US baby names · 1931

Most popular baby names of 1931

In 1931, Social Security card applications recorded 1,064,728 girls and 1,039,665 boys born in the US under names given to at least five babies of the same sex. That covers 4,979 distinct girls’ names and 4,321 boys’ names.

The most common names were Mary (60,299 girls) and Robert (60,519 boys). The ten most common girls’ names together account for 23% of recorded girls, and the top ten boys’ names for 34% of boys. Compared with 1930, 118,912 fewer babies were recorded in total.

Against the top 100 of 1930, 4 girls’ names and 2 boys’ names in 1931 are newcomers (girls: Arlene, Joann, Marlene; boys: Larry, Jimmy). Of these names, 15 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 1931 favourite was rising, at its peak or already fading.

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

← 1930 1932 →

Top 100 girls’ names, 1931

Rank	Name	Girls
#1	Mary	60,299
#2	Betty	36,105
#3	Dorothy	26,524
#4	Barbara	21,804
#5	Joan	19,119
#6	Helen	17,664
#7	Margaret	17,332
#8	Patricia	16,469
#9	Shirley	14,405
#10	Doris	13,629
#11	Ruth	13,132
#12	Virginia	11,886
#13	Jean	11,013
#14	Dolores	10,807
#15	Joyce	10,580
#16	Elizabeth	10,292
#17	Nancy	10,036
#18	Frances	9,718
#19	Marilyn	9,664
#20	Lois	9,348
#21	Alice	8,815
#22	Norma	8,759
#23	Gloria	8,546
#24	Evelyn	8,492
#25	Anna	8,429
#26	Mildred	8,169
#27	Marie	7,549
#28	Martha	7,481
#29	Phyllis	7,213
#30	Rose	6,881
#31	Beverly	6,789
#32	Donna	6,600
#33	Louise	5,897
#34	Marjorie	5,880
#35	Ann	5,858
#36	Catherine	5,642
#37	Irene	5,616
#38	Geraldine	5,413
#39	Ruby	5,331
#40	Eleanor	5,255
#41	Annie	5,090
#42	Peggy	5,076
#43	Florence	5,011
#44	June	5,002
#45	Janet	4,948
#46	Carol	4,892
#47	Lillian	4,807
#48	Rita	4,613
#49	Lorraine	4,588
#50	Jane	4,532
#51	Josephine	4,497
#52	Edna	4,461
#53	Thelma	4,440
#54	Wanda	4,395
#55	Gladys	4,350
#56	Pauline	4,192
#57	Juanita	4,131
#58	Delores	4,050
#59	Theresa	4,034
#60	Carolyn	4,008
#61	Clara	3,899
#62	Lucille	3,854
#63	Bernice	3,821
#64	Audrey	3,790
#65	Edith	3,772
#66	Marion	3,763
#67	Ethel	3,760
#68	Joanne	3,757
#69	Wilma	3,741
#70	Grace	3,712
#71	Sarah	3,636
#72	Elaine	3,622
#73	Bonnie	3,552
#74	Hazel	3,508
#75	Charlotte	3,403
#76	Emma	3,307
#77	Arlene	3,217
#78	Jacqueline	3,134
#79	Esther	3,034
#80	Anne	2,979
#81	Billie	2,921
#82	Vivian	2,893
#83	Patsy	2,869
#84	Marian	2,862
#85	Beatrice	2,844
#86	Elsie	2,807
#87	Kathleen	2,799
#88	Rosemary	2,722
#89	Laura	2,669
#90	Joann	2,655
#91	Julia	2,624
#92	Katherine	2,624
#93	Willie	2,597
#94	Eva	2,591
#95	Marlene	2,585
#96	Loretta	2,581
#97	Sally	2,557
#98	Jeanne	2,525
#99	Ellen	2,450
#100	Ida	2,419

Top 100 boys’ names, 1931

Rank	Name	Boys
#1	Robert	60,519
#2	James	51,212
#3	John	48,423
#4	William	43,280
#5	Richard	31,822
#6	Charles	29,934
#7	Donald	29,100
#8	George	20,685
#9	Joseph	19,326
#10	Thomas	16,847
#11	Edward	15,646
#12	Paul	12,255
#13	David	11,784
#14	Kenneth	11,568
#15	Jack	11,488
#16	Frank	11,472
#17	Raymond	10,854
#18	Harold	10,695
#19	Billy	9,264
#20	Walter	8,940
#21	Eugene	8,151
#22	Henry	7,805
#23	Arthur	7,525
#24	Albert	7,131
#25	Ralph	6,960
#26	Gerald	6,823
#27	Ronald	6,726
#28	Carl	6,583
#29	Joe	6,456
#30	Harry	6,045
#31	Willie	5,963
#32	Bobby	5,858
#33	Fred	5,698
#34	Howard	5,624
#35	Roy	5,489
#36	Norman	5,426
#37	Louis	5,423
#38	Lawrence	5,364
#39	Clarence	5,062
#40	Earl	5,047
#41	Herbert	4,788
#42	Francis	4,735
#43	Jerry	4,371
#44	Daniel	4,360
#45	Marvin	4,360
#46	Anthony	4,310
#47	Ernest	4,298
#48	Leonard	4,279
#49	Stanley	4,202
#50	Alfred	3,949
#51	Melvin	3,700
#52	Leroy	3,649
#53	Roger	3,625
#54	Bernard	3,514
#55	Michael	3,489
#56	Samuel	3,379
#57	Bill	3,218
#58	Wayne	3,217
#59	Don	3,176
#60	Ray	3,161
#61	Peter	3,122
#62	Dale	3,008
#63	Russell	2,942
#64	Gene	2,766
#65	Andrew	2,714
#66	Floyd	2,707
#67	Edwin	2,704
#68	Lloyd	2,704
#69	Leo	2,700
#70	Theodore	2,666
#71	Philip	2,648
#72	Glenn	2,624
#73	Frederick	2,471
#74	Vernon	2,465
#75	Clifford	2,452
#76	Gordon	2,396
#77	Clyde	2,336
#78	Bob	2,318
#79	Allen	2,308
#80	Alvin	2,299
#81	Jimmie	2,288
#82	Elmer	2,265
#83	Herman	2,263
#84	Leon	2,245
#85	Douglas	2,203
#86	Vincent	2,162
#87	Lewis	2,160
#88	Larry	2,147
#89	Jimmy	2,126
#90	Lee	2,123
#91	Martin	2,103
#92	Gilbert	1,993
#93	Harvey	1,978
#94	Charlie	1,975
#95	Eddie	1,959
#96	Lester	1,919
#97	Jesse	1,895
#98	Arnold	1,835
#99	Milton	1,834
#100	Warren	1,834