Name Awesome

Most Popular Baby Names Of 1930

The 100 most-used girls’ and boys’ names among U.S. births in 1930 — 2,223,243 recorded births in total that year.

19291931 The 1930s as a wholeNames that peaked in 1930

Girls’ names

  1. 1Mary64,1535.7%
  2. 2Betty38,2403.4%
  3. 3Dorothy30,4112.7%
  4. 4Helen19,9131.8%
  5. 5Margaret18,3501.6%
  6. 6Barbara18,2791.6%
  7. 7Patricia15,7511.4%
  8. 8Joan15,4781.4%
  9. 9Doris15,4641.4%
  10. 10Ruth14,9421.3%
  11. 11Shirley14,7751.3%
  12. 12Virginia13,1971.2%
  13. 13Dolores12,8421.1%
  14. 14Jean11,9861.1%
  15. 15Elizabeth10,9951.0%
  16. 16Frances10,6440.9%
  17. 17Lois10,1140.9%
  18. 18Joyce9,6580.9%
  19. 19Evelyn9,5360.8%
  20. 20Alice9,5160.8%
  21. 21Mildred9,3560.8%
  22. 22Marilyn9,2880.8%
  23. 23Anna9,0810.8%
  24. 24Nancy9,0680.8%
  25. 25Norma8,5110.8%
  26. 26Marie8,4260.7%
  27. 27Martha7,8320.7%
  28. 28Phyllis7,7700.7%
  29. 29Rose7,6880.7%
  30. 30Gloria7,6050.7%
  31. 31Louise6,9420.6%
  32. 32Marjorie6,6330.6%
  33. 33Irene6,4640.6%
  34. 34Beverly6,4550.6%
  35. 35Catherine6,2990.6%
  36. 36Ruby5,9930.5%
  37. 37Donna5,9780.5%
  38. 38Florence5,8670.5%
  39. 39Eleanor5,8230.5%
  40. 40Annie5,7560.5%
  41. 41Ann5,5310.5%
  42. 42Rita5,4700.5%
  43. 43Geraldine5,4480.5%
  44. 44Lillian5,4470.5%
  45. 45Thelma5,2500.5%
  46. 46Lorraine5,1660.5%
  47. 47June5,0940.5%
  48. 48Gladys5,0660.4%
  49. 49Josephine4,9880.4%
  50. 50Theresa4,7830.4%
  51. 51Edna4,7620.4%
  52. 52Pauline4,6550.4%
  53. 53Janet4,6020.4%
  54. 54Carol4,5980.4%
  55. 55Jane4,5750.4%
  56. 56Wanda4,5240.4%
  57. 57Juanita4,5120.4%
  58. 58Bernice4,4390.4%
  59. 59Lucille4,3270.4%
  60. 60Marion4,3050.4%
  61. 61Edith4,2730.4%
  62. 62Grace4,2180.4%
  63. 63Audrey4,1290.4%
  64. 64Clara4,1240.4%
  65. 65Ethel4,1010.4%
  66. 66Delores4,0980.4%
  67. 67Peggy4,0840.4%
  68. 68Wilma4,0750.4%
  69. 69Elaine3,9540.4%
  70. 70Sarah3,9200.3%
  71. 71Hazel3,8880.3%
  72. 72Carolyn3,7250.3%
  73. 73Emma3,5550.3%
  74. 74Jacqueline3,4140.3%
  75. 75Charlotte3,4060.3%
  76. 76Beatrice3,3900.3%
  77. 77Esther3,3500.3%
  78. 78Bonnie3,2650.3%
  79. 79Billie3,2410.3%
  80. 80Marian3,2130.3%
  81. 81Joanne3,1540.3%
  82. 82Rosemary3,1510.3%
  83. 83Anne3,0910.3%
  84. 84Kathleen3,0740.3%
  85. 85Katherine3,0330.3%
  86. 86Eva3,0190.3%
  87. 87Willie3,0180.3%
  88. 88Elsie2,9730.3%
  89. 89Laura2,9080.3%
  90. 90Julia2,8800.3%
  91. 91Vivian2,8720.3%
  92. 92Jeanne2,7200.2%
  93. 93Maxine2,7000.2%
  94. 94Ida2,6430.2%
  95. 95Bertha2,6050.2%
  96. 96Gertrude2,5550.2%
  97. 97Patsy2,5440.2%
  98. 98Sally2,5420.2%
  99. 99Maria2,5400.2%
  100. 100Ellen2,5220.2%

Boys’ names

  1. 1Robert62,1535.7%
  2. 2James53,9574.9%
  3. 3John52,4474.8%
  4. 4William47,2714.3%
  5. 5Richard32,1872.9%
  6. 6Charles31,8672.9%
  7. 7Donald29,0522.6%
  8. 8George22,7882.1%
  9. 9Joseph20,9811.9%
  10. 10Edward17,3521.6%
  11. 11Thomas17,0081.5%
  12. 12Paul12,9551.2%
  13. 13Frank12,5351.1%
  14. 14Jack12,4301.1%
  15. 15David12,2751.1%
  16. 16Raymond11,7141.1%
  17. 17Kenneth11,7051.1%
  18. 18Harold11,6601.1%
  19. 19Walter9,7310.9%
  20. 20Billy9,2850.8%
  21. 21Eugene9,0290.8%
  22. 22Henry8,5940.8%
  23. 23Arthur8,2840.8%
  24. 24Albert7,9500.7%
  25. 25Ralph7,6340.7%
  26. 26Carl6,9510.6%
  27. 27Joe6,8730.6%
  28. 28Harry6,8470.6%
  29. 29Willie6,6670.6%
  30. 30Gerald6,4830.6%
  31. 31Howard6,3410.6%
  32. 32Fred6,0490.6%
  33. 33Roy5,9170.5%
  34. 34Louis5,8100.5%
  35. 35Herbert5,6750.5%
  36. 36Lawrence5,6390.5%
  37. 37Ronald5,6350.5%
  38. 38Earl5,5670.5%
  39. 39Clarence5,4980.5%
  40. 40Norman5,2890.5%
  41. 41Bobby5,1810.5%
  42. 42Francis4,9900.5%
  43. 43Ernest4,7870.4%
  44. 44Anthony4,6740.4%
  45. 45Leonard4,6620.4%
  46. 46Alfred4,5580.4%
  47. 47Daniel4,4650.4%
  48. 48Marvin4,4040.4%
  49. 49Stanley4,3830.4%
  50. 50Melvin4,0480.4%
  51. 51Jerry3,8910.4%
  52. 52Bernard3,8310.3%
  53. 53Leroy3,8020.3%
  54. 54Michael3,5430.3%
  55. 55Samuel3,5310.3%
  56. 56Peter3,2660.3%
  57. 57Ray3,2540.3%
  58. 58Roger3,2460.3%
  59. 59Bill3,1600.3%
  60. 60Russell3,1010.3%
  61. 61Floyd3,0770.3%
  62. 62Andrew3,0560.3%
  63. 63Leo3,0350.3%
  64. 64Dale2,9940.3%
  65. 65Wayne2,9810.3%
  66. 66Edwin2,9720.3%
  67. 67Theodore2,9580.3%
  68. 68Don2,9220.3%
  69. 69Lloyd2,8380.3%
  70. 70Gene2,7870.3%
  71. 71Glenn2,7580.3%
  72. 72Vernon2,7030.2%
  73. 73Clifford2,6960.2%
  74. 74Frederick2,6940.2%
  75. 75Philip2,6550.2%
  76. 76Clyde2,6310.2%
  77. 77Gordon2,6110.2%
  78. 78Herman2,5980.2%
  79. 79Alvin2,5120.2%
  80. 80Elmer2,4760.2%
  81. 81Leon2,4010.2%
  82. 82Lee2,3610.2%
  83. 83Martin2,3220.2%
  84. 84Vincent2,3180.2%
  85. 85Allen2,2780.2%
  86. 86Jimmie2,2550.2%
  87. 87Lewis2,2430.2%
  88. 88Bob2,2420.2%
  89. 89Douglas2,1660.2%
  90. 90Gilbert2,1190.2%
  91. 91Charlie2,1130.2%
  92. 92Harvey2,0620.2%
  93. 93Milton2,0530.2%
  94. 94Jesse2,0350.2%
  95. 95Lester2,0200.2%
  96. 96Warren2,0110.2%
  97. 97Eddie1,9720.2%
  98. 98Arnold1,9480.2%
  99. 99Cecil1,8820.2%
  100. 100Victor1,8440.2%

Percentages are each name’s share of all 1930 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.