US baby names · 1928

Most popular baby names of 1928

In 1928, Social Security card applications recorded 1,153,318 girls and 1,107,613 boys born in the US under names given to at least five babies of the same sex. That covers 5,440 distinct girls’ names and 4,723 boys’ names.

The most common names were Mary (66,871 girls) and Robert (60,701 boys). The ten most common girls’ names together account for 22% of recorded girls, and the top ten boys’ names for 33% of boys. Compared with 1927, 58,415 fewer babies were recorded in total.

Against the top 100 of 1927, 5 girls’ names and 1 boys’ names in 1928 are newcomers (girls: Carol, Delores, Janet; boys: Jimmie). Of these names, 16 of the 100 girls’ names and 18 of the 100 boys’ names are still in the top 100 in 2025.

Ranks follow SSA’s order: most births first, with ties listed alphabetically. Each sparkline shows the name’s full history from 1880 to 2025, so you can see whether a 1928 favourite was rising, at its peak or already fading.

SSA names.zip · Social Security card applications · retrieved 2026-10-05

← 1927 1929 →

Top 100 girls’ names, 1928

Rank	Name	Girls
#1	Mary	66,871
#2	Betty	36,083
#3	Dorothy	33,733
#4	Helen	22,937
#5	Margaret	20,295
#6	Ruth	17,859
#7	Doris	16,575
#8	Barbara	14,872
#9	Virginia	14,500
#10	Shirley	14,215
#11	Patricia	12,331
#12	Jean	12,209
#13	Frances	12,137
#14	Elizabeth	11,767
#15	Mildred	11,653
#16	Anna	10,575
#17	Evelyn	10,533
#18	Lois	10,425
#19	Alice	10,139
#20	Dolores	9,615
#21	Marie	9,286
#22	Martha	8,252
#23	Norma	8,166
#24	Rose	8,161
#25	Gloria	8,119
#26	Phyllis	7,924
#27	Joan	7,854
#28	Irene	7,731
#29	Marjorie	7,632
#30	Joyce	7,244
#31	Louise	7,053
#32	Florence	6,970
#33	Catherine	6,910
#34	Ruby	6,692
#35	Lillian	6,577
#36	Eleanor	6,535
#37	Annie	6,329
#38	Marilyn	6,066
#39	Lorraine	5,982
#40	Thelma	5,978
#41	Gladys	5,791
#42	Josephine	5,671
#43	Nancy	5,537
#44	June	5,517
#45	Edna	5,473
#46	Beverly	5,437
#47	Marion	5,420
#48	Pauline	5,391
#49	Theresa	5,330
#50	Geraldine	5,156
#51	Lucille	5,094
#52	Grace	4,989
#53	Bernice	4,943
#54	Ann	4,932
#55	Ethel	4,928
#56	Edith	4,846
#57	Rita	4,810
#58	Juanita	4,734
#59	Hazel	4,649
#60	Audrey	4,630
#61	Donna	4,470
#62	Jane	4,411
#63	Wanda	4,318
#64	Sarah	4,244
#65	Clara	4,106
#66	Esther	4,096
#67	Emma	4,017
#68	Elaine	4,004
#69	Wilma	3,937
#70	Beatrice	3,922
#71	Marian	3,886
#72	Charlotte	3,475
#73	Elsie	3,470
#74	Willie	3,444
#75	Katherine	3,398
#76	Peggy	3,382
#77	Carol	3,349
#78	Vivian	3,310
#79	Eva	3,212
#80	Julia	3,206
#81	Bertha	3,161
#82	Kathleen	3,151
#83	Laura	3,146
#84	Maxine	3,124
#85	Agnes	3,023
#86	Gertrude	3,011
#87	Ida	2,994
#88	Rosemary	2,972
#89	Bonnie	2,923
#90	Jeanne	2,879
#91	Carolyn	2,847
#92	Vera	2,841
#93	Anne	2,824
#94	Delores	2,810
#95	Janet	2,782
#96	Billie	2,777
#97	Jacqueline	2,739
#98	Ellen	2,682
#99	Kathryn	2,681
#100	Ella	2,670

Top 100 boys’ names, 1928

Rank	Name	Boys
#1	Robert	60,701
#2	John	53,760
#3	James	52,752
#4	William	49,118
#5	Charles	31,243
#6	Richard	28,793
#7	Donald	25,704
#8	George	24,391
#9	Joseph	22,322
#10	Edward	18,492
#11	Thomas	16,582
#12	Frank	13,570
#13	Paul	13,160
#14	Harold	12,670
#15	Jack	12,494
#16	Raymond	11,946
#17	Kenneth	11,167
#18	Walter	10,651
#19	David	9,990
#20	Eugene	9,708
#21	Henry	9,313
#22	Arthur	8,880
#23	Albert	8,812
#24	Ralph	8,100
#25	Herbert	8,065
#26	Harry	7,604
#27	Billy	7,310
#28	Carl	6,946
#29	Willie	6,817
#30	Joe	6,682
#31	Howard	6,496
#32	Louis	6,299
#33	Alfred	6,252
#34	Roy	6,229
#35	Clarence	6,068
#36	Fred	6,036
#37	Earl	5,966
#38	Lawrence	5,597
#39	Norman	5,590
#40	Francis	5,516
#41	Gerald	5,487
#42	Leonard	5,131
#43	Ernest	4,941
#44	Anthony	4,719
#45	Stanley	4,481
#46	Marvin	4,452
#47	Daniel	4,426
#48	Melvin	4,249
#49	Bernard	4,067
#50	Ronald	3,969
#51	Leroy	3,872
#52	Samuel	3,844
#53	Michael	3,598
#54	Floyd	3,338
#55	Russell	3,325
#56	Peter	3,299
#57	Ray	3,248
#58	Edwin	3,166
#59	Lloyd	3,158
#60	Andrew	3,142
#61	Leo	3,095
#62	Gene	3,088
#63	Elmer	2,977
#64	Bill	2,976
#65	Bobby	2,972
#66	Theodore	2,916
#67	Frederick	2,882
#68	Clifford	2,862
#69	Wayne	2,855
#70	Vernon	2,852
#71	Roger	2,774
#72	Alvin	2,750
#73	Philip	2,726
#74	Clyde	2,713
#75	Dale	2,640
#76	Glenn	2,603
#77	Gordon	2,596
#78	Herman	2,588
#79	Jerry	2,588
#80	Charlie	2,463
#81	Leon	2,460
#82	Vincent	2,440
#83	Martin	2,428
#84	Don	2,382
#85	Warren	2,361
#86	Lewis	2,339
#87	Lee	2,282
#88	Chester	2,243
#89	Lester	2,229
#90	Harvey	2,186
#91	Jesse	2,171
#92	Milton	2,170
#93	Allen	2,137
#94	Calvin	2,128
#95	Bob	2,093
#96	Gilbert	2,048
#97	Cecil	2,005
#98	Arnold	1,974
#99	Victor	1,946
#100	Jimmie	1,924