Most Popular Baby Names of 1930

In 1930, Mary was the most popular name for girls, given to 64,153 babies, and Robert topped the boys' list with 62,153. Mary held on to number one for a 51st year in a row, and Robert held on to number one for a seventh year in a row.

Social Security counted 1,125,927 girls and 1,097,378 boys born in 1930 under names given to at least five babies, spread across 5,247 different girls' names and 4,542 boys' names.

Top 100 names of 1930

Top girls' names, 1930
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1929
1	Mary	64,153	same
2	Betty	38,240	same
3	Dorothy	30,411	same
4	Helen	19,913	same
5	Margaret	18,350	same
6	Barbara	18,279	up 1
7	Patricia	15,751	up 3
8	Joan	15,478	up 5
9	Doris	15,464	down 3
10	Ruth	14,942	down 2
11	Shirley	14,775	down 2
12	Virginia	13,197	down 1
13	Dolores	12,842	up 1
14	Jean	11,986	down 2
15	Elizabeth	10,995	same
16	Frances	10,644	same
17	Lois	10,114	same
18	Joyce	9,658	up 5
19	Evelyn	9,536	same
20	Alice	9,516	up 1
21	Mildred	9,356	down 3
22	Marilyn	9,288	up 11
23	Anna	9,081	down 3
24	Nancy	9,068	up 8
25	Norma	8,511	same
26	Marie	8,426	down 4
27	Martha	7,832	same
28	Phyllis	7,770	down 4
29	Rose	7,688	down 3
30	Gloria	7,605	down 2
31	Louise	6,942	same
32	Marjorie	6,633	down 2
33	Irene	6,464	down 4
34	Beverly	6,455	up 5
35	Catherine	6,299	down 1
36	Ruby	5,993	same
37	Donna	5,978	up 10
38	Florence	5,867	down 3
39	Eleanor	5,823	down 1
40	Annie	5,756	down 3
41	Ann	5,531	up 5
42	Rita	5,470	up 10
43	Geraldine	5,448	same
44	Lillian	5,447	down 4
45	Thelma	5,250	down 4
46	Lorraine	5,166	down 4
47	June	5,094	up 1
48	Gladys	5,066	down 4
49	Josephine	4,988	down 4
50	Theresa	4,783	down 1
51	Edna	4,762	same
52	Pauline	4,655	down 2
53	Janet	4,602	up 29
54	Carol	4,598	up 9
55	Jane	4,575	up 7
56	Wanda	4,524	up 5
57	Juanita	4,512	up 3
58	Bernice	4,439	down 3
59	Lucille	4,327	down 2
60	Marion	4,305	down 7
61	Edith	4,273	down 2
62	Grace	4,218	down 8
63	Audrey	4,129	down 5
64	Clara	4,124	up 1
65	Ethel	4,101	down 9
66	Delores	4,098	up 8
67	Peggy	4,084	up 3
68	Wilma	4,075	down 2
69	Elaine	3,954	down 2
70	Sarah	3,920	down 2
71	Hazel	3,888	down 7
72	Carolyn	3,725	up 5
73	Emma	3,555	down 4
74	Jacqueline	3,414	up 13
75	Charlotte	3,406	down 2
76	Beatrice	3,390	down 4
77	Esther	3,350	down 6
78	Bonnie	3,265	up 8
79	Billie	3,241	same
80	Marian	3,213	down 5
81	Joanne	3,154	up 20
82	Rosemary	3,151	down 2
83	Anne	3,091	up 8
84	Kathleen	3,074	up 5
85	Katherine	3,033	down 1
86	Eva	3,019	down 3
87	Willie	3,018	down 11
88	Elsie	2,973	down 10
89	Laura	2,908	up 1
90	Julia	2,880	down 2
91	Vivian	2,872	down 10
92	Jeanne	2,720	same
93	Maxine	2,700	down 8
94	Ida	2,643	up 2
95	Bertha	2,605	down 2
96	Gertrude	2,555	down 1
97	Patsy	2,544	up 21
98	Sally	2,542	up 14
99	Maria	2,540	up 1
100	Ellen	2,522	down 3

Top boys' names, 1930
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1929
1	Robert	62,153	same
2	James	53,957	same
3	John	52,447	same
4	William	47,271	same
5	Richard	32,187	up 1
6	Charles	31,867	down 1
7	Donald	29,052	same
8	George	22,788	same
9	Joseph	20,981	same
10	Edward	17,352	same
11	Thomas	17,008	same
12	Paul	12,955	up 1
13	Frank	12,535	down 1
14	Jack	12,430	same
15	David	12,275	up 2
16	Raymond	11,714	down 1
17	Kenneth	11,705	up 1
18	Harold	11,660	down 2
19	Walter	9,731	same
20	Billy	9,285	up 3
21	Eugene	9,029	down 1
22	Henry	8,594	down 1
23	Arthur	8,284	down 1
24	Albert	7,950	same
25	Ralph	7,634	up 1
26	Carl	6,951	up 2
27	Joe	6,873	up 3
28	Harry	6,847	down 1
29	Willie	6,667	same
30	Gerald	6,483	up 3
31	Howard	6,341	same
32	Fred	6,049	up 2
33	Roy	5,917	up 2
34	Louis	5,810	down 2
35	Herbert	5,675	down 10
36	Lawrence	5,639	up 2
37	Ronald	5,635	up 8
38	Earl	5,567	down 2
39	Clarence	5,498	down 2
40	Norman	5,289	same
41	Bobby	5,181	up 9
42	Francis	4,990	down 3
43	Ernest	4,787	same
44	Anthony	4,674	same
45	Leonard	4,662	down 3
46	Alfred	4,558	down 5
47	Daniel	4,465	same
48	Marvin	4,404	down 2
49	Stanley	4,383	down 1
50	Melvin	4,048	down 1
51	Jerry	3,891	up 10
52	Bernard	3,831	same
53	Leroy	3,802	down 2
54	Michael	3,543	same
55	Samuel	3,531	down 2
56	Peter	3,266	down 1
57	Ray	3,254	same
58	Roger	3,246	up 6
59	Bill	3,160	up 4
60	Russell	3,101	down 4
61	Floyd	3,077	down 3
62	Andrew	3,056	down 3
63	Leo	3,035	down 3
64	Dale	2,994	up 9
65	Wayne	2,981	up 4
66	Edwin	2,972	same
67	Theodore	2,958	down 2
68	Don	2,922	up 10
69	Lloyd	2,838	down 7
70	Gene	2,787	down 2
71	Glenn	2,758	up 9
72	Vernon	2,703	down 1
73	Clifford	2,696	down 1
74	Frederick	2,694	down 7
75	Philip	2,655	up 1
76	Clyde	2,631	down 2
77	Gordon	2,611	up 2
78	Herman	2,598	down 3
79	Alvin	2,512	down 2
80	Elmer	2,476	down 10
81	Leon	2,401	same
82	Lee	2,361	up 3
83	Martin	2,322	same
84	Vincent	2,318	down 2
85	Allen	2,278	up 1
86	Jimmie	2,255	up 12
87	Lewis	2,243	down 3
88	Bob	2,242	up 1
89	Douglas	2,166	up 8
90	Gilbert	2,119	up 1
91	Charlie	2,113	down 4
92	Harvey	2,062	down 2
93	Milton	2,053	up 1
94	Jesse	2,035	down 1
95	Lester	2,020	down 7
96	Warren	2,011	down 4
97	Eddie	1,972	up 5
98	Arnold	1,948	down 3
99	Cecil	1,882	up 2
100	Victor	1,844	same

Biggest climbers in 1930

The names that gained the most ground within the top 1,000 compared with 1929.

Girls

Wynona: up 235 places, from 940th to 705th
Marlene: up 217 places, from 605th to 388th
Carmelita: up 193 places, from 857th to 664th
Cherie: up 192 places, from 861st to 669th
Elease: up 187 places, from 982nd to 795th
Nedra: up 180 places, from 854th to 674th
Jeraldine: up 167 places, from 863rd to 696th
Lolita: up 166 places, from 906th to 740th
Lawanda: up 166 places, from 964th to 798th
Arden: up 165 places, from 903rd to 738th

Boys

Farrell: up 262 places, from 986th to 724th
Jon: up 255 places, from 928th to 673rd
Dolores: up 203 places, from 916th to 713th
Glynn: up 200 places, from 987th to 787th
Ignatius: up 197 places, from 957th to 760th
Aurelio: up 187 places, from 816th to 629th
Oswald: up 187 places, from 950th to 763rd
Carson: up 160 places, from 744th to 584th
Brady: up 157 places, from 941st to 784th
Gino: up 156 places, from 849th to 693rd

New to the top 1,000 in 1930

Girls

Ardeth, 629th (its first time ever)
Marilee, 791st (back after dropping out)
Vernie, 794th (back after dropping out)
Armida, 800th (its first time ever)
Arvilla, 824th (back after dropping out)
Phylis, 830th (back after dropping out)
Venita, 838th (back after dropping out)
Waneta, 839th (back after dropping out)
Sonya, 845th (back after dropping out)
Coleen, 848th (back after dropping out)

Boys

Ardell, 778th (back after dropping out)
Vernie, 795th (back after dropping out)
Carmelo, 805th (back after dropping out)
Val, 809th (back after dropping out)
Virgle, 814th (back after dropping out)
Furman, 816th (back after dropping out)
Gerry, 818th (its first time ever)
Dorman, 857th (back after dropping out)
Rosendo, 864th (back after dropping out)
Derl, 868th (its first time ever)

How spread out were names in 1930?

The ten most popular girls' names went to 22.3% of the girls counted in 1930, and the top ten boys' names to 33.7% of the boys. In 1910, those shares were 21.1% for girls and 31.2% 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.