State roster

Top names in Massachusetts

The names most likely to appear on 1938 Massachusetts birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 56,850 Massachusetts births in 1938 across 647 distinct names.

Distinctively Massachusetts

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

#32Claire#184 nationally
#67Gerardoutside the national top 200
#58Priscilla#188 nationally
#77Edmundoutside the national top 200
#80Normandoutside the national top 200
#85Kevinoutside the national top 200
#87Margueriteoutside the national top 200
#92Salvatoreoutside the national top 200
#95Brendaoutside the national top 200
#95Laurenceoutside the national top 200
#98Murieloutside the national top 200
#98Brianoutside the national top 200

Girls

#1Mary1,275US #1
#2Barbara1,206US #2
#3Patricia1,098US #3
#4Carol1,005US #6
#5Joan848US #10
#6Nancy717US #7
#7Judith607US #12
#8Margaret533US #9
#9Dorothy499US #8
#10Ann486US #32
#11Elizabeth480US #17
#12Sandra428US #14
#13Beverly423US #18
#14Jean404US #27
#15Marilyn369US #19
#16Janet351US #16
#17Elaine342US #42
#18Shirley341US #5
#19Helen338US #13
#20Joyce335US #11
#21Marie330US #37
#22Janice327US #24
#23Eleanor292US #60
#24Anne268US #84
#25Joanne265US #57
#26Ruth264US #21
#27Frances262US #23
#28Virginia261US #22
#29Jane259US #44
#30Lorraine249US #93
#31Carole245US #46
#32Claire229US #184
#33Phyllis229US #28
#34Theresa224US #92
#35Pauline221US #97
#36Gail219US #77
#37Carolyn215US #15
#38Rita196US #74
#39Alice194US #29
#40Doris184US #25
#41Kathleen182US #58
#42Marjorie182US #53
#43Jacqueline179US #69
#44Maureen178US #144
#45Sally178US #54
#46Sheila176US #136
#47Catherine175US #48
#48Louise170US #59
#49Betty169US #4
#50Evelyn158US #38
#51Constance157US #117
#52Roberta157US #73
#53June154US #79
#54Jeanne153US #148
#55Lois151US #33
#56Ellen147US #89
#57Irene146US #72
#58Priscilla146US #188
#59Diane144US #64
#60Dolores143US #43
#61Eileen142US #113
#62Martha138US #26
#63Arlene135US #63
#64Geraldine132US #45
#65Cynthia131US #160
#66Marcia131US #116
#67Rose130US #39
#68Susan130US #71
#69Marion120US #118
#70Gloria119US #36
#71Rosalie115US #66
#72Linda114US #31
#73Rosemary109US #95
#74Anna105US #40
#75Katherine103US #105
#76Josephine98US #83
#77Lillian96US #88
#78Sylvia95US #56
#79Grace94US #100
#80Charlotte93US #70
#81Loretta91US #62
#82Norma91US #34
#83Florence90US #90
#84Annette85US #119
#85Donna83US #20
#86Jeannette74US #186
#87Marguerite73
#88Marlene70US #51
#89Audrey69US #87
#90Lucille69US #106
#91Mildred69US #52
#92Paula68US #163
#93Anita67US #99
#94Edith66US #102
#95Brenda65
#96Suzanne62US #133
#97Rosemarie58US #176
#98Muriel57
#99Joann53US #68
#100Beatrice52US #125

Boys

#1Robert2,748US #1
#2John2,201US #3
#3Richard1,788US #5
#4William1,380US #4
#5James1,190US #2
#6David1,018US #8
#7Joseph947US #12
#8Paul929US #15
#9Edward739US #13
#10Thomas731US #9
#11Donald719US #7
#12George708US #11
#13Charles676US #6
#14Ronald598US #10
#15Francis442US #51
#16Arthur404US #32
#17Peter382US #48
#18Kenneth379US #14
#19Raymond339US #20
#20Frank302US #18
#21Anthony294US #46
#22Michael286US #21
#23Gerald274US #19
#24Walter274US #26
#25Roger264US #31
#26Albert235US #37
#27Lawrence228US #36
#28Daniel227US #39
#29Stephen220US #74
#30Frederick214US #71
#31Philip207US #64
#32Henry201US #30
#33Norman191US #43
#34Ralph185US #35
#35Alfred170US #69
#36Bruce164US #66
#37Louis160US #47
#38Ernest148US #55
#39Harold142US #23
#40Leonard141US #57
#41Leo135US #104
#42Eugene134US #33
#43Carl132US #29
#44Stanley127US #59
#45Alan125US #91
#46Bernard112US #75
#47Fred110US #38
#48Russell109US #70
#49Herbert105US #68
#50Gordon95US #78
#51Douglas91US #60
#52Roland91US #124
#53Vincent85US #110
#54Wayne85US #40
#55Martin83US #87
#56Howard75US #42
#57Theodore75US #84
#58Allan73US #119
#59Warren71US #102
#60Patrick68US #88
#61Roy67US #41
#62Andrew65US #82
#63Earl65US #50
#64Clifford64US #89
#65Dennis64US #49
#66Barry59US #155
#67Gerard59
#68Harry59US #44
#69Nicholas58US #161
#70Allen57US #73
#71Edwin56US #90
#72Arnold53US #111
#73Harvey51US #99
#74Maurice51US #143
#75Timothy51US #167
#76Gary49US #22
#77Edmund47
#78Manuel44US #144
#79Neil44US #152
#80Normand44
#81Leon43US #85
#82Phillip43US #95
#83Victor43US #117
#84Benjamin42US #125
#85Kevin42
#86Mark41US #166
#87Chester40US #136
#88Jack40US #25
#89Gilbert39US #116
#90Samuel39US #62
#91Alexander38US #193
#92Salvatore38
#93Jon37US #126
#94Melvin37US #54
#95Laurence35
#96Everett34US #159
#97Joel34US #134
#98Brian33
#99Malcolm33
#100Burton31

On the move since 1937

Rising

↑19Ellen#56
↑16Priscilla#58
↑15Kathleen#41
↑14Evelyn#50
↑14Gerard#67
↑14Allen#70
↑13Linda#72
↑13Rosemary#73

Falling

↓31Lucille#90
↓22Geraldine#64
↓22Samuel#90
↓20Melvin#94
↓17Edmund#77
↓16Gloria#70
↓16Harry#68
↓16Chester#87

Every state

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