State roster

Top names in Illinois

The names most likely to appear on 1938 Illinois birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 112,264 Illinois births in 1938 across 1,149 distinct names.

Distinctively Illinois

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

#93Pat#149 nationally
#54Tom#106 nationally
#91Charlene#143 nationally
#46Jerome#93 nationally
#89Sheila#136 nationally
#87Suzanne#133 nationally
#74Marcia#116 nationally
#23Diane#64 nationally
#57Rosemary#95 nationally
#82Allan#119 nationally
#30Arlene#63 nationally
#93Jon#126 nationally

Girls

#1Mary2,734US #1
#2Barbara2,524US #2
#3Patricia1,956US #3
#4Carol1,644US #6
#5Nancy1,339US #7
#6Shirley1,205US #5
#7Judith1,083US #12
#8Donna994US #20
#9Joan926US #10
#10Marilyn917US #19
#11Sandra914US #14
#12Betty912US #4
#13Joyce772US #11
#14Margaret733US #9
#15Janet724US #16
#16Dorothy712US #8
#17Beverly673US #18
#18Sharon657US #30
#19Phyllis585US #28
#20Ruth554US #21
#21Carolyn552US #15
#22Linda493US #31
#23Diane477US #64
#24Judy468US #41
#25Virginia462US #22
#26Janice461US #24
#27Helen450US #13
#28Jean425US #27
#29Karen410US #50
#30Arlene405US #63
#31Alice395US #29
#32Lois395US #33
#33Elizabeth394US #17
#34Carole380US #46
#35Marlene371US #51
#36Frances366US #23
#37Joanne366US #57
#38Doris364US #25
#39Geraldine343US #45
#40Dolores328US #43
#41Elaine320US #42
#42Roberta313US #73
#43Gloria310US #36
#44Norma305US #34
#45Darlene292US #76
#46Ann284US #32
#47Jacqueline281US #69
#48Rose275US #39
#49Susan260US #71
#50Loretta259US #62
#51Evelyn247US #38
#52Martha247US #26
#53Kathleen245US #58
#54Marjorie244US #53
#55Rita242US #74
#56Sally240US #54
#57Rosemary233US #95
#58Marie231US #37
#59Joann230US #68
#60Kay230US #81
#61Bonnie228US #65
#62Delores221US #75
#63Rosalie221US #66
#64Jane206US #44
#65Peggy200US #35
#66Catherine198US #48
#67Charlotte192US #70
#68Gail192US #77
#69Patsy187US #55
#70June179US #79
#71Anna177US #40
#72Sylvia174US #56
#73Eleanor172US #60
#74Marcia168US #116
#75Wanda162US #49
#76Jeanette161US #91
#77Sue158US #104
#78Audrey156US #87
#79Irene150US #72
#80Louise149US #59
#81Eileen148US #113
#82Theresa148US #92
#83Anita147US #99
#84Josephine147US #83
#85Lorraine146US #93
#86Kathryn144US #114
#87Suzanne144US #133
#88Mildred142US #52
#89Sheila142US #136
#90Lucille141US #106
#91Charlene140US #143
#92Connie139US #110
#93Pat134US #149
#94Florence132US #90
#95Ellen130US #89
#96Marian129US #128
#97Juanita128US #80
#98Yvonne128US #101
#99Wilma125US #85
#100Deanna121US #115

Boys

#1Robert3,967US #1
#2James3,086US #2
#3John2,982US #3
#4Richard2,538US #5
#5William2,386US #4
#6Donald1,921US #7
#7Ronald1,780US #10
#8Charles1,660US #6
#9Thomas1,360US #9
#10David1,314US #8
#11George1,021US #11
#12Kenneth1,005US #14
#13Edward910US #13
#14Joseph880US #12
#15Gerald816US #19
#16Larry813US #16
#17Paul702US #15
#18Michael676US #21
#19Jerry648US #17
#20Frank618US #18
#21Raymond618US #20
#22Roger532US #31
#23Jack502US #25
#24Harold498US #23
#25Gary460US #22
#26Wayne415US #40
#27Lawrence412US #36
#28Carl395US #29
#29Daniel377US #39
#30Dennis370US #49
#31Walter365US #26
#32Arthur358US #32
#33Fred357US #38
#34Ralph354US #35
#35Eugene336US #33
#36Anthony294US #46
#37Norman289US #43
#38Howard268US #42
#39Peter267US #48
#40Albert264US #37
#41Leonard264US #57
#42Henry251US #30
#43Harry235US #44
#44Don225US #52
#45Dale224US #56
#46Jerome222US #93
#47Bruce221US #66
#48Roy218US #41
#49Louis213US #47
#50Earl208US #50
#51Joe203US #28
#52Russell203US #70
#53Stanley196US #59
#54Tom194US #106
#55Melvin191US #54
#56Marvin187US #53
#57Philip185US #64
#58Patrick184US #88
#59Bernard178US #75
#60Terry178US #86
#61Jim177US #81
#62Bill172US #67
#63Leroy168US #61
#64Allen163US #73
#65Phillip163US #95
#66Francis161US #51
#67Alan154US #91
#68Ernest153US #55
#69Gene153US #65
#70Martin152US #87
#71Ray149US #72
#72Billy145US #24
#73Stephen144US #74
#74Theodore142US #84
#75Clarence138US #58
#76Warren138US #102
#77Frederick134US #71
#78Gordon134US #78
#79Bob131US #94
#80Herbert129US #68
#81Ronnie128US #113
#82Allan126US #119
#83Alfred121US #69
#84Andrew121US #82
#85Glenn119US #83
#86Edwin117US #90
#87Douglas115US #60
#88Lloyd109US #92
#89Lee108US #80
#90Clifford107US #89
#91Keith105US #120
#92Samuel104US #62
#93Jon98US #126
#94Lester98US #115
#95Leon97US #85
#96Vernon96US #103
#97Vincent94US #110
#98Jackie93US #105
#99Harvey92US #99
#100Arnold91US #111

On the move since 1937

Rising

↑43Karen#29
↑21Susan#49
↑20Judy#24
↑19Terry#60
↑17Gail#68
↑16Marcia#74
↑16Jim#61
↑16Allan#82

Falling

↓32Yvonne#98
↓19Dolores#40
↓14Joann#59
↓14Bob#79
↓14Edwin#86
↓13Mildred#88
↓13Wilma#99
↓13Clarence#75

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1937 rankings.