Most Popular Baby Names of 1938

In 1938, Mary was the most popular name for girls, given to 56,225 babies, and Robert topped the boys' list with 62,271. Mary held on to number one for a 59th year in a row, and Robert held on to number one for a 15th year in a row.

Social Security counted 1,103,456 girls and 1,109,147 boys born in 1938 under names given to at least five babies, spread across 4,995 different girls' names and 4,035 boys' names.

Top 100 names of 1938

Top girls' names, 1938
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1937
1	Mary	56,225	same
2	Barbara	39,277	same
3	Patricia	27,560	same
4	Betty	25,506	up 1
5	Shirley	23,766	down 1
6	Carol	19,421	same
7	Nancy	18,951	same
8	Dorothy	16,358	same
9	Margaret	15,330	up 1
10	Joan	14,303	down 1
11	Joyce	12,698	same
12	Judith	10,878	up 22
13	Helen	10,837	down 1
14	Sandra	10,806	up 12
15	Carolyn	10,586	up 5
16	Janet	9,870	up 2
17	Elizabeth	9,803	same
18	Beverly	9,770	down 4
19	Marilyn	9,745	down 6
20	Donna	9,693	up 1
21	Ruth	9,303	down 6
22	Virginia	9,269	down 6
23	Frances	8,921	down 4
24	Janice	8,711	up 1
25	Doris	8,603	down 3
26	Martha	8,578	down 2
27	Jean	7,764	down 4
28	Phyllis	7,644	down 1
29	Alice	7,490	down 1
30	Sharon	7,244	up 11
31	Linda	7,047	up 18
32	Ann	6,990	down 2
33	Lois	6,502	down 4
34	Norma	6,368	down 1
35	Peggy	6,343	down 4
36	Gloria	6,299	down 4
37	Marie	5,958	down 2
38	Evelyn	5,688	down 2
39	Rose	5,292	down 1
40	Anna	5,145	down 1
41	Judy	4,992	up 50
42	Elaine	4,835	up 3
43	Dolores	4,809	down 6
44	Jane	4,786	down 2
45	Geraldine	4,652	down 1
46	Carole	4,616	up 10
47	Annie	4,562	down 1
48	Catherine	4,525	down 1
49	Wanda	4,513	up 6
50	Karen	4,508	up 63
51	Marlene	4,473	down 11
52	Mildred	4,441	down 9
53	Marjorie	4,318	up 4
54	Sally	4,278	up 5
55	Patsy	4,260	down 1
56	Sylvia	4,259	down 6
57	Joanne	4,250	down 6
58	Kathleen	4,228	up 3
59	Louise	4,069	down 11
60	Eleanor	4,049	down 7
61	Ruby	3,942	down 9
62	Loretta	3,913	up 1
63	Arlene	3,894	down 3
64	Diane	3,827	up 12
65	Bonnie	3,773	down 1
66	Rosalie	3,758	up 113
67	Sarah	3,749	down 2
68	Joann	3,710	down 10
69	Jacqueline	3,633	up 1
70	Charlotte	3,626	down 3
71	Susan	3,555	up 26
72	Irene	3,554	down 10
73	Roberta	3,547	down 7
74	Rita	3,357	down 5
75	Delores	3,322	down 7
76	Darlene	3,321	down 4
77	Gail	3,214	up 22
78	Jo	3,172	down 5
79	June	3,141	down 8
80	Juanita	3,129	down 5
81	Kay	3,114	down 2
82	Edna	3,080	down 8
83	Josephine	2,978	down 1
84	Anne	2,887	up 8
85	Wilma	2,871	down 5
86	Thelma	2,866	down 8
87	Audrey	2,844	down 2
88	Lillian	2,825	down 4
89	Ellen	2,805	up 13
90	Florence	2,805	down 9
91	Jeanette	2,802	down 1
92	Theresa	2,763	up 3
93	Lorraine	2,740	down 10
94	Ethel	2,726	down 6
95	Rosemary	2,681	up 15
96	Emma	2,670	down 7
97	Pauline	2,666	down 10
98	Clara	2,662	up 2
99	Anita	2,636	down 6
100	Grace	2,609	down 6

Top boys' names, 1938
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1937
1	Robert	62,271	same
2	James	59,102	same
3	John	50,517	same
4	William	42,433	same
5	Richard	34,385	same
6	Charles	31,151	same
7	Donald	26,677	same
8	David	22,994	same
9	Thomas	21,381	same
10	Ronald	20,295	up 1
11	George	18,435	down 1
12	Joseph	17,742	same
13	Edward	14,551	same
14	Kenneth	14,399	same
15	Paul	13,360	same
16	Larry	12,394	same
17	Jerry	12,172	same
18	Frank	10,260	same
19	Gerald	9,972	up 1
20	Raymond	9,725	down 1
21	Michael	9,077	up 6
22	Gary	8,861	up 7
23	Harold	8,563	down 2
24	Billy	8,253	down 2
25	Jack	8,144	down 2
26	Walter	7,560	same
27	Bobby	7,498	down 3
28	Joe	7,438	down 3
29	Carl	6,849	down 1
30	Henry	6,557	same
31	Roger	6,551	up 5
32	Arthur	6,525	down 1
33	Eugene	6,112	same
34	Willie	6,081	down 2
35	Ralph	6,013	down 1
36	Lawrence	5,873	up 2
37	Albert	5,796	same
38	Fred	5,768	down 3
39	Daniel	5,583	same
40	Wayne	5,226	up 4
41	Roy	5,041	down 1
42	Howard	5,018	same
43	Norman	4,953	same
44	Harry	4,824	down 3
45	Jimmy	4,730	same
46	Anthony	4,689	up 1
47	Louis	4,390	down 1
48	Peter	4,293	up 4
49	Dennis	4,236	up 14
50	Earl	4,007	down 2
51	Francis	3,951	up 4
52	Don	3,900	down 1
53	Marvin	3,900	down 4
54	Melvin	3,818	down 4
55	Ernest	3,708	down 2
56	Dale	3,690	up 3
57	Leonard	3,670	up 1
58	Clarence	3,639	down 4
59	Stanley	3,544	down 2
60	Douglas	3,508	up 14
61	Leroy	3,491	down 5
62	Samuel	3,243	up 4
63	Johnny	3,197	up 6
64	Philip	3,172	down 2
65	Gene	3,149	down 4
66	Bruce	3,127	up 4
67	Bill	3,113	down 3
68	Herbert	3,014	down 3
69	Alfred	3,008	down 9
70	Russell	2,950	down 3
71	Frederick	2,935	down 3
72	Ray	2,881	down 1
73	Allen	2,834	up 3
74	Stephen	2,726	up 18
75	Bernard	2,715	down 2
76	Jimmie	2,693	down 4
77	Tommy	2,667	up 7
78	Gordon	2,657	down 3
79	Eddie	2,616	up 4
80	Lee	2,575	down 2
81	Jim	2,497	up 1
82	Andrew	2,411	down 3
83	Glenn	2,367	up 5
84	Theodore	2,360	up 2
85	Leon	2,355	same
86	Terry	2,336	up 27
87	Martin	2,313	same
88	Patrick	2,292	up 6
89	Clifford	2,277	up 1
90	Edwin	2,250	down 1
91	Alan	2,241	up 12
92	Lloyd	2,215	down 1
93	Jerome	2,209	up 7
94	Bob	2,204	down 13
95	Phillip	2,154	up 3
96	Floyd	2,146	down 16
97	Clyde	2,130	down 4
98	Alvin	2,063	up 1
99	Harvey	2,051	down 4
100	Franklin	2,021	down 23

Biggest climbers in 1938

The names that gained the most ground within the top 1,000 compared with 1937.

Girls

Arleen: up 313 places, from 688th to 375th
Dian: up 261 places, from 911th to 650th
Cheryl: up 251 places, from 563rd to 312th
Julianne: up 243 places, from 887th to 644th
Sheryl: up 237 places, from 786th to 549th
Vicki: up 223 places, from 555th to 332nd
Laurel: up 199 places, from 597th to 398th
Judie: up 191 places, from 773rd to 582nd
Bridget: up 191 places, from 994th to 803rd
Andrea: up 184 places, from 487th to 303rd

Boys

Lance: up 387 places, from 726th to 339th
Tyrone: up 317 places, from 712th to 395th
Douglass: up 220 places, from 924th to 704th
Jennings: up 214 places, from 935th to 721st
Giles: up 207 places, from 995th to 788th
Ferdinand: up 196 places, from 783rd to 587th
Mel: up 174 places, from 966th to 792nd
Blair: up 170 places, from 907th to 737th
Arlin: up 166 places, from 818th to 652nd
Adolphus: up 166 places, from 982nd to 816th

New to the top 1,000 in 1938

Girls

Lorelei, 619th (its first time ever)
Danielle, 731st (its first time ever)
Vicky, 801st (its first time ever)
Willia, 856th (back after dropping out)
Joetta, 863rd (back after dropping out)
Romaine, 864th (back after dropping out)
Alexandra, 866th (back after dropping out)
Holly, 867th (back after dropping out)
Helaine, 871st (its first time ever)
Maryjo, 873rd (its first time ever)

Boys

Tex, 768th (its first time ever)
Theo, 769th (back after dropping out)
Humberto, 775th (back after dropping out)
Gonzalo, 782nd (back after dropping out)
Rowland, 805th (back after dropping out)
Edsel, 809th (back after dropping out)
Lonny, 811th (its first time ever)
Autry, 818th (its first time ever)
Cloyd, 819th (back after dropping out)
Rondal, 832nd (its first time ever)

How spread out were names in 1938?

The ten most popular girls' names went to 23.3% of the girls counted in 1938, and the top ten boys' names to 33.5% of the boys. In 1918, those shares were 23.3% for girls and 31% 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.