Name Awesome

Most Popular Baby Names Of 1936

The 100 most-used girls’ and boys’ names among U.S. births in 1936 — 2,077,561 recorded births in total that year.

19351937 The 1930s as a wholeNames that peaked in 1936

Girls’ names

  1. 1Mary54,3775.2%
  2. 2Shirley35,1613.4%
  3. 3Barbara31,6823.0%
  4. 4Betty25,8682.5%
  5. 5Patricia23,9162.3%
  6. 6Dorothy17,6661.7%
  7. 7Joan17,0721.6%
  8. 8Nancy16,7551.6%
  9. 9Margaret14,5961.4%
  10. 10Carol14,5201.4%
  11. 11Helen12,2341.2%
  12. 12Joyce11,9881.2%
  13. 13Marilyn11,0641.1%
  14. 14Virginia9,6500.9%
  15. 15Doris9,2260.9%
  16. 16Ruth9,2170.9%
  17. 17Beverly8,9010.9%
  18. 18Elizabeth8,8600.9%
  19. 19Frances8,7890.8%
  20. 20Jean8,5360.8%
  21. 21Janet8,0800.8%
  22. 22Donna7,9320.8%
  23. 23Carolyn7,9060.8%
  24. 24Martha7,3920.7%
  25. 25Phyllis7,3740.7%
  26. 26Lois7,2320.7%
  27. 27Alice7,2010.7%
  28. 28Ann6,6660.6%
  29. 29Norma6,6330.6%
  30. 30Dolores6,4170.6%
  31. 31Janice6,1500.6%
  32. 32Gloria6,1400.6%
  33. 33Marie6,1320.6%
  34. 34Evelyn6,1080.6%
  35. 35Peggy6,0680.6%
  36. 36Anna5,7270.6%
  37. 37Rose5,6990.5%
  38. 38Sandra5,5260.5%
  39. 39Marlene5,3320.5%
  40. 40Mildred5,0510.5%
  41. 41Geraldine4,8640.5%
  42. 42Jane4,7190.5%
  43. 43Judith4,5800.4%
  44. 44Catherine4,5370.4%
  45. 45Annie4,5290.4%
  46. 46Louise4,3550.4%
  47. 47Eleanor4,3410.4%
  48. 48Joanne4,3050.4%
  49. 49Marjorie4,2790.4%
  50. 50Elaine4,2590.4%
  51. 51Ruby4,2260.4%
  52. 52Patsy4,1960.4%
  53. 53Sylvia4,1560.4%
  54. 54Arlene3,8980.4%
  55. 55Joann3,8860.4%
  56. 56Wanda3,8820.4%
  57. 57Irene3,8170.4%
  58. 58Delores3,7600.4%
  59. 59Sally3,6350.3%
  60. 60Sharon3,5730.3%
  61. 61Charlotte3,5550.3%
  62. 62June3,5150.3%
  63. 63Sarah3,5150.3%
  64. 64Roberta3,4670.3%
  65. 65Bonnie3,3740.3%
  66. 66Jacqueline3,3620.3%
  67. 67Kathleen3,3520.3%
  68. 68Audrey3,3450.3%
  69. 69Rita3,3340.3%
  70. 70Loretta3,3250.3%
  71. 71Edna3,3050.3%
  72. 72Jo3,2920.3%
  73. 73Carole3,1990.3%
  74. 74Thelma3,1960.3%
  75. 75Juanita3,1830.3%
  76. 76Lorraine3,1670.3%
  77. 77Josephine3,1410.3%
  78. 78Wilma3,1230.3%
  79. 79Lillian3,1170.3%
  80. 80Florence3,0830.3%
  81. 81Yvonne3,0380.3%
  82. 82Pauline2,9810.3%
  83. 83Darlene2,9620.3%
  84. 84Gladys2,9440.3%
  85. 85Emma2,8310.3%
  86. 86Grace2,7910.3%
  87. 87Edith2,7590.3%
  88. 88Theresa2,7580.3%
  89. 89Anne2,7560.3%
  90. 90Ethel2,7300.3%
  91. 91Clara2,6840.3%
  92. 92Lucille2,6320.3%
  93. 93Marion2,5800.2%
  94. 94Jeanette2,5520.2%
  95. 95Bernice2,5400.2%
  96. 96Hazel2,5120.2%
  97. 97Linda2,4400.2%
  98. 98Kay2,4080.2%
  99. 99Ellen2,3980.2%
  100. 100Katherine2,3550.2%

Boys’ names

  1. 1Robert58,5005.6%
  2. 2James54,6945.3%
  3. 3John47,6834.6%
  4. 4William39,3983.8%
  5. 5Richard33,4943.2%
  6. 6Charles29,1012.8%
  7. 7Donald28,6392.8%
  8. 8Thomas18,3421.8%
  9. 9George18,1971.8%
  10. 10David17,4761.7%
  11. 11Joseph17,4531.7%
  12. 12Ronald16,9171.6%
  13. 13Edward14,1941.4%
  14. 14Kenneth12,4861.2%
  15. 15Paul12,3071.2%
  16. 16Frank10,1861.0%
  17. 17Raymond9,4590.9%
  18. 18Jerry9,2710.9%
  19. 19Gerald9,0180.9%
  20. 20Jack8,8570.9%
  21. 21Harold8,6280.8%
  22. 22Billy8,5870.8%
  23. 23Joe8,0230.8%
  24. 24Bobby7,7350.7%
  25. 25Larry7,6110.7%
  26. 26Walter7,5360.7%
  27. 27Carl6,5910.6%
  28. 28Henry6,4470.6%
  29. 29Eugene6,3760.6%
  30. 30Arthur6,2640.6%
  31. 31Ralph6,0290.6%
  32. 32Willie6,0110.6%
  33. 33Michael5,8000.6%
  34. 34Albert5,7590.6%
  35. 35Roger5,7020.5%
  36. 36Fred5,6020.5%
  37. 37Lawrence5,3390.5%
  38. 38Gary5,1920.5%
  39. 39Harry4,9310.5%
  40. 40Howard4,8740.5%
  41. 41Daniel4,8170.5%
  42. 42Roy4,8150.5%
  43. 43Norman4,6450.4%
  44. 44Louis4,4180.4%
  45. 45Wayne4,4090.4%
  46. 46Jimmy4,2140.4%
  47. 47Earl4,1060.4%
  48. 48Anthony3,9780.4%
  49. 49Marvin3,9360.4%
  50. 50Francis3,8760.4%
  51. 51Don3,8300.4%
  52. 52Clarence3,7720.4%
  53. 53Melvin3,7300.4%
  54. 54Leonard3,7160.4%
  55. 55Ernest3,7150.4%
  56. 56Peter3,7140.4%
  57. 57Leroy3,6420.4%
  58. 58Stanley3,4920.3%
  59. 59Dale3,3930.3%
  60. 60Alfred3,2530.3%
  61. 61Bill3,1660.3%
  62. 62Herbert3,1170.3%
  63. 63Philip3,0330.3%
  64. 64Franklin2,9390.3%
  65. 65Ray2,9390.3%
  66. 66Gene2,9090.3%
  67. 67Samuel2,8930.3%
  68. 68Bernard2,8530.3%
  69. 69Russell2,8320.3%
  70. 70Frederick2,8170.3%
  71. 71Jimmie2,7420.3%
  72. 72Johnny2,7290.3%
  73. 73Bruce2,6300.3%
  74. 74Dennis2,6270.3%
  75. 75Gordon2,5670.2%
  76. 76Lee2,4180.2%
  77. 77Bob2,4080.2%
  78. 78Douglas2,3740.2%
  79. 79Eddie2,3470.2%
  80. 80Glenn2,3280.2%
  81. 81Allen2,3140.2%
  82. 82Leon2,2820.2%
  83. 83Andrew2,2760.2%
  84. 84Edwin2,2710.2%
  85. 85Jim2,2680.2%
  86. 86Floyd2,2280.2%
  87. 87Theodore2,2190.2%
  88. 88Lloyd2,1600.2%
  89. 89Clyde2,1530.2%
  90. 90Clifford2,1320.2%
  91. 91Tommy2,1080.2%
  92. 92Martin2,1060.2%
  93. 93Vernon2,0280.2%
  94. 94Leo2,0170.2%
  95. 95Warren1,9760.2%
  96. 96Alvin1,9700.2%
  97. 97Harvey1,9700.2%
  98. 98Jerome1,9670.2%
  99. 99Stephen1,8620.2%
  100. 100Patrick1,8560.2%

Percentages are each name’s share of all 1936 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.