Popular baby names in Pennsylvania, 1938

The most popular baby names in Pennsylvania in 1938 were Mary for girls (4,058 babies) and Robert for boys (5,563). Social Security records list 150,562 babies born in Pennsylvania in 1938 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Pennsylvania in 1938

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

Girls

Maryanne: 41 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Roseann: 42 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Eleanore: 42 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Regina: 144 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Maryann: 236 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Bernadette: 72 babies, 2.9× the national rate
Dolores: 843 babies, 2.6× the national rate
Angeline: 41 babies, 2.6× the national rate
Rosemarie: 188 babies, 2.4× the national rate
Veronica: 85 babies, 2.3× the national rate

Boys

Regis: 56 babies, 11.2× the national rate
Clair: 69 babies, 5.7× the national rate
Elwood: 68 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Dominic: 48 babies, 3× the national rate
Marlin: 65 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Carmen: 39 babies, 2.8× the national rate
Francis: 670 babies, 2.5× the national rate
Barry: 181 babies, 2.5× the national rate
Harry: 746 babies, 2.3× the national rate
Joseph: 2,720 babies, 2.2× the national rate

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

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1937	US rank
1	Mary	4,058	–	1
2	Barbara	3,082	↑1	2
3	Patricia	2,677	↓1	3
4	Nancy	2,063	↑1	7
5	Joan	1,706	↑1	10
6	Shirley	1,628	↓2	5
7	Margaret	1,530	–	9
8	Carol	1,413	↑2	6
9	Dorothy	1,324	↓1	8
10	Janet	1,197	↑1	16
11	Betty	1,187	↓2	4
12	Elizabeth	994	↑2	17
13	Helen	971	↓1	13
14	Ruth	957	↓1	21
15	Sandra	932	↑12	14
16	Judith	869	↑28	12
17	Donna	858	↑2	20
18	Dolores	843	↓3	43
19	Anna	710	↓2	40
20	Jean	701	↓4	27
21	Beverly	690	↑1	18
22	Marie	678	↓4	37
23	Joyce	672	↑1	11
24	Doris	651	↓1	25
25	Frances	635	↓4	23
26	Ann	628	↑2	32
27	Catherine	607	↓2	48
28	Rose	602	↑3	39
29	Lois	592	↓9	33
30	Virginia	587	↓4	22
31	Phyllis	558	↑2	28
32	Joanne	552	–	57
33	Marlene	541	↓3	51
34	Elaine	535	↑6	42
35	Marilyn	532	↑1	19
36	Alice	511	↓2	29
37	Janice	487	↑1	24
38	Carole	482	new	46
39	Eleanor	473	↓10	60
40	Jane	437	↓3	44
41	Martha	429	↑8	26
42	Carolyn	423	↑6	15
43	Rosalie	418	new	66
44	Geraldine	415	↓9	45
45	Gloria	411	↓6	36
46	Norma	407	new	34
47	Loretta	402	↓4	62
48	Evelyn	396	↓7	38
49	Sally	393	↓7	54
50	Florence	383	↓4	90

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1937	US rank
1	Robert	5,563	–	1
2	John	5,253	–	3
3	James	4,180	↑1	2
4	William	4,087	↓1	4
5	Richard	3,058	–	5
6	Joseph	2,720	–	12
7	Charles	2,388	–	6
8	Thomas	2,226	↑1	9
9	Donald	2,206	↓1	7
10	Ronald	2,129	–	10
11	George	1,795	↑1	11
12	David	1,712	↑1	8
13	Edward	1,650	↓2	13
14	Paul	1,339	–	15
15	Kenneth	1,008	↑1	14
16	Frank	951	↓1	18
17	Raymond	855	–	20
18	Michael	837	↑1	21
19	Harry	746	↓1	44
20	Gerald	690	↑2	19
21	Francis	670	–	51
22	Carl	627	↑2	29
23	Walter	613	↓3	26
24	Eugene	608	↑4	33
25	Anthony	607	↓2	46
26	Larry	594	↑3	16
27	Albert	584	–	37
28	Daniel	560	↑2	39
29	Harold	533	↓4	23
30	Jack	528	↓4	25
31	Ralph	474	–	35
32	Arthur	456	↑1	32
33	Lawrence	453	↑1	36
34	Fred	435	↓2	38
35	Howard	395	↑4	42
36	Gary	390	↑12	22
37	Samuel	382	↑5	62
38	Bernard	381	–	75
39	Louis	375	↓3	47
40	Henry	371	↓5	30
41	Stanley	345	↑2	59
42	Leonard	339	↓1	57
43	Norman	333	↓3	43
44	Wayne	328	↑5	40
45	Frederick	319	↓8	71
46	Earl	305	↑1	50
47	Stephen	302	↓1	74
48	Andrew	300	↓4	82
49	Peter	294	↓4	48
50	Russell	292	new	70

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