State roster

Top names in Illinois

The names most likely to appear on 1939 Illinois birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 109,002 Illinois births in 1939 across 1,129 distinct names.

Distinctively Illinois

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

#76Pat#142 nationally
#84Charlene#139 nationally
#88Diana#138 nationally
#74Suzanne#122 nationally
#50Tom#97 nationally
#67Marcia#109 nationally
#86Sheila#125 nationally
#32Arlene#69 nationally
#56Jerome#93 nationally
#47Terry#83 nationally
#58Rosemary#93 nationally
#41Darlene#75 nationally

Girls

#1Mary2,634US #1
#2Barbara2,176US #2
#3Patricia1,998US #3
#4Judith1,628US #8
#5Carol1,625US #6
#6Nancy1,266US #7
#7Sandra955US #13
#8Shirley946US #5
#9Sharon895US #23
#10Joyce878US #12
#11Betty821US #4
#12Donna819US #20
#13Joan806US #11
#14Marilyn802US #19
#15Janet711US #17
#16Margaret706US #10
#17Judy699US #28
#18Linda633US #15
#19Dorothy628US #9
#20Beverly618US #25
#21Carolyn597US #14
#22Phyllis521US #30
#23Ruth513US #22
#24Diane512US #51
#25Karen489US #39
#26Janice477US #24
#27Virginia472US #21
#28Helen463US #16
#29Jean380US #32
#30Carole370US #47
#31Lois352US #35
#32Arlene349US #69
#33Susan341US #44
#34Doris332US #29
#35Elizabeth332US #18
#36Alice327US #31
#37Frances326US #26
#38Geraldine325US #41
#39Joanne314US #53
#40Kathleen309US #48
#41Darlene305US #75
#42Elaine297US #45
#43Marlene297US #64
#44Norma297US #38
#45Ann292US #33
#46Jacqueline281US #72
#47Gloria280US #36
#48Dolores277US #58
#49Rose265US #42
#50Roberta263US #71
#51Sally257US #52
#52Rita254US #78
#53Martha251US #27
#54Joann244US #57
#55Marie241US #37
#56Kay227US #76
#57Charlotte218US #66
#58Rosemary218US #93
#59Bonnie211US #61
#60Jane207US #46
#61Loretta206US #65
#62Marjorie205US #60
#63Evelyn198US #40
#64Catherine197US #49
#65Delores191US #79
#66Peggy188US #34
#67Marcia187US #109
#68Gail180US #73
#69Anna175US #43
#70Jeanette175US #82
#71Sue173US #92
#72Louise167US #59
#73Patsy166US #56
#74Suzanne162US #122
#75Anita161US #97
#76Pat159US #142
#77June154US #83
#78Ellen153US #80
#79Audrey152US #98
#80Eleanor152US #63
#81Eileen150US #115
#82Wanda150US #50
#83Brenda148US #86
#84Charlene147US #139
#85Theresa147US #94
#86Sheila145US #125
#87Rosalie144US #114
#88Diana142US #138
#89Sylvia142US #62
#90Kathryn140US #106
#91Jo138US #70
#92Mildred137US #55
#93Josephine135US #84
#94Juanita127US #77
#95Yvonne124US #90
#96Lorraine123US #95
#97Marian122US #130
#98Katherine120US #101
#99Connie119US #111
#100Irene117US #74

Boys

#1Robert3,677US #1
#2James3,034US #2
#3John2,951US #3
#4Richard2,501US #5
#5William2,260US #4
#6Ronald1,725US #10
#7Donald1,571US #8
#8Charles1,551US #6
#9David1,384US #7
#10Thomas1,351US #9
#11Larry1,057US #14
#12Kenneth1,004US #13
#13Joseph914US #12
#14Edward864US #15
#15George834US #11
#16Jerry790US #16
#17Michael768US #18
#18Gerald738US #19
#19Paul665US #17
#20Frank592US #20
#21Dennis552US #34
#22Gary520US #21
#23Raymond519US #22
#24Jack463US #26
#25Roger461US #28
#26Daniel428US #38
#27Harold422US #23
#28Walter389US #25
#29Lawrence386US #36
#30Carl372US #30
#31Wayne372US #39
#32Arthur347US #32
#33Fred326US #40
#34Ralph324US #35
#35Norman316US #44
#36Eugene312US #37
#37Anthony280US #48
#38Peter269US #46
#39Henry246US #31
#40Leonard245US #54
#41Dale244US #59
#42Albert234US #41
#43Harry234US #45
#44Howard230US #47
#45Bruce227US #64
#46Philip208US #66
#47Terry208US #83
#48Jim205US #75
#49Bill203US #67
#50Tom200US #97
#51Roy199US #42
#52Stanley199US #57
#53Louis198US #49
#54Don197US #56
#55Marvin195US #52
#56Jerome194US #93
#57Joe192US #27
#58Patrick191US #79
#59Earl184US #50
#60Russell180US #73
#61Bob175US #89
#62Allen171US #72
#63Alan167US #85
#64Bernard164US #76
#65Melvin163US #51
#66Phillip160US #92
#67Leroy146US #61
#68Ray146US #74
#69Theodore145US #90
#70Billy143US #24
#71Stephen143US #65
#72Francis139US #53
#73Gene139US #69
#74Gordon134US #82
#75Lee134US #78
#76Edwin132US #96
#77Martin131US #91
#78Frederick127US #71
#79Glenn127US #87
#80Ernest126US #55
#81Alfred123US #70
#82Herbert117US #68
#83Douglas116US #58
#84Clarence113US #60
#85Ronnie111US #109
#86Andrew107US #84
#87Jon107US #121
#88Lester107US #116
#89Warren107US #104
#90Keith106US #117
#91Jackie105US #105
#92Clifford101US #88
#93Vernon99US #100
#94Allan96US #125
#95Harvey93US #102
#96Lloyd92US #95
#97Leo87US #108
#98Samuel85US #63
#99Leon82US #86
#100Dean81US #134

On the move since 1938

Rising

↑18Bob#61
↑17Pat#76
↑17Ellen#78
↑16Susan#33
↑14Lee#75
↑13Kathleen#40
↑13Suzanne#74
↑13Terry#47

Falling

↓24Rosalie#87
↓21Irene#100
↓17Sylvia#89
↓13Warren#89
↓12Evelyn#63
↓12Ernest#80
↓12Allan#94
↓11Loretta#61

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1938 rankings.