The 1936 Baby Name Report

2,077,578 babies, 7,904 unique names — the risers, fallers, and brand-new arrivals of 1936

👑 #1 girls: Mary (57 years running) 👑 #1 boys: Robert (13 years running) 165 debuts

Top girls

  1. Mary54,374
  2. Shirley35,162
  3. Barbara31,682
  4. Betty25,867
  5. Patricia23,916
  6. Dorothy17,666
  7. Joan17,071
  8. Nancy16,754
  9. Margaret14,596
  10. Carol14,519

Top boys

  1. Robert58,501
  2. James54,696
  3. John47,679
  4. William39,398
  5. Richard33,492
  6. Charles29,100
  7. Donald28,640
  8. Thomas18,343
  9. George18,197
  10. David17,477

Full top-50 rankings for 1936 →

🚀 Fastest risers

  1. Shelby #848 → #178 (+670)
  2. Marylyn #761 → #418 (+343)
  3. Darla #672 → #410 (+262)
  4. Marsha #537 → #349 (+188)
  5. Lynda #619 → #447 (+172)
  6. Rochelle #425 → #291 (+134)
  7. Marva #466 → #334 (+132)
  8. Daryl #495 → #381 (+114)
  9. Lynne #483 → #376 (+107)
  10. Rodger #434 → #355 (+79)

📉 Biggest fallers

  1. Shirlee #347 → #460 (−113)
  2. Hal #383 → #464 (−81)
  3. Loraine #445 → #510 (−65)
  4. Florine #407 → #470 (−63)
  5. Guadalupe #380 → #439 (−59)
  6. Leila #418 → #473 (−55)
  7. Alyce #354 → #408 (−54)
  8. Lizzie #308 → #360 (−52)
  9. Huey #237 → #288 (−51)
  10. Winnie #344 → #393 (−49)

✨ Never recorded before 1936

Shelva (89) Shelvia (33) Dwanna (20) Shelbie (19) Dellene (17) Durelle (12) Karan (12) Shelbia (12) Janace (9) Mardee (9)

165 names appeared in SSA records for the first time ever in 1936.

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What were the most popular baby names in 1936?
Mary was the #1 girl name and Robert the #1 boy name in 1936, out of 2,077,578 recorded births.
What baby name rose fastest in 1936?
Shelby made the biggest jump in 1936, climbing 670 spots to #178.
How many new baby names appeared in 1936?
165 names were recorded by the SSA for the first time ever in 1936.