left2write

Names

Most popular baby names of 1938

In 1938, the most popular names in the US were Mary for girls and Robert for boys. Here are the top 100, with how many babies got each name.

← 19371939 →

Girls

  1. 1Mary56,225
  2. 2Barbara39,277
  3. 3Patricia27,560
  4. 4Betty25,506
  5. 5Shirley23,766
  6. 6Carol19,421
  7. 7Nancy18,951
  8. 8Dorothy16,358
  9. 9Margaret15,330
  10. 10Joan14,303
  11. 11Joyce12,698
  12. 12Judith10,878
  13. 13Helen10,837
  14. 14Sandra10,806
  15. 15Carolyn10,586
  16. 16Janet9,870
  17. 17Elizabeth9,803
  18. 18Beverly9,770
  19. 19Marilyn9,745
  20. 20Donna9,693
  21. 21Ruth9,303
  22. 22Virginia9,269
  23. 23Frances8,921
  24. 24Janice8,711
  25. 25Doris8,603
  26. 26Martha8,578
  27. 27Jean7,764
  28. 28Phyllis7,644
  29. 29Alice7,490
  30. 30Sharon7,244
  31. 31Linda7,047
  32. 32Ann6,990
  33. 33Lois6,502
  34. 34Norma6,368
  35. 35Peggy6,343
  36. 36Gloria6,299
  37. 37Marie5,958
  38. 38Evelyn5,688
  39. 39Rose5,292
  40. 40Anna5,145
  41. 41Judy4,992
  42. 42Elaine4,835
  43. 43Dolores4,809
  44. 44Jane4,786
  45. 45Geraldine4,652
  46. 46Carole4,616
  47. 47Annie4,562
  48. 48Catherine4,525
  49. 49Wanda4,513
  50. 50Karen4,508
  51. 51Marlene4,473
  52. 52Mildred4,441
  53. 53Marjorie4,318
  54. 54Sally4,278
  55. 55Patsy4,260
  56. 56Sylvia4,259
  57. 57Joanne4,250
  58. 58Kathleen4,228
  59. 59Louise4,069
  60. 60Eleanor4,049
  61. 61Ruby3,942
  62. 62Loretta3,913
  63. 63Arlene3,894
  64. 64Diane3,827
  65. 65Bonnie3,773
  66. 66Rosalie3,758
  67. 67Sarah3,749
  68. 68Joann3,710
  69. 69Jacqueline3,633
  70. 70Charlotte3,626
  71. 71Susan3,555
  72. 72Irene3,554
  73. 73Roberta3,547
  74. 74Rita3,357
  75. 75Delores3,322
  76. 76Darlene3,321
  77. 77Gail3,214
  78. 78Jo3,172
  79. 79June3,141
  80. 80Juanita3,129
  81. 81Kay3,114
  82. 82Edna3,080
  83. 83Josephine2,978
  84. 84Anne2,887
  85. 85Wilma2,871
  86. 86Thelma2,866
  87. 87Audrey2,844
  88. 88Lillian2,825
  89. 89Ellen2,805
  90. 90Florence2,805
  91. 91Jeanette2,802
  92. 92Theresa2,763
  93. 93Lorraine2,740
  94. 94Ethel2,726
  95. 95Rosemary2,681
  96. 96Emma2,670
  97. 97Pauline2,666
  98. 98Clara2,662
  99. 99Anita2,636
  100. 100Grace2,609

Boys

  1. 1Robert62,271
  2. 2James59,102
  3. 3John50,517
  4. 4William42,433
  5. 5Richard34,385
  6. 6Charles31,151
  7. 7Donald26,677
  8. 8David22,994
  9. 9Thomas21,381
  10. 10Ronald20,295
  11. 11George18,435
  12. 12Joseph17,742
  13. 13Edward14,551
  14. 14Kenneth14,399
  15. 15Paul13,360
  16. 16Larry12,394
  17. 17Jerry12,172
  18. 18Frank10,260
  19. 19Gerald9,972
  20. 20Raymond9,725
  21. 21Michael9,077
  22. 22Gary8,861
  23. 23Harold8,563
  24. 24Billy8,253
  25. 25Jack8,144
  26. 26Walter7,560
  27. 27Bobby7,498
  28. 28Joe7,438
  29. 29Carl6,849
  30. 30Henry6,557
  31. 31Roger6,551
  32. 32Arthur6,525
  33. 33Eugene6,112
  34. 34Willie6,081
  35. 35Ralph6,013
  36. 36Lawrence5,873
  37. 37Albert5,796
  38. 38Fred5,768
  39. 39Daniel5,583
  40. 40Wayne5,226
  41. 41Roy5,041
  42. 42Howard5,018
  43. 43Norman4,953
  44. 44Harry4,824
  45. 45Jimmy4,730
  46. 46Anthony4,689
  47. 47Louis4,390
  48. 48Peter4,293
  49. 49Dennis4,236
  50. 50Earl4,007
  51. 51Francis3,951
  52. 52Don3,900
  53. 53Marvin3,900
  54. 54Melvin3,818
  55. 55Ernest3,708
  56. 56Dale3,690
  57. 57Leonard3,670
  58. 58Clarence3,639
  59. 59Stanley3,544
  60. 60Douglas3,508
  61. 61Leroy3,491
  62. 62Samuel3,243
  63. 63Johnny3,197
  64. 64Philip3,172
  65. 65Gene3,149
  66. 66Bruce3,127
  67. 67Bill3,113
  68. 68Herbert3,014
  69. 69Alfred3,008
  70. 70Russell2,950
  71. 71Frederick2,935
  72. 72Ray2,881
  73. 73Allen2,834
  74. 74Stephen2,726
  75. 75Bernard2,715
  76. 76Jimmie2,693
  77. 77Tommy2,667
  78. 78Gordon2,657
  79. 79Eddie2,616
  80. 80Lee2,575
  81. 81Jim2,497
  82. 82Andrew2,411
  83. 83Glenn2,367
  84. 84Theodore2,360
  85. 85Leon2,355
  86. 86Terry2,336
  87. 87Martin2,313
  88. 88Patrick2,292
  89. 89Clifford2,277
  90. 90Edwin2,250
  91. 91Alan2,241
  92. 92Lloyd2,215
  93. 93Jerome2,209
  94. 94Bob2,204
  95. 95Phillip2,154
  96. 96Floyd2,146
  97. 97Clyde2,130
  98. 98Alvin2,063
  99. 99Harvey2,051
  100. 100Franklin2,021

Naming a character born in 1938?

Make character names from 1938

Where the counts come from: the US from Social Security card records from 1880 (names given to at least 5 babies in a year; years before about 1937 count fewer people, because the cards started then), and before 1880 from Douglas Galbi's tables of a census sample. England and Wales from the Office for National Statistics from 1996, and before that from Stephen Bush's study of local birth records, a sample of about 120,000 births a year (CC BY 4.0). Scotland from National Records of Scotland. Northern Ireland from NISRA. France from INSEE, first names and last names. Italy from ISTAT (CC BY 4.0), the top 50 names a year. Berlin from the city's open data (CC BY 3.0 DE), counting only the first of a child's names. UK figures are Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence. US last names from the 2020 census, and before 1850 from the 1790 census. Irish last names from Robert Matheson's report on the births of 1890. Italian last names from the City of Florence (CC BY 4.0). Norwegian last names from Statistics Norway (CC BY 4.0).

Finished your book? Publish it at BookPublish.app →