State roster

Top names in Massachusetts

The names most likely to appear on 1939 Massachusetts birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 57,169 Massachusetts births in 1939 across 640 distinct names.

Distinctively Massachusetts

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

#34Claire#189 nationally
#69Kevinoutside the national top 200
#72Gerardoutside the national top 200
#73Edmundoutside the national top 200
#74Normandoutside the national top 200
#80Laurenceoutside the national top 200
#89Wilfredoutside the national top 200
#35Maureen#146 nationally
#65Brian#176 nationally
#92Salvatoreoutside the national top 200
#96Armandoutside the national top 200
#100Christopheroutside the national top 200

Girls

#1Mary1,303US #1
#2Patricia1,179US #3
#3Barbara1,105US #2
#4Carol1,035US #6
#5Judith874US #8
#6Joan847US #11
#7Nancy744US #7
#8Margaret495US #10
#9Elizabeth489US #18
#10Dorothy477US #9
#11Ann466US #33
#12Sandra426US #13
#13Beverly400US #25
#14Janet384US #17
#15Jean348US #32
#16Marilyn334US #19
#17Marie321US #37
#18Joyce311US #12
#19Elaine305US #45
#20Helen288US #16
#21Joanne274US #53
#22Janice263US #24
#23Ruth259US #22
#24Shirley257US #5
#25Carolyn252US #14
#26Anne251US #85
#27Virginia250US #21
#28Eleanor248US #63
#29Carole247US #47
#30Frances244US #26
#31Jane236US #46
#32Gail235US #73
#33Catherine233US #49
#34Claire232US #189
#35Maureen231US #146
#36Brenda222US #86
#37Lorraine222US #95
#38Kathleen212US #48
#39Phyllis205US #30
#40Pauline202US #105
#41Linda200US #15
#42Susan200US #44
#43Sheila197US #125
#44Rita194US #78
#45Alice193US #31
#46Diane181US #51
#47Theresa173US #94
#48Louise170US #59
#49Roberta167US #71
#50Irene165US #74
#51Betty162US #4
#52Jacqueline160US #72
#53Geraldine157US #41
#54Marjorie153US #60
#55Priscilla153US #148
#56Doris152US #29
#57Ellen150US #80
#58Sally149US #52
#59Eileen148US #115
#60Cynthia147US #152
#61Lois144US #35
#62Jeanne138US #147
#63Rose138US #42
#64Marcia133US #109
#65Martha131US #27
#66Evelyn125US #40
#67June124US #83
#68Marion121US #120
#69Donna115US #20
#70Constance113US #123
#71Arlene106US #69
#72Gloria105US #36
#73Dolores104US #58
#74Rosemary103US #93
#75Norma98US #38
#76Lillian97US #99
#77Anna95US #43
#78Lucille93US #110
#79Sylvia93US #62
#80Florence92US #96
#81Loretta89US #65
#82Josephine83US #84
#83Katherine83US #101
#84Charlotte79US #66
#85Suzanne78US #122
#86Christine76US #124
#87Annette72US #121
#88Judy71US #28
#89Mildred71US #55
#90Paula71US #159
#91Marlene70US #64
#92Rosalie69US #114
#93Edith68US #102
#94Anita67US #97
#95Jeannette66US #184
#96Diana65US #138
#97Audrey63US #98
#98Joann63US #57
#99Grace62US #108
#100Karen60US #39

Boys

#1Robert2,602US #1
#2John2,272US #3
#3Richard1,872US #5
#4William1,423US #4
#5James1,254US #2
#6David1,036US #7
#7Paul976US #17
#8Joseph952US #12
#9Thomas790US #9
#10George709US #11
#11Edward698US #15
#12Donald683US #8
#13Charles650US #6
#14Ronald597US #10
#15Peter445US #46
#16Francis413US #53
#17Michael380US #18
#18Kenneth372US #13
#19Arthur362US #32
#20Raymond334US #22
#21Gerald303US #19
#22Frank286US #20
#23Roger281US #28
#24Daniel248US #38
#25Walter245US #25
#26Anthony240US #48
#27Albert239US #41
#28Lawrence224US #36
#29Frederick212US #71
#30Stephen212US #65
#31Philip209US #66
#32Henry179US #31
#33Norman173US #44
#34Bruce163US #64
#35Louis159US #49
#36Alan156US #85
#37Ralph156US #35
#38Alfred152US #70
#39Carl149US #30
#40Harold139US #23
#41Leo126US #108
#42Leonard126US #54
#43Ernest125US #55
#44Russell125US #73
#45Wayne125US #39
#46Eugene124US #37
#47Bernard123US #76
#48Fred122US #40
#49Stanley107US #57
#50Howard100US #47
#51Vincent100US #110
#52Herbert98US #68
#53Douglas91US #58
#54Martin87US #91
#55Roland86US #131
#56Dennis85US #34
#57Gordon84US #82
#58Warren83US #104
#59Allan80US #125
#60Harry74US #45
#61Andrew73US #84
#62Theodore70US #90
#63Barry67US #127
#64Patrick66US #79
#65Brian65US #176
#66Roy62US #42
#67Edwin59US #96
#68Nicholas59US #156
#69Kevin58
#70Allen55US #72
#71Earl52US #50
#72Gerard52
#73Edmund50
#74Normand48
#75Chester47US #133
#76Timothy47US #153
#77Neil44US #152
#78Clifford43US #88
#79Gary43US #21
#80Laurence43
#81Samuel43US #63
#82Arnold41US #113
#83Harvey41US #102
#84Mark39US #170
#85Maurice39US #157
#86Steven39US #144
#87Alexander38US #186
#88Jack38US #26
#89Wilfred37
#90Leon36US #86
#91Jerome35US #93
#92Salvatore35
#93Gilbert34US #115
#94Manuel34US #143
#95Victor34US #119
#96Armand31
#97Everett31US #163
#98Jon31US #121
#99Melvin31US #51
#100Christopher30

On the move since 1938

Rising

↑59Brenda#36
↑33Brian#65
↑31Linda#41
↑26Susan#42
↑16Donna#69
↑16Kevin#69
↑15Laurence#80
↑14Catherine#33

Falling

↓21Rosalie#92
↓20Grace#99
↓19Constance#70
↓16Doris#56
↓16Evelyn#66
↓16Manuel#94
↓14June#67
↓14Clifford#78

Every state

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