Popular baby names in North Dakota, 1939

The most popular baby names in North Dakota in 1939 were Mary for girls (199 babies) and James for boys (250). James ranked #2 nationally for boys. Social Security records list 10,689 babies born in North Dakota in 1939 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in North Dakota in 1939

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

Girls

Marlys: 52 babies, 32.1× the national rate
Mavis: 35 babies, 19.1× the national rate
Cheryl: 19 babies, 13.9× the national rate
Angeline: 17 babies, 13.5× the national rate
Lavonne: 22 babies, 12.5× the national rate
Darlene: 101 babies, 6.5× the national rate
Marcella: 16 babies, 5.3× the national rate
Marlene: 81 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Myrna: 34 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Janice: 164 babies, 4× the national rate

Boys

Duane: 84 babies, 11.3× the national rate
Myron: 29 babies, 10.4× the national rate
Lyle: 35 babies, 8.4× the national rate
Darryl: 15 babies, 7.1× the national rate
Jerome: 53 babies, 4.9× the national rate
Dean: 31 babies, 4.8× the national rate
Rodney: 33 babies, 4.6× the national rate
Curtis: 44 babies, 4.4× the national rate
Dale: 70 babies, 4× the national rate
Allan: 28 babies, 4× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in North Dakota, 1939

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1938	US rank
1	Mary	199	–	1
2	Janice	164	–	24
3	Carol	131	↑1	6
4	Patricia	131	↑3	3
5	Sharon	129	↑1	23
6	Shirley	109	↓3	5
7	Betty	105	↓2	4
8	Darlene	101	↑2	75
9	Beverly	88	↓1	25
10	Donna	85	↑1	20
11	Barbara	83	↓2	2
12	Judith	81	↑12	8
13	Marlene	81	–	64
14	Marilyn	77	↑4	19
15	Margaret	76	↓3	10
16	Joyce	66	↓1	12
17	Karen	64	↓3	39
18	Dorothy	61	↑4	9
19	Helen	57	↑4	16
20	Joann	57	↑7	57
21	Jean	55	–	32
22	Lois	55	↑3	35
23	Joan	54	↑5	11
24	Joanne	53	↑11	53
25	Marlys	52	↑5	>100
26	Phyllis	52	↓6	30
27	Gloria	49	↑4	36
28	Judy	48	new	28
29	Elaine	47	↓3	45
30	Janet	47	↓11	17
31	Delores	44	↓14	79
32	Bonnie	43	↑4	61
33	Arlene	41	↓17	69
34	Eileen	41	↑6	>100
35	Jeanette	41	new	82
36	Nancy	41	new	7
37	Linda	40	new	15
38	Sandra	40	new	13
39	Kathleen	38	↑8	48
40	Ruth	38	↓1	22
41	Audrey	36	↓8	98
42	Irene	36	↓4	74
43	Rose	36	↓1	42
44	Carole	35	new	47
45	Lorraine	35	↓1	95
46	Mavis	35	↑2	>100
47	Doris	34	↓13	29
48	Myrna	34	new	>100
49	Virginia	34	↓17	21
50	Alice	33	↓21	31

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1938	US rank
1	James	250	↑1	2
2	Robert	247	↓1	1
3	Donald	216	–	8
4	Richard	213	–	5
5	John	169	–	3
6	David	146	↑1	7
7	Gary	141	↑1	21
8	Larry	138	↑5	14
9	Ronald	129	↓3	10
10	Gerald	120	–	19
11	Dennis	119	↑1	34
12	William	106	↓3	4
13	Roger	101	↑2	28
14	Kenneth	99	↓3	13
15	Charles	95	↓1	6
16	Duane	84	–	>100
17	Raymond	71	↑1	22
18	Dale	70	↑1	59
19	Paul	66	↑1	17
20	Jerry	65	↑4	16
21	Wayne	63	–	39
22	Thomas	60	↓5	9
23	Eugene	58	↓1	37
24	Marvin	56	↑1	52
25	George	55	↓2	11
26	Jerome	53	–	93
27	Edward	46	↑2	15
28	Curtis	44	↑13	98
29	Joseph	43	↑4	12
30	Leroy	42	–	61
31	Allen	41	↑6	72
32	Michael	40	↑13	18
33	Daniel	38	↓5	38
34	Harold	38	↑2	23
35	Gordon	36	↓8	82
36	Vernon	36	↑12	100
37	Leo	35	↑7	>100
38	Lyle	35	new	>100
39	Melvin	34	↑8	51
40	Albert	33	new	41
41	Norman	33	↓2	44
42	Rodney	33	new	>100
43	Dean	31	new	>100
44	Leonard	31	↑5	54
45	Gene	30	↓3	69
46	Lloyd	30	new	95
47	Douglas	29	↓16	58
48	Myron	29	↓5	>100
49	Allan	28	↑1	>100
50	Patrick	28	new	79

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