Popular baby names in Missouri, 1938

The most popular baby names in Missouri in 1938 were Mary for girls (1,688 babies) and James for boys (1,531). James ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 54,624 babies born in Missouri in 1938 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Missouri in 1938

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

Girls

Annetta: 17 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Goldie: 23 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Glenda: 139 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Letha: 15 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Wilda: 15 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Freda: 37 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Melba: 55 babies, 2.7× the national rate
Fern: 25 babies, 2.7× the national rate
Laverne: 40 babies, 2.6× the national rate
Bonnie: 230 babies, 2.5× the national rate

Boys

Glennon: 18 babies, 29.9× the national rate
Denzil: 16 babies, 8.2× the national rate
Cleo: 17 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Delmar: 24 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Otto: 20 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Charley: 17 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Teddy: 30 babies, 2.7× the national rate
Bill: 200 babies, 2.6× the national rate
Bob: 146 babies, 2.6× the national rate
Gale: 19 babies, 2.6× the national rate

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

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1937	US rank
1	Mary	1,688	–	1
2	Barbara	1,023	↑1	2
3	Shirley	968	↓1	5
4	Betty	915	–	4
5	Patricia	670	–	3
6	Carol	620	–	6
7	Dorothy	436	–	8
8	Nancy	403	↑3	7
9	Joyce	394	↑1	11
10	Carolyn	360	↑9	15
11	Margaret	344	↓2	9
12	Donna	341	↓4	20
13	Beverly	320	–	18
14	Helen	320	–	13
15	Joan	312	↑5	10
16	Marilyn	311	↑2	19
17	Judith	308	↑16	12
18	Doris	305	↑3	25
19	Norma	305	↓7	34
20	Janet	292	↑4	16
21	Ruth	291	↓6	21
22	Sandra	290	↑6	14
23	Virginia	281	↓7	22
24	Wanda	254	↓7	49
25	Martha	242	↓3	26
26	Peggy	233	↓3	35
27	Bonnie	230	↓1	65
28	Linda	226	new	31
29	Phyllis	210	↑5	28
30	Janice	209	↑5	24
31	Sharon	209	↑16	30
32	Lois	208	↓5	33
33	Elizabeth	193	↑3	17
34	Frances	191	↓3	23
35	Evelyn	190	↑4	38
36	Patsy	187	↓11	55
37	Judy	186	new	41
38	Alice	184	↓9	29
39	Anna	180	↓7	40
40	Wilma	153	↓10	85
41	Joann	145	↓1	68
42	Gloria	142	↓1	36
43	Jean	141	↓6	27
44	Rose	140	↓6	39
45	Glenda	139	new	>100
46	Ruby	130	↓1	61
47	Jane	129	new	44
48	Juanita	123	new	80
49	Ann	121	↓1	32
50	Loretta	120	↓8	62

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1937	US rank
1	James	1,531	–	2
2	Robert	1,498	–	1
3	John	1,198	–	3
4	William	1,013	↑2	4
5	Donald	991	↓1	7
6	Charles	971	↓1	6
7	Richard	759	–	5
8	Jerry	613	↑1	17
9	Ronald	591	↑1	10
10	Larry	561	↑2	16
11	David	549	↓3	8
12	Kenneth	507	↓1	14
13	Thomas	441	↑2	9
14	George	409	↓1	11
15	Billy	379	↓1	24
16	Paul	379	↑1	15
17	Gary	356	↑8	22
18	Harold	325	↓2	23
19	Jack	306	↑3	25
20	Edward	302	↓2	13
21	Carl	276	↓1	29
22	Bobby	268	↓1	27
23	Gerald	268	–	19
24	Joseph	251	↓5	12
25	Raymond	242	↓1	20
26	Joe	210	–	28
27	Bill	200	↑6	67
28	Frank	192	↓1	18
29	Don	191	–	52
30	Wayne	183	↑2	40
31	Roy	180	–	41
32	Ralph	179	↓4	35
33	Michael	178	↑15	21
34	Eugene	163	↑1	33
35	Fred	163	↑15	38
36	Lawrence	162	↑10	36
37	Howard	158	new	42
38	Walter	154	↓1	26
39	Jimmie	153	↑4	76
40	Marvin	153	↓10	53
41	Norman	149	↓1	43
42	Bob	146	↓8	94
43	Melvin	146	↓7	54
44	Jim	142	new	81
45	Dale	136	↓6	56
46	Arthur	135	↓2	32
47	Earl	135	↓2	50
48	Jimmy	134	↓10	45
49	Roger	133	new	31
50	Albert	130	↓1	37

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