Popular baby names in Minnesota, 1939

The most popular baby names in Minnesota in 1939 were Mary for girls (1,054 babies) and Robert for boys (1,256). Social Security records list 43,850 babies born in Minnesota in 1939 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Minnesota in 1939

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

Girls

Arlys: 17 babies, 24.4× the national rate
Marlys: 156 babies, 23.5× the national rate
Lavonne: 85 babies, 11.7× the national rate
Ardis: 30 babies, 11.6× the national rate
Karin: 15 babies, 7.1× the national rate
Darlene: 373 babies, 5.9× the national rate
Gretchen: 39 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Ruthann: 18 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Karen: 427 babies, 4× the national rate
Doreen: 20 babies, 3.8× the national rate

Boys

Arvid: 16 babies, 12.4× the national rate
Darold: 20 babies, 10.9× the national rate
Duane: 200 babies, 6.6× the national rate
Daryl: 39 babies, 6.6× the national rate
Loren: 78 babies, 6.1× the national rate
Jerome: 244 babies, 5.6× the national rate
Terrance: 28 babies, 5.4× the national rate
Harlan: 38 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Lyle: 79 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Laverne: 18 babies, 4.4× the national rate

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

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1938	US rank
1	Mary	1,054	–	1
2	Barbara	715	↑1	2
3	Carol	697	↓1	6
4	Patricia	683	–	3
5	Sharon	557	–	23
6	Judith	526	↑4	8
7	Karen	427	↑7	39
8	Janice	406	↓1	24
9	Shirley	405	↓3	5
10	Darlene	373	↑7	75
11	Donna	367	↑5	20
12	Joan	362	↓3	11
13	Nancy	355	–	7
14	Janet	346	↓3	17
15	Marilyn	338	↓3	19
16	Beverly	332	↓8	25
17	Sandra	314	↑3	13
18	Margaret	296	–	10
19	Joyce	290	↑2	12
20	Betty	268	↓5	4
21	Dorothy	241	↑2	9
22	Kathleen	236	↑2	48
23	Judy	234	↑18	28
24	Joanne	218	↑2	53
25	Marlene	218	↓6	64
26	Ruth	215	↑3	22
27	Phyllis	212	↑1	30
28	Lois	204	↓6	35
29	Diane	196	↑9	51
30	Jean	184	↓5	32
31	Joann	177	↑3	57
32	Elaine	170	↓5	45
33	Susan	167	new	44
34	Helen	161	↓4	16
35	Arlene	160	↓2	69
36	Marlys	156	↓4	>100
37	Virginia	153	↓6	21
38	Elizabeth	148	↑1	18
39	Marjorie	138	↑4	60
40	Geraldine	135	↑5	41
41	Delores	133	↓6	79
42	Alice	132	–	31
43	Carole	128	↓3	47
44	Kay	126	↑2	76
45	Gloria	123	↓8	36
46	Audrey	121	↓2	98
47	Carolyn	117	↑3	14
48	Jane	114	↑1	46
49	Gail	110	new	73
50	Jeanette	108	↓14	82

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1938	US rank
1	Robert	1,256	–	1
2	James	1,177	–	2
3	Richard	1,083	–	5
4	John	1,052	–	3
5	David	901	–	7
6	Donald	712	–	8
7	William	609	–	4
8	Ronald	557	–	10
9	Gerald	535	–	19
10	Thomas	525	–	9
11	Roger	524	–	28
12	Dennis	477	↑3	34
13	Charles	417	–	6
14	Gary	416	–	21
15	Kenneth	393	↓3	13
16	Larry	336	↑1	14
17	Michael	308	↑3	18
18	Paul	260	–	17
19	Jerome	244	↑5	93
20	Wayne	240	↑2	39
21	Edward	231	↑2	15
22	George	225	↓6	11
23	Joseph	223	↑2	12
24	Eugene	220	↓3	37
25	Jerry	219	↑1	16
26	Dale	204	↓7	59
27	Duane	200	–	>100
28	Raymond	200	–	22
29	Lawrence	183	↑1	36
30	Douglas	170	↑2	58
31	Harold	163	↓2	23
32	Bruce	155	↑1	64
33	Gordon	154	↑3	82
34	Peter	139	↑7	46
35	Daniel	136	↑2	38
36	Marvin	135	↓5	52
37	Leroy	126	↓2	61
38	Jack	106	↑6	26
39	Ralph	105	↓1	35
40	Norman	103	↓6	44
41	Allen	102	↑1	72
42	Gene	99	new	69
43	Patrick	95	↓3	79
44	Rodney	95	new	>100
45	Howard	92	new	47
46	Stanley	92	↑2	57
47	Curtis	91	new	98
48	Arthur	90	↓5	32
49	Frank	89	↓10	20
50	Leonard	87	new	54

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