Most Popular Baby Names of 1936

In 1936, Mary was the most popular name for girls, given to 54,377 babies, and Robert topped the boys' list with 58,500. Mary held on to number one for a 57th year in a row, and Robert held on to number one for a 13th year in a row.

Social Security counted 1,040,390 girls and 1,037,205 boys born in 1936 under names given to at least five babies, spread across 4,856 different girls' names and 4,037 boys' names.

Top 100 names of 1936

Top girls' names, 1936
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1935
1	Mary	54,377	same
2	Shirley	35,161	same
3	Barbara	31,682	same
4	Betty	25,868	same
5	Patricia	23,916	same
6	Dorothy	17,666	same
7	Joan	17,072	same
8	Nancy	16,755	up 1
9	Margaret	14,596	down 1
10	Carol	14,520	up 1
11	Helen	12,234	down 1
12	Joyce	11,988	same
13	Marilyn	11,064	up 1
14	Virginia	9,650	up 2
15	Doris	9,226	down 2
16	Ruth	9,217	down 1
17	Beverly	8,901	up 3
18	Elizabeth	8,860	down 1
19	Frances	8,789	same
20	Jean	8,536	down 2
21	Janet	8,080	up 1
22	Donna	7,932	up 1
23	Carolyn	7,906	up 5
24	Martha	7,392	same
25	Phyllis	7,374	up 2
26	Lois	7,232	down 5
27	Alice	7,201	down 2
28	Ann	6,666	up 2
29	Norma	6,633	same
30	Dolores	6,417	down 4
31	Janice	6,150	up 16
32	Gloria	6,140	same
33	Marie	6,132	same
34	Evelyn	6,108	down 3
35	Peggy	6,068	up 1
36	Anna	5,727	down 2
37	Rose	5,699	same
38	Sandra	5,526	up 12
39	Marlene	5,332	same
40	Mildred	5,051	down 5
41	Geraldine	4,864	down 1
42	Jane	4,719	up 1
43	Judith	4,580	up 11
44	Catherine	4,537	down 2
45	Annie	4,529	down 7
46	Louise	4,355	down 1
47	Eleanor	4,341	up 1
48	Joanne	4,305	down 4
49	Marjorie	4,279	down 3
50	Elaine	4,259	up 1
51	Ruby	4,226	down 10
52	Patsy	4,196	up 4
53	Sylvia	4,156	up 7
54	Arlene	3,898	up 5
55	Joann	3,886	down 2
56	Wanda	3,882	down 7
57	Irene	3,817	down 5
58	Delores	3,760	down 1
59	Sally	3,635	down 1
60	Sharon	3,573	up 36
61	Charlotte	3,555	up 4
62	June	3,515	down 7
63	Sarah	3,515	down 2
64	Roberta	3,467	up 13
65	Bonnie	3,374	down 3
66	Jacqueline	3,362	up 13
67	Kathleen	3,352	up 4
68	Audrey	3,345	down 4
69	Rita	3,334	down 6
70	Loretta	3,325	down 1
71	Edna	3,305	down 4
72	Jo	3,292	up 1
73	Carole	3,199	up 20
74	Thelma	3,196	up 2
75	Juanita	3,183	down 3
76	Lorraine	3,167	down 8
77	Josephine	3,141	down 2
78	Wilma	3,123	down 8
79	Lillian	3,117	down 13
80	Florence	3,083	down 6
81	Yvonne	3,038	up 17
82	Pauline	2,981	down 2
83	Darlene	2,962	up 8
84	Gladys	2,944	down 6
85	Emma	2,831	up 4
86	Grace	2,791	down 3
87	Edith	2,759	same
88	Theresa	2,758	down 2
89	Anne	2,756	down 5
90	Ethel	2,730	down 8
91	Clara	2,684	down 10
92	Lucille	2,632	down 7
93	Marion	2,580	down 5
94	Jeanette	2,552	up 10
95	Bernice	2,540	down 5
96	Hazel	2,512	down 4
97	Linda	2,440	up 68
98	Kay	2,408	up 36
99	Ellen	2,398	down 4
100	Katherine	2,355	up 3

Top boys' names, 1936
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1935
1	Robert	58,500	same
2	James	54,694	same
3	John	47,683	same
4	William	39,398	same
5	Richard	33,494	same
6	Charles	29,101	same
7	Donald	28,639	same
8	Thomas	18,342	up 1
9	George	18,197	down 1
10	David	17,476	up 1
11	Joseph	17,453	down 1
12	Ronald	16,917	same
13	Edward	14,194	same
14	Kenneth	12,486	up 1
15	Paul	12,307	down 1
16	Frank	10,186	same
17	Raymond	9,459	same
18	Jerry	9,271	up 4
19	Gerald	9,018	up 2
20	Jack	8,857	down 2
21	Harold	8,628	down 1
22	Billy	8,587	down 3
23	Joe	8,023	up 2
24	Bobby	7,735	same
25	Larry	7,611	up 8
26	Walter	7,536	down 3
27	Carl	6,591	up 1
28	Henry	6,447	down 1
29	Eugene	6,376	down 3
30	Arthur	6,264	down 1
31	Ralph	6,029	up 1
32	Willie	6,011	down 2
33	Michael	5,800	up 8
34	Albert	5,759	down 3
35	Roger	5,702	up 1
36	Fred	5,602	down 2
37	Lawrence	5,339	down 2
38	Gary	5,192	up 6
39	Harry	4,931	down 2
40	Howard	4,874	down 1
41	Daniel	4,817	up 2
42	Roy	4,815	down 2
43	Norman	4,645	down 5
44	Louis	4,418	down 2
45	Wayne	4,409	up 4
46	Jimmy	4,214	up 1
47	Earl	4,106	down 1
48	Anthony	3,978	up 4
49	Marvin	3,936	down 4
50	Francis	3,876	up 3
51	Don	3,830	same
52	Clarence	3,772	down 4
53	Melvin	3,730	up 4
54	Leonard	3,716	same
55	Ernest	3,715	same
56	Peter	3,714	up 3
57	Leroy	3,642	down 7
58	Stanley	3,492	down 2
59	Dale	3,393	up 2
60	Alfred	3,253	up 3
61	Bill	3,166	down 1
62	Herbert	3,117	down 4
63	Philip	3,033	up 2
64	Franklin	2,939	up 7
65	Ray	2,939	down 1
66	Gene	2,909	same
67	Samuel	2,893	down 5
68	Bernard	2,853	down 1
69	Russell	2,832	down 1
70	Frederick	2,817	up 3
71	Jimmie	2,742	down 2
72	Johnny	2,729	up 2
73	Bruce	2,630	up 4
74	Dennis	2,627	down 2
75	Gordon	2,567	down 5
76	Lee	2,418	up 4
77	Bob	2,408	up 4
78	Douglas	2,374	down 3
79	Eddie	2,347	up 8
80	Glenn	2,328	down 2
81	Allen	2,314	up 2
82	Leon	2,282	up 4
83	Andrew	2,276	up 2
84	Edwin	2,271	up 5
85	Jim	2,268	up 5
86	Floyd	2,228	down 10
87	Theodore	2,219	down 8
88	Lloyd	2,160	down 4
89	Clyde	2,153	down 7
90	Clifford	2,132	down 2
91	Tommy	2,108	up 4
92	Martin	2,106	up 1
93	Vernon	2,028	up 1
94	Leo	2,017	down 2
95	Warren	1,976	up 2
96	Alvin	1,970	down 5
97	Harvey	1,970	up 2
98	Jerome	1,967	down 2
99	Stephen	1,862	up 14
100	Patrick	1,856	up 12

Biggest climbers in 1936

The names that gained the most ground within the top 1,000 compared with 1935.

Girls

Shelby: up 670 places, from 848th to 178th
Marylyn: up 343 places, from 761st to 418th
Marla: up 283 places, from 943rd to 660th
Darla: up 262 places, from 672nd to 410th
Jacklyn: up 258 places, from 952nd to 694th
Karol: up 228 places, from 988th to 760th
Sonja: up 225 places, from 704th to 479th
Paulette: up 207 places, from 944th to 737th
Sharron: up 193 places, from 727th to 534th
Marsha: up 188 places, from 537th to 349th

Boys

Landon: up 512 places, from 934th to 422nd
Jeffrey: up 253 places, from 975th to 722nd
Jerrell: up 242 places, from 976th to 734th
Ramiro: up 215 places, from 756th to 541st
Bennett: up 200 places, from 757th to 557th
Monty: up 199 places, from 865th to 666th
Arlan: up 189 places, from 814th to 625th
Loyal: up 186 places, from 949th to 763rd
Garold: up 184 places, from 886th to 702nd
Damon: up 181 places, from 896th to 715th

New to the top 1,000 in 1936

Girls

Shelba, 506th (its first time ever)
Shelva, 710th (its first time ever)
Deanna, 769th (its first time ever)
Karla, 792nd (its first time ever)
Tanya, 794th (its first time ever)
Annmarie, 815th (its first time ever)
Wendy, 826th (its first time ever)
Phylis, 835th (back after dropping out)
Sherrie, 836th (its first time ever)
Florida, 841st (back after dropping out)

Boys

Lance, 705th (back after dropping out)
Milan, 708th (back after dropping out)
Loran, 752nd (back after dropping out)
Furman, 839th (back after dropping out)
Genaro, 840th (back after dropping out)
Ezell, 846th (back after dropping out)
Hosea, 849th (back after dropping out)
Emmit, 854th (back after dropping out)
Windell, 860th (its first time ever)
Kim, 866th (its first time ever)

How spread out were names in 1936?

The ten most popular girls' names went to 24.2% of the girls counted in 1936, and the top ten boys' names to 33.3% of the boys. In 1916, those shares were 23.1% for girls and 30.7% 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.