US baby names · 1938

Most popular baby names of 1938

In 1938, Social Security card applications recorded 1,103,456 girls and 1,109,147 boys born in the US under names given to at least five babies of the same sex. That covers 4,995 distinct girls’ names and 4,035 boys’ names.

The most common names were Mary (56,225 girls) and Robert (62,271 boys). The ten most common girls’ names together account for 23% of recorded girls, and the top ten boys’ names for 33% of boys. Compared with 1937, 81,911 more babies were recorded in total.

Against the top 100 of 1937, 4 girls’ names and 2 boys’ names in 1938 are newcomers (girls: Karen, Rosalie, Ellen; boys: Terry, Alan). Of these names, 13 of the 100 girls’ names and 17 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 1938 favourite was rising, at its peak or already fading.

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

← 1937 1939 →

Top 100 girls’ names, 1938

Rank	Name	Girls
#1	Mary	56,225
#2	Barbara	39,277
#3	Patricia	27,560
#4	Betty	25,506
#5	Shirley	23,766
#6	Carol	19,421
#7	Nancy	18,951
#8	Dorothy	16,358
#9	Margaret	15,330
#10	Joan	14,303
#11	Joyce	12,698
#12	Judith	10,878
#13	Helen	10,837
#14	Sandra	10,806
#15	Carolyn	10,586
#16	Janet	9,870
#17	Elizabeth	9,803
#18	Beverly	9,770
#19	Marilyn	9,745
#20	Donna	9,693
#21	Ruth	9,303
#22	Virginia	9,269
#23	Frances	8,921
#24	Janice	8,711
#25	Doris	8,603
#26	Martha	8,578
#27	Jean	7,764
#28	Phyllis	7,644
#29	Alice	7,490
#30	Sharon	7,244
#31	Linda	7,047
#32	Ann	6,990
#33	Lois	6,502
#34	Norma	6,368
#35	Peggy	6,343
#36	Gloria	6,299
#37	Marie	5,958
#38	Evelyn	5,688
#39	Rose	5,292
#40	Anna	5,145
#41	Judy	4,992
#42	Elaine	4,835
#43	Dolores	4,809
#44	Jane	4,786
#45	Geraldine	4,652
#46	Carole	4,616
#47	Annie	4,562
#48	Catherine	4,525
#49	Wanda	4,513
#50	Karen	4,508
#51	Marlene	4,473
#52	Mildred	4,441
#53	Marjorie	4,318
#54	Sally	4,278
#55	Patsy	4,260
#56	Sylvia	4,259
#57	Joanne	4,250
#58	Kathleen	4,228
#59	Louise	4,069
#60	Eleanor	4,049
#61	Ruby	3,942
#62	Loretta	3,913
#63	Arlene	3,894
#64	Diane	3,827
#65	Bonnie	3,773
#66	Rosalie	3,758
#67	Sarah	3,749
#68	Joann	3,710
#69	Jacqueline	3,633
#70	Charlotte	3,626
#71	Susan	3,555
#72	Irene	3,554
#73	Roberta	3,547
#74	Rita	3,357
#75	Delores	3,322
#76	Darlene	3,321
#77	Gail	3,214
#78	Jo	3,172
#79	June	3,141
#80	Juanita	3,129
#81	Kay	3,114
#82	Edna	3,080
#83	Josephine	2,978
#84	Anne	2,887
#85	Wilma	2,871
#86	Thelma	2,866
#87	Audrey	2,844
#88	Lillian	2,825
#89	Ellen	2,805
#90	Florence	2,805
#91	Jeanette	2,802
#92	Theresa	2,763
#93	Lorraine	2,740
#94	Ethel	2,726
#95	Rosemary	2,681
#96	Emma	2,670
#97	Pauline	2,666
#98	Clara	2,662
#99	Anita	2,636
#100	Grace	2,609

Top 100 boys’ names, 1938

Rank	Name	Boys
#1	Robert	62,271
#2	James	59,102
#3	John	50,517
#4	William	42,433
#5	Richard	34,385
#6	Charles	31,151
#7	Donald	26,677
#8	David	22,994
#9	Thomas	21,381
#10	Ronald	20,295
#11	George	18,435
#12	Joseph	17,742
#13	Edward	14,551
#14	Kenneth	14,399
#15	Paul	13,360
#16	Larry	12,394
#17	Jerry	12,172
#18	Frank	10,260
#19	Gerald	9,972
#20	Raymond	9,725
#21	Michael	9,077
#22	Gary	8,861
#23	Harold	8,563
#24	Billy	8,253
#25	Jack	8,144
#26	Walter	7,560
#27	Bobby	7,498
#28	Joe	7,438
#29	Carl	6,849
#30	Henry	6,557
#31	Roger	6,551
#32	Arthur	6,525
#33	Eugene	6,112
#34	Willie	6,081
#35	Ralph	6,013
#36	Lawrence	5,873
#37	Albert	5,796
#38	Fred	5,768
#39	Daniel	5,583
#40	Wayne	5,226
#41	Roy	5,041
#42	Howard	5,018
#43	Norman	4,953
#44	Harry	4,824
#45	Jimmy	4,730
#46	Anthony	4,689
#47	Louis	4,390
#48	Peter	4,293
#49	Dennis	4,236
#50	Earl	4,007
#51	Francis	3,951
#52	Don	3,900
#53	Marvin	3,900
#54	Melvin	3,818
#55	Ernest	3,708
#56	Dale	3,690
#57	Leonard	3,670
#58	Clarence	3,639
#59	Stanley	3,544
#60	Douglas	3,508
#61	Leroy	3,491
#62	Samuel	3,243
#63	Johnny	3,197
#64	Philip	3,172
#65	Gene	3,149
#66	Bruce	3,127
#67	Bill	3,113
#68	Herbert	3,014
#69	Alfred	3,008
#70	Russell	2,950
#71	Frederick	2,935
#72	Ray	2,881
#73	Allen	2,834
#74	Stephen	2,726
#75	Bernard	2,715
#76	Jimmie	2,693
#77	Tommy	2,667
#78	Gordon	2,657
#79	Eddie	2,616
#80	Lee	2,575
#81	Jim	2,497
#82	Andrew	2,411
#83	Glenn	2,367
#84	Theodore	2,360
#85	Leon	2,355
#86	Terry	2,336
#87	Martin	2,313
#88	Patrick	2,292
#89	Clifford	2,277
#90	Edwin	2,250
#91	Alan	2,241
#92	Lloyd	2,215
#93	Jerome	2,209
#94	Bob	2,204
#95	Phillip	2,154
#96	Floyd	2,146
#97	Clyde	2,130
#98	Alvin	2,063
#99	Harvey	2,051
#100	Franklin	2,021