1930s Baby Names

12,733 names were given to children in the United States between 1930 and 1939, ranked below by how many.

A name's place is its total across those ten years. Names that appear in only some of the decade say so, because a name recorded once is a different fact from one recorded every year.

All Girls Boys Unisex

Rankings for

#97
Clarence Clarence is a boy's name taken from an English dukedom, itself named for a Suffolk town.
42,958 in the 1930s
#98
Anthony Anthony is a boy's name from the Roman family name Antonius, whose meaning is unknown — it is probably Etruscan rather than Latin.
42,800 in the 1930s
#99
Marion Marion is a French diminutive of Mary that has crossed sexes twice over — it is 81 percent female on record, yet its most famous bearer was John Wayne, born Marion Robert Morrison.
41,424 in the 1930s
#100
Wayne Wayne is an occupational surname meaning a wagon maker, and its life as a given name follows one man — John Wayne, who was born Marion Robert Morrison and renamed by a studio.
41,378 in the 1930s
#101
Marvin Marvin is a boy's name from the Welsh Merfyn, and the sea friend reading usually given for it is not supported — the Welsh elements point to marrow and eminent instead.
41,324 in the 1930s
#102
June June is a girl's name of Latin origin taken from the month, which is named for the goddess Juno — the queen of the Roman gods and the protector of marriage and childbirth.
41,306 in the 1930s
#103
Elaine Elaine is a girl's name, the Old French form of Helen, whose meaning was never established.
41,254 in the 1930s
#104
Joanne Joanne is a girl's name meaning God is gracious, one of the many feminines of John.
40,736 in the 1930s
#105
Ernest Ernest is a boy's name from a Germanic word meaning serious or resolute, and it is far stronger in Europe than in America — 252nd in England and Wales and 276th in France against 1,042nd in the United States.
39,627 in the 1930s
#106
Leonard Leonard is a boy's name of Germanic origin meaning "lion-strong," and its saint is the patron of prisoners and of women in labor.
39,421 in the 1930s
#107
Rita Rita is a girl's name meaning pearl, clipped from the end of Margarita rather than the front.
38,922 in the 1930s
#108
Florence Florence is a girl's name of Latin origin meaning "blossoming" or "flourishing."
38,162 in the 1930s
#109
Herbert Herbert is a boy's name from Germanic elements meaning bright army.
38,050 in the 1930s
#110
Melvin Melvin is a boy's name from a Scottish place name, and the gentle chieftain reading usually given for it is an invention — the source is a Norman family who took their name from Malleville in France.
38,029 in the 1930s
#111
Patsy Patsy serves both Patricia and Patrick, and it is 94 percent female on record — the male use survives mainly in Ireland, where Patsy is still an ordinary man's name rather than a woman's name at all.
37,893 in the 1930s
#112
Delores Delores means sorrows, and it is a Marian title rather than a wish — Our Lady of Sorrows, named for the seven griefs of the Virgin, which is why a name meaning pain was ever given.
37,792 in the 1930s
#113
Lillian Lillian is a girl's name usually explained as an elaboration of Lily, from the Latin lilium, and sometimes as a variant of Elizabeth by way of the medieval pet form Lilian.
37,616 in the 1930s
#114
Marlene Marlene was invented by the woman who made it famous — Marie Magdalene Dietrich contracted her own two names into one.
37,490 in the 1930s
#115
Stanley Stanley is a boy's name of Old English origin meaning "stony clearing."
37,321 in the 1930s
#116
Edna Edna is a girl's name from a Hebrew word meaning delight, and it shares its root with Eden.
37,172 in the 1930s
#117
Sarah Sarah is a girl's name of Hebrew origin meaning "princess" or "noblewoman."
36,749 in the 1930s
#118
Bonnie Bonnie is a girl's name of Scots origin meaning "pretty" or "fine."
36,571 in the 1930s
#119
Lorraine Lorraine is a girl's name from the French region, whose own name means the kingdom of Lothair — a Frankish king's realm that was carved out of Charlemagne's empire and slowly disappeared.
36,558 in the 1930s
#120
Thelma Thelma is a girl's name invented for a novel in 1887, and the Greek word it was probably built from means "will" or "volition."
36,530 in the 1930s
#121
Leroy Leroy is a boy's name that is simply the French for the king, taken as one word.
36,479 in the 1930s
#122
Josephine Josephine is a girl's name of Hebrew origin meaning "he will add," the French feminine form of Joseph.
36,318 in the 1930s
#123
Don Don is a boy's name shortened from Donald, meaning world ruler.
36,248 in the 1930s
#124
Juanita Juanita is a girl's name meaning God is gracious, the Spanish diminutive of Juana.
36,201 in the 1930s
#125
Peter Peter is a boy's name of Greek origin meaning "rock."
35,980 in the 1930s
#126
Jimmy Jimmy is a boy's name, the pet form of James, meaning supplanter.
35,752 in the 1930s
#127
Gladys Gladys is a girl's name from Welsh, usually taken as a form of Claudia — which would give it the meaning lame.
34,978 in the 1930s
#128
Arlene Arlene has no established origin at all — it appears in the nineteenth century with no traceable parent name, and the Irish pledge reading usually given for it belongs to a different name entirely.
34,944 in the 1930s
#129
Sally Sally is a girl's name meaning princess, a pet form of Sarah reached by medieval rhyming.
34,838 in the 1930s
#130
Joann Joann is a girl's name meaning God is gracious, a simplified spelling of Joanna.
34,832 in the 1930s
#131
Charlotte Charlotte is a girl's name of French origin meaning "free man," the feminine form of Charles, itself from the Germanic name Karl.
34,772 in the 1930s
#132
Kathleen Kathleen is a girl's name anglicizing the Irish Caitlín, a form of Catherine, and it inherits that name's unknown meaning.
34,708 in the 1930s
#133
Alfred Alfred is a boy's name of Old English origin meaning "elf counsel."
34,606 in the 1930s
#134
Audrey Audrey is a girl's name of Old English origin meaning "noble strength," from Æthelthryth.
34,480 in the 1930s
#135
Dale Dale is a name from the Old English word for a valley, and like Craig and Heather it is a plain landscape noun rather than a compound.
33,992 in the 1930s
#136
Pauline Pauline is a girl's name from the Latin for small or humble, the feminine of Paul.
33,904 in the 1930s
#137
Wilma Wilma means resolute protection, and The Flintstones did nothing for it.
33,422 in the 1930s
#138
Sylvia Sylvia is a girl's name from the Latin for a forest, and the mother of Rome's founders bore it — Rhea Silvia, who was made a Vestal Virgin so she could not produce heirs.
33,175 in the 1930s
#139
Billie Billie is a name of Germanic origin meaning "resolute protector."
33,000 in the 1930s
#140
Theresa Theresa is a girl's name of uncertain meaning, the German and English spelling of Teresa.
32,945 in the 1930s
#141
Bill Bill comes from William, and the B is the point — medieval English made pet names by rhyming, which is why Will became Bill, Rob became Bob and Rick became Dick.
32,525 in the 1930s
#142
Samuel Samuel is a boy's name of Hebrew origin usually translated as "God has heard," from Shemu'el.
32,325 in the 1930s
#143
Jacqueline Jacqueline is a girl's name, the French feminine of Jacques, and it inherits the meaning supplanter from Jacob.
32,238 in the 1930s
#144
Clara Clara is a girl's name of Latin origin meaning "bright" or "clear," from clarus.
31,872 in the 1930s

What Made a 1930s Name

Children in the United States were registered with it between 1930 and 1939. A name's position here is how many of them were.

Why Some Names Only Cover Part of the Decade

A name that appears in three of the ten years either arrived partway through or faded out — and either is more interesting than the total on its own. The statistics offices do not publish names given to very few children in a year, so a gap can also mean the count dropped below the threshold rather than to nothing.

Where to Go Next

Open any name to see its full curve — most of these have a hundred and forty years of it. Or compare the ends of the same measurement: the most popular names now and the rarest.