State roster

Top names in Illinois

The names most likely to appear on 1929 Illinois birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 114,141 Illinois births in 1929 across 1,187 distinct names.

Distinctively Illinois

Names that rank far higher here than they do nationally — the ones that say Illinois more than they say America.

#65Laverne#170 nationally
#98Norbertoutside the national top 200
#84Darlene#160 nationally
#64Loretta#127 nationally
#97Lyle#152 nationally
#99Phillip#151 nationally
#92Genevieve#142 nationally
#65Jerome#110 nationally
#88Dean#133 nationally
#99Joann#144 nationally
#38Rosemary#80 nationally
#59Joanne#101 nationally

Girls

#1Mary3,276US #1
#2Betty2,301US #2
#3Dorothy1,851US #3
#4Dolores1,494US #14
#5Shirley1,397US #9
#6Patricia1,161US #10
#7Helen1,155US #4
#8Barbara1,140US #7
#9Joan1,078US #13
#10Margaret953US #5
#11Doris864US #6
#12Marilyn861US #33
#13Ruth838US #8
#14Lois835US #17
#15Virginia789US #11
#16Jean776US #12
#17Norma642US #25
#18Lorraine621US #42
#19Phyllis614US #24
#20Alice526US #21
#21Frances516US #16
#22Evelyn511US #19
#23Rose508US #26
#24Marjorie451US #30
#25Marie450US #22
#26Florence447US #35
#27Gloria444US #28
#28Anna439US #20
#29Mildred432US #18
#30Nancy425US #32
#31Joyce422US #23
#32Elizabeth421US #15
#33Irene416US #29
#34Carol401US #63
#35June400US #48
#36Beverly398US #39
#37Geraldine395US #43
#38Rosemary391US #80
#39Elaine382US #67
#40Rita378US #52
#41Donna332US #47
#42Eleanor330US #38
#43Marion330US #53
#44Catherine329US #34
#45Audrey312US #58
#46Lillian309US #40
#47Theresa309US #49
#48Charlotte292US #73
#49Louise291US #31
#50Martha289US #27
#51Delores285US #74
#52Lucille274US #57
#53Wanda264US #61
#54Josephine263US #45
#55Wilma258US #66
#56Ann254US #46
#57Bernice251US #55
#58Marian250US #75
#59Joanne237US #101
#60Grace235US #54
#61Jeanne234US #92
#62Jacqueline233US #87
#63Jane221US #62
#64Loretta215US #127
#65Laverne213US #170
#66Gladys204US #44
#67Juanita198US #60
#68Esther197US #71
#69Edna183US #51
#70Eileen181US #98
#71Pauline174US #50
#72Vivian169US #81
#73Thelma168US #41
#74Edith166US #59
#75Janet164US #82
#76Arlene161US #105
#77Ethel160US #56
#78Vera157US #99
#79Gertrude152US #95
#80Clara149US #65
#81Ruby148US #36
#82Violet147US #111
#83Carolyn146US #77
#84Darlene146US #160
#85Elsie146US #78
#86Peggy146US #70
#87Sally136US #112
#88Maxine135US #85
#89Ellen129US #97
#90Jeanette129US #131
#91Kathryn129US #104
#92Genevieve127US #142
#93Beatrice125US #72
#94Bonnie125US #86
#95Roberta123US #126
#96Ramona120US #120
#97Agnes119US #94
#98Anita119US #125
#99Joann118US #144
#100Kathleen118US #89

Boys

#1Robert4,395US #1
#2John3,176US #3
#3William2,763US #4
#4James2,532US #2
#5Richard2,331US #6
#6Donald2,319US #7
#7Charles1,702US #5
#8George1,367US #8
#9Edward1,288US #10
#10Joseph1,174US #9
#11Thomas919US #11
#12Raymond876US #15
#13Frank840US #12
#14Harold799US #16
#15Kenneth785US #18
#16Jack739US #14
#17Paul679US #13
#18Eugene678US #20
#19David598US #17
#20Walter575US #19
#21Arthur547US #22
#22Ralph457US #26
#23Ronald436US #45
#24Carl413US #28
#25Albert394US #24
#26Henry394US #21
#27Harry393US #27
#28Howard390US #31
#29Gerald389US #33
#30Leonard372US #42
#31Fred366US #34
#32Lawrence359US #38
#33Herbert357US #25
#34Louis331US #32
#35Norman325US #40
#36Roy313US #35
#37Earl305US #36
#38Clarence300US #37
#39Billy281US #23
#40Leroy280US #51
#41Anthony279US #44
#42Roger276US #64
#43Marvin266US #46
#44Daniel264US #47
#45Stanley263US #48
#46Bernard245US #52
#47Melvin245US #49
#48Alfred244US #41
#49Michael237US #54
#50Joe232US #30
#51Dale222US #73
#52Francis222US #39
#53Russell219US #56
#54Wayne211US #69
#55Peter207US #55
#56Jerry204US #61
#57Theodore200US #65
#58Ernest199US #43
#59Gene196US #68
#60Edwin194US #66
#61Bill190US #63
#62Don178US #78
#63Glenn178US #80
#64Elmer175US #70
#65Jerome168US #110
#66Philip160US #76
#67Clifford155US #72
#68Ray155US #57
#69Vernon154US #71
#70Chester153US #96
#71Leo153US #60
#72Bob152US #89
#73Andrew149US #59
#74Lloyd143US #62
#75Martin141US #83
#76Bobby140US #50
#77Floyd139US #58
#78Victor131US #100
#79Lester127US #88
#80Warren124US #92
#81Arnold119US #95
#82Gordon116US #79
#83Frederick115US #67
#84Allen113US #86
#85Sam112US #105
#86Alvin110US #77
#87Gilbert110US #91
#88Dean108US #133
#89Milton108US #94
#90Wilbur107US #131
#91Patrick106US #121
#92Samuel106US #53
#93Vincent106US #82
#94Everett104US #130
#95Herman104US #75
#96Harvey100US #90
#97Lyle98US #152
#98Norbert92
#99Phillip91US #151
#100Jesse88US #93

On the move since 1928

Rising

↑27Joanne#59
↑17Carol#34
↑15Janet#75
↑15Darlene#84
↑15Roger#42
↑13Jerry#56
↑12Nancy#30
↑12Arlene#76

Falling

↓21Kathleen#100
↓13Martin#75
↓13Samuel#92
↓12Floyd#77
↓11Kathryn#91
↓11Vincent#93
↓9Eleanor#42
↓8Lillian#46

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1928 rankings.