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Top Baby Names of the 1930s

Across the 1930s, US parents gave these names most often. The lists below rank the top 25 girls’ and boys’ names by the number of babies who received each name over the decade, from US Social Security Administration data (about 10.7 million girls and 10.6 million boys recorded).

The most popular names of the 1930s were Mary for girls and Robert for boys.

Top 25 girls’ names of the 1930s

  1. #1 Mary 573,000
  2. #2 Betty 300,409
  3. #3 Barbara 296,420
  4. #4 Shirley 229,380
  5. #5 Patricia 220,582
  6. #6 Dorothy 210,415
  7. #7 Joan 173,439
  8. #8 Margaret 157,369
  9. #9 Nancy 142,488
  10. #10 Helen 140,426
  11. #11 Carol 117,731
  12. #12 Joyce 115,506
  13. #13 Doris 110,658
  14. #14 Ruth 109,204
  15. #15 Virginia 103,089
  16. #16 Marilyn 98,531
  17. #17 Elizabeth 96,480
  18. #18 Jean 94,189
  19. #19 Frances 92,117
  20. #20 Beverly 80,846
  21. #21 Lois 80,713
  22. #22 Alice 78,968
  23. #23 Donna 78,846
  24. #24 Martha 77,697
  25. #25 Dolores 77,139

Top 25 boys’ names of the 1930s

  1. #1 Robert 590,810
  2. #2 James 547,479
  3. #3 John 487,950
  4. #4 William 416,730
  5. #5 Richard 330,502
  6. #6 Charles 303,218
  7. #7 Donald 283,718
  8. #8 George 192,289
  9. #9 Thomas 183,878
  10. #10 Joseph 180,566
  11. #11 David 164,701
  12. #12 Edward 147,849
  13. #13 Ronald 140,332
  14. #14 Paul 125,774
  15. #15 Kenneth 125,111
  16. #16 Frank 108,090
  17. #17 Raymond 99,585
  18. #18 Jack 96,396
  19. #19 Harold 95,467
  20. #20 Billy 88,341
  21. #21 Gerald 82,821
  22. #22 Walter 80,908
  23. #23 Jerry 80,690
  24. #24 Joe 71,470
  25. #25 Eugene 70,938

Counts are US births recorded by the Social Security Administration. Numbers show babies given each name across the whole decade.

Frequently asked questions

What was the most popular girls’ name in the 1930s?

Mary was the most popular girls’ name in the 1930s, according to US Social Security Administration data.

What was the most popular boys’ name in the 1930s?

Robert was the most popular boys’ name in the 1930s.

Where does this ranking come from?

These rankings are compiled from US Social Security Administration records of names given to babies born in the United States, counted separately for girls and boys.

See this year’s most popular names →