Popular baby names in Arkansas, 1939

The most popular baby names in Arkansas in 1939 were Mary for girls (1,111 babies) and James for boys (1,402). James ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 36,311 babies born in Arkansas in 1939 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Arkansas in 1939

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

Girls

Bennie: 25 babies, 8× the national rate
Freddie: 26 babies, 7.4× the national rate
Delois: 19 babies, 7× the national rate
Robbie: 33 babies, 6.5× the national rate
Eddie: 28 babies, 6.5× the national rate
Ruthie: 39 babies, 6× the national rate
Pearlie: 33 babies, 5.9× the national rate
Bobbie: 152 babies, 5.5× the national rate
Erma: 70 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Earnestine: 33 babies, 5.2× the national rate

Boys

Carrol: 19 babies, 6.7× the national rate
Troy: 63 babies, 6.6× the national rate
Odell: 23 babies, 6.6× the national rate
Doyle: 59 babies, 6.3× the national rate
Shelby: 21 babies, 6.2× the national rate
Loyd: 34 babies, 5.7× the national rate
Hershel: 17 babies, 5.7× the national rate
Sterling: 15 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Royce: 23 babies, 4.7× the national rate
Jimmy: 347 babies, 4.5× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Arkansas, 1939

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1938	US rank
1	Mary	1,111	–	1
2	Betty	820	–	4
3	Shirley	554	–	5
4	Barbara	499	–	2
5	Dorothy	361	–	9
6	Wanda	277	↑3	50
7	Carolyn	265	↓1	14
8	Patsy	263	↓1	56
9	Linda	259	↑5	15
10	Martha	256	↓2	27
11	Joyce	253	↓1	12
12	Helen	237	↑1	16
13	Patricia	217	↓2	3
14	Margaret	211	↑1	10
15	Virginia	211	↓3	21
16	Peggy	195	↑3	34
17	Nancy	192	↑4	7
18	Doris	188	↓2	29
19	Ruby	177	↓1	67
20	Frances	175	–	26
21	Norma	154	↓4	38
22	Bobbie	152	–	>100
23	Alice	149	–	31
24	Jo	142	↑1	70
25	Lois	130	↑14	35
26	Elizabeth	128	↑6	18
27	Bonnie	126	↓3	61
28	Ruth	126	–	22
29	Wilma	124	↓3	87
30	Glenda	118	↑10	>100
31	Emma	113	↓2	89
32	Annie	112	↓1	54
33	Anna	109	↓6	43
34	Marilyn	109	↑3	19
35	Donna	106	↑11	20
36	Mildred	102	↓3	55
37	Evelyn	101	↓1	40
38	Thelma	101	new	88
39	Billie	98	↓5	>100
40	Willie	93	↓10	>100
41	Sarah	88	↑7	68
42	Gloria	85	↑7	36
43	Sandra	84	new	13
44	Juanita	83	↓3	77
45	Sue	83	new	92
46	Carol	78	new	6
47	Janice	76	new	24
48	Rosie	76	↓1	>100
49	Loretta	75	new	65
50	Edna	74	new	81

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1938	US rank
1	James	1,402	–	2
2	Charles	798	–	6
3	John	644	–	3
4	Robert	626	–	1
5	William	585	–	4
6	Billy	512	–	24
7	Bobby	472	–	29
8	Jerry	436	↑1	16
9	Donald	348	↓1	8
10	Jimmy	347	–	43
11	Willie	285	↑3	33
12	Thomas	278	↑1	9
13	Joe	261	↓2	27
14	Kenneth	252	↑2	13
15	David	251	–	7
16	George	250	↓4	11
17	Richard	209	↑1	5
18	Harold	195	↓1	23
19	Roy	168	↑5	42
20	Edward	164	↑3	15
21	Paul	159	↓2	17
22	Larry	156	↑4	14
23	Tommy	156	↓1	77
24	Jimmie	151	↑4	80
25	Johnny	149	↓4	62
26	Carl	145	↓6	30
27	Henry	139	–	31
28	Raymond	119	↑1	22
29	Eddie	109	↑11	81
30	Don	108	↑1	56
31	Albert	105	↑18	41
32	Ronald	101	↑2	10
33	Gerald	100	↓1	19
34	Bill	97	↑3	67
35	Walter	94	↓5	25
36	Ralph	93	↑11	35
37	Fred	91	↑6	40
38	Earl	90	↓2	50
39	Jack	90	↓14	26
40	Jackie	90	↑10	>100
41	Marvin	88	new	52
42	Joseph	87	↓9	12
43	Arthur	83	↑2	32
44	Lee	83	↓9	78
45	Clarence	81	↓3	60
46	Wayne	81	↓5	39
47	Frank	80	↓9	20
48	Howard	79	↓2	47
49	Melvin	79	new	51
50	Ray	78	new	74

← Arkansas 1938 Arkansas: all years · US 1939 Arkansas 1940 →