Most popular baby names of 1928

In 1928, the most popular names for US babies were Robert for boys (60,701 babies, 5.5% of boys) and Mary for girls (66,872 babies, 5.8% of girls). The rest of the top five were John, James, William and Charles for boys and Betty, Dorothy, Helen and Margaret for girls. SSA recorded 4,723 different boy names and 5,440 different girl names that year.

Top 100 boy names, 1928
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	Robert	60,701	–
2	John	53,761	–
3	James	52,753	–
4	William	49,119	–
5	Charles	31,244	–
6	Richard	28,794	–
7	Donald	25,705	▲ 1
8	George	24,391	▼ 1
9	Joseph	22,319	–
10	Edward	18,492	–
11	Thomas	16,582	–
12	Frank	13,570	–
13	Paul	13,159	–
14	Harold	12,669	–
15	Jack	12,494	▲ 1
16	Raymond	11,947	▼ 1
17	Kenneth	11,167	▲ 1
18	Walter	10,651	▼ 1
19	David	9,992	▲ 2
20	Eugene	9,709	–
21	Henry	9,313	▼ 2
22	Arthur	8,880	–
23	Albert	8,812	–
24	Ralph	8,100	–
25	Herbert	8,065	▲ 17
26	Harry	7,604	▼ 1
27	Billy	7,310	▲ 4
28	Carl	6,946	▼ 2
29	Willie	6,817	▼ 2
30	Joe	6,682	–
31	Howard	6,496	▼ 3
32	Louis	6,297	▼ 3
33	Alfred	6,252	▲ 12
34	Roy	6,229	–
35	Clarence	6,068	▼ 3
36	Fred	6,036	▼ 1
37	Earl	5,966	▼ 4
38	Lawrence	5,596	▼ 1
39	Norman	5,590	–
40	Francis	5,516	▼ 4
41	Gerald	5,487	▼ 3
42	Leonard	5,130	▼ 2
43	Ernest	4,941	▼ 2
44	Anthony	4,718	▼ 1
45	Stanley	4,481	▼ 1
46	Marvin	4,452	▲ 1
47	Daniel	4,426	▼ 1
48	Melvin	4,249	–
49	Bernard	4,067	▲ 1
50	Ronald	3,969	▲ 13
51	Leroy	3,871	–
52	Samuel	3,844	▼ 3
53	Michael	3,598	▼ 1
54	Floyd	3,338	▼ 1
55	Russell	3,325	▼ 1
56	Peter	3,300	▲ 3
57	Ray	3,248	▲ 3
58	Edwin	3,166	▼ 1
59	Lloyd	3,158	▼ 1
60	Andrew	3,142	▼ 4
61	Leo	3,095	▼ 6
62	Gene	3,088	▲ 10
63	Bill	2,977	▲ 6
64	Elmer	2,977	▼ 3
65	Bobby	2,971	▲ 26
66	Theodore	2,917	▼ 4
67	Frederick	2,882	▼ 3
68	Clifford	2,862	▼ 3
69	Wayne	2,855	▼ 2
70	Vernon	2,852	▲ 1
71	Roger	2,774	▲ 13
72	Alvin	2,750	▼ 6
73	Philip	2,726	▲ 2
74	Clyde	2,714	▼ 6
75	Dale	2,640	▲ 6
76	Glenn	2,603	–
77	Gordon	2,596	▼ 3
78	Herman	2,588	▼ 8
79	Jerry	2,588	▲ 14
80	Charlie	2,463	–
81	Leon	2,460	▼ 3
82	Vincent	2,440	▼ 5
83	Martin	2,427	▲ 4
84	Don	2,382	▲ 6
85	Warren	2,362	▼ 6
86	Lewis	2,339	▼ 4
87	Lee	2,282	▼ 1
88	Chester	2,243	▼ 3
89	Lester	2,229	▼ 6
90	Harvey	2,187	▲ 4
91	Jesse	2,171	▼ 2
92	Milton	2,170	▼ 4
93	Allen	2,136	▲ 2
94	Calvin	2,128	▼ 21
95	Bob	2,093	▲ 5
96	Gilbert	2,048	▲ 3
97	Cecil	2,005	▼ 5
98	Arnold	1,974	▼ 1
99	Victor	1,946	▼ 1
100	Jimmie	1,924	▲ 8

Top 100 girl names, 1928
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	Mary	66,872	–
2	Betty	36,083	▲ 1
3	Dorothy	33,733	▼ 1
4	Helen	22,937	–
5	Margaret	20,295	–
6	Ruth	17,859	–
7	Doris	16,574	–
8	Barbara	14,872	▲ 2
9	Virginia	14,500	▼ 1
10	Shirley	14,215	▼ 1
11	Patricia	12,331	▲ 7
12	Jean	12,209	▲ 2
13	Frances	12,137	▼ 1
14	Elizabeth	11,767	▼ 1
15	Mildred	11,652	▼ 4
16	Anna	10,575	–
17	Evelyn	10,533	▼ 2
18	Lois	10,425	▲ 1
19	Alice	10,139	▼ 2
20	Dolores	9,614	▲ 14
21	Marie	9,286	▼ 1
22	Martha	8,252	▲ 2
23	Norma	8,165	▲ 3
24	Rose	8,161	▼ 1
25	Gloria	8,119	▼ 3
26	Phyllis	7,924	▲ 3
27	Joan	7,854	▲ 14
28	Irene	7,731	▼ 7
29	Marjorie	7,632	▼ 4
30	Joyce	7,244	▲ 5
31	Louise	7,053	▼ 4
32	Florence	6,970	▼ 4
33	Catherine	6,910	▼ 2
34	Ruby	6,692	▼ 4
35	Lillian	6,577	▼ 3
36	Eleanor	6,535	▼ 3
37	Annie	6,329	▼ 1
38	Marilyn	6,066	▲ 8
39	Lorraine	5,982	▲ 5
40	Thelma	5,978	▼ 2
41	Gladys	5,791	▼ 4
42	Josephine	5,671	▼ 3
43	Nancy	5,537	▲ 13
44	June	5,517	▼ 1
45	Edna	5,473	▼ 5
46	Beverly	5,437	▲ 11
47	Marion	5,420	▲ 4
48	Pauline	5,391	▼ 6
49	Theresa	5,331	▲ 3
50	Geraldine	5,156	▲ 8
51	Lucille	5,094	▼ 6
52	Grace	4,989	▼ 2
53	Bernice	4,943	▼ 4
54	Ann	4,932	▲ 5
55	Ethel	4,928	▼ 8
56	Edith	4,846	▼ 8
57	Rita	4,810	▼ 3
58	Juanita	4,734	▼ 3
59	Hazel	4,649	▼ 6
60	Audrey	4,630	▲ 2
61	Donna	4,470	▲ 9
62	Jane	4,411	▼ 2
63	Wanda	4,318	▲ 3
64	Sarah	4,244	▼ 3
65	Clara	4,106	▼ 2
66	Esther	4,096	▼ 1
67	Emma	4,017	▼ 3
68	Elaine	4,005	▲ 1
69	Wilma	3,937	▼ 1
70	Beatrice	3,923	▼ 3
71	Marian	3,886	▲ 3
72	Charlotte	3,475	▲ 3
73	Elsie	3,470	▼ 1
74	Willie	3,443	▼ 3
75	Katherine	3,398	▼ 2
76	Peggy	3,382	▲ 20
77	Carol	3,349	▲ 29
78	Vivian	3,310	▼ 1
79	Eva	3,212	–
80	Julia	3,206	▼ 4
81	Bertha	3,161	▼ 1
82	Kathleen	3,151	▲ 1
83	Laura	3,146	▼ 1
84	Maxine	3,124	▲ 3
85	Agnes	3,023	▼ 4
86	Gertrude	3,011	▼ 8
87	Ida	2,995	▼ 3
88	Rosemary	2,972	▼ 2
89	Bonnie	2,923	▲ 11
90	Jeanne	2,879	▼ 5
91	Carolyn	2,847	▲ 8
92	Vera	2,842	▼ 3
93	Anne	2,824	▼ 1
94	Delores	2,810	▲ 34
95	Janet	2,782	▲ 16
96	Billie	2,777	▲ 13
97	Jacqueline	2,739	▲ 18
98	Ellen	2,682	▼ 5
99	Kathryn	2,681	▼ 9
100	Ella	2,670	▼ 2

Source: US Social Security Administration baby name data, 1928. Counts are Social Security card applications for US births; SSA leaves out names given to fewer than 5 babies in a year. Updated 2026-10-05. How these numbers are made.