Top Baby Names of 1937

Name: Top Baby Names of 1937 (SSA Data)
Creator: Social Security Administration
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

Compiled byNameAlmanac Editorial, Baby Names Editorial Team

Most popular names for boys and girls in 1937.

What the Data Says About 1937

The Social Security Administration's national 1937 file shows 1,490,752 births concentrated in the top 100 boy and top 100 girl names, the segment of U.S. baby-name data released to the public for that year. The #1 boy name of 1937 was Robert, with 61,842 births registered nationally. The #1 girl name of 1937 was Mary, with 55,641 births nationally. The top 100 boys captured 796,220 births compared with 694,532 for the top 100 girls, consistent with the historical SSA pattern in which a smaller pool of boy names dominates a larger share of annual births while girl names are more evenly distributed.

1937 sits within a specific era of U.S. naming trends. Pre-1940 years are dominated by traditional biblical and English names, John, William, Mary, and Helen consistently occupy the top ranks, and the top 10 names account for a much larger share of all births than in later decades. Robert and Mary leading 1937 fits this broader cultural signature.

These rankings come directly from Social Security Administration card applications and represent approximately 96% of all U.S. births in 1937. Names with fewer than five occurrences nationally in 1937 are excluded from SSA's public file to protect privacy, meaning the true number of unique names given in 1937 is significantly larger than any public top-100 list can show. Each spelling variation is counted separately, Sophia and Sofia, Aiden and Ayden, so rankings reflect only the specific spelling filed on the SS card, not combined name pools. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute naming advice.

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1937

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Top 100 Boys' Names Boy

Rank	Name	Births
1	Robert	61,842
2	James	56,561
3	John	48,755
4	William	40,725
5	Richard	32,975
6	Charles	30,520
7	Donald	27,868
8	David	20,981
9	Thomas	19,772
10	George	18,439
11	Ronald	18,141
12	Joseph	17,322
13	Edward	14,930
14	Kenneth	13,219
15	Paul	12,881
16	Larry	10,320
17	Jerry	10,301
18	Frank	10,127
19	Raymond	9,571
20	Gerald	9,425
21	Harold	8,550
22	Billy	8,301
23	Jack	8,194
24	Bobby	7,745
25	Joe	7,745
26	Walter	7,488
27	Michael	7,094
28	Carl	6,914
29	Gary	6,763
30	Henry	6,668
31	Arthur	6,321
32	Willie	6,231
33	Eugene	5,999
34	Ralph	5,923
35	Fred	5,738
36	Roger	5,713
37	Albert	5,665
38	Lawrence	5,507
39	Daniel	5,124
40	Roy	4,890
41	Harry	4,814
42	Howard	4,700
43	Norman	4,673
44	Wayne	4,613
45	Jimmy	4,517
46	Louis	4,356
47	Anthony	4,339
48	Earl	3,942
49	Marvin	3,913
50	Melvin	3,890
51	Don	3,814
52	Peter	3,809
53	Ernest	3,759
54	Clarence	3,755
55	Francis	3,730
56	Leroy	3,556
57	Stanley	3,483
58	Leonard	3,480
59	Dale	3,340
60	Alfred	3,181
61	Gene	3,165
62	Philip	3,162
63	Dennis	3,160
64	Bill	3,119
65	Herbert	3,040
66	Samuel	3,027
67	Russell	2,895
68	Frederick	2,878
69	Johnny	2,826
70	Bruce	2,810
71	Ray	2,725
72	Jimmie	2,679
73	Bernard	2,672
74	Douglas	2,610
75	Gordon	2,533
76	Allen	2,518
77	Franklin	2,514
78	Lee	2,499
79	Andrew	2,405
80	Floyd	2,388
81	Bob	2,364
82	Jim	2,347
83	Eddie	2,345
84	Tommy	2,326
85	Leon	2,325
86	Theodore	2,317
87	Martin	2,278
88	Glenn	2,263
89	Edwin	2,262
90	Clifford	2,229
91	Lloyd	2,157
92	Stephen	2,133
93	Clyde	2,105
94	Patrick	2,090
95	Harvey	2,081
96	Vernon	2,076
97	Leo	2,015
98	Phillip	2,005
99	Alvin	1,986
100	Jerome	1,979

Top 100 Girls' Names Girl

Rank	Name	Births
1	Mary	55,641
2	Barbara	34,917
3	Patricia	26,838
4	Shirley	26,823
5	Betty	25,337
6	Carol	17,336
7	Nancy	17,074
8	Dorothy	16,572
9	Joan	15,301
10	Margaret	15,144
11	Joyce	11,808
12	Helen	11,453
13	Marilyn	9,739
14	Beverly	9,634
15	Ruth	9,602
16	Virginia	9,517
17	Elizabeth	9,385
18	Janet	9,363
19	Frances	9,057
20	Carolyn	8,941
21	Donna	8,887
22	Doris	8,883
23	Jean	8,392
24	Martha	7,953
25	Janice	7,768
26	Sandra	7,520
27	Phyllis	7,245
28	Alice	7,120
29	Lois	6,932
30	Ann	6,713
31	Peggy	6,378
32	Gloria	6,333
33	Norma	6,235
34	Judith	6,146
35	Marie	6,075
36	Evelyn	5,760
37	Dolores	5,568
38	Rose	5,450
39	Anna	5,449
40	Marlene	5,037
41	Sharon	4,704
42	Jane	4,702
43	Mildred	4,646
44	Geraldine	4,556
45	Elaine	4,526
46	Annie	4,479
47	Catherine	4,459
48	Louise	4,382
49	Linda	4,378
50	Sylvia	4,371
51	Joanne	4,333
52	Ruby	4,289
53	Eleanor	4,275
54	Patsy	4,243
55	Wanda	4,202
56	Carole	4,198
57	Marjorie	4,091
58	Joann	3,936
59	Sally	3,925
60	Arlene	3,805
61	Kathleen	3,743
62	Irene	3,674
63	Loretta	3,673
64	Bonnie	3,595
65	Sarah	3,588
66	Roberta	3,568
67	Charlotte	3,536
68	Delores	3,529
69	Rita	3,421
70	Jacqueline	3,400
71	June	3,378
72	Darlene	3,285
73	Jo	3,226
74	Edna	3,223
75	Juanita	3,179
76	Diane	3,175
77	Yvonne	3,171
78	Thelma	3,062
79	Kay	3,010
80	Wilma	2,977
81	Florence	2,955
82	Josephine	2,942
83	Lorraine	2,940
84	Lillian	2,899
85	Audrey	2,889
86	Gladys	2,872
87	Pauline	2,818
88	Ethel	2,763
89	Emma	2,750
90	Jeanette	2,741
91	Judy	2,741
92	Anne	2,725
93	Anita	2,714
94	Grace	2,710
95	Theresa	2,702
96	Edith	2,647
97	Susan	2,641
98	Lucille	2,636
99	Gail	2,635
100	Clara	2,573