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2025 data, released 8 May 2026

Popular baby names of 1936

In 1936, the most popular baby names in the United States were Mary for girls (54,377 babies) and Robert for boys (58,500). Social Security records show 2,077,595 babies with a name given to at least five children of the same sex that year, sharing 4,856 girls' names and 4,037 boys' names.

1936 at a glance

  • The top 10 girls' names went to 24.2% of girls recorded.
  • The top 10 boys' names went to 33.3% of boys recorded.
  • New in the girls' top 100: Jeanette, Linda, Kay, Katherine.
  • New in the boys' top 100: Stephen, Patrick.

Top 100 girls' and boys' names, 1936

Girls
RankNameBabiesvs 1935
1Mary54,377–
2Shirley35,161–
3Barbara31,682–
4Betty25,868–
5Patricia23,916–
6Dorothy17,666–
7Joan17,072–
8Nancy16,755↑1
9Margaret14,596↓1
10Carol14,520↑1
11Helen12,234↓1
12Joyce11,988–
13Marilyn11,064↑1
14Virginia9,650↑2
15Doris9,226↓2
16Ruth9,217↓1
17Beverly8,901↑3
18Elizabeth8,860↓1
19Frances8,789–
20Jean8,536↓2
21Janet8,080↑1
22Donna7,932↑1
23Carolyn7,906↑5
24Martha7,392–
25Phyllis7,374↑2
26Lois7,232↓5
27Alice7,201↓2
28Ann6,666↑2
29Norma6,633–
30Dolores6,417↓4
31Janice6,150↑16
32Gloria6,140–
33Marie6,132–
34Evelyn6,108↓3
35Peggy6,068↑1
36Anna5,727↓2
37Rose5,699–
38Sandra5,526↑12
39Marlene5,332–
40Mildred5,051↓5
41Geraldine4,864↓1
42Jane4,719↑1
43Judith4,580↑11
44Catherine4,537↓2
45Annie4,529↓7
46Louise4,355↓1
47Eleanor4,341↑1
48Joanne4,305↓4
49Marjorie4,279↓3
50Elaine4,259↑1
51Ruby4,226↓10
52Patsy4,196↑4
53Sylvia4,156↑7
54Arlene3,898↑5
55Joann3,886↓2
56Wanda3,882↓7
57Irene3,817↓5
58Delores3,760↓1
59Sally3,635↓1
60Sharon3,573↑36
61Charlotte3,555↑4
62June3,515↓7
63Sarah3,515↓2
64Roberta3,467↑13
65Bonnie3,374↓3
66Jacqueline3,362↑13
67Kathleen3,352↑4
68Audrey3,345↓4
69Rita3,334↓6
70Loretta3,325↓1
71Edna3,305↓4
72Jo3,292↑1
73Carole3,199↑20
74Thelma3,196↑2
75Juanita3,183↓3
76Lorraine3,167↓8
77Josephine3,141↓2
78Wilma3,123↓8
79Lillian3,117↓13
80Florence3,083↓6
81Yvonne3,038↑17
82Pauline2,981↓2
83Darlene2,962↑8
84Gladys2,944↓6
85Emma2,831↑4
86Grace2,791↓3
87Edith2,759–
88Theresa2,758↓2
89Anne2,756↓5
90Ethel2,730↓8
91Clara2,684↓10
92Lucille2,632↓7
93Marion2,580↓5
94Jeanette2,552new
95Bernice2,540↓5
96Hazel2,512↓4
97Linda2,440new
98Kay2,408new
99Ellen2,398↓4
100Katherine2,355new
Boys
RankNameBabiesvs 1935
1Robert58,500–
2James54,694–
3John47,683–
4William39,398–
5Richard33,494–
6Charles29,101–
7Donald28,639–
8Thomas18,342↑1
9George18,197↓1
10David17,476↑1
11Joseph17,453↓1
12Ronald16,917–
13Edward14,194–
14Kenneth12,486↑1
15Paul12,307↓1
16Frank10,186–
17Raymond9,459–
18Jerry9,271↑4
19Gerald9,018↑2
20Jack8,857↓2
21Harold8,628↓1
22Billy8,587↓3
23Joe8,023↑2
24Bobby7,735–
25Larry7,611↑8
26Walter7,536↓3
27Carl6,591↑1
28Henry6,447↓1
29Eugene6,376↓3
30Arthur6,264↓1
31Ralph6,029↑1
32Willie6,011↓2
33Michael5,800↑8
34Albert5,759↓3
35Roger5,702↑1
36Fred5,602↓2
37Lawrence5,339↓2
38Gary5,192↑6
39Harry4,931↓2
40Howard4,874↓1
41Daniel4,817↑2
42Roy4,815↓2
43Norman4,645↓5
44Louis4,418↓2
45Wayne4,409↑4
46Jimmy4,214↑1
47Earl4,106↓1
48Anthony3,978↑4
49Marvin3,936↓4
50Francis3,876↑3
51Don3,830–
52Clarence3,772↓4
53Melvin3,730↑4
54Leonard3,716–
55Ernest3,715–
56Peter3,714↑3
57Leroy3,642↓7
58Stanley3,492↓2
59Dale3,393↑2
60Alfred3,253↑3
61Bill3,166↓1
62Herbert3,117↓4
63Philip3,033↑2
64Franklin2,939↑7
65Ray2,939↓1
66Gene2,909–
67Samuel2,893↓5
68Bernard2,853↓1
69Russell2,832↓1
70Frederick2,817↑3
71Jimmie2,742↓2
72Johnny2,729↑2
73Bruce2,630↑4
74Dennis2,627↓2
75Gordon2,567↓5
76Lee2,418↑4
77Bob2,408↑4
78Douglas2,374↓3
79Eddie2,347↑8
80Glenn2,328↓2
81Allen2,314↑2
82Leon2,282↑4
83Andrew2,276↑2
84Edwin2,271↑5
85Jim2,268↑5
86Floyd2,228↓10
87Theodore2,219↓8
88Lloyd2,160↓4
89Clyde2,153↓7
90Clifford2,132↓2
91Tommy2,108↑4
92Martin2,106↑1
93Vernon2,028↑1
94Leo2,017↓2
95Warren1,976↑2
96Alvin1,970↓5
97Harvey1,970↑2
98Jerome1,967↓2
99Stephen1,862new
100Patrick1,856new

Every name given in 1936

All 8,893 names Social Security recorded for 1936, with their rank and count. Type to filter.

← 1935 All years and states 1937 →