.8%
  22. 22Arthur8,8800.8%
  23. 23Albert8,8120.8%
  24. 24Ralph8,1000.7%
  25. 25Herbert8,0650.7%
  26. 26Harry7,6040.7%
  27. 27Billy7,3100.7%
  28. 28Carl6,9460.6%
  29. 29Willie6,8170.6%
  30. 30Joe6,6820.6%
  31. 31Howard6,4960.6%
  32. 32Louis6,2990.6%
  33. 33Alfred6,2520.6%
  34. 34Roy6,2290.6%
  35. 35Clarence6,0680.5%
  36. 36Fred6,0360.5%
  37. 37Earl5,9660.5%
  38. 38Lawrence5,5970.5%
  39. 39Norman5,5900.5%
  40. 40Francis5,5160.5%
  41. 41Gerald5,4870.5%
  42. 42Leonard5,1310.5%
  43. 43Ernest4,9410.4%
  44. 44Anthony4,7190.4%
  45. 45Stanley4,4810.4%
  46. 46Marvin4,4520.4%
  47. 47Daniel4,4260.4%
  48. 48Melvin4,2490.4%
  49. 49Bernard4,0670.4%
  50. 50Ronald3,9690.4%
  51. 51Leroy3,8720.3%
  52. 52Samuel3,8440.3%
  53. 53Michael3,5980.3%
  54. 54Floyd3,3380.3%
  55. 55Russell3,3250.3%
  56. 56Peter3,2990.3%
  57. 57Ray3,2480.3%
  58. 58Edwin3,1660.3%
  59. 59Lloyd3,1580.3%
  60. 60Andrew3,1420.3%
  61. 61Leo3,0950.3%
  62. 62Gene3,0880.3%
  63. 63Elmer2,9770.3%
  64. 64Bill2,9760.3%
  65. 65Bobby2,9720.3%
  66. 66Theodore2,9160.3%
  67. 67Frederick2,8820.3%
  68. 68Clifford2,8620.3%
  69. 69Wayne2,8550.3%
  70. 70Vernon2,8520.3%
  71. 71Roger2,7740.3%
  72. 72Alvin2,7500.2%
  73. 73Philip2,7260.2%
  74. 74Clyde2,7130.2%
  75. 75Dale2,6400.2%
  76. 76Glenn2,6030.2%
  77. 77Gordon2,5960.2%
  78. 78Herman2,5880.2%
  79. 79Jerry2,5880.2%
  80. 80Charlie2,4630.2%
  81. 81Leon2,4600.2%
  82. 82Vincent2,4400.2%
  83. 83Martin2,4280.2%
  84. 84Don2,3820.2%
  85. 85Warren2,3610.2%
  86. 86Lewis2,3390.2%
  87. 87Lee2,2820.2%
  88. 88Chester2,2430.2%
  89. 89Lester2,2290.2%
  90. 90Harvey2,1860.2%
  91. 91Jesse2,1710.2%
  92. 92Milton2,1700.2%
  93. 93Allen2,1370.2%
  94. 94Calvin2,1280.2%
  95. 95Bob2,0930.2%
  96. 96Gilbert2,0480.2%
  97. 97Cecil2,0050.2%
  98. 98Arnold1,9740.2%
  99. 99Victor1,9460.2%
  100. 100Jimmie1,9240.2%

Percentages are each name’s share of all 1928 applications for that sex — a useful reminder of how much more concentrated naming used to be. In 1880 the top girls’ name alone accounted for several percent of all girls; today the #1 name is well under one percent.

Counts are based on U.S. births and are tracked separately for girls and boys. Names used fewer than 5 times in a year aren’t published for that year, so totals here are a floor — the shortfall is largest in the sparse early years.