Most popular baby names of 1938

In 1938, the most popular names for US babies were Robert for boys (62,270 babies, 5.6% of boys) and Mary for girls (56,225 babies, 5.1% of girls). The rest of the top five were James, John, William and Richard for boys and Barbara, Patricia, Betty and Shirley for girls. SSA recorded 4,035 different boy names and 4,995 different girl names that year.

Top 100 boy names, 1938
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	Robert	62,270	–
2	James	59,102	–
3	John	50,518	–
4	William	42,432	–
5	Richard	34,386	–
6	Charles	31,152	–
7	Donald	26,677	–
8	David	22,994	–
9	Thomas	21,380	–
10	Ronald	20,297	▲ 1
11	George	18,436	▼ 1
12	Joseph	17,740	–
13	Edward	14,550	–
14	Kenneth	14,399	–
15	Paul	13,360	–
16	Larry	12,393	–
17	Jerry	12,172	–
18	Frank	10,261	–
19	Gerald	9,972	▲ 1
20	Raymond	9,726	▼ 1
21	Michael	9,076	▲ 6
22	Gary	8,862	▲ 7
23	Harold	8,560	▼ 2
24	Billy	8,254	▼ 2
25	Jack	8,142	▼ 2
26	Walter	7,559	–
27	Bobby	7,497	▼ 3
28	Joe	7,439	▼ 3
29	Carl	6,848	▼ 1
30	Henry	6,557	–
31	Roger	6,551	▲ 5
32	Arthur	6,524	▼ 1
33	Eugene	6,113	–
34	Willie	6,080	▼ 2
35	Ralph	6,014	▼ 1
36	Lawrence	5,874	▲ 2
37	Albert	5,796	–
38	Fred	5,768	▼ 3
39	Daniel	5,584	–
40	Wayne	5,226	▲ 4
41	Roy	5,042	▼ 1
42	Howard	5,018	–
43	Norman	4,953	–
44	Harry	4,824	▼ 3
45	Jimmy	4,730	–
46	Anthony	4,689	▲ 1
47	Louis	4,390	▼ 1
48	Peter	4,293	▲ 4
49	Dennis	4,236	▲ 14
50	Earl	4,007	▼ 2
51	Francis	3,951	▲ 4
52	Don	3,900	▼ 1
53	Marvin	3,900	▼ 4
54	Melvin	3,818	▼ 4
55	Ernest	3,708	▼ 2
56	Dale	3,690	▲ 3
57	Leonard	3,670	▲ 1
58	Clarence	3,638	▼ 4
59	Stanley	3,544	▼ 2
60	Douglas	3,508	▲ 14
61	Leroy	3,491	▼ 5
62	Samuel	3,243	▲ 4
63	Johnny	3,197	▲ 6
64	Philip	3,172	▼ 2
65	Gene	3,149	▼ 4
66	Bruce	3,127	▲ 4
67	Bill	3,113	▼ 3
68	Herbert	3,014	▼ 3
69	Alfred	3,008	▼ 9
70	Russell	2,950	▼ 3
71	Frederick	2,935	▼ 3
72	Ray	2,881	▼ 1
73	Allen	2,834	▲ 3
74	Stephen	2,726	▲ 18
75	Bernard	2,715	▼ 2
76	Jimmie	2,693	▼ 4
77	Tommy	2,667	▲ 7
78	Gordon	2,657	▼ 3
79	Eddie	2,615	▲ 4
80	Lee	2,575	▼ 2
81	Jim	2,497	▲ 1
82	Andrew	2,411	▼ 3
83	Glenn	2,367	▲ 6
84	Theodore	2,361	▲ 2
85	Leon	2,355	–
86	Terry	2,336	▲ 27
87	Martin	2,313	–
88	Patrick	2,292	▲ 6
89	Clifford	2,276	▲ 1
90	Edwin	2,249	▼ 2
91	Alan	2,241	▲ 12
92	Lloyd	2,215	▼ 1
93	Jerome	2,209	▲ 7
94	Bob	2,204	▼ 13
95	Phillip	2,153	▲ 3
96	Floyd	2,145	▼ 16
97	Clyde	2,130	▼ 4
98	Alvin	2,063	▲ 1
99	Harvey	2,051	▼ 4
100	Franklin	2,021	▼ 23

Top 100 girl names, 1938
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	Mary	56,225	–
2	Barbara	39,277	–
3	Patricia	27,558	–
4	Betty	25,505	▲ 1
5	Shirley	23,766	▼ 1
6	Carol	19,421	–
7	Nancy	18,951	–
8	Dorothy	16,357	–
9	Margaret	15,330	▲ 1
10	Joan	14,303	▼ 1
11	Joyce	12,697	–
12	Judith	10,878	▲ 22
13	Helen	10,837	▼ 1
14	Sandra	10,806	▲ 12
15	Carolyn	10,586	▲ 5
16	Janet	9,870	▲ 2
17	Elizabeth	9,802	–
18	Beverly	9,770	▼ 4
19	Marilyn	9,745	▼ 6
20	Donna	9,693	▲ 1
21	Ruth	9,303	▼ 6
22	Virginia	9,269	▼ 6
23	Frances	8,922	▼ 4
24	Janice	8,711	▲ 1
25	Doris	8,602	▼ 3
26	Martha	8,579	▼ 2
27	Jean	7,764	▼ 4
28	Phyllis	7,644	▼ 1
29	Alice	7,489	▼ 1
30	Sharon	7,244	▲ 11
31	Linda	7,047	▲ 18
32	Ann	6,990	▼ 2
33	Lois	6,503	▼ 4
34	Norma	6,367	▼ 1
35	Peggy	6,343	▼ 4
36	Gloria	6,297	▼ 4
37	Marie	5,958	▼ 2
38	Evelyn	5,688	▼ 2
39	Rose	5,292	–
40	Anna	5,144	▼ 2
41	Judy	4,992	▲ 50
42	Elaine	4,834	▲ 3
43	Dolores	4,809	▼ 6
44	Jane	4,786	▼ 2
45	Geraldine	4,650	▼ 1
46	Carole	4,616	▲ 10
47	Annie	4,562	▼ 1
48	Catherine	4,525	▼ 1
49	Wanda	4,513	▲ 6
50	Karen	4,508	▲ 63
51	Marlene	4,473	▼ 11
52	Mildred	4,440	▼ 9
53	Marjorie	4,318	▲ 4
54	Sally	4,278	▲ 5
55	Patsy	4,261	▼ 1
56	Sylvia	4,258	▼ 6
57	Joanne	4,250	▼ 6
58	Kathleen	4,228	▲ 3
59	Louise	4,068	▼ 11
60	Eleanor	4,049	▼ 7
61	Ruby	3,941	▼ 9
62	Loretta	3,913	▲ 1
63	Arlene	3,893	▼ 3
64	Diane	3,827	▲ 12
65	Bonnie	3,773	▼ 1
66	Rosalie	3,758	▲ 113
67	Sarah	3,748	▼ 2
68	Joann	3,710	▼ 10
69	Jacqueline	3,633	▲ 1
70	Charlotte	3,625	▼ 3
71	Irene	3,555	▼ 9
72	Susan	3,555	▲ 25
73	Roberta	3,547	▼ 7
74	Rita	3,357	▼ 5
75	Delores	3,322	▼ 7
76	Darlene	3,321	▼ 4
77	Gail	3,214	▲ 22
78	Jo	3,172	▼ 5
79	June	3,141	▼ 8
80	Juanita	3,129	▼ 5
81	Kay	3,114	▼ 2
82	Edna	3,080	▼ 8
83	Josephine	2,978	▼ 1
84	Anne	2,887	▲ 8
85	Wilma	2,871	▼ 5
86	Thelma	2,866	▼ 8
87	Audrey	2,844	▼ 2
88	Lillian	2,824	▼ 4
89	Ellen	2,805	▲ 13
90	Florence	2,805	▼ 9
91	Jeanette	2,802	▼ 1
92	Theresa	2,763	▲ 3
93	Lorraine	2,740	▼ 10
94	Ethel	2,725	▼ 6
95	Rosemary	2,681	▲ 15
96	Emma	2,670	▼ 7
97	Pauline	2,666	▼ 10
98	Clara	2,662	▲ 2
99	Anita	2,636	▼ 6
100	Grace	2,609	▼ 6

Source: US Social Security Administration baby name data, 1938. 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.