Most Popular Baby Names of 1933

In 1933, Mary was the most popular name for girls, given to 55,517 babies, and Robert topped the boys' list with 54,221. Mary held on to number one for a 54th year in a row, and Robert held on to number one for a tenth year in a row.

Social Security counted 1,007,932 girls and 991,524 boys born in 1933 under names given to at least five babies, spread across 4,858 different girls' names and 4,156 boys' names.

Top 100 names of 1933

Top girls' names, 1933
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1932
1	Mary	55,517	same
2	Betty	31,531	same
3	Barbara	26,949	same
4	Dorothy	22,054	same
5	Joan	19,294	same
6	Patricia	18,632	same
7	Margaret	15,241	same
8	Helen	14,644	same
9	Shirley	14,320	same
10	Doris	12,025	same
11	Nancy	11,869	up 2
12	Joyce	11,191	same
13	Ruth	11,136	down 2
14	Jean	9,966	up 1
15	Virginia	9,719	down 1
16	Marilyn	9,126	same
17	Elizabeth	9,016	same
18	Frances	8,883	up 1
19	Lois	8,655	up 1
20	Carol	8,220	up 12
21	Dolores	8,022	down 3
22	Alice	7,697	down 1
23	Norma	7,482	down 1
24	Donna	7,360	up 5
25	Janet	7,342	up 10
26	Beverly	7,186	up 2
27	Martha	7,164	same
28	Phyllis	7,111	up 2
29	Anna	7,072	down 5
30	Evelyn	6,947	down 7
31	Gloria	6,752	down 6
32	Mildred	6,569	down 6
33	Marie	6,242	down 2
34	Ann	6,209	same
35	Rose	5,770	down 2
36	Peggy	5,534	up 4
37	Annie	5,123	up 4
38	Eleanor	5,106	up 7
39	Louise	5,079	down 3
40	Carolyn	5,043	up 6
41	Marjorie	5,043	down 4
42	Geraldine	4,962	same
43	Ruby	4,944	down 5
44	Catherine	4,908	down 5
45	June	4,677	down 1
46	Irene	4,506	down 3
47	Jane	4,377	up 2
48	Wanda	4,268	up 4
49	Florence	4,078	down 2
50	Marlene	4,045	up 28
51	Lillian	3,998	down 3
52	Delores	3,890	up 4
53	Rita	3,840	same
54	Lorraine	3,797	up 1
55	Edna	3,730	down 5
56	Joanne	3,719	up 6
57	Thelma	3,636	down 6
58	Sarah	3,621	up 9
59	Audrey	3,610	up 2
60	Gladys	3,581	down 6
61	Elaine	3,572	up 7
62	Josephine	3,569	down 5
63	Juanita	3,551	down 5
64	Pauline	3,542	down 5
65	Patsy	3,451	up 12
66	Wilma	3,417	down 1
67	Clara	3,412	up 3
68	Bonnie	3,373	down 4
69	Grace	3,329	up 3
70	Theresa	3,266	down 10
71	Ethel	3,217	down 5
72	Joann	3,209	up 7
73	Marion	3,199	same
74	Arlene	3,185	up 6
75	Emma	3,152	up 1
76	Sally	3,146	up 8
77	Kathleen	3,121	up 6
78	Lucille	3,117	down 15
79	Charlotte	3,114	down 5
80	Edith	3,110	down 11
81	Janice	3,061	up 13
82	Hazel	3,030	down 7
83	Bernice	3,009	down 12
84	Sylvia	2,935	up 12
85	Anne	2,767	down 4
86	Jacqueline	2,756	down 1
87	Loretta	2,705	up 2
88	Esther	2,676	down 6
89	Marian	2,638	down 3
90	Jo	2,541	up 13
91	Laura	2,536	down 3
92	Billie	2,483	up 1
93	Willie	2,449	down 2
94	Beatrice	2,410	down 7
95	Margie	2,409	up 7
96	Darlene	2,408	up 26
97	Julia	2,403	down 5
98	Vivian	2,378	down 8
99	Elsie	2,376	down 2
100	Katherine	2,330	down 5

Top boys' names, 1933
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1932
1	Robert	54,221	same
2	James	51,112	same
3	John	46,224	same
4	William	39,049	same
5	Richard	31,331	same
6	Charles	28,991	same
7	Donald	28,450	same
8	George	18,356	same
9	Joseph	17,162	same
10	Thomas	16,508	same
11	Edward	13,797	same
12	Ronald	12,061	up 4
13	David	12,026	down 1
14	Paul	11,854	down 1
15	Kenneth	11,410	down 1
16	Frank	10,962	down 1
17	Jack	9,838	same
18	Harold	9,543	same
19	Raymond	9,512	same
20	Billy	8,938	same
21	Walter	7,756	same
22	Gerald	7,422	up 2
23	Eugene	7,352	down 1
24	Henry	6,726	down 1
25	Arthur	6,525	same
26	Bobby	6,490	up 4
27	Joe	6,411	up 2
28	Carl	6,188	same
29	Ralph	6,185	down 2
30	Albert	6,091	down 4
31	Jerry	6,066	up 3
32	Willie	5,983	down 1
33	Franklin	5,363	up 33
34	Fred	5,287	down 1
35	Harry	5,134	down 3
36	Howard	4,995	same
37	Norman	4,959	same
38	Lawrence	4,911	down 3
39	Roy	4,906	down 1
40	Louis	4,695	down 1
41	Earl	4,374	same
42	Daniel	4,310	same
43	Clarence	4,280	down 3
44	Marvin	4,132	up 2
45	Francis	4,093	down 2
46	Anthony	3,974	down 1
47	Leonard	3,955	up 1
48	Roger	3,917	up 2
49	Herbert	3,685	down 5
50	Ernest	3,674	down 3
51	Melvin	3,588	same
52	Wayne	3,562	up 5
53	Michael	3,549	up 1
54	Don	3,453	up 1
55	Stanley	3,432	down 3
56	Leroy	3,357	down 3
57	Alfred	3,268	down 8
58	Larry	3,251	up 7
59	Bill	3,223	down 1
60	Peter	3,137	up 2
61	Samuel	3,111	down 5
62	Ray	3,032	down 3
63	Bernard	3,005	down 3
64	Jimmy	2,932	up 12
65	Dale	2,925	down 4
66	Gene	2,780	down 2
67	Russell	2,697	down 4
68	Theodore	2,611	down 1
69	Floyd	2,541	down 1
70	Philip	2,530	same
71	Gordon	2,524	up 10
72	Jimmie	2,491	up 3
73	Lloyd	2,413	down 2
74	Glenn	2,366	up 3
75	Leo	2,352	down 1
76	Andrew	2,344	down 7
77	Edwin	2,328	down 5
78	Frederick	2,321	down 5
79	Lee	2,301	up 7
80	Gary	2,254	up 56
81	Douglas	2,252	up 4
82	Bob	2,222	down 3
83	Vernon	2,206	down 5
84	Allen	2,204	down 4
85	Leon	2,187	down 2
86	Clifford	2,158	down 2
87	Clyde	2,141	down 5
88	Alvin	2,128	down 1
89	Martin	2,064	down 1
90	Johnny	2,053	up 6
91	Bruce	2,037	up 7
92	Lewis	2,037	same
93	Eddie	2,016	down 2
94	Vincent	1,983	down 1
95	Charlie	1,978	down 5
96	Herman	1,945	down 7
97	Harvey	1,896	down 2
98	Jim	1,875	up 6
99	Warren	1,809	up 3
100	Jesse	1,804	down 1

Biggest climbers in 1933

The names that gained the most ground within the top 1,000 compared with 1932.

Girls

Bernita: up 245 places, from 934th to 689th
Benita: up 207 places, from 760th to 553rd
Mariann: up 196 places, from 962nd to 766th
Sidney: up 186 places, from 939th to 753rd
Sydney: up 172 places, from 807th to 635th
Carolee: up 170 places, from 907th to 737th
Lynne: up 166 places, from 851st to 685th
Joycelyn: up 161 places, from 919th to 758th
Barbra: up 161 places, from 943rd to 782nd
Patrica: up 158 places, from 963rd to 805th

Boys

Delano: up 376 places, from 678th to 302nd
Jan: up 320 places, from 945th to 625th
Patricia: up 305 places, from 989th to 684th
Darryl: up 260 places, from 983rd to 723rd
Delton: up 253 places, from 926th to 673rd
Franklyn: up 211 places, from 697th to 486th
Reynold: up 206 places, from 873rd to 667th
Asa: up 180 places, from 890th to 710th
Art: up 179 places, from 829th to 650th
Blair: up 175 places, from 844th to 669th

New to the top 1,000 in 1933

Girls

Nira, 463rd (its first time ever)
Sharlene, 680th (its first time ever)
Rheta, 735th (its first time ever)
Marsha, 779th (back after dropping out)
Vina, 789th (back after dropping out)
Rochelle, 799th (back after dropping out)
Evie, 840th (back after dropping out)
Jerrie, 841st (its first time ever)
Ginger, 860th (its first time ever)
Cheryl, 867th (back after dropping out)

Boys

Arlan, 770th (back after dropping out)
Author, 799th (back after dropping out)
Miller, 807th (back after dropping out)
Stan, 810th (its first time ever)
Clovis, 812th (back after dropping out)
Cary, 836th (back after dropping out)
Leamon, 861st (back after dropping out)
Clint, 870th (back after dropping out)
Antone, 885th (back after dropping out)
Cordell, 888th (its first time ever)

How spread out were names in 1933?

The ten most popular girls' names went to 22.8% of the girls counted in 1933, and the top ten boys' names to 33.4% of the boys. In 1913, those shares were 22.6% for girls and 30.6% 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.