US baby names · 1937

Most popular baby names of 1937

In 1937, Social Security card applications recorded 1,064,033 girls and 1,066,659 boys born in the US under names given to at least five babies of the same sex. That covers 4,930 distinct girls’ names and 4,020 boys’ names.

The most common names were Mary (55,641 girls) and Robert (61,842 boys). The ten most common girls’ names together account for 24% of recorded girls, and the top ten boys’ names for 34% of boys. Compared with 1936, 53,097 more babies were recorded in total.

Against the top 100 of 1936, 5 girls’ names and 1 boys’ names in 1937 are newcomers (girls: Diane, Judy, Anita; boys: Phillip). Of these names, 13 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 1937 favourite was rising, at its peak or already fading.

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

← 1936 1938 →

Top 100 girls’ names, 1937

Rank	Name	Girls
#1	Mary	55,641
#2	Barbara	34,917
#3	Patricia	26,838
#4	Shirley	26,823
#5	Betty	25,337
#6	Carol	17,336
#7	Nancy	17,074
#8	Dorothy	16,572
#9	Joan	15,301
#10	Margaret	15,144
#11	Joyce	11,808
#12	Helen	11,453
#13	Marilyn	9,739
#14	Beverly	9,634
#15	Ruth	9,602
#16	Virginia	9,517
#17	Elizabeth	9,385
#18	Janet	9,363
#19	Frances	9,057
#20	Carolyn	8,941
#21	Donna	8,887
#22	Doris	8,883
#23	Jean	8,392
#24	Martha	7,953
#25	Janice	7,768
#26	Sandra	7,520
#27	Phyllis	7,245
#28	Alice	7,120
#29	Lois	6,932
#30	Ann	6,713
#31	Peggy	6,378
#32	Gloria	6,333
#33	Norma	6,235
#34	Judith	6,146
#35	Marie	6,075
#36	Evelyn	5,760
#37	Dolores	5,568
#38	Rose	5,450
#39	Anna	5,449
#40	Marlene	5,037
#41	Sharon	4,704
#42	Jane	4,702
#43	Mildred	4,646
#44	Geraldine	4,556
#45	Elaine	4,526
#46	Annie	4,479
#47	Catherine	4,459
#48	Louise	4,382
#49	Linda	4,378
#50	Sylvia	4,371
#51	Joanne	4,333
#52	Ruby	4,289
#53	Eleanor	4,275
#54	Patsy	4,243
#55	Wanda	4,202
#56	Carole	4,198
#57	Marjorie	4,091
#58	Joann	3,936
#59	Sally	3,925
#60	Arlene	3,805
#61	Kathleen	3,743
#62	Irene	3,674
#63	Loretta	3,673
#64	Bonnie	3,595
#65	Sarah	3,588
#66	Roberta	3,568
#67	Charlotte	3,536
#68	Delores	3,529
#69	Rita	3,421
#70	Jacqueline	3,400
#71	June	3,378
#72	Darlene	3,285
#73	Jo	3,226
#74	Edna	3,223
#75	Juanita	3,179
#76	Diane	3,175
#77	Yvonne	3,171
#78	Thelma	3,062
#79	Kay	3,010
#80	Wilma	2,977
#81	Florence	2,955
#82	Josephine	2,942
#83	Lorraine	2,940
#84	Lillian	2,899
#85	Audrey	2,889
#86	Gladys	2,872
#87	Pauline	2,818
#88	Ethel	2,763
#89	Emma	2,750
#90	Jeanette	2,741
#91	Judy	2,741
#92	Anne	2,725
#93	Anita	2,714
#94	Grace	2,710
#95	Theresa	2,702
#96	Edith	2,647
#97	Susan	2,641
#98	Lucille	2,636
#99	Gail	2,635
#100	Clara	2,573

Top 100 boys’ names, 1937

Rank	Name	Boys
#1	Robert	61,842
#2	James	56,561
#3	John	48,755
#4	William	40,725
#5	Richard	32,975
#6	Charles	30,520
#7	Donald	27,868
#8	David	20,981
#9	Thomas	19,772
#10	George	18,439
#11	Ronald	18,141
#12	Joseph	17,322
#13	Edward	14,930
#14	Kenneth	13,219
#15	Paul	12,881
#16	Larry	10,320
#17	Jerry	10,301
#18	Frank	10,127
#19	Raymond	9,571
#20	Gerald	9,425
#21	Harold	8,550
#22	Billy	8,301
#23	Jack	8,194
#24	Bobby	7,745
#25	Joe	7,745
#26	Walter	7,488
#27	Michael	7,094
#28	Carl	6,914
#29	Gary	6,763
#30	Henry	6,668
#31	Arthur	6,321
#32	Willie	6,231
#33	Eugene	5,999
#34	Ralph	5,923
#35	Fred	5,738
#36	Roger	5,713
#37	Albert	5,665
#38	Lawrence	5,507
#39	Daniel	5,124
#40	Roy	4,890
#41	Harry	4,814
#42	Howard	4,700
#43	Norman	4,673
#44	Wayne	4,613
#45	Jimmy	4,517
#46	Louis	4,356
#47	Anthony	4,339
#48	Earl	3,942
#49	Marvin	3,913
#50	Melvin	3,890
#51	Don	3,814
#52	Peter	3,809
#53	Ernest	3,759
#54	Clarence	3,755
#55	Francis	3,730
#56	Leroy	3,556
#57	Stanley	3,483
#58	Leonard	3,480
#59	Dale	3,340
#60	Alfred	3,181
#61	Gene	3,165
#62	Philip	3,162
#63	Dennis	3,160
#64	Bill	3,119
#65	Herbert	3,040
#66	Samuel	3,027
#67	Russell	2,895
#68	Frederick	2,878
#69	Johnny	2,826
#70	Bruce	2,810
#71	Ray	2,725
#72	Jimmie	2,679
#73	Bernard	2,672
#74	Douglas	2,610
#75	Gordon	2,533
#76	Allen	2,518
#77	Franklin	2,514
#78	Lee	2,499
#79	Andrew	2,405
#80	Floyd	2,388
#81	Bob	2,364
#82	Jim	2,347
#83	Eddie	2,345
#84	Tommy	2,326
#85	Leon	2,325
#86	Theodore	2,317
#87	Martin	2,278
#88	Glenn	2,263
#89	Edwin	2,262
#90	Clifford	2,229
#91	Lloyd	2,157
#92	Stephen	2,133
#93	Clyde	2,105
#94	Patrick	2,090
#95	Harvey	2,081
#96	Vernon	2,076
#97	Leo	2,015
#98	Phillip	2,005
#99	Alvin	1,986
#100	Jerome	1,979