Popular baby names in Missouri, 1937

The most popular baby names in Missouri in 1937 were Mary for girls (1,680 babies) and James for boys (1,588). James ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 52,517 babies born in Missouri in 1937 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Missouri in 1937

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

Girls

Leota: 16 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Reva: 20 babies, 4× the national rate
Willa: 36 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Fern: 31 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Goldie: 22 babies, 3.4× the national rate
Laverne: 53 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Wanda: 297 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Melba: 56 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Imogene: 35 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Frieda: 15 babies, 2.9× the national rate

Boys

Gale: 25 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Kenny: 16 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Delmar: 20 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Jackie: 131 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Donnie: 45 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Bob: 157 babies, 2.7× the national rate
Garry: 20 babies, 2.7× the national rate
Orville: 33 babies, 2.6× the national rate
Virgil: 60 babies, 2.5× the national rate
Junior: 35 babies, 2.5× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Missouri, 1937

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1936	US rank
1	Mary	1,680	–	1
2	Shirley	1,103	–	4
3	Barbara	912	↑1	2
4	Betty	899	↓1	5
5	Patricia	638	–	3
6	Carol	605	–	6
7	Dorothy	459	–	8
8	Donna	366	↑6	21
9	Margaret	366	↑6	10
10	Joyce	362	–	11
11	Nancy	361	↓2	7
12	Norma	333	–	33
13	Beverly	331	↑4	14
14	Helen	317	↓3	12
15	Ruth	307	↑4	15
16	Virginia	302	↑2	16
17	Wanda	297	↑4	55
18	Marilyn	295	↓5	13
19	Carolyn	288	↑3	20
20	Joan	287	↓12	9
21	Doris	284	↓5	22
22	Martha	258	↑1	24
23	Peggy	244	↓3	31
24	Janet	239	↑8	18
25	Patsy	222	↑4	54
26	Bonnie	216	↓2	64
27	Lois	213	–	29
28	Sandra	190	↑17	26
29	Alice	185	↑2	28
30	Wilma	184	↓5	80
31	Frances	181	↓3	19
32	Anna	180	↓6	39
33	Judith	175	↑13	34
34	Phyllis	174	↓4	27
35	Janice	170	↑15	25
36	Elizabeth	156	↑3	17
37	Jean	156	↓1	23
38	Rose	150	↓3	38
39	Evelyn	144	↓6	36
40	Joann	144	↓3	58
41	Gloria	141	↑3	32
42	Loretta	141	new	63
43	Delores	139	↓2	68
44	Jo	137	↓1	73
45	Ruby	135	↓5	52
46	Jacqueline	126	new	70
47	Sharon	122	new	41
48	Ann	121	new	30
49	Marjorie	118	↓7	57
50	Darlene	113	new	72

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1936	US rank
1	James	1,588	–	2
2	Robert	1,533	–	1
3	John	1,141	–	3
4	Donald	1,116	–	7
5	Charles	1,016	↑1	6
6	William	980	↓1	4
7	Richard	730	–	5
8	David	569	↑4	8
9	Jerry	547	–	17
10	Ronald	491	↓2	11
11	Kenneth	473	–	14
12	Larry	412	↑8	16
13	George	402	↓3	10
14	Billy	379	–	22
15	Thomas	365	↓2	9
16	Harold	329	–	21
17	Paul	312	↓2	15
18	Edward	301	–	13
19	Joseph	272	–	12
20	Carl	265	↑2	28
21	Bobby	259	–	24
22	Jack	241	↓5	23
23	Gerald	228	↑1	20
24	Raymond	224	↓1	19
25	Gary	222	↑6	29
26	Joe	195	↓1	25
27	Frank	190	↑7	18
28	Ralph	186	↑7	34
29	Don	178	–	51
30	Marvin	173	↑15	49
31	Roy	173	↑2	40
32	Wayne	169	↑4	44
33	Bill	161	↓7	64
34	Bob	157	↓7	81
35	Eugene	150	↓3	33
36	Melvin	150	↑5	50
37	Walter	144	↓9	26
38	Jimmy	140	↑4	45
39	Dale	137	↑8	59
40	Norman	137	↓2	43
41	Harry	136	↑7	41
42	Jackie	131	↑4	>100
43	Jimmie	127	↓3	72
44	Arthur	126	↓1	31
45	Earl	126	↓1	48
46	Lawrence	126	↓16	38
47	Henry	124	new	30
48	Michael	124	new	27
49	Albert	122	new	37
50	Fred	120	↓13	35

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