Name Awesome

Most Popular Baby Names Of 1939

The 100 most-used girls’ and boys’ names among U.S. births in 1939 — 2,203,433 recorded births in total that year.

19381940 The 1930s as a wholeNames that peaked in 1939

Girls’ names

  1. 1Mary54,9005.0%
  2. 2Barbara37,2573.4%
  3. 3Patricia29,7012.7%
  4. 4Betty23,6392.2%
  5. 5Shirley20,4471.9%
  6. 6Carol20,1661.8%
  7. 7Nancy19,7231.8%
  8. 8Judith16,6251.5%
  9. 9Dorothy15,1691.4%
  10. 10Margaret14,9491.4%
  11. 11Joan14,1431.3%
  12. 12Joyce13,3941.2%
  13. 13Sandra11,9701.1%
  14. 14Carolyn11,2901.0%
  15. 15Linda10,7131.0%
  16. 16Helen10,4201.0%
  17. 17Janet10,1200.9%
  18. 18Elizabeth9,7090.9%
  19. 19Marilyn9,5380.9%
  20. 20Donna9,3710.9%
  21. 21Virginia9,2270.8%
  22. 22Ruth9,0620.8%
  23. 23Sharon9,0140.8%
  24. 24Janice8,7780.8%
  25. 25Beverly8,7060.8%
  26. 26Frances8,5770.8%
  27. 27Martha8,4930.8%
  28. 28Judy8,0810.7%
  29. 29Doris7,6870.7%
  30. 30Phyllis7,5900.7%
  31. 31Alice7,3650.7%
  32. 32Jean7,2920.7%
  33. 33Ann6,5510.6%
  34. 34Peggy6,0500.6%
  35. 35Lois6,0340.6%
  36. 36Gloria5,9390.5%
  37. 37Marie5,8900.5%
  38. 38Norma5,8270.5%
  39. 39Karen5,5410.5%
  40. 40Evelyn5,3320.5%
  41. 41Geraldine5,1600.5%
  42. 42Rose5,0400.5%
  43. 43Anna4,9290.4%
  44. 44Susan4,8870.4%
  45. 45Elaine4,7850.4%
  46. 46Jane4,7710.4%
  47. 47Carole4,6790.4%
  48. 48Kathleen4,6560.4%
  49. 49Catherine4,5770.4%
  50. 50Wanda4,5570.4%
  51. 51Diane4,3400.4%
  52. 52Sally4,2440.4%
  53. 53Joanne4,2250.4%
  54. 54Annie4,1550.4%
  55. 55Mildred4,1370.4%
  56. 56Patsy4,1110.4%
  57. 57Joann3,9940.4%
  58. 58Dolores3,9800.4%
  59. 59Louise3,9560.4%
  60. 60Marjorie3,9070.4%
  61. 61Bonnie3,8870.4%
  62. 62Sylvia3,8700.4%
  63. 63Eleanor3,8100.3%
  64. 64Marlene3,7730.3%
  65. 65Loretta3,7690.3%
  66. 66Charlotte3,7390.3%
  67. 67Ruby3,7120.3%
  68. 68Sarah3,6710.3%
  69. 69Arlene3,5780.3%
  70. 70Jo3,5240.3%
  71. 71Roberta3,4090.3%
  72. 72Jacqueline3,3880.3%
  73. 73Gail3,3550.3%
  74. 74Irene3,3310.3%
  75. 75Darlene3,2870.3%
  76. 76Kay3,2600.3%
  77. 77Juanita3,2120.3%
  78. 78Rita3,1880.3%
  79. 79Delores3,0180.3%
  80. 80Ellen3,0050.3%
  81. 81Edna2,9040.3%
  82. 82Jeanette2,8930.3%
  83. 83June2,8670.3%
  84. 84Josephine2,8370.3%
  85. 85Anne2,7690.3%
  86. 86Brenda2,7560.3%
  87. 87Wilma2,7010.2%
  88. 88Thelma2,6960.2%
  89. 89Emma2,6850.2%
  90. 90Yvonne2,6480.2%
  91. 91Julia2,6350.2%
  92. 92Sue2,6230.2%
  93. 93Rosemary2,6120.2%
  94. 94Theresa2,6110.2%
  95. 95Lorraine2,5930.2%
  96. 96Florence2,5920.2%
  97. 97Anita2,5880.2%
  98. 98Audrey2,5690.2%
  99. 99Lillian2,5510.2%
  100. 100Ethel2,4960.2%

Boys’ names

  1. 1Robert59,6665.4%
  2. 2James59,6365.4%
  3. 3John51,0254.6%
  4. 4William42,0713.8%
  5. 5Richard35,3863.2%
  6. 6Charles30,7892.8%
  7. 7David25,3602.3%
  8. 8Donald24,0562.2%
  9. 9Thomas22,1292.0%
  10. 10Ronald19,8371.8%
  11. 11George17,8861.6%
  12. 12Joseph17,7221.6%
  13. 13Kenneth14,7151.3%
  14. 14Larry14,5321.3%
  15. 15Edward14,4271.3%
  16. 16Jerry13,7291.2%
  17. 17Paul13,3371.2%
  18. 18Michael10,8281.0%
  19. 19Gerald10,0570.9%
  20. 20Frank9,9910.9%
  21. 21Gary9,6840.9%
  22. 22Raymond9,2520.8%
  23. 23Harold8,2990.7%
  24. 24Billy7,4740.7%
  25. 25Walter7,3220.7%
  26. 26Jack7,3060.7%
  27. 27Joe7,1890.6%
  28. 28Roger7,1550.6%
  29. 29Bobby7,0570.6%
  30. 30Carl6,5930.6%
  31. 31Henry6,5610.6%
  32. 32Arthur6,3800.6%
  33. 33Willie6,3080.6%
  34. 34Dennis6,2120.6%
  35. 35Ralph5,9590.5%
  36. 36Lawrence5,8820.5%
  37. 37Eugene5,8690.5%
  38. 38Daniel5,7970.5%
  39. 39Wayne5,6530.5%
  40. 40Fred5,5380.5%
  41. 41Albert5,4770.5%
  42. 42Roy5,1560.5%
  43. 43Jimmy4,7530.4%
  44. 44Norman4,7420.4%
  45. 45Harry4,6610.4%
  46. 46Peter4,6390.4%
  47. 47Howard4,6130.4%
  48. 48Anthony4,6100.4%
  49. 49Louis4,2240.4%
  50. 50Earl3,8960.4%
  51. 51Melvin3,8530.3%
  52. 52Marvin3,7580.3%
  53. 53Francis3,7210.3%
  54. 54Leonard3,7110.3%
  55. 55Ernest3,6880.3%
  56. 56Don3,5890.3%
  57. 57Stanley3,5700.3%
  58. 58Douglas3,5640.3%
  59. 59Dale3,5310.3%
  60. 60Clarence3,4820.3%
  61. 61Leroy3,3880.3%
  62. 62Johnny3,3710.3%
  63. 63Samuel3,2540.3%
  64. 64Bruce3,2330.3%
  65. 65Stephen3,1760.3%
  66. 66Philip3,1740.3%
  67. 67Bill3,1610.3%
  68. 68Herbert3,0970.3%
  69. 69Gene3,0140.3%
  70. 70Alfred2,9900.3%
  71. 71Frederick2,9720.3%
  72. 72Allen2,9280.3%
  73. 73Russell2,8330.3%
  74. 74Ray2,7090.2%
  75. 75Jim2,6360.2%
  76. 76Bernard2,6240.2%
  77. 77Tommy2,6220.2%
  78. 78Lee2,5890.2%
  79. 79Patrick2,5300.2%
  80. 80Jimmie2,5240.2%
  81. 81Eddie2,5110.2%
  82. 82Gordon2,5080.2%
  83. 83Terry2,4440.2%
  84. 84Andrew2,4400.2%
  85. 85Alan2,3300.2%
  86. 86Leon2,3270.2%
  87. 87Glenn2,3030.2%
  88. 88Clifford2,2900.2%
  89. 89Bob2,2440.2%
  90. 90Theodore2,1960.2%
  91. 91Martin2,1920.2%
  92. 92Phillip2,1750.2%
  93. 93Jerome2,1530.2%
  94. 94Floyd2,0940.2%
  95. 95Lloyd2,0870.2%
  96. 96Edwin2,0630.2%
  97. 97Tom2,0280.2%
  98. 98Curtis2,0120.2%
  99. 99Jesse2,0100.2%
  100. 100Vernon1,9940.2%

Percentages are each name’s share of all 1939 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.