Most popular baby names of 1936

In 1936, the most popular names for US babies were Robert for boys (58,501 babies, 5.6% of boys) and Mary for girls (54,374 babies, 5.2% of girls). The rest of the top five were James, John, William and Richard for boys and Shirley, Barbara, Betty and Patricia for girls. SSA recorded 4,037 different boy names and 4,856 different girl names that year.

Top 100 boy names, 1936
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	Robert	58,501	–
2	James	54,696	–
3	John	47,679	–
4	William	39,398	–
5	Richard	33,492	–
6	Charles	29,100	–
7	Donald	28,640	–
8	Thomas	18,343	▲ 1
9	George	18,197	▼ 1
10	David	17,477	▲ 1
11	Joseph	17,452	▼ 1
12	Ronald	16,918	–
13	Edward	14,194	–
14	Kenneth	12,486	▲ 1
15	Paul	12,306	▼ 1
16	Frank	10,186	–
17	Raymond	9,458	–
18	Jerry	9,270	▲ 4
19	Gerald	9,017	▲ 2
20	Jack	8,857	▼ 2
21	Harold	8,629	▼ 1
22	Billy	8,587	▼ 3
23	Joe	8,023	▲ 2
24	Bobby	7,735	–
25	Larry	7,612	▲ 8
26	Walter	7,536	▼ 3
27	Carl	6,591	▲ 1
28	Henry	6,446	▼ 1
29	Eugene	6,375	▼ 3
30	Arthur	6,264	▼ 1
31	Ralph	6,029	▲ 1
32	Willie	6,011	▼ 2
33	Michael	5,800	▲ 8
34	Albert	5,759	▼ 3
35	Roger	5,701	▲ 1
36	Fred	5,602	▼ 2
37	Lawrence	5,341	▼ 2
38	Gary	5,192	▲ 6
39	Harry	4,930	▼ 2
40	Howard	4,874	▼ 1
41	Daniel	4,817	▲ 2
42	Roy	4,817	▼ 2
43	Norman	4,645	▼ 5
44	Louis	4,419	▼ 2
45	Wayne	4,408	▲ 4
46	Jimmy	4,213	▲ 1
47	Earl	4,106	▼ 1
48	Anthony	3,978	▲ 4
49	Marvin	3,936	▼ 4
50	Francis	3,876	▲ 3
51	Don	3,830	–
52	Clarence	3,772	▼ 4
53	Melvin	3,730	▲ 4
54	Leonard	3,716	–
55	Ernest	3,715	–
56	Peter	3,714	▲ 3
57	Leroy	3,644	▼ 7
58	Stanley	3,492	▼ 2
59	Dale	3,394	▲ 2
60	Alfred	3,252	▲ 3
61	Bill	3,166	▼ 1
62	Herbert	3,117	▼ 4
63	Philip	3,033	▲ 2
64	Franklin	2,939	▲ 7
65	Ray	2,939	▼ 1
66	Gene	2,909	–
67	Samuel	2,893	▼ 5
68	Bernard	2,854	▼ 1
69	Russell	2,832	▼ 1
70	Frederick	2,817	▲ 3
71	Jimmie	2,742	▼ 2
72	Johnny	2,729	▲ 2
73	Bruce	2,630	▲ 4
74	Dennis	2,627	▼ 2
75	Gordon	2,567	▼ 5
76	Lee	2,418	▲ 4
77	Bob	2,408	▲ 4
78	Douglas	2,375	▼ 3
79	Eddie	2,347	▲ 8
80	Glenn	2,328	▼ 2
81	Allen	2,314	▲ 2
82	Leon	2,282	▲ 4
83	Andrew	2,276	▲ 2
84	Edwin	2,271	▲ 5
85	Jim	2,268	▲ 5
86	Floyd	2,229	▼ 10
87	Theodore	2,219	▼ 8
88	Lloyd	2,160	▼ 4
89	Clyde	2,153	▼ 7
90	Clifford	2,132	▼ 2
91	Tommy	2,107	▲ 4
92	Martin	2,106	▲ 1
93	Vernon	2,028	▲ 1
94	Leo	2,017	▼ 2
95	Warren	1,976	▲ 2
96	Alvin	1,970	▼ 5
97	Harvey	1,970	▲ 2
98	Jerome	1,967	▼ 2
99	Stephen	1,862	▲ 14
100	Lewis	1,855	▼ 2

Top 100 girl names, 1936
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	Mary	54,374	–
2	Shirley	35,162	–
3	Barbara	31,682	–
4	Betty	25,867	–
5	Patricia	23,916	–
6	Dorothy	17,666	–
7	Joan	17,071	–
8	Nancy	16,754	▲ 1
9	Margaret	14,596	▼ 1
10	Carol	14,519	▲ 1
11	Helen	12,234	▼ 1
12	Joyce	11,988	–
13	Marilyn	11,064	▲ 1
14	Virginia	9,650	▲ 2
15	Doris	9,227	▼ 2
16	Ruth	9,217	▼ 1
17	Beverly	8,901	▲ 3
18	Elizabeth	8,860	▼ 1
19	Frances	8,789	–
20	Jean	8,536	▼ 2
21	Janet	8,081	▲ 1
22	Donna	7,932	▲ 1
23	Carolyn	7,907	▲ 5
24	Martha	7,391	–
25	Phyllis	7,374	▲ 2
26	Lois	7,232	▼ 5
27	Alice	7,201	▼ 2
28	Ann	6,666	▲ 2
29	Norma	6,633	–
30	Dolores	6,417	▼ 4
31	Janice	6,149	▲ 16
32	Gloria	6,140	–
33	Marie	6,132	–
34	Evelyn	6,108	▼ 3
35	Peggy	6,068	▲ 1
36	Anna	5,727	▼ 2
37	Rose	5,699	–
38	Sandra	5,526	▲ 12
39	Marlene	5,332	–
40	Mildred	5,052	▼ 5
41	Geraldine	4,864	▼ 1
42	Jane	4,719	▲ 1
43	Judith	4,580	▲ 11
44	Catherine	4,537	▼ 2
45	Annie	4,529	▼ 7
46	Louise	4,354	▼ 1
47	Eleanor	4,341	▲ 1
48	Joanne	4,305	▼ 4
49	Marjorie	4,279	▼ 3
50	Elaine	4,259	▲ 1
51	Ruby	4,226	▼ 10
52	Patsy	4,196	▲ 4
53	Sylvia	4,156	▲ 7
54	Arlene	3,898	▲ 5
55	Joann	3,886	▼ 2
56	Wanda	3,882	▼ 7
57	Irene	3,817	▼ 5
58	Delores	3,760	▼ 1
59	Sally	3,635	▼ 1
60	Sharon	3,573	▲ 36
61	Charlotte	3,555	▲ 4
62	June	3,515	▼ 7
63	Sarah	3,515	▼ 2
64	Roberta	3,467	▲ 13
65	Bonnie	3,373	▼ 3
66	Jacqueline	3,362	▲ 13
67	Kathleen	3,352	▲ 4
68	Audrey	3,345	▼ 4
69	Rita	3,333	▼ 6
70	Loretta	3,325	▼ 1
71	Edna	3,305	▼ 4
72	Jo	3,292	▲ 1
73	Carole	3,199	▲ 20
74	Thelma	3,197	▲ 2
75	Juanita	3,183	▼ 3
76	Lorraine	3,167	▼ 8
77	Josephine	3,141	▼ 2
78	Wilma	3,123	▼ 8
79	Lillian	3,118	▼ 13
80	Florence	3,083	▼ 6
81	Yvonne	3,038	▲ 17
82	Pauline	2,981	▼ 2
83	Darlene	2,962	▲ 8
84	Gladys	2,944	▼ 6
85	Emma	2,831	▲ 4
86	Grace	2,790	▼ 3
87	Edith	2,759	–
88	Theresa	2,758	▼ 2
89	Anne	2,756	▼ 5
90	Ethel	2,730	▼ 8
91	Clara	2,684	▼ 10
92	Lucille	2,632	▼ 7
93	Marion	2,580	▼ 5
94	Jeanette	2,552	▲ 10
95	Bernice	2,540	▼ 5
96	Hazel	2,511	▼ 4
97	Linda	2,440	▲ 68
98	Kay	2,408	▲ 36
99	Ellen	2,398	▼ 4
100	Katherine	2,355	▲ 3

Source: US Social Security Administration baby name data, 1936. 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.