Popular baby names in Arkansas, 1938

The most popular baby names in Arkansas in 1938 were Mary for girls (1,159 babies) and James for boys (1,368). James ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 36,909 babies born in Arkansas in 1938 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Arkansas in 1938

Names given at least 15 times in Arkansas that year and at least twice as common as in the US as a whole.

Girls

Ocie: 15 babies, 17× the national rate
Floy: 16 babies, 11.2× the national rate
Ruthie: 46 babies, 7× the national rate
Freddie: 26 babies, 6.9× the national rate
Erma: 80 babies, 6× the national rate
Earnestine: 36 babies, 6× the national rate
Pearlie: 33 babies, 5.5× the national rate
Eddie: 26 babies, 5.5× the national rate
Shelba: 23 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Claudine: 16 babies, 5.2× the national rate

Boys

Odis: 18 babies, 8.2× the national rate
Loyd: 42 babies, 7.2× the national rate
Coy: 24 babies, 7× the national rate
Carrol: 19 babies, 6.8× the national rate
Odell: 24 babies, 6.2× the national rate
Doyle: 58 babies, 6× the national rate
Cleo: 17 babies, 5.8× the national rate
Hershel: 16 babies, 5.8× the national rate
Thurman: 21 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Shelby: 19 babies, 5.4× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Arkansas, 1938

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1937	US rank
1	Mary	1,159	–	1
2	Betty	818	–	4
3	Shirley	610	–	5
4	Barbara	552	–	2
5	Dorothy	411	–	8
6	Carolyn	283	↑6	15
7	Patsy	283	↓1	55
8	Martha	270	↓1	26
9	Wanda	245	↑4	49
10	Joyce	244	↓1	11
11	Patricia	233	↓1	3
12	Virginia	223	↓1	22
13	Helen	218	↓5	13
14	Linda	200	↑21	31
15	Margaret	197	↑2	9
16	Doris	194	↓1	25
17	Norma	186	↑2	34
18	Ruby	182	↓4	61
19	Peggy	177	↓1	35
20	Frances	168	↓4	23
21	Nancy	161	↓1	7
22	Bobbie	152	↑7	>100
23	Alice	147	↓2	29
24	Bonnie	146	↓1	65
25	Jo	131	↑9	78
26	Wilma	131	↑2	85
27	Anna	130	↓1	40
28	Ruth	128	↓1	21
29	Emma	127	↑4	96
30	Willie	125	↓6	>100
31	Annie	118	↓9	47
32	Elizabeth	111	↓2	17
33	Mildred	110	↓8	52
34	Billie	104	↓2	>100
35	Louise	102	↑3	59
36	Evelyn	100	↓5	38
37	Marilyn	100	new	19
38	Hazel	97	↑7	>100
39	Lois	97	↓3	33
40	Glenda	93	↑9	>100
41	Juanita	92	↓2	80
42	Margie	90	new	>100
43	Clara	87	new	98
44	Lillie	87	new	>100
45	Erma	80	new	>100
46	Donna	78	new	20
47	Rosie	78	↓1	>100
48	Sarah	77	↓4	67
49	Gloria	76	new	36
50	Minnie	75	new	>100

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1937	US rank
1	James	1,368	–	2
2	Charles	770	–	6
3	John	673	–	3
4	Robert	636	–	1
5	William	618	–	4
6	Billy	605	–	24
7	Bobby	507	–	27
8	Donald	379	–	7
9	Jerry	331	↑1	17
10	Jimmy	305	↑1	45
11	Joe	289	↓2	28
12	George	270	–	11
13	Thomas	252	↑1	9
14	Willie	234	↓1	34
15	David	228	↑3	8
16	Kenneth	217	↓1	14
17	Harold	214	↓1	23
18	Richard	185	↑1	5
19	Paul	171	↑2	15
20	Carl	160	↓3	29
21	Johnny	153	↑6	63
22	Tommy	149	↑3	77
23	Edward	148	↑3	13
24	Roy	145	↓1	41
25	Jack	140	↑4	25
26	Larry	140	↑8	16
27	Henry	134	↓5	30
28	Jimmie	128	↓8	76
29	Raymond	115	↓5	20
30	Walter	112	↓2	26
31	Don	106	–	52
32	Gerald	103	↑1	19
33	Joseph	102	↑6	12
34	Ronald	101	new	10
35	Lee	96	↑10	80
36	Earl	94	↑1	50
37	Bill	93	↓7	67
38	Frank	92	↑4	18
39	Eugene	88	↓4	33
40	Eddie	87	–	79
41	Wayne	86	new	40
42	Clarence	85	↑1	58
43	Fred	83	↓7	38
44	Gene	82	new	65
45	Arthur	81	new	32
46	Howard	80	–	42
47	Ralph	77	↑3	35
48	Floyd	76	↓10	96
49	Albert	74	↓17	37
50	Jackie	73	↓9	>100

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