The 1938 Baby Name Report

2,212,574 babies, 8,055 unique names — the risers, fallers, and brand-new arrivals of 1938

👑 #1 girls: Mary (59 years running) 👑 #1 boys: Robert (15 years running) 183 debuts

Top girls

  1. Mary56,225
  2. Barbara39,277
  3. Patricia27,558
  4. Betty25,505
  5. Shirley23,766
  6. Carol19,421
  7. Nancy18,951
  8. Dorothy16,357
  9. Margaret15,330
  10. Joan14,303

Top boys

  1. Robert62,270
  2. James59,102
  3. John50,518
  4. William42,432
  5. Richard34,386
  6. Charles31,152
  7. Donald26,677
  8. David22,994
  9. Thomas21,380
  10. Ronald20,297

Full top-50 rankings for 1938 →

🚀 Fastest risers

  1. Lance #726 → #339 (+387)
  2. Tyrone #720 → #393 (+327)
  3. Arleen #688 → #375 (+313)
  4. Cheryl #563 → #312 (+251)
  5. Vicki #555 → #332 (+223)
  6. Laurel #597 → #398 (+199)
  7. Andrea #487 → #303 (+184)
  8. Brenda #423 → #244 (+179)
  9. Margo #524 → #367 (+157)
  10. Rosalee #539 → #405 (+134)

📉 Biggest fallers

  1. Georgie #461 → #559 (−98)
  2. Shelba #341 → #422 (−81)
  3. Arline #264 → #344 (−80)
  4. Huey #378 → #451 (−73)
  5. Dolly #376 → #442 (−66)
  6. Effie #317 → #382 (−65)
  7. Leila #419 → #483 (−64)
  8. Lucile #424 → #484 (−60)
  9. Angeline #382 → #439 (−57)
  10. Luella #339 → #392 (−53)

✨ Never recorded before 1938

Sonjia (19) Drena (17) Clione (16) Gleora (14) Trudi (13) Gari (12) Janeene (11) Movita (10) Maridee (9) Patriciaann (9)

183 names appeared in SSA records for the first time ever in 1938.

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What were the most popular baby names in 1938?
Mary was the #1 girl name and Robert the #1 boy name in 1938, out of 2,212,574 recorded births.
What baby name rose fastest in 1938?
Lance made the biggest jump in 1938, climbing 387 spots to #339.
How many new baby names appeared in 1938?
183 names were recorded by the SSA for the first time ever in 1938.