Popular baby names in Wisconsin, 1938

The most popular baby names in Wisconsin in 1938 were Mary for girls (1,309 babies) and Robert for boys (1,591). Social Security records list 48,666 babies born in Wisconsin in 1938 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Wisconsin in 1938

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

Girls

Ione: 23 babies, 8.4× the national rate
Germaine: 18 babies, 7× the national rate
Karen: 408 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Ardith: 15 babies, 4.1× the national rate
Marlys: 31 babies, 4× the national rate
Darlene: 277 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Clarice: 29 babies, 3.8× the national rate
Dawn: 37 babies, 3.6× the national rate
Lavonne: 31 babies, 3.3× the national rate
Dianne: 56 babies, 3.2× the national rate

Boys

Duwayne: 22 babies, 15.6× the national rate
Merlin: 41 babies, 6.5× the national rate
Lavern: 27 babies, 6.4× the national rate
Norbert: 47 babies, 6.3× the national rate
Arden: 19 babies, 6× the national rate
Terrance: 21 babies, 5.1× the national rate
Laverne: 32 babies, 5× the national rate
Kurt: 15 babies, 5× the national rate
Jerome: 220 babies, 4.5× the national rate
Terrence: 26 babies, 3.8× the national rate

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

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1937	US rank
1	Mary	1,309	–	1
2	Barbara	927	↑1	2
3	Carol	885	↑1	6
4	Patricia	858	↓2	3
5	Nancy	713	–	7
6	Judith	671	↑7	12
7	Shirley	540	↓1	5
8	Donna	518	↓1	20
9	Joan	476	↓1	10
10	Beverly	412	–	18
11	Karen	408	↑24	50
12	Betty	376	↓3	4
13	Janice	373	↑2	24
14	Sandra	362	↑13	14
15	Sharon	349	↑9	30
16	Janet	335	↓5	16
17	Marilyn	329	↓3	19
18	Joyce	315	↓6	11
19	Marlene	297	↓3	51
20	Dorothy	296	–	8
21	Margaret	294	↓3	9
22	Jean	283	↓5	27
23	Darlene	277	↑2	76
24	Kathleen	274	↓1	58
25	Ruth	255	↓4	21
26	Diane	243	↑3	64
27	Joanne	219	↓5	57
28	Lois	217	↓9	33
29	Elaine	214	↓3	42
30	Helen	192	–	13
31	Virginia	188	–	22
32	Phyllis	185	–	28
33	Elizabeth	182	↑7	17
34	Judy	180	new	41
35	Arlene	178	↓7	63
36	Alice	168	–	29
37	Marjorie	155	↑9	53
38	Ann	150	↑7	32
39	Kay	148	new	81
40	Jane	147	↓1	44
41	Audrey	143	↓4	87
42	Bonnie	142	↑8	65
43	Susan	142	↑4	71
44	Doris	139	↓6	25
45	Carole	133	new	46
46	Rita	133	↑2	74
47	Marie	131	↑2	37
48	Gloria	127	↓14	36
49	Sally	123	↓16	54
50	Jeanette	121	new	91

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1937	US rank
1	Robert	1,591	–	1
2	James	1,518	–	2
3	Richard	1,268	–	5
4	John	1,152	–	3
5	Donald	887	–	7
6	William	869	↑1	4
7	Ronald	848	↓1	10
8	David	778	–	8
9	Thomas	756	–	9
10	Gerald	588	–	19
11	Kenneth	557	–	14
12	Roger	469	↑1	31
13	Charles	461	↓1	6
14	Gary	288	↑5	22
15	George	276	↑1	11
16	Joseph	269	↓1	12
17	Edward	259	↓3	13
18	Dennis	250	↑16	49
19	Paul	250	↓2	15
20	Michael	249	↑3	21
21	Wayne	242	↓1	40
22	Eugene	240	↓4	33
23	Larry	230	↓1	16
24	Raymond	228	↓3	20
25	Dale	221	↑4	56
26	Jerome	220	↓2	93
27	Jerry	210	↓1	17
28	Daniel	188	–	39
29	Jack	183	↑1	25
30	Lawrence	180	↓3	36
31	Harold	155	↓6	23
32	Ralph	148	↓1	35
33	Walter	144	↑5	26
34	Norman	137	↑9	43
35	Duane	134	–	>100
36	Peter	134	↑6	48
37	Leroy	132	↑2	61
38	Marvin	130	↓2	53
39	Gordon	128	↑1	78
40	Carl	127	↓3	29
41	Frank	127	↓8	18
42	Allen	124	↑4	73
43	Douglas	120	new	60
44	Arthur	119	↓12	32
45	Francis	115	↑4	51
46	Bruce	112	↓2	66
47	Howard	101	new	42
48	Russell	100	↓7	70
49	Patrick	96	new	88
50	Clarence	95	new	58

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