Most Popular Baby Names of 1929

In 1929, Mary was the most popular name for girls, given to 63,512 babies, and Robert topped the boys' list with 59,807. Mary held on to number one for a 50th year in a row, and Robert held on to number one for a sixth year in a row.

Social Security counted 1,116,561 girls and 1,075,615 boys born in 1929 under names given to at least five babies, spread across 5,277 different girls' names and 4,545 boys' names.

Top 100 names of 1929

Top girls' names, 1929
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1928
1	Mary	63,512	same
2	Betty	36,675	same
3	Dorothy	31,476	same
4	Helen	20,983	same
5	Margaret	19,212	same
6	Doris	16,498	up 1
7	Barbara	16,038	up 1
8	Ruth	16,021	down 2
9	Shirley	14,576	up 1
10	Patricia	13,624	up 1
11	Virginia	13,234	down 2
12	Jean	11,865	same
13	Joan	11,666	up 14
14	Dolores	11,508	up 6
15	Elizabeth	11,248	down 1
16	Frances	11,093	down 3
17	Lois	10,295	up 1
18	Mildred	10,255	down 3
19	Evelyn	9,886	down 2
20	Anna	9,751	down 4
21	Alice	9,480	down 2
22	Marie	9,158	down 1
23	Joyce	8,596	up 7
24	Phyllis	7,995	up 2
25	Norma	7,893	down 2
26	Rose	7,785	down 2
27	Martha	7,639	down 5
28	Gloria	7,539	down 3
29	Irene	7,039	down 1
30	Marjorie	6,987	down 1
31	Louise	6,903	same
32	Nancy	6,872	up 11
33	Marilyn	6,731	up 5
34	Catherine	6,277	down 1
35	Florence	6,212	down 3
36	Ruby	6,153	down 2
37	Annie	5,955	same
38	Eleanor	5,865	down 2
39	Beverly	5,862	up 7
40	Lillian	5,712	down 5
41	Thelma	5,476	down 1
42	Lorraine	5,352	down 3
43	Geraldine	5,334	up 7
44	Gladys	5,327	down 3
45	Josephine	5,298	down 3
46	Ann	5,172	up 8
47	Donna	5,139	up 14
48	June	5,093	down 4
49	Theresa	5,068	same
50	Pauline	5,026	down 2
51	Edna	4,931	down 6
52	Rita	4,767	up 5
53	Marion	4,633	down 6
54	Grace	4,569	down 2
55	Bernice	4,551	down 2
56	Ethel	4,519	down 1
57	Lucille	4,502	down 6
58	Audrey	4,460	up 2
59	Edith	4,455	down 3
60	Juanita	4,412	down 2
61	Wanda	4,397	up 2
62	Jane	4,353	same
63	Carol	4,279	up 14
64	Hazel	4,164	down 5
65	Clara	4,148	same
66	Wilma	4,007	up 3
67	Elaine	3,852	up 1
68	Sarah	3,816	down 4
69	Emma	3,803	down 2
70	Peggy	3,780	up 6
71	Esther	3,587	down 5
72	Beatrice	3,574	down 2
73	Charlotte	3,537	down 1
74	Delores	3,517	up 20
75	Marian	3,447	down 4
76	Willie	3,318	down 2
77	Carolyn	3,272	up 14
78	Elsie	3,230	down 5
79	Billie	3,191	up 17
80	Rosemary	3,107	up 8
81	Vivian	3,101	down 3
82	Janet	3,050	up 13
83	Eva	3,019	down 4
84	Katherine	3,016	down 9
85	Maxine	2,994	down 1
86	Bonnie	2,974	up 3
87	Jacqueline	2,970	up 10
88	Julia	2,950	down 8
89	Kathleen	2,941	down 7
90	Laura	2,936	down 7
91	Anne	2,881	up 2
92	Jeanne	2,818	down 2
93	Bertha	2,800	down 12
94	Agnes	2,770	down 9
95	Gertrude	2,725	down 9
96	Ida	2,673	down 9
97	Ellen	2,567	up 1
98	Eileen	2,558	up 4
99	Vera	2,549	down 7
100	Maria	2,532	up 5

Top boys' names, 1929
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1928
1	Robert	59,807	same
2	James	52,135	up 1
3	John	52,112	down 1
4	William	47,815	same
5	Charles	29,930	same
6	Richard	29,572	same
7	Donald	27,181	same
8	George	23,020	same
9	Joseph	21,165	same
10	Edward	17,220	same
11	Thomas	16,272	same
12	Frank	12,966	same
13	Paul	12,431	same
14	Jack	12,167	up 1
15	Raymond	11,909	up 1
16	Harold	11,677	down 2
17	David	11,302	up 2
18	Kenneth	10,841	down 1
19	Walter	9,850	down 1
20	Eugene	9,046	same
21	Henry	8,571	same
22	Arthur	8,470	same
23	Billy	8,320	up 4
24	Albert	8,078	down 1
25	Herbert	7,881	same
26	Ralph	7,715	down 2
27	Harry	7,144	down 1
28	Carl	6,895	same
29	Willie	6,616	same
30	Joe	6,596	same
31	Howard	6,010	same
32	Louis	5,995	same
33	Gerald	5,965	up 8
34	Fred	5,856	up 2
35	Roy	5,812	down 1
36	Earl	5,737	up 1
37	Clarence	5,729	down 2
38	Lawrence	5,305	same
39	Francis	5,270	up 1
40	Norman	5,157	down 1
41	Alfred	4,928	down 8
42	Leonard	4,829	same
43	Ernest	4,753	same
44	Anthony	4,733	same
45	Ronald	4,479	up 5
46	Marvin	4,389	same
47	Daniel	4,366	same
48	Stanley	4,265	down 3
49	Melvin	4,100	down 1
50	Bobby	3,925	up 15
51	Leroy	3,819	same
52	Bernard	3,807	down 3
53	Samuel	3,567	down 1
54	Michael	3,464	down 1
55	Peter	3,216	up 1
56	Russell	3,183	down 1
57	Ray	3,174	same
58	Floyd	3,079	down 4
59	Andrew	3,076	up 1
60	Leo	3,018	up 1
61	Jerry	2,991	up 18
62	Lloyd	2,949	down 3
63	Bill	2,947	up 1
64	Roger	2,928	up 7
65	Theodore	2,903	up 1
66	Edwin	2,897	down 8
67	Frederick	2,813	same
68	Gene	2,810	down 6
69	Wayne	2,741	same
70	Elmer	2,697	down 7
71	Vernon	2,683	down 1
72	Clifford	2,669	down 4
73	Dale	2,664	up 2
74	Clyde	2,628	same
75	Herman	2,622	up 3
76	Philip	2,606	down 3
77	Alvin	2,555	down 5
78	Don	2,519	up 6
79	Gordon	2,493	down 2
80	Glenn	2,433	down 4
81	Leon	2,336	same
82	Vincent	2,328	same
83	Martin	2,308	same
84	Lewis	2,228	up 2
85	Lee	2,209	up 2
86	Allen	2,189	up 7
87	Charlie	2,185	down 7
88	Lester	2,106	up 1
89	Bob	2,103	up 6
90	Harvey	2,064	same
91	Gilbert	2,056	up 5
92	Warren	2,037	down 7
93	Jesse	2,030	down 2
94	Milton	2,029	down 2
95	Arnold	1,979	up 3
96	Chester	1,969	down 8
97	Douglas	1,965	up 5
98	Jimmie	1,952	up 2
99	Curtis	1,946	up 2
100	Victor	1,941	down 1

Biggest climbers in 1929

The names that gained the most ground within the top 1,000 compared with 1928.

Girls

Jeanine: up 408 places, from 891st to 483rd
Sharon: up 212 places, from 554th to 342nd
Evangelina: up 210 places, from 928th to 718th
Bulah: up 196 places, from 918th to 722nd
Verona: up 195 places, from 953rd to 758th
Marvel: up 180 places, from 700th to 520th
Willene: up 173 places, from 887th to 714th
Vonda: up 164 places, from 961st to 797th
Susanna: up 158 places, from 966th to 808th
Jeannine: up 150 places, from 322nd to 172nd

Boys

Evert: up 279 places, from 985th to 706th
Tim: up 245 places, from 977th to 732nd
Jerrold: up 239 places, from 969th to 730th
Ronnie: up 220 places, from 824th to 604th
Reynaldo: up 205 places, from 946th to 741st
Curtiss: up 198 places, from 954th to 756th
Durward: up 191 places, from 993rd to 802nd
Leopoldo: up 189 places, from 972nd to 783rd
Loran: up 181 places, from 942nd to 761st
Willian: up 171 places, from 845th to 674th

New to the top 1,000 in 1929

Girls

Dorla, 672nd (its first time ever)
Dianne, 823rd (its first time ever)
Margy, 825th (its first time ever)
Velia, 840th (its first time ever)
Dominga, 844th (back after dropping out)
Margot, 846th (back after dropping out)
Roy, 874th (back after dropping out)
Concha, 879th (back after dropping out)
Erlene, 883rd (back after dropping out)
Carrol, 897th (its first time ever)

Boys

Davey, 655th (its first time ever)
Derald, 723rd (its first time ever)
Logan, 777th (back after dropping out)
Hazel, 789th (back after dropping out)
Barbara, 817th (its first time ever)
Wylie, 825th (back after dropping out)
Elizabeth, 838th (back after dropping out)
Humberto, 841st (its first time ever)
Armond, 844th (back after dropping out)
Davie, 860th (back after dropping out)

How spread out were names in 1929?

The ten most popular girls' names went to 22.3% of the girls counted in 1929, and the top ten boys' names to 33.5% of the boys. In 1909, those shares were 21.1% for girls and 31.3% for boys.

Source: Social Security Administration, national baby name data, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.