Popular baby names in Minnesota, 1938

The most popular baby names in Minnesota in 1938 were Mary for girls (1,010 babies) and Robert for boys (1,273). Social Security records list 43,469 babies born in Minnesota in 1938 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Minnesota in 1938

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

Girls

Marlys: 164 babies, 23.9× the national rate
Ardyce: 15 babies, 21.3× the national rate
Arlys: 16 babies, 19.5× the national rate
Lavonne: 104 babies, 12.4× the national rate
Ardis: 31 babies, 11.4× the national rate
Ione: 25 babies, 10.3× the national rate
Karin: 16 babies, 8.3× the national rate
Darleen: 20 babies, 6.8× the national rate
Mavis: 49 babies, 6.6× the national rate
Lorelei: 15 babies, 6.5× the national rate

Boys

Marlyn: 18 babies, 10.8× the national rate
Daryl: 32 babies, 6.5× the national rate
Arlen: 20 babies, 6.5× the national rate
Duane: 193 babies, 5.9× the national rate
Harlan: 43 babies, 5.6× the national rate
Lyle: 77 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Jerome: 205 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Loren: 54 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Vern: 15 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Norbert: 29 babies, 4.3× the national rate

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

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1937	US rank
1	Mary	1,010	–	1
2	Carol	716	↑1	6
3	Barbara	710	↑1	2
4	Patricia	646	↓2	3
5	Sharon	489	↑15	30
6	Shirley	458	↓1	5
7	Janice	442	↓1	24
8	Beverly	367	↑1	18
9	Joan	356	↑1	10
10	Judith	349	↑14	12
11	Janet	346	–	16
12	Marilyn	345	–	19
13	Nancy	339	↑3	7
14	Karen	337	↑12	50
15	Betty	330	↓1	4
16	Donna	329	↓8	20
17	Darlene	322	↓10	76
18	Margaret	307	↓5	9
19	Marlene	268	↓4	51
20	Sandra	263	↑11	14
21	Joyce	248	↓3	11
22	Lois	244	↓1	33
23	Dorothy	235	↓6	8
24	Kathleen	234	↑4	58
25	Jean	220	↓6	27
26	Joanne	219	↓3	57
27	Elaine	192	↑7	42
28	Phyllis	185	↓6	28
29	Ruth	185	↓4	21
30	Helen	171	↓3	13
31	Virginia	168	↑1	22
32	Marlys	164	↑1	>100
33	Arlene	157	↓4	63
34	Joann	149	↓4	68
35	Delores	145	–	75
36	Jeanette	145	↑3	91
37	Gloria	136	–	36
38	Diane	134	↑2	64
39	Elizabeth	134	↓3	17
40	Carole	133	↑9	46
41	Judy	133	new	41
42	Alice	131	↓4	29
43	Marjorie	129	↓1	53
44	Audrey	124	↑2	87
45	Geraldine	119	↓4	45
46	Kay	112	new	81
47	Doris	109	↓2	25
48	Marie	109	↑2	37
49	Jane	107	↓1	44
50	Carolyn	105	new	15

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1937	US rank
1	Robert	1,273	–	1
2	James	1,193	–	2
3	Richard	1,021	–	5
4	John	1,016	–	3
5	David	808	↑1	8
6	Donald	773	↓1	7
7	William	629	–	4
8	Ronald	581	–	10
9	Gerald	577	↑1	19
10	Thomas	512	↑1	9
11	Roger	446	↓2	31
12	Kenneth	409	↑1	14
13	Charles	403	↓1	6
14	Gary	363	↑1	22
15	Dennis	362	↓1	49
16	George	261	–	11
17	Larry	254	↑1	16
18	Paul	251	↓1	15
19	Dale	245	↑1	56
20	Michael	243	↑9	21
21	Eugene	223	–	33
22	Wayne	223	–	40
23	Edward	211	↓4	13
24	Jerome	205	↑1	93
25	Joseph	202	↑1	12
26	Jerry	196	↑2	17
27	Duane	193	↓3	>100
28	Raymond	190	↓5	20
29	Harold	177	↓2	23
30	Lawrence	169	↑2	36
31	Marvin	166	–	53
32	Douglas	157	↑5	60
33	Bruce	142	↑1	66
34	Norman	138	↑6	43
35	Leroy	135	↓5	61
36	Gordon	132	↓3	78
37	Daniel	122	↓2	39
38	Ralph	118	↑5	35
39	Frank	111	↑7	18
40	Patrick	107	new	88
41	Peter	107	↑7	48
42	Allen	106	new	73
43	Arthur	102	↓4	32
44	Jack	102	↓8	25
45	Walter	102	↓3	26
46	Melvin	99	new	54
47	Allan	98	↑2	>100
48	Stanley	98	↓1	59
49	Francis	95	new	51
50	Russell	94	↓5	70

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