Popular baby names in Michigan, 1938

The most popular baby names in Michigan in 1938 were Mary for girls (2,119 babies) and Robert for boys (3,087). Social Security records list 86,578 babies born in Michigan in 1938 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Michigan in 1938

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

Girls

Delphine: 37 babies, 7× the national rate
Ruthann: 32 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Sharron: 44 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Ardith: 24 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Doreen: 40 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Marilynn: 38 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Sharon: 776 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Ilene: 37 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Jill: 27 babies, 2.7× the national rate
Noreen: 24 babies, 2.5× the national rate

Boys

Lavern: 26 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Laverne: 33 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Darwin: 37 babies, 2.7× the national rate
Duane: 170 babies, 2.6× the national rate
Gerald: 1,015 babies, 2.5× the national rate
Gregory: 54 babies, 2.5× the national rate
Grant: 27 babies, 2.4× the national rate
Dale: 324 babies, 2.2× the national rate
Douglas: 302 babies, 2.2× the national rate
Gordon: 237 babies, 2.2× the national rate

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

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1937	US rank
1	Mary	2,119	–	1
2	Barbara	1,815	↑1	2
3	Patricia	1,603	↓1	3
4	Nancy	1,144	–	7
5	Carol	1,125	↑1	6
6	Shirley	994	↓1	5
7	Joan	780	–	10
8	Sharon	776	↑7	30
9	Janet	773	–	16
10	Judith	735	↑9	12
11	Joyce	728	–	11
12	Betty	727	↓2	4
13	Marilyn	677	↓5	19
14	Donna	676	–	20
15	Sandra	654	↑2	14
16	Beverly	643	↓4	18
17	Margaret	637	↓4	9
18	Dorothy	489	↓2	8
19	Ruth	489	↓1	21
20	Janice	461	↑2	24
21	Carolyn	404	↑4	15
22	Helen	359	↑1	13
23	Phyllis	354	↓3	28
24	Lois	353	↑4	33
25	Karen	352	new	50
26	Jean	345	↑3	27
27	Sally	345	↓1	54
28	Joanne	341	↓1	57
29	Virginia	339	↓5	22
30	Marlene	337	↓9	51
31	Elizabeth	328	–	17
32	Linda	306	↑16	31
33	Judy	305	new	41
34	Elaine	295	↓4	42
35	Alice	272	↓3	29
36	Arlene	265	↑1	63
37	Geraldine	265	↑2	45
38	Carole	261	↑6	46
39	Norma	252	↑1	34
40	Doris	251	↓2	25
41	Gloria	248	↓6	36
42	Diane	246	new	64
43	Joann	237	↓7	68
44	Ann	235	↓3	32
45	Dolores	233	↓11	43
46	Darlene	232	new	76
47	Kathleen	230	↓1	58
48	Kay	229	↓5	81
49	Frances	224	↓16	23
50	Marjorie	223	↓3	53

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1937	US rank
1	Robert	3,087	–	1
2	James	2,343	–	2
3	Richard	2,093	–	5
4	John	1,922	–	3
5	William	1,725	–	4
6	Ronald	1,431	↑1	10
7	Donald	1,406	↓1	7
8	David	1,319	–	8
9	Thomas	1,145	↑2	9
10	Charles	1,037	–	6
11	Gerald	1,015	↓2	19
12	Kenneth	852	–	14
13	Larry	670	↑3	16
14	George	656	↓1	11
15	Joseph	643	–	12
16	Edward	594	↓2	13
17	Gary	548	↑4	22
18	Paul	512	↓1	15
19	Michael	508	↑3	21
20	Raymond	487	–	20
21	Jack	468	↓3	25
22	Jerry	453	↓3	17
23	Roger	442	↑1	31
24	Lawrence	425	↓1	36
25	Frank	420	–	18
26	Harold	346	–	23
27	Dale	324	↑6	56
28	Daniel	308	↑6	39
29	Carl	306	↓2	29
30	Walter	303	–	26
31	Douglas	302	↑8	60
32	Arthur	291	↓3	32
33	Norman	288	↓5	43
34	Fred	285	↓3	38
35	Ralph	277	↓3	35
36	Eugene	270	↓1	33
37	Dennis	237	↑12	49
38	Gordon	237	↓2	78
39	Wayne	237	↓1	40
40	Albert	222	↑7	37
41	Marvin	215	↓4	53
42	Frederick	200	↓2	71
43	Bruce	197	↓2	66
44	Howard	197	↑4	42
45	Peter	195	↑5	48
46	Henry	191	↓4	30
47	Stanley	181	↓4	59
48	Leonard	180	↓3	57
49	Harry	178	↓3	44
50	Louis	176	new	47

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