Most Popular Baby Names of 1931
Top 100 girl and boy names, Social Security records
Mary and Robert were the most popular baby names of 1931 in the US: 60,299 girls were named Mary and 60,519 boys were named Robert, about 1 in 18 girls and 1 in 17 boys born that year. It was Mary's 52nd year in a row at #1 for girls (since 1880), and it was Robert's 8th year in a row at #1 for boys (since 1924).
Social Security records list 1,064,728 girls and 1,039,665 boys born in 1931, with 4,977 different girl names and 4,319 boy names. A name is listed for a year only when at least 5 babies of one sex got it.
What Changed From 1930
- Shirley joined the girls' top 10; Thomas joined the boys' top 10.
- Biggest climbers in the girls' top 100: Marlene (#388 to #95), Joann (#118 to #90) and Arlene (#103 to #77).
- Biggest climbers in the boys' top 100: Larry (#108 to #88), Jimmy (#102 to #89) and Ronald (#37 to #27).
- 4 girl names and 2 boy names left the top 100, among them Maxine (#93 to #101) and Cecil (#99 to #102).
- 173 names appeared in the records for the first time.
Top 100 Baby Names of 1931
Ranked by the babies given each name; the last column is the name's rank in 1930, among names of the same sex. Tied names share a rank.
Top 100 Girl Names of 1931
| # | Name | Babies | In 1930 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mary | 60,299 | #1 |
| 2 | Betty | 36,105 | #2 |
| 3 | Dorothy | 26,524 | #3 |
| 4 | Barbara | 21,804 | #6 |
| 5 | Joan | 19,119 | #8 |
| 6 | Helen | 17,664 | #4 |
| 7 | Margaret | 17,332 | #5 |
| 8 | Patricia | 16,469 | #7 |
| 9 | Shirley | 14,405 | #11 |
| 10 | Doris | 13,629 | #9 |
| 11 | Ruth | 13,132 | #10 |
| 12 | Virginia | 11,886 | #12 |
| 13 | Jean | 11,013 | #14 |
| 14 | Dolores | 10,807 | #13 |
| 15 | Joyce | 10,580 | #18 |
| 16 | Elizabeth | 10,292 | #15 |
| 17 | Nancy | 10,036 | #24 |
| 18 | Frances | 9,718 | #16 |
| 19 | Marilyn | 9,664 | #22 |
| 20 | Lois | 9,348 | #17 |
| 21 | Alice | 8,815 | #20 |
| 22 | Norma | 8,759 | #25 |
| 23 | Gloria | 8,546 | #30 |
| 24 | Evelyn | 8,492 | #19 |
| 25 | Anna | 8,429 | #23 |
| 26 | Mildred | 8,169 | #21 |
| 27 | Marie | 7,549 | #26 |
| 28 | Martha | 7,481 | #27 |
| 29 | Phyllis | 7,213 | #28 |
| 30 | Rose | 6,881 | #29 |
| 31 | Beverly | 6,789 | #34 |
| 32 | Donna | 6,600 | #37 |
| 33 | Louise | 5,897 | #31 |
| 34 | Marjorie | 5,880 | #32 |
| 35 | Ann | 5,858 | #41 |
| 36 | Catherine | 5,642 | #35 |
| 37 | Irene | 5,616 | #33 |
| 38 | Geraldine | 5,413 | #43 |
| 39 | Ruby | 5,331 | #36 |
| 40 | Eleanor | 5,255 | #39 |
| 41 | Annie | 5,090 | #40 |
| 42 | Peggy | 5,076 | #67 |
| 43 | Florence | 5,011 | #38 |
| 44 | June | 5,002 | #47 |
| 45 | Janet | 4,948 | #53 |
| 46 | Carol | 4,892 | #54 |
| 47 | Lillian | 4,807 | #44 |
| 48 | Rita | 4,613 | #42 |
| 49 | Lorraine | 4,588 | #46 |
| 50 | Jane | 4,532 | #55 |
| 51 | Josephine | 4,497 | #49 |
| 52 | Edna | 4,461 | #51 |
| 53 | Thelma | 4,440 | #45 |
| 54 | Wanda | 4,395 | #56 |
| 55 | Gladys | 4,350 | #48 |
| 56 | Pauline | 4,192 | #52 |
| 57 | Juanita | 4,131 | #57 |
| 58 | Delores | 4,050 | #66 |
| 59 | Theresa | 4,034 | #50 |
| 60 | Carolyn | 4,008 | #72 |
| 61 | Clara | 3,899 | #64 |
| 62 | Lucille | 3,854 | #59 |
| 63 | Bernice | 3,821 | #58 |
| 64 | Audrey | 3,790 | #63 |
| 65 | Edith | 3,772 | #61 |
| 66 | Marion | 3,763 | #60 |
| 67 | Ethel | 3,760 | #65 |
| 68 | Joanne | 3,757 | #81 |
| 69 | Wilma | 3,741 | #68 |
| 70 | Grace | 3,712 | #62 |
| 71 | Sarah | 3,636 | #70 |
| 72 | Elaine | 3,622 | #69 |
| 73 | Bonnie | 3,552 | #78 |
| 74 | Hazel | 3,508 | #71 |
| 75 | Charlotte | 3,403 | #75 |
| 76 | Emma | 3,307 | #73 |
| 77 | Arlene | 3,217 | #103 |
| 78 | Jacqueline | 3,134 | #74 |
| 79 | Esther | 3,034 | #77 |
| 80 | Anne | 2,979 | #83 |
| 81 | Billie | 2,921 | #79 |
| 82 | Vivian | 2,893 | #91 |
| 83 | Patsy | 2,869 | #97 |
| 84 | Marian | 2,862 | #80 |
| 85 | Beatrice | 2,844 | #76 |
| 86 | Elsie | 2,807 | #88 |
| 87 | Kathleen | 2,799 | #84 |
| 88 | Rosemary | 2,722 | #82 |
| 89 | Laura | 2,669 | #89 |
| 90 | Joann | 2,655 | #118 |
| 91 | Julia | 2,624 | #90 |
| 91 | Katherine | 2,624 | #85 |
| 93 | Willie | 2,597 | #87 |
| 94 | Eva | 2,591 | #86 |
| 95 | Marlene | 2,585 | #388 |
| 96 | Loretta | 2,581 | #105 |
| 97 | Sally | 2,557 | #98 |
| 98 | Jeanne | 2,525 | #92 |
| 99 | Ellen | 2,450 | #100 |
| 100 | Ida | 2,419 | #94 |
Top 100 Boy Names of 1931
| # | Name | Babies | In 1930 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robert | 60,519 | #1 |
| 2 | James | 51,212 | #2 |
| 3 | John | 48,423 | #3 |
| 4 | William | 43,280 | #4 |
| 5 | Richard | 31,822 | #5 |
| 6 | Charles | 29,934 | #6 |
| 7 | Donald | 29,100 | #7 |
| 8 | George | 20,685 | #8 |
| 9 | Joseph | 19,326 | #9 |
| 10 | Thomas | 16,847 | #11 |
| 11 | Edward | 15,646 | #10 |
| 12 | Paul | 12,255 | #12 |
| 13 | David | 11,784 | #15 |
| 14 | Kenneth | 11,568 | #17 |
| 15 | Jack | 11,488 | #14 |
| 16 | Frank | 11,472 | #13 |
| 17 | Raymond | 10,854 | #16 |
| 18 | Harold | 10,695 | #18 |
| 19 | Billy | 9,264 | #20 |
| 20 | Walter | 8,940 | #19 |
| 21 | Eugene | 8,151 | #21 |
| 22 | Henry | 7,805 | #22 |
| 23 | Arthur | 7,525 | #23 |
| 24 | Albert | 7,131 | #24 |
| 25 | Ralph | 6,960 | #25 |
| 26 | Gerald | 6,823 | #30 |
| 27 | Ronald | 6,726 | #37 |
| 28 | Carl | 6,583 | #26 |
| 29 | Joe | 6,456 | #27 |
| 30 | Harry | 6,045 | #28 |
| 31 | Willie | 5,963 | #29 |
| 32 | Bobby | 5,858 | #41 |
| 33 | Fred | 5,698 | #32 |
| 34 | Howard | 5,624 | #31 |
| 35 | Roy | 5,489 | #33 |
| 36 | Norman | 5,426 | #40 |
| 37 | Louis | 5,423 | #34 |
| 38 | Lawrence | 5,364 | #36 |
| 39 | Clarence | 5,062 | #39 |
| 40 | Earl | 5,047 | #38 |
| 41 | Herbert | 4,788 | #35 |
| 42 | Francis | 4,735 | #42 |
| 43 | Jerry | 4,371 | #51 |
| 44 | Daniel | 4,360 | #47 |
| 44 | Marvin | 4,360 | #48 |
| 46 | Anthony | 4,310 | #44 |
| 47 | Ernest | 4,298 | #43 |
| 48 | Leonard | 4,279 | #45 |
| 49 | Stanley | 4,202 | #49 |
| 50 | Alfred | 3,949 | #46 |
| 51 | Melvin | 3,700 | #50 |
| 52 | Leroy | 3,649 | #53 |
| 53 | Roger | 3,625 | #58 |
| 54 | Bernard | 3,514 | #52 |
| 55 | Michael | 3,489 | #54 |
| 56 | Samuel | 3,379 | #55 |
| 57 | Bill | 3,218 | #59 |
| 58 | Wayne | 3,217 | #65 |
| 59 | Don | 3,176 | #68 |
| 60 | Ray | 3,161 | #57 |
| 61 | Peter | 3,122 | #56 |
| 62 | Dale | 3,008 | #64 |
| 63 | Russell | 2,942 | #60 |
| 64 | Gene | 2,766 | #70 |
| 65 | Andrew | 2,714 | #62 |
| 66 | Floyd | 2,707 | #61 |
| 67 | Edwin | 2,704 | #66 |
| 67 | Lloyd | 2,704 | #69 |
| 69 | Leo | 2,700 | #63 |
| 70 | Theodore | 2,666 | #67 |
| 71 | Philip | 2,648 | #75 |
| 72 | Glenn | 2,624 | #71 |
| 73 | Frederick | 2,471 | #74 |
| 74 | Vernon | 2,465 | #72 |
| 75 | Clifford | 2,452 | #73 |
| 76 | Gordon | 2,396 | #77 |
| 77 | Clyde | 2,336 | #76 |
| 78 | Bob | 2,318 | #88 |
| 79 | Allen | 2,308 | #85 |
| 80 | Alvin | 2,299 | #79 |
| 81 | Jimmie | 2,288 | #86 |
| 82 | Elmer | 2,265 | #80 |
| 83 | Herman | 2,263 | #78 |
| 84 | Leon | 2,245 | #81 |
| 85 | Douglas | 2,203 | #89 |
| 86 | Vincent | 2,162 | #84 |
| 87 | Lewis | 2,160 | #87 |
| 88 | Larry | 2,147 | #108 |
| 89 | Jimmy | 2,126 | #102 |
| 90 | Lee | 2,123 | #82 |
| 91 | Martin | 2,103 | #83 |
| 92 | Gilbert | 1,993 | #90 |
| 93 | Harvey | 1,978 | #92 |
| 94 | Charlie | 1,975 | #91 |
| 95 | Eddie | 1,959 | #97 |
| 96 | Lester | 1,919 | #95 |
| 97 | Jesse | 1,895 | #94 |
| 98 | Arnold | 1,835 | #98 |
| 99 | Milton | 1,834 | #93 |
| 99 | Warren | 1,834 | #96 |
Open a name to see how many people with it are alive today and how its popularity changed. See the year before, 1930, or the year after, 1932, the top 100 of the whole 1930s, or let the random name generator pick names from the 1930s.