Name Awesome

Most Popular Baby Names Of 1938

The 100 most-used girls’ and boys’ names among U.S. births in 1938 — 2,212,569 recorded births in total that year.

19371939 The 1930s as a wholeNames that peaked in 1938

Girls’ names

  1. 1Mary56,2255.1%
  2. 2Barbara39,2773.6%
  3. 3Patricia27,5602.5%
  4. 4Betty25,5062.3%
  5. 5Shirley23,7662.2%
  6. 6Carol19,4211.8%
  7. 7Nancy18,9511.7%
  8. 8Dorothy16,3581.5%
  9. 9Margaret15,3301.4%
  10. 10Joan14,3031.3%
  11. 11Joyce12,6981.2%
  12. 12Judith10,8781.0%
  13. 13Helen10,8371.0%
  14. 14Sandra10,8061.0%
  15. 15Carolyn10,5861.0%
  16. 16Janet9,8700.9%
  17. 17Elizabeth9,8030.9%
  18. 18Beverly9,7700.9%
  19. 19Marilyn9,7450.9%
  20. 20Donna9,6930.9%
  21. 21Ruth9,3030.8%
  22. 22Virginia9,2690.8%
  23. 23Frances8,9210.8%
  24. 24Janice8,7110.8%
  25. 25Doris8,6030.8%
  26. 26Martha8,5780.8%
  27. 27Jean7,7640.7%
  28. 28Phyllis7,6440.7%
  29. 29Alice7,4900.7%
  30. 30Sharon7,2440.7%
  31. 31Linda7,0470.6%
  32. 32Ann6,9900.6%
  33. 33Lois6,5020.6%
  34. 34Norma6,3680.6%
  35. 35Peggy6,3430.6%
  36. 36Gloria6,2990.6%
  37. 37Marie5,9580.5%
  38. 38Evelyn5,6880.5%
  39. 39Rose5,2920.5%
  40. 40Anna5,1450.5%
  41. 41Judy4,9920.5%
  42. 42Elaine4,8350.4%
  43. 43Dolores4,8090.4%
  44. 44Jane4,7860.4%
  45. 45Geraldine4,6520.4%
  46. 46Carole4,6160.4%
  47. 47Annie4,5620.4%
  48. 48Catherine4,5250.4%
  49. 49Wanda4,5130.4%
  50. 50Karen4,5080.4%
  51. 51Marlene4,4730.4%
  52. 52Mildred4,4410.4%
  53. 53Marjorie4,3180.4%
  54. 54Sally4,2780.4%
  55. 55Patsy4,2600.4%
  56. 56Sylvia4,2590.4%
  57. 57Joanne4,2500.4%
  58. 58Kathleen4,2280.4%
  59. 59Louise4,0690.4%
  60. 60Eleanor4,0490.4%
  61. 61Ruby3,9420.4%
  62. 62Loretta3,9130.4%
  63. 63Arlene3,8940.4%
  64. 64Diane3,8270.3%
  65. 65Bonnie3,7730.3%
  66. 66Rosalie3,7580.3%
  67. 67Sarah3,7490.3%
  68. 68Joann3,7100.3%
  69. 69Jacqueline3,6330.3%
  70. 70Charlotte3,6260.3%
  71. 71Susan3,5550.3%
  72. 72Irene3,5540.3%
  73. 73Roberta3,5470.3%
  74. 74Rita3,3570.3%
  75. 75Delores3,3220.3%
  76. 76Darlene3,3210.3%
  77. 77Gail3,2140.3%
  78. 78Jo3,1720.3%
  79. 79June3,1410.3%
  80. 80Juanita3,1290.3%
  81. 81Kay3,1140.3%
  82. 82Edna3,0800.3%
  83. 83Josephine2,9780.3%
  84. 84Anne2,8870.3%
  85. 85Wilma2,8710.3%
  86. 86Thelma2,8660.3%
  87. 87Audrey2,8440.3%
  88. 88Lillian2,8250.3%
  89. 89Ellen2,8050.3%
  90. 90Florence2,8050.3%
  91. 91Jeanette2,8020.3%
  92. 92Theresa2,7630.3%
  93. 93Lorraine2,7400.2%
  94. 94Ethel2,7260.2%
  95. 95Rosemary2,6810.2%
  96. 96Emma2,6700.2%
  97. 97Pauline2,6660.2%
  98. 98Clara2,6620.2%
  99. 99Anita2,6360.2%
  100. 100Grace2,6090.2%

Boys’ names

  1. 1Robert62,2715.6%
  2. 2James59,1025.3%
  3. 3John50,5174.6%
  4. 4William42,4333.8%
  5. 5Richard34,3853.1%
  6. 6Charles31,1512.8%
  7. 7Donald26,6772.4%
  8. 8David22,9942.1%
  9. 9Thomas21,3811.9%
  10. 10Ronald20,2951.8%
  11. 11George18,4351.7%
  12. 12Joseph17,7421.6%
  13. 13Edward14,5511.3%
  14. 14Kenneth14,3991.3%
  15. 15Paul13,3601.2%
  16. 16Larry12,3941.1%
  17. 17Jerry12,1721.1%
  18. 18Frank10,2600.9%
  19. 19Gerald9,9720.9%
  20. 20Raymond9,7250.9%
  21. 21Michael9,0770.8%
  22. 22Gary8,8610.8%
  23. 23Harold8,5630.8%
  24. 24Billy8,2530.7%
  25. 25Jack8,1440.7%
  26. 26Walter7,5600.7%
  27. 27Bobby7,4980.7%
  28. 28Joe7,4380.7%
  29. 29Carl6,8490.6%
  30. 30Henry6,5570.6%
  31. 31Roger6,5510.6%
  32. 32Arthur6,5250.6%
  33. 33Eugene6,1120.6%
  34. 34Willie6,0810.5%
  35. 35Ralph6,0130.5%
  36. 36Lawrence5,8730.5%
  37. 37Albert5,7960.5%
  38. 38Fred5,7680.5%
  39. 39Daniel5,5830.5%
  40. 40Wayne5,2260.5%
  41. 41Roy5,0410.5%
  42. 42Howard5,0180.5%
  43. 43Norman4,9530.4%
  44. 44Harry4,8240.4%
  45. 45Jimmy4,7300.4%
  46. 46Anthony4,6890.4%
  47. 47Louis4,3900.4%
  48. 48Peter4,2930.4%
  49. 49Dennis4,2360.4%
  50. 50Earl4,0070.4%
  51. 51Francis3,9510.4%
  52. 52Don3,9000.4%
  53. 53Marvin3,9000.4%
  54. 54Melvin3,8180.3%
  55. 55Ernest3,7080.3%
  56. 56Dale3,6900.3%
  57. 57Leonard3,6700.3%
  58. 58Clarence3,6390.3%
  59. 59Stanley3,5440.3%
  60. 60Douglas3,5080.3%
  61. 61Leroy3,4910.3%
  62. 62Samuel3,2430.3%
  63. 63Johnny3,1970.3%
  64. 64Philip3,1720.3%
  65. 65Gene3,1490.3%
  66. 66Bruce3,1270.3%
  67. 67Bill3,1130.3%
  68. 68Herbert3,0140.3%
  69. 69Alfred3,0080.3%
  70. 70Russell2,9500.3%
  71. 71Frederick2,9350.3%
  72. 72Ray2,8810.3%
  73. 73Allen2,8340.3%
  74. 74Stephen2,7260.2%
  75. 75Bernard2,7150.2%
  76. 76Jimmie2,6930.2%
  77. 77Tommy2,6670.2%
  78. 78Gordon2,6570.2%
  79. 79Eddie2,6160.2%
  80. 80Lee2,5750.2%
  81. 81Jim2,4970.2%
  82. 82Andrew2,4110.2%
  83. 83Glenn2,3670.2%
  84. 84Theodore2,3600.2%
  85. 85Leon2,3550.2%
  86. 86Terry2,3360.2%
  87. 87Martin2,3130.2%
  88. 88Patrick2,2920.2%
  89. 89Clifford2,2770.2%
  90. 90Edwin2,2500.2%
  91. 91Alan2,2410.2%
  92. 92Lloyd2,2150.2%
  93. 93Jerome2,2090.2%
  94. 94Bob2,2040.2%
  95. 95Phillip2,1540.2%
  96. 96Floyd2,1460.2%
  97. 97Clyde2,1300.2%
  98. 98Alvin2,0630.2%
  99. 99Harvey2,0510.2%
  100. 100Franklin2,0210.2%

Percentages are each name’s share of all 1938 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.