Popular baby names in Michigan, 1939

The most popular baby names in Michigan in 1939 were Mary for girls (1,998 babies) and Robert for boys (2,874). Social Security records list 85,088 babies born in Michigan in 1939 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Michigan in 1939

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: 27 babies, 5.7× the national rate
Ilene: 51 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Ardith: 25 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Marilynn: 38 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Noreen: 31 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Denise: 32 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Ruthann: 23 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Sharon: 989 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Sharron: 39 babies, 2.7× the national rate
Bernadine: 34 babies, 2.5× the national rate

Boys

Lavern: 30 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Vern: 22 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Terrance: 27 babies, 2.7× the national rate
Fredrick: 64 babies, 2.6× the national rate
Gerald: 953 babies, 2.4× the national rate
Gordon: 237 babies, 2.4× the national rate
Duane: 140 babies, 2.4× the national rate
Terrence: 33 babies, 2.4× the national rate
Darwin: 32 babies, 2.4× the national rate
Gale: 27 babies, 2.4× the national rate

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

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1938	US rank
1	Mary	1,998	–	1
2	Barbara	1,706	–	2
3	Patricia	1,635	–	3
4	Carol	1,199	↑1	6
5	Judith	1,194	↑5	8
6	Nancy	1,166	↓2	7
7	Sharon	989	↑1	23
8	Janet	861	↑1	17
9	Shirley	759	↓3	5
10	Sandra	710	↑5	13
11	Joyce	706	–	12
12	Joan	658	↓5	11
13	Betty	643	↓1	4
14	Marilyn	605	↓1	19
15	Margaret	586	↑2	10
16	Donna	570	↓2	20
17	Beverly	569	↓1	25
18	Judy	534	↑15	28
19	Ruth	501	–	22
20	Dorothy	457	↓2	9
21	Karen	433	↑4	39
22	Janice	412	↓2	24
23	Linda	369	↑9	15
24	Carolyn	362	↓3	14
25	Phyllis	360	↓2	30
26	Jean	345	–	32
27	Sally	330	–	52
28	Helen	314	↓6	16
29	Elizabeth	303	↑2	18
30	Virginia	297	↓1	21
31	Joanne	292	↓3	53
32	Kathleen	289	↑15	48
33	Marlene	289	↓3	64
34	Carole	286	↑4	47
35	Susan	284	new	44
36	Lois	277	↓12	35
37	Joann	276	↑6	57
38	Diane	272	↑4	51
39	Geraldine	269	↓2	41
40	Alice	268	↓5	31
41	Elaine	265	↓7	45
42	Frances	237	↑7	26
43	Ann	233	↑1	33
44	Kay	229	↑4	76
45	Gloria	226	↓4	36
46	Marie	220	new	37
47	Norma	214	↓8	38
48	Marjorie	211	↑2	60
49	Rose	209	new	42
50	Doris	208	↓10	29

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1938	US rank
1	Robert	2,874	–	1
2	James	2,296	–	2
3	Richard	2,006	–	5
4	John	1,875	–	3
5	William	1,750	–	4
6	David	1,474	↑2	7
7	Ronald	1,391	↓1	10
8	Donald	1,174	↓1	8
9	Thomas	1,140	–	9
10	Charles	1,068	–	6
11	Gerald	953	–	19
12	Kenneth	847	–	13
13	Larry	730	–	14
14	Michael	643	↑5	18
15	George	620	↓1	11
16	Edward	618	–	15
17	Joseph	614	↓2	12
18	Gary	605	↓1	21
19	Jerry	586	↑3	16
20	Paul	525	↓2	17
21	Roger	431	↑2	28
22	Jack	418	↓1	26
23	Dennis	407	↑14	34
24	Raymond	397	↓4	22
25	Frank	388	–	20
26	Lawrence	380	↓2	36
27	Daniel	336	↑1	38
28	Harold	334	↓2	23
29	Carl	312	–	30
30	Norman	301	↑3	44
31	Dale	300	↓4	59
32	Douglas	298	↓1	58
33	Ralph	275	↑2	35
34	Walter	262	↓4	25
35	Arthur	256	↓3	32
36	Wayne	247	↑3	39
37	Gordon	237	↑1	82
38	Fred	236	↓4	40
39	Eugene	230	↓3	37
40	Peter	212	↑5	46
41	Frederick	198	↑1	71
42	Albert	190	↓2	41
43	Patrick	188	new	79
44	Henry	186	↑2	31
45	Leonard	180	↑3	54
46	Marvin	179	↓5	52
47	Bruce	176	↓4	64
48	Stanley	176	↓1	57
49	Terry	173	new	83
50	Russell	168	new	73

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