Popular baby names of 1939

In 1939, the most popular baby names in the United States were Mary for girls (54,900 babies) and Robert for boys (59,666). Social Security records show 2,203,464 babies with a name given to at least five children of the same sex that year, sharing 4,950 girls' names and 3,968 boys' names.

1939 at a glance

The top 10 girls' names went to 23.0% of girls recorded.
The top 10 boys' names went to 33.4% of boys recorded.
New in the girls' top 100: Brenda, Yvonne, Julia, Sue.
New in the boys' top 100: Tom, Curtis, Jesse, Vernon.

Top 100 girls' and boys' names, 1939

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1938
1	Mary	54,900	–
2	Barbara	37,257	–
3	Patricia	29,701	–
4	Betty	23,639	–
5	Shirley	20,447	–
6	Carol	20,166	–
7	Nancy	19,723	–
8	Judith	16,625	↑4
9	Dorothy	15,169	↓1
10	Margaret	14,949	↓1
11	Joan	14,143	↓1
12	Joyce	13,394	↓1
13	Sandra	11,970	↑1
14	Carolyn	11,290	↑1
15	Linda	10,713	↑16
16	Helen	10,420	↓3
17	Janet	10,120	↓1
18	Elizabeth	9,709	↓1
19	Marilyn	9,538	–
20	Donna	9,371	–
21	Virginia	9,227	↑1
22	Ruth	9,062	↓1
23	Sharon	9,014	↑7
24	Janice	8,778	–
25	Beverly	8,706	↓7
26	Frances	8,577	↓3
27	Martha	8,493	↓1
28	Judy	8,081	↑13
29	Doris	7,687	↓4
30	Phyllis	7,590	↓2
31	Alice	7,365	↓2
32	Jean	7,292	↓5
33	Ann	6,551	↓1
34	Peggy	6,050	↑1
35	Lois	6,034	↓2
36	Gloria	5,939	–
37	Marie	5,890	–
38	Norma	5,827	↓4
39	Karen	5,541	↑11
40	Evelyn	5,332	↓2
41	Geraldine	5,160	↑4
42	Rose	5,040	↓3
43	Anna	4,929	↓3
44	Susan	4,887	↑27
45	Elaine	4,785	↓3
46	Jane	4,771	↓2
47	Carole	4,679	↓1
48	Kathleen	4,656	↑10
49	Catherine	4,577	↓1
50	Wanda	4,557	↓1
51	Diane	4,340	↑13
52	Sally	4,244	↑2
53	Joanne	4,225	↑4
54	Annie	4,155	↓7
55	Mildred	4,137	↓3
56	Patsy	4,111	↓1
57	Joann	3,994	↑11
58	Dolores	3,980	↓15
59	Louise	3,956	–
60	Marjorie	3,907	↓7
61	Bonnie	3,887	↑4
62	Sylvia	3,870	↓6
63	Eleanor	3,810	↓3
64	Marlene	3,773	↓13
65	Loretta	3,769	↓3
66	Charlotte	3,739	↑4
67	Ruby	3,712	↓6
68	Sarah	3,671	↓1
69	Arlene	3,578	↓6
70	Jo	3,524	↑8
71	Roberta	3,409	↑2
72	Jacqueline	3,388	↓3
73	Gail	3,355	↑4
74	Irene	3,331	↓2
75	Darlene	3,287	↑1
76	Kay	3,260	↑5
77	Juanita	3,212	↑3
78	Rita	3,188	↓4
79	Delores	3,018	↓4
80	Ellen	3,005	↑9
81	Edna	2,904	↑1
82	Jeanette	2,893	↑9
83	June	2,867	↓4
84	Josephine	2,837	↓1
85	Anne	2,769	↓1
86	Brenda	2,756	new
87	Wilma	2,701	↓2
88	Thelma	2,696	↓2
89	Emma	2,685	↑7
90	Yvonne	2,648	new
91	Julia	2,635	new
92	Sue	2,623	new
93	Rosemary	2,612	↑2
94	Theresa	2,611	↓2
95	Lorraine	2,593	↓2
96	Florence	2,592	↓6
97	Anita	2,588	↑2
98	Audrey	2,569	↓11
99	Lillian	2,551	↓11
100	Ethel	2,496	↓6

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1938
1	Robert	59,666	–
2	James	59,636	–
3	John	51,025	–
4	William	42,071	–
5	Richard	35,386	–
6	Charles	30,789	–
7	David	25,360	↑1
8	Donald	24,056	↓1
9	Thomas	22,129	–
10	Ronald	19,837	–
11	George	17,886	–
12	Joseph	17,722	–
13	Kenneth	14,715	↑1
14	Larry	14,532	↑2
15	Edward	14,427	↓2
16	Jerry	13,729	↑1
17	Paul	13,337	↓2
18	Michael	10,828	↑3
19	Gerald	10,057	–
20	Frank	9,991	↓2
21	Gary	9,684	↑1
22	Raymond	9,252	↓2
23	Harold	8,299	–
24	Billy	7,474	–
25	Walter	7,322	↑1
26	Jack	7,306	↓1
27	Joe	7,189	↑1
28	Roger	7,155	↑3
29	Bobby	7,057	↓2
30	Carl	6,593	↓1
31	Henry	6,561	↓1
32	Arthur	6,380	–
33	Willie	6,308	↑1
34	Dennis	6,212	↑15
35	Ralph	5,959	–
36	Lawrence	5,882	–
37	Eugene	5,869	↓4
38	Daniel	5,797	↑1
39	Wayne	5,653	↑1
40	Fred	5,538	↓2
41	Albert	5,477	↓4
42	Roy	5,156	↓1
43	Jimmy	4,753	↑2
44	Norman	4,742	↓1
45	Harry	4,661	↓1
46	Peter	4,639	↑2
47	Howard	4,613	↓5
48	Anthony	4,610	↓2
49	Louis	4,224	↓2
50	Earl	3,896	–
51	Melvin	3,853	↑3
52	Marvin	3,758	↑1
53	Francis	3,721	↓2
54	Leonard	3,711	↑3
55	Ernest	3,688	–
56	Don	3,589	↓4
57	Stanley	3,570	↑2
58	Douglas	3,564	↑2
59	Dale	3,531	↓3
60	Clarence	3,482	↓2
61	Leroy	3,388	–
62	Johnny	3,371	↑1
63	Samuel	3,254	↓1
64	Bruce	3,233	↑2
65	Stephen	3,176	↑9
66	Philip	3,174	↓2
67	Bill	3,161	–
68	Herbert	3,097	–
69	Gene	3,014	↓4
70	Alfred	2,990	↓1
71	Frederick	2,972	–
72	Allen	2,928	↑1
73	Russell	2,833	↓3
74	Ray	2,709	↓2
75	Jim	2,636	↑6
76	Bernard	2,624	↓1
77	Tommy	2,622	–
78	Lee	2,589	↑2
79	Patrick	2,530	↑9
80	Jimmie	2,524	↓4
81	Eddie	2,511	↓2
82	Gordon	2,508	↓4
83	Terry	2,444	↑3
84	Andrew	2,440	↓2
85	Alan	2,330	↑6
86	Leon	2,327	↓1
87	Glenn	2,303	↓4
88	Clifford	2,290	↑1
89	Bob	2,244	↑5
90	Theodore	2,196	↓6
91	Martin	2,192	↓4
92	Phillip	2,175	↑3
93	Jerome	2,153	–
94	Floyd	2,094	↑2
95	Lloyd	2,087	↓3
96	Edwin	2,063	↓6
97	Tom	2,028	new
98	Curtis	2,012	new
99	Jesse	2,010	new
100	Vernon	1,994	new

Every name given in 1939

All 8,918 names Social Security recorded for 1939, with their rank and count. Type to filter.

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