State roster

Top names in Massachusetts

The names most likely to appear on 1936 Massachusetts birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 55,117 Massachusetts births in 1936 across 635 distinct names.

Distinctively Massachusetts

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

#28Claire#176 nationally
#64Gerardoutside the national top 200
#67Edmundoutside the national top 200
#69Priscillaoutside the national top 200
#80Salvatoreoutside the national top 200
#82Armandoutside the national top 200
#84Laurenceoutside the national top 200
#85Wilfredoutside the national top 200
#88Murieloutside the national top 200
#89Margueriteoutside the national top 200
#89Stuartoutside the national top 200
#77Cynthia#184 nationally

Girls

#1Mary1,430US #1
#2Barbara1,240US #3
#3Joan1,087US #7
#4Patricia1,034US #5
#5Carol682US #10
#6Nancy667US #8
#7Dorothy542US #6
#8Shirley536US #2
#9Margaret489US #9
#10Ann467US #28
#11Jean449US #20
#12Marilyn422US #13
#13Elizabeth413US #18
#14Beverly381US #17
#15Marie356US #33
#16Helen348US #11
#17Janet339US #21
#18Judith338US #43
#19Elaine306US #50
#20Eleanor300US #47
#21Lorraine296US #76
#22Ruth280US #16
#23Anne269US #89
#24Virginia266US #14
#25Jane264US #42
#26Phyllis255US #25
#27Janice246US #31
#28Claire241US #176
#29Joanne236US #48
#30Pauline232US #82
#31Doris228US #15
#32Frances221US #19
#33Sandra219US #38
#34Alice217US #27
#35Theresa216US #88
#36Catherine214US #44
#37Joyce209US #12
#38Carole207US #73
#39Rita203US #69
#40Irene197US #57
#41Marjorie196US #49
#42Carolyn187US #23
#43Betty184US #4
#44Louise184US #46
#45Dolores172US #30
#46Evelyn168US #34
#47Jacqueline167US #66
#48Constance166US #133
#49Rose166US #37
#50Maureen163US #155
#51Gloria162US #32
#52Lois162US #26
#53Jeanne158US #141
#54Roberta156US #64
#55Eileen150US #103
#56June150US #62
#57Sylvia147US #53
#58Marion146US #93
#59Gail145US #101
#60Kathleen142US #67
#61Sally140US #59
#62Arlene135US #54
#63Anna133US #36
#64Florence131US #80
#65Lillian128US #79
#66Geraldine127US #41
#67Norma124US #29
#68Audrey122US #68
#69Priscilla117
#70Sheila112US #157
#71Ellen105US #99
#72Grace104US #86
#73Lucille104US #92
#74Martha104US #24
#75Charlotte100US #61
#76Marcia98US #138
#77Cynthia95US #184
#78Diane93US #112
#79Mildred92US #40
#80Rosemarie91US #158
#81Katherine90US #100
#82Josephine87US #77
#83Loretta87US #70
#84Annette81US #125
#85Jeannette80US #188
#86Susan80US #110
#87Marlene78US #39
#88Muriel74
#89Marguerite69
#90Anita67US #104
#91Rosemary65US #111
#92Yvonne62US #81
#93Edith60US #87
#94Christine56US #131
#95Harriet56US #154
#96Paula56US #185
#97Beatrice52US #121
#98Cecile51
#99Laura51US #106
#100Jeanette49US #94

Boys

#1Robert2,599US #1
#2John2,157US #3
#3Richard1,771US #5
#4William1,396US #4
#5James1,119US #2
#6Joseph974US #11
#7Donald973US #7
#8Paul833US #15
#9Edward792US #13
#10David752US #10
#11George715US #9
#12Thomas627US #8
#13Charles598US #6
#14Ronald511US #12
#15Francis461US #50
#16Raymond406US #17
#17Arthur385US #30
#18Peter333US #56
#19Kenneth324US #14
#20Walter295US #26
#21Frank293US #16
#22Anthony265US #48
#23Gerald258US #19
#24Michael257US #33
#25Albert246US #34
#26Roger241US #35
#27Daniel236US #41
#28Lawrence228US #37
#29Frederick221US #70
#30Philip208US #63
#31Henry196US #28
#32Ralph191US #31
#33Norman183US #43
#34Alfred161US #60
#35Harold160US #21
#36Leo159US #94
#37Ernest152US #55
#38Leonard146US #54
#39Louis145US #44
#40Bruce138US #73
#41Eugene137US #29
#42Stephen137US #99
#43Carl127US #27
#44Bernard117US #68
#45Alan116US #108
#46Fred111US #36
#47Russell102US #69
#48Roland101US #118
#49Stanley101US #58
#50Herbert99US #62
#51Harry94US #39
#52Vincent92US #109
#53Warren91US #95
#54Allan81US #138
#55Theodore80US #87
#56Howard76US #40
#57Roy73US #42
#58Edwin68US #84
#59Martin67US #92
#60Andrew64US #83
#61Gordon62US #75
#62Earl61US #47
#63Nicholas61US #157
#64Gerard59
#65Leon58US #82
#66Wayne57US #45
#67Edmund55
#68Harvey55US #97
#69Dennis54US #74
#70Arnold53US #111
#71Maurice51US #137
#72Douglas49US #78
#73Gilbert47US #113
#74Victor47US #116
#75Chester46US #127
#76Neil46US #158
#77Allen45US #81
#78Barry44US #185
#79Melvin44US #53
#80Salvatore44
#81Patrick41US #100
#82Armand40
#83Clifford40US #90
#84Laurence39
#85Wilfred37
#86Mark36US #182
#87Phillip36US #102
#88Jack35US #20
#89Stuart35
#90Franklin34US #64
#91Gary34US #38
#92Lewis34US #101
#93Manuel34US #135
#94Benjamin33US #123
#95Joel32US #146
#96Samuel32US #67
#97Frederic31
#98Malcolm31
#99Leslie30US #128
#100Clarence29US #52

On the move since 1935

Rising

↑20Wayne#66
↑18Carole#38
↑17Armand#82
↑16Leon#65
↑14Janice#27
↑14Rosemarie#80
↑13Joyce#37
↑13Audrey#68

Falling

↓24Manuel#93
↓21Samuel#96
↓13Douglas#72
↓12Charlotte#75
↓10Alice#34
↓10Marjorie#41
↓10Lois#52
↓10Marion#58

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1935 rankings.