Birth year roster

Top names in 1939

The 100 most common names on 1939 birth certificates, for girls and boys, ranked by SSA records.

Mary and Robert led the 1939 baby-name charts, the top names among Silent Generation births. Mary was the #1 girls’ name for 76 years in all (between 1880 and 1961); Robert was the #1 boys’ name for 17 years in all (between 1924 and 1953). Of the 200 names below, 151 are now endangered or extinct; the tag on each shows where it stands today.

Explore the 1930s decade

Girls

#1Mary Endangered54,900
#2Barbara Endangered37,257
#3Patricia Endangered29,701
#4Betty Endangered23,639
#5Shirley Endangered20,447
#6Carol Endangered20,166
#7Nancy Endangered19,723
#8Judith Endangered16,625
#9Dorothy Endangered15,169
#10Margaret Endangered14,949
#11Joan Endangered14,143
#12Joyce Endangered13,394
#13Sandra Endangered11,970
#14Carolyn Endangered11,290
#15Linda Endangered10,713
#16Helen Endangered10,420
#17Janet Endangered10,120
#18Elizabeth Stable9,709
#19Marilyn Endangered9,538
#20Donna Endangered9,371
#21Virginia Endangered9,227
#22Ruth Endangered9,062
#23Sharon Endangered9,014
#24Janice Endangered8,778
#25Beverly Endangered8,706
#26Frances Endangered8,577
#27Martha Endangered8,493
#28Judy Endangered8,081
#29Doris Endangered7,687
#30Phyllis Endangered7,590
#31Alice Stable7,365
#32Jean Endangered7,292
#33Ann Endangered6,551
#34Peggy Endangered6,050
#35Lois Endangered6,034
#36Gloria Endangered5,939
#37Marie Endangered5,890
#38Norma Endangered5,827
#39Karen Endangered5,541
#40Evelyn Stable5,332
#41Geraldine Endangered5,160
#42Rose Stable5,040
#43Anna Declining4,929
#44Susan Endangered4,887
#45Elaine Rising4,785
#46Jane Stable4,771
#47Carole Endangered4,679
#48Kathleen Endangered4,656
#49Catherine Endangered4,577
#50Wanda Endangered4,557
#51Diane Endangered4,340
#52Sally Endangered4,244
#53Joanne Endangered4,225
#54Annie Rising4,155
#55Mildred Endangered4,137
#56Patsy Endangered4,111
#57Joann Endangered3,994
#58Dolores Endangered3,980
#59Louise Endangered3,956
#60Marjorie Endangered3,907
#61Bonnie Endangered3,887
#62Sylvia Rising3,870
#63Eleanor Rising3,810
#64Marlene Endangered3,773
#65Loretta Rising3,769
#66Charlotte Stable3,739
#67Ruby Stable3,712
#68Sarah Endangered3,671
#69Arlene Endangered3,578
#70Jo Endangered3,524
#71Roberta Endangered3,409
#72Jacqueline Endangered3,388
#73Gail Endangered3,355
#74Irene Endangered3,331
#75Darlene Endangered3,287
#76Kay Endangered3,260
#77Juanita Endangered3,212
#78Rita Endangered3,188
#79Delores Endangered3,018
#80Ellen Endangered3,005
#81Edna Endangered2,904
#82Jeanette Endangered2,893
#83June Rising2,867
#84Josephine Rising2,837
#85Anne Endangered2,769
#86Brenda Endangered2,756
#87Wilma Endangered2,701
#88Thelma Endangered2,696
#89Emma Declining2,685
#90Yvonne Endangered2,648
#91Julia Stable2,635
#92Sue Endangered2,623
#93Rosemary Rising2,612
#94Theresa Endangered2,611
#95Lorraine Endangered2,593
#96Florence Endangered2,592
#97Anita Endangered2,588
#98Audrey Declining2,569
#99Lillian Declining2,551
#100Ethel Endangered2,496

Boys

#1Robert Endangered59,666
#2James Stable59,636
#3John Past peak51,025
#4William Declining42,071
#5Richard Endangered35,386
#6Charles Stable30,789
#7David Past peak25,360
#8Donald Endangered24,056
#9Thomas Stable22,129
#10Ronald Endangered19,837
#11George Stable17,886
#12Joseph Declining17,722
#13Kenneth Endangered14,715
#14Larry Endangered14,532
#15Edward Endangered14,427
#16Jerry Endangered13,729
#17Paul Endangered13,337
#18Michael Past peak10,828
#19Gerald Endangered10,057
#20Frank Endangered9,991
#21Gary Endangered9,684
#22Raymond Endangered9,252
#23Harold Endangered8,299
#24Billy Endangered7,474
#25Walter Stable7,322
#26Jack Stable7,306
#27Joe Endangered7,189
#28Roger Endangered7,155
#29Bobby Endangered7,057
#30Carl Endangered6,593
#31Henry Stable6,561
#32Arthur Rising6,380
#33Willie Endangered6,308
#34Dennis Endangered6,212
#35Ralph Endangered5,959
#36Lawrence Endangered5,882
#37Eugene Endangered5,869
#38Daniel Declining5,797
#39Wayne Endangered5,653
#40Fred Endangered5,538
#41Albert Endangered5,477
#42Roy Endangered5,156
#43Jimmy Endangered4,753
#44Norman Endangered4,742
#45Harry Endangered4,661
#46Peter Stable4,639
#47Howard Endangered4,613
#48Anthony Declining4,610
#49Louis Stable4,224
#50Earl Endangered3,896
#51Melvin Endangered3,853
#52Marvin Endangered3,758
#53Francis Stable3,721
#54Leonard Endangered3,711
#55Ernest Endangered3,688
#56Don Endangered3,589
#57Stanley Endangered3,570
#58Douglas Endangered3,564
#59Dale Endangered3,531
#60Clarence Endangered3,482
#61Leroy Endangered3,388
#62Johnny Endangered3,371
#63Samuel Stable3,254
#64Bruce Endangered3,233
#65Stephen Endangered3,176
#66Philip Endangered3,174
#67Bill Endangered3,161
#68Herbert Endangered3,097
#69Gene Endangered3,014
#70Alfred Endangered2,990
#71Frederick Stable2,972
#72Allen Endangered2,928
#73Russell Stable2,833
#74Ray Endangered2,709
#75Jim Endangered2,636
#76Bernard Endangered2,624
#77Tommy Endangered2,622
#78Lee Endangered2,589
#79Patrick Declining2,530
#80Jimmie Endangered2,524
#81Eddie Endangered2,511
#82Gordon Endangered2,508
#83Terry Endangered2,444
#84Andrew Declining2,440
#85Alan Stable2,330
#86Leon Rising2,327
#87Glenn Endangered2,303
#88Clifford Endangered2,290
#89Bob Endangered2,244
#90Theodore Rising2,196
#91Martin Stable2,192
#92Phillip Endangered2,175
#93Jerome Endangered2,153
#94Floyd Endangered2,094
#95Lloyd Endangered2,087
#96Edwin Stable2,063
#97Tom Endangered2,028
#98Curtis Endangered2,012
#99Jesse Stable2,010
#100Vernon Endangered1,994