Popular baby names of 1938

In 1938, the most popular baby names in the United States were Mary for girls (56,225 babies) and Robert for boys (62,271). Social Security records show 2,212,603 babies with a name given to at least five children of the same sex that year, sharing 4,995 girls' names and 4,035 boys' names.

1938 at a glance

The top 10 girls' names went to 23.3% of girls recorded.
The top 10 boys' names went to 33.5% of boys recorded.
New in the girls' top 100: Karen, Rosalie, Ellen, Rosemary.
New in the boys' top 100: Terry, Alan.

Top 100 girls' and boys' names, 1938

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1937
1	Mary	56,225	–
2	Barbara	39,277	–
3	Patricia	27,560	–
4	Betty	25,506	↑1
5	Shirley	23,766	↓1
6	Carol	19,421	–
7	Nancy	18,951	–
8	Dorothy	16,358	–
9	Margaret	15,330	↑1
10	Joan	14,303	↓1
11	Joyce	12,698	–
12	Judith	10,878	↑22
13	Helen	10,837	↓1
14	Sandra	10,806	↑12
15	Carolyn	10,586	↑5
16	Janet	9,870	↑2
17	Elizabeth	9,803	–
18	Beverly	9,770	↓4
19	Marilyn	9,745	↓6
20	Donna	9,693	↑1
21	Ruth	9,303	↓6
22	Virginia	9,269	↓6
23	Frances	8,921	↓4
24	Janice	8,711	↑1
25	Doris	8,603	↓3
26	Martha	8,578	↓2
27	Jean	7,764	↓4
28	Phyllis	7,644	↓1
29	Alice	7,490	↓1
30	Sharon	7,244	↑11
31	Linda	7,047	↑18
32	Ann	6,990	↓2
33	Lois	6,502	↓4
34	Norma	6,368	↓1
35	Peggy	6,343	↓4
36	Gloria	6,299	↓4
37	Marie	5,958	↓2
38	Evelyn	5,688	↓2
39	Rose	5,292	↓1
40	Anna	5,145	↓1
41	Judy	4,992	↑50
42	Elaine	4,835	↑3
43	Dolores	4,809	↓6
44	Jane	4,786	↓2
45	Geraldine	4,652	↓1
46	Carole	4,616	↑10
47	Annie	4,562	↓1
48	Catherine	4,525	↓1
49	Wanda	4,513	↑6
50	Karen	4,508	new
51	Marlene	4,473	↓11
52	Mildred	4,441	↓9
53	Marjorie	4,318	↑4
54	Sally	4,278	↑5
55	Patsy	4,260	↓1
56	Sylvia	4,259	↓6
57	Joanne	4,250	↓6
58	Kathleen	4,228	↑3
59	Louise	4,069	↓11
60	Eleanor	4,049	↓7
61	Ruby	3,942	↓9
62	Loretta	3,913	↑1
63	Arlene	3,894	↓3
64	Diane	3,827	↑12
65	Bonnie	3,773	↓1
66	Rosalie	3,758	new
67	Sarah	3,749	↓2
68	Joann	3,710	↓10
69	Jacqueline	3,633	↑1
70	Charlotte	3,626	↓3
71	Susan	3,555	↑26
72	Irene	3,554	↓10
73	Roberta	3,547	↓7
74	Rita	3,357	↓5
75	Delores	3,322	↓7
76	Darlene	3,321	↓4
77	Gail	3,214	↑22
78	Jo	3,172	↓5
79	June	3,141	↓8
80	Juanita	3,129	↓5
81	Kay	3,114	↓2
82	Edna	3,080	↓8
83	Josephine	2,978	↓1
84	Anne	2,887	↑8
85	Wilma	2,871	↓5
86	Thelma	2,866	↓8
87	Audrey	2,844	↓2
88	Lillian	2,825	↓4
89	Ellen	2,805	new
90	Florence	2,805	↓9
91	Jeanette	2,802	↓1
92	Theresa	2,763	↑3
93	Lorraine	2,740	↓10
94	Ethel	2,726	↓6
95	Rosemary	2,681	new
96	Emma	2,670	↓7
97	Pauline	2,666	↓10
98	Clara	2,662	↑2
99	Anita	2,636	↓6
100	Grace	2,609	↓6

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1937
1	Robert	62,271	–
2	James	59,102	–
3	John	50,517	–
4	William	42,433	–
5	Richard	34,385	–
6	Charles	31,151	–
7	Donald	26,677	–
8	David	22,994	–
9	Thomas	21,381	–
10	Ronald	20,295	↑1
11	George	18,435	↓1
12	Joseph	17,742	–
13	Edward	14,551	–
14	Kenneth	14,399	–
15	Paul	13,360	–
16	Larry	12,394	–
17	Jerry	12,172	–
18	Frank	10,260	–
19	Gerald	9,972	↑1
20	Raymond	9,725	↓1
21	Michael	9,077	↑6
22	Gary	8,861	↑7
23	Harold	8,563	↓2
24	Billy	8,253	↓2
25	Jack	8,144	↓2
26	Walter	7,560	–
27	Bobby	7,498	↓3
28	Joe	7,438	↓3
29	Carl	6,849	↓1
30	Henry	6,557	–
31	Roger	6,551	↑5
32	Arthur	6,525	↓1
33	Eugene	6,112	–
34	Willie	6,081	↓2
35	Ralph	6,013	↓1
36	Lawrence	5,873	↑2
37	Albert	5,796	–
38	Fred	5,768	↓3
39	Daniel	5,583	–
40	Wayne	5,226	↑4
41	Roy	5,041	↓1
42	Howard	5,018	–
43	Norman	4,953	–
44	Harry	4,824	↓3
45	Jimmy	4,730	–
46	Anthony	4,689	↑1
47	Louis	4,390	↓1
48	Peter	4,293	↑4
49	Dennis	4,236	↑14
50	Earl	4,007	↓2
51	Francis	3,951	↑4
52	Don	3,900	↓1
53	Marvin	3,900	↓4
54	Melvin	3,818	↓4
55	Ernest	3,708	↓2
56	Dale	3,690	↑3
57	Leonard	3,670	↑1
58	Clarence	3,639	↓4
59	Stanley	3,544	↓2
60	Douglas	3,508	↑14
61	Leroy	3,491	↓5
62	Samuel	3,243	↑4
63	Johnny	3,197	↑6
64	Philip	3,172	↓2
65	Gene	3,149	↓4
66	Bruce	3,127	↑4
67	Bill	3,113	↓3
68	Herbert	3,014	↓3
69	Alfred	3,008	↓9
70	Russell	2,950	↓3
71	Frederick	2,935	↓3
72	Ray	2,881	↓1
73	Allen	2,834	↑3
74	Stephen	2,726	↑18
75	Bernard	2,715	↓2
76	Jimmie	2,693	↓4
77	Tommy	2,667	↑7
78	Gordon	2,657	↓3
79	Eddie	2,616	↑4
80	Lee	2,575	↓2
81	Jim	2,497	↑1
82	Andrew	2,411	↓3
83	Glenn	2,367	↑5
84	Theodore	2,360	↑2
85	Leon	2,355	–
86	Terry	2,336	new
87	Martin	2,313	–
88	Patrick	2,292	↑6
89	Clifford	2,277	↑1
90	Edwin	2,250	↓1
91	Alan	2,241	new
92	Lloyd	2,215	↓1
93	Jerome	2,209	↑7
94	Bob	2,204	↓13
95	Phillip	2,154	↑3
96	Floyd	2,146	↓16
97	Clyde	2,130	↓4
98	Alvin	2,063	↑1
99	Harvey	2,051	↓4
100	Franklin	2,021	↓23

Every name given in 1938

All 9,030 names Social Security recorded for 1938, with their rank and count. Type to filter.

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