State roster

Top names in Pennsylvania

The names most likely to appear on 1916 Pennsylvania birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 162,637 Pennsylvania births in 1916 across 1,225 distinct names.

Distinctively Pennsylvania

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

#89Elwoodoutside the national top 200
#99Clairoutside the national top 200
#91Adam#189 nationally
#91Veronica#186 nationally
#99Regina#194 nationally
#96Nick#182 nationally
#90Amelia#167 nationally
#37Steve#108 nationally
#54Mike#125 nationally
#69Miriam#140 nationally
#87Matthew#148 nationally
#49Sara#109 nationally

Girls

#1Mary7,730US #1
#2Helen4,656US #2
#3Anna3,582US #7
#4Margaret3,301US #4
#5Dorothy2,933US #3
#6Ruth2,249US #5
#7Elizabeth2,188US #8
#8Catherine1,489US #20
#9Mildred1,466US #6
#10Marie1,298US #12
#11Rose1,250US #15
#12Frances1,224US #9
#13Florence1,184US #14
#14Josephine1,040US #21
#15Eleanor992US #27
#16Evelyn930US #11
#17Ann894US #40
#18Grace889US #26
#19Virginia853US #10
#20Alice844US #13
#21Kathryn778US #60
#22Martha755US #24
#23Lillian746US #16
#24Anne735US #53
#25Julia734US #46
#26Jean731US #45
#27Irene715US #17
#28Ethel686US #25
#29Esther668US #34
#30Edith657US #28
#31Betty651US #44
#32Pauline649US #33
#33Edna633US #19
#34Stella618US #63
#35Louise614US #18
#36Emma590US #41
#37Agnes564US #50
#38Gertrude561US #35
#39Rita551US #67
#40Thelma547US #29
#41Jane523US #62
#42Sarah520US #52
#43Marion494US #47
#44Gladys489US #22
#45Beatrice464US #38
#46Bertha456US #49
#47Katherine438US #51
#48Clara435US #39
#49Sara429US #109
#50Jennie426US #79
#51Doris423US #32
#52Hazel405US #31
#53Elsie398US #48
#54Marian398US #72
#55Pearl397US #57
#56Violet388US #83
#57Ida386US #54
#58Laura367US #64
#59Sophie351US #101
#60Theresa328US #98
#61Mabel320US #65
#62Genevieve319US #76
#63Sylvia316US #69
#64Marjorie314US #37
#65Nellie308US #61
#66Eva299US #55
#67Charlotte294US #80
#68Lois293US #43
#69Miriam284US #140
#70Viola263US #59
#71Olga255US #126
#72Bernice254US #42
#73Hilda248US #105
#74Geraldine244US #94
#75Ellen243US #87
#76Blanche240US #89
#77Leona237US #75
#78Lucy237US #84
#79Barbara232US #74
#80Vera231US #66
#81Emily230US #100
#82June229US #86
#83Marguerite223US #78
#84Verna219US #125
#85Madeline212US #131
#86Alma211US #70
#87Lucille210US #30
#88Lena208US #85
#89Olive207US #132
#90Amelia206US #167
#91Veronica203US #186
#92Alberta199US #123
#93Bessie199US #56
#94Phyllis199US #95
#95Nancy198US #102
#96Mae194US #92
#97Ella190US #81
#98Harriet190US #106
#99Regina190US #194
#100Caroline188US #144

Boys

#1John6,543US #1
#2Joseph4,004US #5
#3William3,985US #2
#4Charles2,754US #6
#5Robert2,626US #4
#6George2,558US #7
#7James2,453US #3
#8Edward1,891US #8
#9Frank1,876US #9
#10Paul1,482US #12
#11Harry1,217US #19
#12Walter1,170US #11
#13Thomas1,165US #10
#14Michael1,110US #44
#15Albert1,032US #17
#16Richard915US #15
#17Anthony873US #37
#18Raymond816US #16
#19Harold788US #13
#20Stanley754US #34
#21Francis723US #31
#22Henry681US #14
#23Louis669US #22
#24Andrew656US #46
#25Samuel634US #41
#26Donald613US #20
#27Ralph603US #21
#28Carl596US #23
#29Arthur579US #18
#30David532US #28
#31Peter530US #50
#32Howard516US #25
#33Kenneth497US #27
#34Earl476US #32
#35Stephen435US #87
#36Clarence398US #24
#37Steve386US #108
#38Bernard376US #49
#39Frederick374US #52
#40Eugene365US #39
#41Fred361US #29
#42Alfred360US #43
#43Jack344US #26
#44Daniel341US #55
#45Lawrence335US #38
#46Elmer331US #45
#47Vincent326US #67
#48Russell325US #51
#49Chester311US #54
#50Norman305US #48
#51Herbert295US #40
#52Leonard295US #42
#53Leo289US #47
#54Mike284US #125
#55Ernest279US #36
#56Nicholas264US #107
#57Martin262US #81
#58Roy262US #33
#59Philip259US #70
#60Theodore255US #65
#61Lester237US #59
#62Edwin228US #53
#63Benjamin218US #79
#64Alexander212US #99
#65Victor208US #78
#66Lewis202US #71
#67Melvin199US #57
#68Clyde197US #62
#69Leroy195US #63
#70Jacob190US #123
#71Lloyd182US #58
#72Joe180US #35
#73Glenn179US #84
#74Gerald175US #76
#75Herman171US #56
#76Warren166US #102
#77Leon163US #85
#78Franklin161US #130
#79Wilbur158US #94
#80Willard156US #69
#81Alex151US #128
#82Clifford145US #61
#83Ray144US #73
#84Morris138US #97
#85Milton133US #72
#86Edgar129US #88
#87Matthew128US #148
#88Tony127US #132
#89Elwood125
#90Allen123US #101
#91Adam122US #189
#92Harvey122US #92
#93Floyd120US #60
#94Sidney118US #95
#95Angelo115US #146
#96Nick115US #182
#97Woodrow111US #64
#98Edmund109US #134
#99Clair106
#100Julius106US #111

On the move since 1915

Rising

↑17Geraldine#74
↑13Franklin#78
↑12Madeline#85
↑9Violet#56
↑9Elwood#89
↑9Adam#91
↑8Rita#39
↑8Ellen#75

Falling

↓15Mae#96
↓12Alma#86
↓12Floyd#93
↓11Caroline#100
↓10Herman#75
↓10Nick#96
↓9Emily#81
↓9Lena#88

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1915 rankings.