Name Awesome

Most Popular Baby Names Of 1937

The 100 most-used girls’ and boys’ names among U.S. births in 1937 — 2,130,660 recorded births in total that year.

19361938 The 1930s as a wholeNames that peaked in 1937

Girls’ names

  1. 1Mary55,6415.2%
  2. 2Barbara34,9173.3%
  3. 3Patricia26,8382.5%
  4. 4Shirley26,8232.5%
  5. 5Betty25,3372.4%
  6. 6Carol17,3361.6%
  7. 7Nancy17,0741.6%
  8. 8Dorothy16,5721.6%
  9. 9Joan15,3011.4%
  10. 10Margaret15,1441.4%
  11. 11Joyce11,8081.1%
  12. 12Helen11,4531.1%
  13. 13Marilyn9,7390.9%
  14. 14Beverly9,6340.9%
  15. 15Ruth9,6020.9%
  16. 16Virginia9,5170.9%
  17. 17Elizabeth9,3850.9%
  18. 18Janet9,3630.9%
  19. 19Frances9,0570.9%
  20. 20Carolyn8,9410.8%
  21. 21Donna8,8870.8%
  22. 22Doris8,8830.8%
  23. 23Jean8,3920.8%
  24. 24Martha7,9530.7%
  25. 25Janice7,7680.7%
  26. 26Sandra7,5200.7%
  27. 27Phyllis7,2450.7%
  28. 28Alice7,1200.7%
  29. 29Lois6,9320.7%
  30. 30Ann6,7130.6%
  31. 31Peggy6,3780.6%
  32. 32Gloria6,3330.6%
  33. 33Norma6,2350.6%
  34. 34Judith6,1460.6%
  35. 35Marie6,0750.6%
  36. 36Evelyn5,7600.5%
  37. 37Dolores5,5680.5%
  38. 38Rose5,4500.5%
  39. 39Anna5,4490.5%
  40. 40Marlene5,0370.5%
  41. 41Sharon4,7040.4%
  42. 42Jane4,7020.4%
  43. 43Mildred4,6460.4%
  44. 44Geraldine4,5560.4%
  45. 45Elaine4,5260.4%
  46. 46Annie4,4790.4%
  47. 47Catherine4,4590.4%
  48. 48Louise4,3820.4%
  49. 49Linda4,3780.4%
  50. 50Sylvia4,3710.4%
  51. 51Joanne4,3330.4%
  52. 52Ruby4,2890.4%
  53. 53Eleanor4,2750.4%
  54. 54Patsy4,2430.4%
  55. 55Wanda4,2020.4%
  56. 56Carole4,1980.4%
  57. 57Marjorie4,0910.4%
  58. 58Joann3,9360.4%
  59. 59Sally3,9250.4%
  60. 60Arlene3,8050.4%
  61. 61Kathleen3,7430.4%
  62. 62Irene3,6740.3%
  63. 63Loretta3,6730.3%
  64. 64Bonnie3,5950.3%
  65. 65Sarah3,5880.3%
  66. 66Roberta3,5680.3%
  67. 67Charlotte3,5360.3%
  68. 68Delores3,5290.3%
  69. 69Rita3,4210.3%
  70. 70Jacqueline3,4000.3%
  71. 71June3,3780.3%
  72. 72Darlene3,2850.3%
  73. 73Jo3,2260.3%
  74. 74Edna3,2230.3%
  75. 75Juanita3,1790.3%
  76. 76Diane3,1750.3%
  77. 77Yvonne3,1710.3%
  78. 78Thelma3,0620.3%
  79. 79Kay3,0100.3%
  80. 80Wilma2,9770.3%
  81. 81Florence2,9550.3%
  82. 82Josephine2,9420.3%
  83. 83Lorraine2,9400.3%
  84. 84Lillian2,8990.3%
  85. 85Audrey2,8890.3%
  86. 86Gladys2,8720.3%
  87. 87Pauline2,8180.3%
  88. 88Ethel2,7630.3%
  89. 89Emma2,7500.3%
  90. 90Jeanette2,7410.3%
  91. 91Judy2,7410.3%
  92. 92Anne2,7250.3%
  93. 93Anita2,7140.3%
  94. 94Grace2,7100.3%
  95. 95Theresa2,7020.3%
  96. 96Edith2,6470.2%
  97. 97Susan2,6410.2%
  98. 98Lucille2,6360.2%
  99. 99Gail2,6350.2%
  100. 100Clara2,5730.2%

Boys’ names

  1. 1Robert61,8425.8%
  2. 2James56,5615.3%
  3. 3John48,7554.6%
  4. 4William40,7253.8%
  5. 5Richard32,9753.1%
  6. 6Charles30,5202.9%
  7. 7Donald27,8682.6%
  8. 8David20,9812.0%
  9. 9Thomas19,7721.9%
  10. 10George18,4391.7%
  11. 11Ronald18,1411.7%
  12. 12Joseph17,3221.6%
  13. 13Edward14,9301.4%
  14. 14Kenneth13,2191.2%
  15. 15Paul12,8811.2%
  16. 16Larry10,3201.0%
  17. 17Jerry10,3011.0%
  18. 18Frank10,1270.9%
  19. 19Raymond9,5710.9%
  20. 20Gerald9,4250.9%
  21. 21Harold8,5500.8%
  22. 22Billy8,3010.8%
  23. 23Jack8,1940.8%
  24. 24Bobby7,7450.7%
  25. 25Joe7,7450.7%
  26. 26Walter7,4880.7%
  27. 27Michael7,0940.7%
  28. 28Carl6,9140.6%
  29. 29Gary6,7630.6%
  30. 30Henry6,6680.6%
  31. 31Arthur6,3210.6%
  32. 32Willie6,2310.6%
  33. 33Eugene5,9990.6%
  34. 34Ralph5,9230.6%
  35. 35Fred5,7380.5%
  36. 36Roger5,7130.5%
  37. 37Albert5,6650.5%
  38. 38Lawrence5,5070.5%
  39. 39Daniel5,1240.5%
  40. 40Roy4,8900.5%
  41. 41Harry4,8140.5%
  42. 42Howard4,7000.4%
  43. 43Norman4,6730.4%
  44. 44Wayne4,6130.4%
  45. 45Jimmy4,5170.4%
  46. 46Louis4,3560.4%
  47. 47Anthony4,3390.4%
  48. 48Earl3,9420.4%
  49. 49Marvin3,9130.4%
  50. 50Melvin3,8900.4%
  51. 51Don3,8140.4%
  52. 52Peter3,8090.4%
  53. 53Ernest3,7590.4%
  54. 54Clarence3,7550.4%
  55. 55Francis3,7300.3%
  56. 56Leroy3,5560.3%
  57. 57Stanley3,4830.3%
  58. 58Leonard3,4800.3%
  59. 59Dale3,3400.3%
  60. 60Alfred3,1810.3%
  61. 61Gene3,1650.3%
  62. 62Philip3,1620.3%
  63. 63Dennis3,1600.3%
  64. 64Bill3,1190.3%
  65. 65Herbert3,0400.3%
  66. 66Samuel3,0270.3%
  67. 67Russell2,8950.3%
  68. 68Frederick2,8780.3%
  69. 69Johnny2,8260.3%
  70. 70Bruce2,8100.3%
  71. 71Ray2,7250.3%
  72. 72Jimmie2,6790.3%
  73. 73Bernard2,6720.3%
  74. 74Douglas2,6100.2%
  75. 75Gordon2,5330.2%
  76. 76Allen2,5180.2%
  77. 77Franklin2,5140.2%
  78. 78Lee2,4990.2%
  79. 79Andrew2,4050.2%
  80. 80Floyd2,3880.2%
  81. 81Bob2,3640.2%
  82. 82Jim2,3470.2%
  83. 83Eddie2,3450.2%
  84. 84Tommy2,3260.2%
  85. 85Leon2,3250.2%
  86. 86Theodore2,3170.2%
  87. 87Martin2,2780.2%
  88. 88Glenn2,2630.2%
  89. 89Edwin2,2620.2%
  90. 90Clifford2,2290.2%
  91. 91Lloyd2,1570.2%
  92. 92Stephen2,1330.2%
  93. 93Clyde2,1050.2%
  94. 94Patrick2,0900.2%
  95. 95Harvey2,0810.2%
  96. 96Vernon2,0760.2%
  97. 97Leo2,0150.2%
  98. 98Phillip2,0050.2%
  99. 99Alvin1,9860.2%
  100. 100Jerome1,9790.2%

Percentages are each name’s share of all 1937 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.