Most Popular Baby Names of 1937

In 1937, Mary was the most popular name for girls, given to 55,641 babies, and Robert topped the boys' list with 61,842. Mary held on to number one for a 58th year in a row, and Robert held on to number one for a 14th year in a row.

Social Security counted 1,064,033 girls and 1,066,659 boys born in 1937 under names given to at least five babies, spread across 4,930 different girls' names and 4,020 boys' names.

Top 100 names of 1937

Top girls' names, 1937
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1936
1	Mary	55,641	same
2	Barbara	34,917	up 1
3	Patricia	26,838	up 2
4	Shirley	26,823	down 2
5	Betty	25,337	down 1
6	Carol	17,336	up 4
7	Nancy	17,074	up 1
8	Dorothy	16,572	down 2
9	Joan	15,301	down 2
10	Margaret	15,144	down 1
11	Joyce	11,808	up 1
12	Helen	11,453	down 1
13	Marilyn	9,739	same
14	Beverly	9,634	up 3
15	Ruth	9,602	up 1
16	Virginia	9,517	down 2
17	Elizabeth	9,385	up 1
18	Janet	9,363	up 3
19	Frances	9,057	same
20	Carolyn	8,941	up 3
21	Donna	8,887	up 1
22	Doris	8,883	down 7
23	Jean	8,392	down 3
24	Martha	7,953	same
25	Janice	7,768	up 6
26	Sandra	7,520	up 12
27	Phyllis	7,245	down 2
28	Alice	7,120	down 1
29	Lois	6,932	down 3
30	Ann	6,713	down 2
31	Peggy	6,378	up 4
32	Gloria	6,333	same
33	Norma	6,235	down 4
34	Judith	6,146	up 9
35	Marie	6,075	down 2
36	Evelyn	5,760	down 2
37	Dolores	5,568	down 7
38	Rose	5,450	down 1
39	Anna	5,449	down 3
40	Marlene	5,037	down 1
41	Sharon	4,704	up 19
42	Jane	4,702	same
43	Mildred	4,646	down 3
44	Geraldine	4,556	down 3
45	Elaine	4,526	up 5
46	Annie	4,479	down 1
47	Catherine	4,459	down 3
48	Louise	4,382	down 2
49	Linda	4,378	up 48
50	Sylvia	4,371	up 3
51	Joanne	4,333	down 3
52	Ruby	4,289	down 1
53	Eleanor	4,275	down 6
54	Patsy	4,243	down 2
55	Wanda	4,202	up 1
56	Carole	4,198	up 17
57	Marjorie	4,091	down 8
58	Joann	3,936	down 3
59	Sally	3,925	same
60	Arlene	3,805	down 6
61	Kathleen	3,743	up 6
62	Irene	3,674	down 5
63	Loretta	3,673	up 7
64	Bonnie	3,595	up 1
65	Sarah	3,588	down 2
66	Roberta	3,568	down 2
67	Charlotte	3,536	down 6
68	Delores	3,529	down 10
69	Rita	3,421	same
70	Jacqueline	3,400	down 4
71	June	3,378	down 9
72	Darlene	3,285	up 11
73	Jo	3,226	down 1
74	Edna	3,223	down 3
75	Juanita	3,179	same
76	Diane	3,175	up 36
77	Yvonne	3,171	up 4
78	Thelma	3,062	down 4
79	Kay	3,010	up 19
80	Wilma	2,977	down 2
81	Florence	2,955	down 1
82	Josephine	2,942	down 5
83	Lorraine	2,940	down 7
84	Lillian	2,899	down 5
85	Audrey	2,889	down 17
86	Gladys	2,872	down 2
87	Pauline	2,818	down 5
88	Ethel	2,763	up 2
89	Emma	2,750	down 4
90	Jeanette	2,741	up 4
91	Judy	2,741	up 27
92	Anne	2,725	down 3
93	Anita	2,714	up 11
94	Grace	2,710	down 8
95	Theresa	2,702	down 7
96	Edith	2,647	down 9
97	Susan	2,641	up 13
98	Lucille	2,636	down 6
99	Gail	2,635	up 2
100	Clara	2,573	down 9

Top boys' names, 1937
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1936
1	Robert	61,842	same
2	James	56,561	same
3	John	48,755	same
4	William	40,725	same
5	Richard	32,975	same
6	Charles	30,520	same
7	Donald	27,868	same
8	David	20,981	up 2
9	Thomas	19,772	down 1
10	George	18,439	down 1
11	Ronald	18,141	up 1
12	Joseph	17,322	down 1
13	Edward	14,930	same
14	Kenneth	13,219	same
15	Paul	12,881	same
16	Larry	10,320	up 9
17	Jerry	10,301	up 1
18	Frank	10,127	down 2
19	Raymond	9,571	down 2
20	Gerald	9,425	down 1
21	Harold	8,550	same
22	Billy	8,301	same
23	Jack	8,194	down 3
24	Bobby	7,745	same
25	Joe	7,745	down 2
26	Walter	7,488	same
27	Michael	7,094	up 6
28	Carl	6,914	down 1
29	Gary	6,763	up 9
30	Henry	6,668	down 2
31	Arthur	6,321	down 1
32	Willie	6,231	same
33	Eugene	5,999	down 4
34	Ralph	5,923	down 3
35	Fred	5,738	up 1
36	Roger	5,713	down 1
37	Albert	5,665	down 3
38	Lawrence	5,507	down 1
39	Daniel	5,124	up 2
40	Roy	4,890	up 2
41	Harry	4,814	down 2
42	Howard	4,700	down 2
43	Norman	4,673	same
44	Wayne	4,613	up 1
45	Jimmy	4,517	up 1
46	Louis	4,356	down 2
47	Anthony	4,339	up 1
48	Earl	3,942	down 1
49	Marvin	3,913	same
50	Melvin	3,890	up 3
51	Don	3,814	same
52	Peter	3,809	up 4
53	Ernest	3,759	up 2
54	Clarence	3,755	down 2
55	Francis	3,730	down 5
56	Leroy	3,556	up 1
57	Stanley	3,483	up 1
58	Leonard	3,480	down 4
59	Dale	3,340	same
60	Alfred	3,181	same
61	Gene	3,165	up 5
62	Philip	3,162	up 1
63	Dennis	3,160	up 11
64	Bill	3,119	down 3
65	Herbert	3,040	down 3
66	Samuel	3,027	up 1
67	Russell	2,895	up 2
68	Frederick	2,878	up 2
69	Johnny	2,826	up 3
70	Bruce	2,810	up 3
71	Ray	2,725	down 6
72	Jimmie	2,679	down 1
73	Bernard	2,672	down 5
74	Douglas	2,610	up 4
75	Gordon	2,533	same
76	Allen	2,518	up 5
77	Franklin	2,514	down 13
78	Lee	2,499	down 2
79	Andrew	2,405	up 4
80	Floyd	2,388	up 6
81	Bob	2,364	down 4
82	Jim	2,347	up 3
83	Eddie	2,345	down 4
84	Tommy	2,326	up 7
85	Leon	2,325	down 3
86	Theodore	2,317	up 1
87	Martin	2,278	up 5
88	Glenn	2,263	down 8
89	Edwin	2,262	down 5
90	Clifford	2,229	same
91	Lloyd	2,157	down 3
92	Stephen	2,133	up 7
93	Clyde	2,105	down 4
94	Patrick	2,090	up 6
95	Harvey	2,081	up 2
96	Vernon	2,076	down 3
97	Leo	2,015	down 3
98	Phillip	2,005	up 4
99	Alvin	1,986	down 3
100	Jerome	1,979	down 2

Biggest climbers in 1937

The names that gained the most ground within the top 1,000 compared with 1936.

Girls

Deanna: up 630 places, from 769th to 139th
Theodora: up 376 places, from 885th to 509th
Ruthann: up 281 places, from 845th to 564th
Shelva: up 239 places, from 710th to 471st
Melinda: up 235 places, from 999th to 764th
Sonja: up 216 places, from 479th to 263rd
Lina: up 215 places, from 997th to 782nd
Sandy: up 214 places, from 869th to 655th
Karin: up 212 places, from 924th to 712th
Zola: up 210 places, from 950th to 740th

Boys

Errol: up 418 places, from 909th to 491st
Vicente: up 206 places, from 880th to 674th
Lauren: up 182 places, from 808th to 626th
Hilton: up 179 places, from 803rd to 624th
Williams: up 172 places, from 988th to 816th
Denzil: up 168 places, from 757th to 589th
Hermon: up 160 places, from 783rd to 623rd
Brooks: up 153 places, from 926th to 773rd
Garth: up 151 places, from 802nd to 651st
Melvyn: up 150 places, from 515th to 365th

New to the top 1,000 in 1937

Girls

Deanne, 427th (its first time ever)
Norita, 532nd (back after dropping out)
Dianna, 559th (its first time ever)
Simone, 687th (its first time ever)
Leilani, 758th (its first time ever)
Juliet, 805th (back after dropping out)
Jessica, 815th (back after dropping out)
Vickie, 818th (its first time ever)
Diann, 837th (its first time ever)
Leanna, 844th (back after dropping out)

Boys

Tyrone, 712th (its first time ever)
Oneal, 821st (back after dropping out)
Virgle, 823rd (back after dropping out)
Bart, 830th (back after dropping out)
Berry, 831st (back after dropping out)
Clovis, 835th (back after dropping out)
Dorris, 836th (back after dropping out)
Eldred, 838th (back after dropping out)
Rollie, 843rd (back after dropping out)
Auther, 846th (back after dropping out)

How spread out were names in 1937?

The ten most popular girls' names went to 23.6% of the girls counted in 1937, and the top ten boys' names to 33.6% of the boys. In 1917, those shares were 23.3% for girls and 30.9% 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.