US baby names · 1929

Most popular baby names of 1929

In 1929, Social Security card applications recorded 1,116,561 girls and 1,075,615 boys born in the US under names given to at least five babies of the same sex. That covers 5,277 distinct girls’ names and 4,545 boys’ names.

The most common names were Mary (63,512 girls) and Robert (59,807 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 1928, 68,755 fewer babies were recorded in total.

Against the top 100 of 1928, 2 girls’ names and 2 boys’ names in 1929 are newcomers (girls: Eileen, Maria; boys: Douglas, Curtis). 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 1929 favourite was rising, at its peak or already fading.

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

← 1928 1930 →

Top 100 girls’ names, 1929

Rank	Name	Girls
#1	Mary	63,512
#2	Betty	36,675
#3	Dorothy	31,476
#4	Helen	20,983
#5	Margaret	19,212
#6	Doris	16,498
#7	Barbara	16,038
#8	Ruth	16,021
#9	Shirley	14,576
#10	Patricia	13,624
#11	Virginia	13,234
#12	Jean	11,865
#13	Joan	11,666
#14	Dolores	11,508
#15	Elizabeth	11,248
#16	Frances	11,093
#17	Lois	10,295
#18	Mildred	10,255
#19	Evelyn	9,886
#20	Anna	9,751
#21	Alice	9,480
#22	Marie	9,158
#23	Joyce	8,596
#24	Phyllis	7,995
#25	Norma	7,893
#26	Rose	7,785
#27	Martha	7,639
#28	Gloria	7,539
#29	Irene	7,039
#30	Marjorie	6,987
#31	Louise	6,903
#32	Nancy	6,872
#33	Marilyn	6,731
#34	Catherine	6,277
#35	Florence	6,212
#36	Ruby	6,153
#37	Annie	5,955
#38	Eleanor	5,865
#39	Beverly	5,862
#40	Lillian	5,712
#41	Thelma	5,476
#42	Lorraine	5,352
#43	Geraldine	5,334
#44	Gladys	5,327
#45	Josephine	5,298
#46	Ann	5,172
#47	Donna	5,139
#48	June	5,093
#49	Theresa	5,068
#50	Pauline	5,026
#51	Edna	4,931
#52	Rita	4,767
#53	Marion	4,633
#54	Grace	4,569
#55	Bernice	4,551
#56	Ethel	4,519
#57	Lucille	4,502
#58	Audrey	4,460
#59	Edith	4,455
#60	Juanita	4,412
#61	Wanda	4,397
#62	Jane	4,353
#63	Carol	4,279
#64	Hazel	4,164
#65	Clara	4,148
#66	Wilma	4,007
#67	Elaine	3,852
#68	Sarah	3,816
#69	Emma	3,803
#70	Peggy	3,780
#71	Esther	3,587
#72	Beatrice	3,574
#73	Charlotte	3,537
#74	Delores	3,517
#75	Marian	3,447
#76	Willie	3,318
#77	Carolyn	3,272
#78	Elsie	3,230
#79	Billie	3,191
#80	Rosemary	3,107
#81	Vivian	3,101
#82	Janet	3,050
#83	Eva	3,019
#84	Katherine	3,016
#85	Maxine	2,994
#86	Bonnie	2,974
#87	Jacqueline	2,970
#88	Julia	2,950
#89	Kathleen	2,941
#90	Laura	2,936
#91	Anne	2,881
#92	Jeanne	2,818
#93	Bertha	2,800
#94	Agnes	2,770
#95	Gertrude	2,725
#96	Ida	2,673
#97	Ellen	2,567
#98	Eileen	2,558
#99	Vera	2,549
#100	Maria	2,532

Top 100 boys’ names, 1929

Rank	Name	Boys
#1	Robert	59,807
#2	James	52,135
#3	John	52,112
#4	William	47,815
#5	Charles	29,930
#6	Richard	29,572
#7	Donald	27,181
#8	George	23,020
#9	Joseph	21,165
#10	Edward	17,220
#11	Thomas	16,272
#12	Frank	12,966
#13	Paul	12,431
#14	Jack	12,167
#15	Raymond	11,909
#16	Harold	11,677
#17	David	11,302
#18	Kenneth	10,841
#19	Walter	9,850
#20	Eugene	9,046
#21	Henry	8,571
#22	Arthur	8,470
#23	Billy	8,320
#24	Albert	8,078
#25	Herbert	7,881
#26	Ralph	7,715
#27	Harry	7,144
#28	Carl	6,895
#29	Willie	6,616
#30	Joe	6,596
#31	Howard	6,010
#32	Louis	5,995
#33	Gerald	5,965
#34	Fred	5,856
#35	Roy	5,812
#36	Earl	5,737
#37	Clarence	5,729
#38	Lawrence	5,305
#39	Francis	5,270
#40	Norman	5,157
#41	Alfred	4,928
#42	Leonard	4,829
#43	Ernest	4,753
#44	Anthony	4,733
#45	Ronald	4,479
#46	Marvin	4,389
#47	Daniel	4,366
#48	Stanley	4,265
#49	Melvin	4,100
#50	Bobby	3,925
#51	Leroy	3,819
#52	Bernard	3,807
#53	Samuel	3,567
#54	Michael	3,464
#55	Peter	3,216
#56	Russell	3,183
#57	Ray	3,174
#58	Floyd	3,079
#59	Andrew	3,076
#60	Leo	3,018
#61	Jerry	2,991
#62	Lloyd	2,949
#63	Bill	2,947
#64	Roger	2,928
#65	Theodore	2,903
#66	Edwin	2,897
#67	Frederick	2,813
#68	Gene	2,810
#69	Wayne	2,741
#70	Elmer	2,697
#71	Vernon	2,683
#72	Clifford	2,669
#73	Dale	2,664
#74	Clyde	2,628
#75	Herman	2,622
#76	Philip	2,606
#77	Alvin	2,555
#78	Don	2,519
#79	Gordon	2,493
#80	Glenn	2,433
#81	Leon	2,336
#82	Vincent	2,328
#83	Martin	2,308
#84	Lewis	2,228
#85	Lee	2,209
#86	Allen	2,189
#87	Charlie	2,185
#88	Lester	2,106
#89	Bob	2,103
#90	Harvey	2,064
#91	Gilbert	2,056
#92	Warren	2,037
#93	Jesse	2,030
#94	Milton	2,029
#95	Arnold	1,979
#96	Chester	1,969
#97	Douglas	1,965
#98	Jimmie	1,952
#99	Curtis	1,946
#100	Victor	1,941