Popular baby names in Wisconsin, 1939

The most popular baby names in Wisconsin in 1939 were Mary for girls (1,288 babies) and Robert for boys (1,571). Social Security records list 48,228 babies born in Wisconsin in 1939 with a name given to at least five children of the same sex in the state.

Names that stood out in Wisconsin in 1939

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

Girls

Germaine: 17 babies, 6.8× the national rate
Darleen: 16 babies, 5× the national rate
Karen: 470 babies, 4× the national rate
Darlene: 264 babies, 3.7× the national rate
Angeline: 20 babies, 3.5× the national rate
Dianne: 63 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Lavonne: 26 babies, 3.2× the national rate
Marlene: 247 babies, 3.1× the national rate
Dawn: 30 babies, 3× the national rate
Bonita: 25 babies, 3× the national rate

Boys

Duwayne: 16 babies, 11.2× the national rate
Harland: 15 babies, 10.2× the national rate
Elroy: 17 babies, 8.5× the national rate
Norbert: 56 babies, 7.6× the national rate
Lavern: 24 babies, 6.3× the national rate
Laverne: 23 babies, 5.2× the national rate
Jerome: 206 babies, 4.3× the national rate
Merlin: 23 babies, 4.2× the national rate
Terrance: 22 babies, 3.9× the national rate
Terrence: 29 babies, 3.7× the national rate

Top 50 girls' and boys' names in Wisconsin, 1939

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1938	US rank
1	Mary	1,288	–	1
2	Judith	962	↑4	8
3	Patricia	903	↑1	3
4	Barbara	881	↓2	2
5	Carol	845	↓2	6
6	Nancy	700	↓1	7
7	Joan	501	↑2	11
8	Donna	474	–	20
9	Karen	470	↑2	39
10	Shirley	455	↓3	5
11	Sharon	440	↑4	23
12	Sandra	431	↑2	13
13	Janet	420	↑3	17
14	Janice	339	↓1	24
15	Betty	328	↓3	4
16	Joyce	322	↑2	12
17	Beverly	317	↓7	25
18	Marilyn	310	↓1	19
19	Jean	289	↑3	32
20	Ruth	276	↑5	22
21	Dorothy	268	↓1	9
22	Kathleen	265	↑2	48
23	Darlene	264	–	75
24	Judy	261	↑10	28
25	Margaret	253	↓4	10
26	Marlene	247	↓7	64
27	Diane	243	↓1	51
28	Susan	226	↑15	44
29	Joanne	213	↓2	53
30	Elaine	208	↓1	45
31	Lois	204	↓3	35
32	Alice	181	↑4	31
33	Helen	178	↓3	16
34	Virginia	176	↓3	21
35	Elizabeth	151	↓2	18
36	Phyllis	149	↓4	30
37	Arlene	148	↓2	69
38	Doris	139	↑6	29
39	Joann	134	new	57
40	Geraldine	133	new	41
41	Jane	133	↓1	46
42	Ann	129	↓4	33
43	Carolyn	128	new	14
44	Sally	127	↑5	52
45	Carole	118	–	47
46	Audrey	117	↓5	98
47	Bonnie	116	↓5	61
48	Rose	114	new	42
49	Linda	113	new	15
50	Gloria	112	↓2	36

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1938	US rank
1	Robert	1,571	–	1
2	James	1,489	–	2
3	Richard	1,284	–	5
4	John	1,155	–	3
5	David	899	↑3	7
6	Thomas	818	↑3	9
7	Donald	810	↓2	8
8	William	806	↓2	4
9	Ronald	797	↓2	10
10	Gerald	569	–	19
11	Kenneth	536	–	13
12	Roger	441	–	28
13	Charles	403	–	6
14	Dennis	366	↑4	34
15	Gary	349	↓1	21
16	Michael	340	↑4	18
17	Larry	309	↑6	14
18	Paul	306	↑1	17
19	Joseph	291	↓3	12
20	Wayne	286	↑1	39
21	Edward	283	↓4	15
22	George	270	↓7	11
23	Eugene	240	↓1	37
24	Jerry	213	↑3	16
25	Jerome	206	↑1	93
26	Raymond	204	↓2	22
27	Lawrence	202	↑3	36
28	Dale	194	↓3	59
29	Daniel	192	↓1	38
30	Peter	149	↑6	46
31	Frank	148	↑10	20
32	Allen	145	↑10	72
33	Harold	145	↓2	23
34	Ralph	142	↓2	35
35	Norman	140	↓1	44
36	Jack	137	↓7	26
37	Leroy	134	–	61
38	Carl	129	↑2	30
39	Gordon	129	–	82
40	Douglas	127	↑3	58
41	Walter	121	↓8	25
42	Duane	118	↓7	>100
43	Frederick	118	new	71
44	Patrick	117	↑5	79
45	Bruce	113	↑1	64
46	Arthur	112	↓2	32
47	Bernard	107	new	76
48	Marvin	106	↓10	52
49	Russell	105	↓1	73
50	Terry	101	new	83

← Wisconsin 1938 Wisconsin: all years · US 1939 Wisconsin 1940 →