Most Popular Baby Names of 1935

In 1935, Mary was the most popular name for girls, given to 55,076 babies, and Robert topped the boys' list with 56,527. Mary held on to number one for a 56th year in a row, and Robert held on to number one for a 12th year in a row.

Social Security counted 1,048,577 girls and 1,041,351 boys born in 1935 under names given to at least five babies, spread across 4,893 different girls' names and 4,146 boys' names.

Top 100 names of 1935

Top girls' names, 1935
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1934
1	Mary	55,076	same
2	Shirley	42,366	up 2
3	Barbara	30,698	same
4	Betty	28,674	down 2
5	Patricia	22,879	up 1
6	Dorothy	19,406	down 1
7	Joan	18,220	same
8	Margaret	14,727	same
9	Nancy	14,544	up 1
10	Helen	12,785	down 1
11	Carol	11,735	up 3
12	Joyce	11,368	same
13	Doris	10,604	down 2
14	Marilyn	10,418	up 3
15	Ruth	9,988	down 2
16	Virginia	9,867	down 1
17	Elizabeth	9,075	up 1
18	Jean	8,852	down 2
19	Frances	8,770	same
20	Beverly	7,992	up 2
21	Lois	7,990	down 1
22	Janet	7,856	down 1
23	Donna	7,793	same
24	Martha	7,621	up 3
25	Alice	7,443	same
26	Dolores	7,375	same
27	Phyllis	7,370	up 1
28	Carolyn	6,967	up 5
29	Norma	6,869	down 5
30	Ann	6,706	up 2
31	Evelyn	6,560	down 2
32	Gloria	6,348	down 2
33	Marie	6,292	up 1
34	Anna	6,162	down 3
35	Mildred	5,546	same
36	Peggy	5,270	same
37	Rose	5,232	same
38	Annie	4,849	same
39	Marlene	4,830	up 18
40	Geraldine	4,818	up 3
41	Ruby	4,764	down 2
42	Catherine	4,698	same
43	Jane	4,646	up 5
44	Joanne	4,565	up 1
45	Louise	4,563	down 5
46	Marjorie	4,482	down 5
47	Janice	4,442	up 21
48	Eleanor	4,166	down 4
49	Wanda	4,102	down 2
50	Sandra	4,089	up 43
51	Elaine	4,080	up 3
52	Irene	3,940	down 3
53	Joann	3,913	down 3
54	Judith	3,872	up 40
55	June	3,839	down 9
56	Patsy	3,797	up 3
57	Delores	3,793	down 6
58	Sally	3,711	up 4
59	Arlene	3,684	down 6
60	Sylvia	3,620	up 10
61	Sarah	3,615	up 6
62	Bonnie	3,610	down 4
63	Rita	3,579	same
64	Audrey	3,514	up 5
65	Charlotte	3,470	up 7
66	Lillian	3,423	down 14
67	Edna	3,420	down 12
68	Lorraine	3,405	down 12
69	Loretta	3,365	up 14
70	Wilma	3,361	up 3
71	Kathleen	3,353	up 3
72	Juanita	3,344	down 8
73	Jo	3,296	up 2
74	Florence	3,273	down 13
75	Josephine	3,262	down 15
76	Thelma	3,190	down 11
77	Roberta	3,180	up 27
78	Gladys	3,147	down 12
79	Jacqueline	3,115	up 1
80	Pauline	3,076	down 9
81	Clara	3,067	down 5
82	Ethel	3,003	down 4
83	Grace	2,994	down 4
84	Anne	2,892	up 4
85	Lucille	2,887	down 1
86	Theresa	2,863	down 9
87	Edith	2,830	down 6
88	Marion	2,813	down 2
89	Emma	2,802	down 4
90	Bernice	2,777	down 8
91	Darlene	2,703	down 1
92	Hazel	2,694	down 5
93	Carole	2,680	down 4
94	Esther	2,542	down 3
95	Ellen	2,434	same
96	Sharon	2,426	up 54
97	Rosemary	2,394	up 14
98	Yvonne	2,387	up 39
99	Willie	2,370	up 3
100	Margie	2,368	up 3

Top boys' names, 1935
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1934
1	Robert	56,527	same
2	James	55,005	same
3	John	47,509	same
4	William	40,204	same
5	Richard	33,946	same
6	Charles	29,983	up 1
7	Donald	29,674	down 1
8	George	18,564	same
9	Thomas	17,684	same
10	Joseph	17,181	same
11	David	15,663	up 1
12	Ronald	15,489	down 1
13	Edward	13,844	same
14	Paul	12,563	same
15	Kenneth	12,067	same
16	Frank	10,420	same
17	Raymond	9,564	up 2
18	Jack	9,438	down 1
19	Billy	9,241	up 1
20	Harold	9,170	down 2
21	Gerald	8,458	up 1
22	Jerry	8,452	up 3
23	Walter	7,816	down 2
24	Bobby	7,726	down 1
25	Joe	7,555	up 1
26	Eugene	6,859	down 2
27	Henry	6,856	same
28	Carl	6,693	same
29	Arthur	6,547	same
30	Willie	6,327	same
31	Albert	6,094	up 1
32	Ralph	6,090	down 1
33	Larry	5,975	up 10
34	Fred	5,493	down 1
35	Lawrence	5,351	down 1
36	Roger	5,152	up 3
37	Harry	5,054	down 1
38	Norman	5,043	same
39	Howard	4,970	down 2
40	Roy	4,939	down 5
41	Michael	4,906	up 6
42	Louis	4,622	down 2
43	Daniel	4,591	down 1
44	Gary	4,490	up 16
45	Marvin	4,278	down 1
46	Earl	4,224	down 5
47	Jimmy	4,171	up 9
48	Clarence	4,080	down 3
49	Wayne	4,057	down 1
50	Leroy	3,919	up 4
51	Don	3,917	down 1
52	Anthony	3,909	same
53	Francis	3,894	down 4
54	Leonard	3,804	down 1
55	Ernest	3,702	down 4
56	Stanley	3,696	up 2
57	Melvin	3,600	down 2
58	Herbert	3,437	down 1
59	Peter	3,422	up 2
60	Bill	3,282	down 1
61	Dale	3,274	up 1
62	Samuel	3,149	up 4
63	Alfred	3,128	up 1
64	Ray	3,070	down 1
65	Philip	3,064	up 4
66	Gene	2,937	up 1
67	Bernard	2,933	down 2
68	Russell	2,833	up 2
69	Jimmie	2,829	down 1
70	Gordon	2,615	up 1
71	Franklin	2,611	down 25
72	Dennis	2,597	up 23
73	Frederick	2,582	up 4
74	Johnny	2,533	up 9
75	Douglas	2,529	down 3
76	Floyd	2,506	down 3
77	Bruce	2,447	up 1
78	Glenn	2,437	up 3
79	Theodore	2,433	down 5
80	Lee	2,426	down 1
81	Bob	2,389	down 6
82	Clyde	2,355	up 2
83	Allen	2,312	up 5
84	Lloyd	2,296	down 2
85	Andrew	2,291	down 9
86	Leon	2,282	up 1
87	Eddie	2,281	up 5
88	Clifford	2,265	down 3
89	Edwin	2,258	down 9
90	Jim	2,244	same
91	Alvin	2,165	up 2
92	Leo	2,142	down 6
93	Martin	2,116	down 2
94	Vernon	2,112	down 5
95	Tommy	2,032	up 3
96	Jerome	2,008	up 11
97	Warren	1,994	down 1
98	Lewis	1,974	down 4
99	Harvey	1,958	same
100	Charlie	1,926	same

Biggest climbers in 1935

The names that gained the most ground within the top 1,000 compared with 1934.

Girls

Marva: up 319 places, from 785th to 466th
Shirlene: up 296 places, from 935th to 639th
Sherrill: up 267 places, from 953rd to 686th
Sharron: up 264 places, from 991st to 727th
Rochelle: up 238 places, from 663rd to 425th
Saundra: up 227 places, from 829th to 602nd
Marsha: up 204 places, from 741st to 537th
Magnolia: up 194 places, from 950th to 756th
Emilie: up 184 places, from 812th to 628th
Penny: up 182 places, from 972nd to 790th

Boys

Kerry: up 413 places, from 963rd to 550th
Garnett: up 274 places, from 993rd to 719th
Domenic: up 257 places, from 990th to 733rd
Lane: up 209 places, from 949th to 740th
Dennie: up 207 places, from 975th to 768th
Werner: up 190 places, from 955th to 765th
Elzie: up 190 places, from 959th to 769th
Sherwin: up 174 places, from 938th to 764th
Terence: up 173 places, from 761st to 588th
Hazel: up 173 places, from 997th to 824th

New to the top 1,000 in 1935

Girls

Darla, 672nd (its first time ever)
Norita, 713th (its first time ever)
Gaye, 744th (its first time ever)
Margo, 771st (back after dropping out)
Jeri, 801st (its first time ever)
Penelope, 830th (back after dropping out)
Shelby, 848th (its first time ever)
Sandy, 854th (its first time ever)
Loris, 863rd (its first time ever)
Heather, 870th (its first time ever)

Boys

Darwyn, 752nd (its first time ever)
Marc, 783rd (back after dropping out)
Rayburn, 795th (back after dropping out)
Sherrill, 812th (back after dropping out)
Isadore, 825th (back after dropping out)
Gorden, 838th (back after dropping out)
Orvil, 848th (back after dropping out)
Domenick, 859th (back after dropping out)
Dorman, 860th (back after dropping out)
Pearl, 868th (back after dropping out)

How spread out were names in 1935?

The ten most popular girls' names went to 24.7% of the girls counted in 1935, and the top ten boys' names to 33.3% of the boys. In 1915, those shares were 23.2% for girls and 30.4% 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.