Most Popular Baby Names of 1934

In 1934, Mary was the most popular name for girls, given to 56,929 babies, and Robert topped the boys' list with 55,843. Mary held on to number one for a 55th year in a row, and Robert held on to number one for a 11th year in a row.

Social Security counted 1,044,225 girls and 1,032,596 boys born in 1934 under names given to at least five babies, spread across 4,973 different girls' names and 4,205 boys' names.

Top 100 names of 1934

Top girls' names, 1934
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1933
1	Mary	56,929	same
2	Betty	31,089	same
3	Barbara	29,239	same
4	Shirley	22,841	up 5
5	Dorothy	21,281	down 1
6	Patricia	20,844	same
7	Joan	19,465	down 2
8	Margaret	15,144	down 1
9	Helen	14,100	down 1
10	Nancy	13,520	up 1
11	Doris	11,627	down 1
12	Joyce	11,459	same
13	Ruth	10,565	same
14	Carol	10,273	up 6
15	Virginia	10,002	same
16	Jean	9,718	down 2
17	Marilyn	9,382	down 1
18	Elizabeth	9,346	down 1
19	Frances	9,206	down 1
20	Lois	8,387	down 1
21	Janet	8,071	up 4
22	Beverly	7,886	up 4
23	Donna	7,870	up 1
24	Norma	7,788	down 1
25	Alice	7,784	down 3
26	Dolores	7,689	down 5
27	Martha	7,604	same
28	Phyllis	7,180	same
29	Evelyn	6,983	up 1
30	Gloria	6,813	up 1
31	Anna	6,680	down 2
32	Ann	6,641	up 2
33	Carolyn	6,472	up 7
34	Marie	6,326	down 1
35	Mildred	6,180	down 3
36	Peggy	6,027	same
37	Rose	5,583	down 2
38	Annie	5,018	down 1
39	Ruby	4,978	up 4
40	Louise	4,973	down 1
41	Marjorie	4,972	same
42	Catherine	4,933	up 2
43	Geraldine	4,837	down 1
44	Eleanor	4,718	down 6
45	Joanne	4,543	up 11
46	June	4,387	down 1
47	Wanda	4,368	up 1
48	Jane	4,358	down 1
49	Irene	4,346	down 3
50	Joann	4,149	up 22
51	Delores	3,991	up 1
52	Lillian	3,973	down 1
53	Arlene	3,917	up 21
54	Elaine	3,900	up 7
55	Edna	3,809	same
56	Lorraine	3,775	down 2
57	Marlene	3,755	down 7
58	Bonnie	3,753	up 10
59	Patsy	3,750	up 6
60	Josephine	3,742	up 2
61	Florence	3,736	down 12
62	Sally	3,725	up 14
63	Rita	3,683	down 10
64	Juanita	3,662	down 1
65	Thelma	3,646	down 8
66	Gladys	3,611	down 6
67	Sarah	3,601	down 9
68	Janice	3,588	up 13
69	Audrey	3,582	down 10
70	Sylvia	3,475	up 14
71	Pauline	3,445	down 7
72	Charlotte	3,434	up 7
73	Wilma	3,311	down 7
74	Kathleen	3,279	up 3
75	Jo	3,257	up 15
76	Clara	3,222	down 9
77	Theresa	3,192	down 7
78	Ethel	3,178	down 7
79	Grace	3,087	down 10
80	Jacqueline	3,038	up 6
81	Edith	3,012	down 1
82	Bernice	2,980	up 1
83	Loretta	2,978	up 4
84	Lucille	2,947	down 6
85	Emma	2,940	down 10
86	Marion	2,884	down 13
87	Hazel	2,811	down 5
88	Anne	2,786	down 3
89	Carole	2,655	up 18
90	Darlene	2,605	up 6
91	Esther	2,579	down 3
92	Billie	2,559	same
93	Sandra	2,550	up 52
94	Judith	2,459	up 25
95	Ellen	2,455	up 9
96	Laura	2,438	down 5
97	Marian	2,426	down 8
98	Vivian	2,413	same
99	Beatrice	2,410	down 5
100	Eva	2,389	up 1

Top boys' names, 1934
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1933
1	Robert	55,843	same
2	James	54,270	same
3	John	46,743	same
4	William	40,175	same
5	Richard	33,167	same
6	Donald	30,408	up 1
7	Charles	29,790	down 1
8	George	18,500	same
9	Thomas	17,373	up 1
10	Joseph	17,111	down 1
11	Ronald	14,088	up 1
12	David	14,003	up 1
13	Edward	13,917	down 2
14	Paul	12,196	same
15	Kenneth	11,800	same
16	Frank	10,640	same
17	Jack	9,985	same
18	Harold	9,926	same
19	Raymond	9,588	same
20	Billy	9,562	same
21	Walter	8,092	same
22	Gerald	7,816	same
23	Bobby	7,532	up 3
24	Eugene	7,145	down 1
25	Jerry	7,134	up 6
26	Joe	7,090	up 1
27	Henry	6,735	down 3
28	Carl	6,683	same
29	Arthur	6,443	down 4
30	Willie	6,348	up 2
31	Ralph	6,282	down 2
32	Albert	6,003	down 2
33	Fred	5,466	up 1
34	Lawrence	5,324	up 4
35	Roy	5,104	up 4
36	Harry	5,099	down 1
37	Howard	5,068	down 1
38	Norman	4,989	down 1
39	Roger	4,766	up 9
40	Louis	4,682	same
41	Earl	4,628	same
42	Daniel	4,502	same
43	Larry	4,474	up 15
44	Marvin	4,217	same
45	Clarence	4,213	down 2
46	Franklin	4,156	down 13
47	Michael	4,108	up 6
48	Wayne	4,035	up 4
49	Francis	4,006	down 4
50	Don	3,926	up 4
51	Ernest	3,849	down 1
52	Anthony	3,840	down 6
53	Leonard	3,836	down 6
54	Leroy	3,774	up 2
55	Melvin	3,702	down 4
56	Jimmy	3,696	up 8
57	Herbert	3,600	down 8
58	Stanley	3,569	down 3
59	Bill	3,534	same
60	Gary	3,354	up 20
61	Peter	3,290	down 1
62	Dale	3,241	up 3
63	Ray	3,177	down 1
64	Alfred	3,158	down 7
65	Bernard	3,146	down 2
66	Samuel	3,137	down 5
67	Gene	2,854	down 1
68	Jimmie	2,837	up 4
69	Philip	2,784	up 1
70	Russell	2,736	down 3
71	Gordon	2,639	same
72	Douglas	2,541	up 9
73	Floyd	2,533	down 4
74	Theodore	2,523	down 6
75	Bob	2,478	up 7
76	Andrew	2,443	same
77	Frederick	2,431	up 1
78	Bruce	2,401	up 13
79	Lee	2,378	same
80	Edwin	2,347	down 3
81	Glenn	2,341	down 7
82	Lloyd	2,339	down 9
83	Johnny	2,336	up 7
84	Clyde	2,323	up 3
85	Clifford	2,315	up 1
86	Leo	2,309	down 11
87	Leon	2,306	down 2
88	Allen	2,241	down 4
89	Vernon	2,227	down 6
90	Jim	2,207	up 8
91	Martin	2,178	down 2
92	Eddie	2,169	up 1
93	Alvin	2,147	down 5
94	Lewis	2,062	down 2
95	Dennis	2,053	up 11
96	Warren	2,024	up 3
97	Herman	2,011	down 1
98	Tommy	1,937	up 11
99	Harvey	1,934	down 2
100	Charlie	1,892	down 5

Biggest climbers in 1934

The names that gained the most ground within the top 1,000 compared with 1933.

Girls

Georgina: up 228 places, from 941st to 713th
Toby: up 224 places, from 893rd to 669th
Marilee: up 213 places, from 980th to 767th
Sonja: up 212 places, from 935th to 723rd
Dale: up 211 places, from 828th to 617th
Rheta: up 208 places, from 735th to 527th
Cleta: up 191 places, from 770th to 579th
Carolee: up 187 places, from 737th to 550th
Lynne: up 174 places, from 685th to 511th
Lavada: up 172 places, from 830th to 658th

Boys

Lynwood: up 292 places, from 847th to 555th
Terrance: up 223 places, from 833rd to 610th
Duwayne: up 195 places, from 950th to 755th
Ora: up 192 places, from 864th to 672nd
Bart: up 188 places, from 997th to 809th
Tracy: up 179 places, from 768th to 589th
Carey: up 167 places, from 784th to 617th
Jan: up 156 places, from 625th to 469th
Chuck: up 153 places, from 869th to 716th
Aron: up 153 places, from 961st to 808th

New to the top 1,000 in 1934

Girls

Kathy, 751st (back after dropping out)
Gale, 757th (its first time ever)
Laurie, 800th (back after dropping out)
Rutha, 802nd (back after dropping out)
Luanne, 807th (its first time ever)
Saundra, 829th (its first time ever)
Lulu, 844th (back after dropping out)
Marina, 851st (back after dropping out)
Beverlee, 866th (back after dropping out)
Luann, 873rd (its first time ever)

Boys

Lanny, 620th (its first time ever)
Ron, 769th (its first time ever)
Estel, 794th (back after dropping out)
Kirk, 802nd (back after dropping out)
Robbie, 821st (back after dropping out)
Marland, 838th (its first time ever)
Judge, 856th (back after dropping out)
Toby, 859th (back after dropping out)
Arlyn, 860th (its first time ever)
Derald, 865th (back after dropping out)

How spread out were names in 1934?

The ten most popular girls' names went to 23.4% of the girls counted in 1934, and the top ten boys' names to 33.3% of the boys. In 1914, those shares were 22.9% for girls and 30.8% 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.