Popular baby names of 1931

In 1931, the most popular baby names in the United States were Mary for girls (60,299 babies) and Robert for boys (60,519). Social Security records show 2,104,393 babies with a name given to at least five children of the same sex that year, sharing 4,979 girls' names and 4,321 boys' names.

1931 at a glance

The top 10 girls' names went to 22.9% of girls recorded.
The top 10 boys' names went to 33.8% of boys recorded.
New in the girls' top 100: Arlene, Joann, Marlene, Loretta.
New in the boys' top 100: Larry, Jimmy.

Top 100 girls' and boys' names, 1931

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1930
1	Mary	60,299	–
2	Betty	36,105	–
3	Dorothy	26,524	–
4	Barbara	21,804	↑2
5	Joan	19,119	↑3
6	Helen	17,664	↓2
7	Margaret	17,332	↓2
8	Patricia	16,469	↓1
9	Shirley	14,405	↑2
10	Doris	13,629	↓1
11	Ruth	13,132	↓1
12	Virginia	11,886	–
13	Jean	11,013	↑1
14	Dolores	10,807	↓1
15	Joyce	10,580	↑3
16	Elizabeth	10,292	↓1
17	Nancy	10,036	↑7
18	Frances	9,718	↓2
19	Marilyn	9,664	↑3
20	Lois	9,348	↓3
21	Alice	8,815	↓1
22	Norma	8,759	↑3
23	Gloria	8,546	↑7
24	Evelyn	8,492	↓5
25	Anna	8,429	↓2
26	Mildred	8,169	↓5
27	Marie	7,549	↓1
28	Martha	7,481	↓1
29	Phyllis	7,213	↓1
30	Rose	6,881	↓1
31	Beverly	6,789	↑3
32	Donna	6,600	↑5
33	Louise	5,897	↓2
34	Marjorie	5,880	↓2
35	Ann	5,858	↑6
36	Catherine	5,642	↓1
37	Irene	5,616	↓4
38	Geraldine	5,413	↑5
39	Ruby	5,331	↓3
40	Eleanor	5,255	↓1
41	Annie	5,090	↓1
42	Peggy	5,076	↑25
43	Florence	5,011	↓5
44	June	5,002	↑3
45	Janet	4,948	↑8
46	Carol	4,892	↑8
47	Lillian	4,807	↓3
48	Rita	4,613	↓6
49	Lorraine	4,588	↓3
50	Jane	4,532	↑5
51	Josephine	4,497	↓2
52	Edna	4,461	↓1
53	Thelma	4,440	↓8
54	Wanda	4,395	↑2
55	Gladys	4,350	↓7
56	Pauline	4,192	↓4
57	Juanita	4,131	–
58	Delores	4,050	↑8
59	Theresa	4,034	↓9
60	Carolyn	4,008	↑12
61	Clara	3,899	↑3
62	Lucille	3,854	↓3
63	Bernice	3,821	↓5
64	Audrey	3,790	↓1
65	Edith	3,772	↓4
66	Marion	3,763	↓6
67	Ethel	3,760	↓2
68	Joanne	3,757	↑13
69	Wilma	3,741	↓1
70	Grace	3,712	↓8
71	Sarah	3,636	↓1
72	Elaine	3,622	↓3
73	Bonnie	3,552	↑5
74	Hazel	3,508	↓3
75	Charlotte	3,403	–
76	Emma	3,307	↓3
77	Arlene	3,217	new
78	Jacqueline	3,134	↓4
79	Esther	3,034	↓2
80	Anne	2,979	↑3
81	Billie	2,921	↓2
82	Vivian	2,893	↑9
83	Patsy	2,869	↑14
84	Marian	2,862	↓4
85	Beatrice	2,844	↓9
86	Elsie	2,807	↑2
87	Kathleen	2,799	↓3
88	Rosemary	2,722	↓6
89	Laura	2,669	–
90	Joann	2,655	new
91	Julia	2,624	↓1
92	Katherine	2,624	↓7
93	Willie	2,597	↓6
94	Eva	2,591	↓8
95	Marlene	2,585	new
96	Loretta	2,581	new
97	Sally	2,557	↑1
98	Jeanne	2,525	↓6
99	Ellen	2,450	↑1
100	Ida	2,419	↓6

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1930
1	Robert	60,519	–
2	James	51,212	–
3	John	48,423	–
4	William	43,280	–
5	Richard	31,822	–
6	Charles	29,934	–
7	Donald	29,100	–
8	George	20,685	–
9	Joseph	19,326	–
10	Thomas	16,847	↑1
11	Edward	15,646	↓1
12	Paul	12,255	–
13	David	11,784	↑2
14	Kenneth	11,568	↑3
15	Jack	11,488	↓1
16	Frank	11,472	↓3
17	Raymond	10,854	↓1
18	Harold	10,695	–
19	Billy	9,264	↑1
20	Walter	8,940	↓1
21	Eugene	8,151	–
22	Henry	7,805	–
23	Arthur	7,525	–
24	Albert	7,131	–
25	Ralph	6,960	–
26	Gerald	6,823	↑4
27	Ronald	6,726	↑10
28	Carl	6,583	↓2
29	Joe	6,456	↓2
30	Harry	6,045	↓2
31	Willie	5,963	↓2
32	Bobby	5,858	↑9
33	Fred	5,698	↓1
34	Howard	5,624	↓3
35	Roy	5,489	↓2
36	Norman	5,426	↑4
37	Louis	5,423	↓3
38	Lawrence	5,364	↓2
39	Clarence	5,062	–
40	Earl	5,047	↓2
41	Herbert	4,788	↓6
42	Francis	4,735	–
43	Jerry	4,371	↑8
44	Daniel	4,360	↑3
45	Marvin	4,360	↑3
46	Anthony	4,310	↓2
47	Ernest	4,298	↓4
48	Leonard	4,279	↓3
49	Stanley	4,202	–
50	Alfred	3,949	↓4
51	Melvin	3,700	↓1
52	Leroy	3,649	↑1
53	Roger	3,625	↑5
54	Bernard	3,514	↓2
55	Michael	3,489	↓1
56	Samuel	3,379	↓1
57	Bill	3,218	↑2
58	Wayne	3,217	↑7
59	Don	3,176	↑9
60	Ray	3,161	↓3
61	Peter	3,122	↓5
62	Dale	3,008	↑2
63	Russell	2,942	↓3
64	Gene	2,766	↑6
65	Andrew	2,714	↓3
66	Floyd	2,707	↓5
67	Edwin	2,704	↓1
68	Lloyd	2,704	↑1
69	Leo	2,700	↓6
70	Theodore	2,666	↓3
71	Philip	2,648	↑4
72	Glenn	2,624	↓1
73	Frederick	2,471	↑1
74	Vernon	2,465	↓2
75	Clifford	2,452	↓2
76	Gordon	2,396	↑1
77	Clyde	2,336	↓1
78	Bob	2,318	↑10
79	Allen	2,308	↑6
80	Alvin	2,299	↓1
81	Jimmie	2,288	↑5
82	Elmer	2,265	↓2
83	Herman	2,263	↓5
84	Leon	2,245	↓3
85	Douglas	2,203	↑4
86	Vincent	2,162	↓2
87	Lewis	2,160	–
88	Larry	2,147	new
89	Jimmy	2,126	new
90	Lee	2,123	↓8
91	Martin	2,103	↓8
92	Gilbert	1,993	↓2
93	Harvey	1,978	↓1
94	Charlie	1,975	↓3
95	Eddie	1,959	↑2
96	Lester	1,919	↓1
97	Jesse	1,895	↓3
98	Arnold	1,835	–
99	Milton	1,834	↓6
100	Warren	1,834	↓4

Every name given in 1931

All 9,300 names Social Security recorded for 1931, with their rank and count. Type to filter.

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