Birth year roster

Top names in 1938

Name: Top baby names in 1938
Creator: Social Security Administration

The names most likely to appear on 1938 birth certificates, ranked by SSA records.

Mary and Robert led the 1938 baby-name charts, a pair that captures the naming culture of mid-century America — a timeless classic that had dominated since the 1880s and Robert, a perennial powerhouse that would anchor the decade. The full top 25 below reveals which names defined the 1938 classroom and how many have since faded or endured.

Explore the 1930s decade

Girls

#1Mary56,225
#2Barbara39,277
#3Patricia27,560
#4Betty25,506
#5Shirley23,766
#6Carol19,421
#7Nancy18,951
#8Dorothy16,358
#9Margaret15,330
#10Joan14,303
#11Joyce12,698
#12Judith10,878
#13Helen10,837
#14Sandra10,806
#15Carolyn10,586
#16Janet9,870
#17Elizabeth9,803
#18Beverly9,770
#19Marilyn9,745
#20Donna9,693
#21Ruth9,303
#22Virginia9,269
#23Frances8,921
#24Janice8,711
#25Doris8,603

Boys

#1Robert62,271
#2James59,102
#3John50,517
#4William42,433
#5Richard34,385
#6Charles31,151
#7Donald26,677
#8David22,994
#9Thomas21,381
#10Ronald20,295
#11George18,435
#12Joseph17,742
#13Edward14,551
#14Kenneth14,399
#15Paul13,360
#16Larry12,394
#17Jerry12,172
#18Frank10,260
#19Gerald9,972
#20Raymond9,725
#21Michael9,077
#22Gary8,861
#23Harold8,563
#24Billy8,253
#25Jack8,144