State roster

Top names in Pennsylvania

The names most likely to appear on 1917 Pennsylvania birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 171,024 Pennsylvania births in 1917 across 1,257 distinct names.

Distinctively Pennsylvania

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

#90Clairoutside the national top 200
#92Elwoodoutside the national top 200
#86Veronica#183 nationally
#81Nick#177 nationally
#98Regina#186 nationally
#55Mike#126 nationally
#46Steve#112 nationally
#73Miriam#134 nationally
#71Olga#131 nationally
#93Angelo#152 nationally
#99Victoria#158 nationally
#51Sara#107 nationally

Girls

#1Mary7,988US #1
#2Helen4,921US #2
#3Anna3,533US #7
#4Margaret3,461US #4
#5Dorothy3,084US #3
#6Ruth2,387US #5
#7Elizabeth2,227US #8
#8Catherine1,600US #18
#9Mildred1,523US #6
#10Rose1,356US #16
#11Marie1,314US #12
#12Frances1,260US #9
#13Florence1,209US #14
#14Josephine1,148US #21
#15Eleanor1,004US #26
#16Virginia964US #10
#17Betty953US #34
#18Alice937US #13
#19Evelyn916US #11
#20Ann876US #44
#21Grace858US #30
#22Martha825US #22
#23Irene819US #17
#24Lillian783US #15
#25Kathryn781US #60
#26Ethel766US #24
#27Jean765US #40
#28Anne719US #53
#29Pauline717US #33
#30Julia688US #47
#31Edith671US #28
#32Esther655US #38
#33Edna646US #20
#34Gertrude642US #37
#35Agnes640US #48
#36Louise634US #19
#37Stella629US #62
#38Emma597US #46
#39Rita578US #63
#40Marion573US #45
#41Thelma571US #32
#42Gladys559US #23
#43Jane532US #55
#44Doris523US #25
#45Sarah495US #52
#46Beatrice478US #39
#47Katherine476US #49
#48Clara475US #41
#49Jennie462US #81
#50Bertha454US #51
#51Sara436US #107
#52Sophie434US #100
#53Elsie423US #50
#54Marian412US #74
#55Hazel402US #31
#56Pearl392US #57
#57Ida364US #56
#58Genevieve361US #77
#59Theresa355US #97
#60Marjorie354US #36
#61Laura345US #65
#62Violet344US #84
#63Sylvia320US #69
#64Lois314US #43
#65Nellie311US #64
#66Charlotte294US #76
#67Eva294US #54
#68Blanche287US #91
#69Geraldine280US #89
#70Viola280US #59
#71Olga269US #131
#72Lucille265US #29
#73Miriam265US #134
#74Mabel263US #68
#75June259US #73
#76Bernice257US #42
#77Lucy256US #88
#78Verna253US #124
#79Mae247US #96
#80Ellen246US #90
#81Leona241US #80
#82Marguerite239US #78
#83Barbara235US #67
#84Alma232US #71
#85Emily230US #103
#86Veronica229US #183
#87Naomi228US #133
#88Lena227US #85
#89Alberta226US #122
#90Vera218US #66
#91Harriet215US #104
#92Nancy215US #98
#93Hilda210US #112
#94Myrtle205US #58
#95Janet200US #136
#96Loretta197US #114
#97Madeline197US #127
#98Regina192US #186
#99Victoria192US #158
#100Ella190US #83

Boys

#1John6,620US #1
#2William4,462US #2
#3Joseph4,223US #5
#4Robert3,112US #4
#5Charles2,766US #7
#6George2,632US #6
#7James2,568US #3
#8Edward2,039US #8
#9Frank1,985US #9
#10Paul1,566US #13
#11Thomas1,409US #10
#12Harry1,309US #19
#13Walter1,309US #11
#14Michael1,099US #44
#15Albert1,087US #18
#16Richard967US #14
#17Anthony898US #38
#18Raymond887US #16
#19Harold878US #12
#20Stanley793US #34
#21Francis776US #30
#22Henry737US #15
#23Donald735US #20
#24Samuel683US #42
#25Andrew682US #48
#26Louis670US #23
#27Ralph668US #21
#28Arthur618US #17
#29Carl582US #24
#30David573US #28
#31Howard523US #26
#32Earl495US #32
#33Kenneth493US #27
#34Peter483US #50
#35Daniel439US #54
#36Stephen435US #89
#37Clarence420US #25
#38Bernard419US #49
#39Jack415US #22
#40Russell388US #52
#41Fred374US #29
#42Leonard371US #41
#43Norman364US #46
#44Alfred355US #43
#45Eugene355US #39
#46Steve351US #112
#47Frederick329US #51
#48Vincent326US #65
#49Chester325US #56
#50Theodore319US #63
#51Martin317US #77
#52Lawrence315US #36
#53Herbert310US #40
#54Elmer308US #45
#55Mike305US #126
#56Leo291US #47
#57Nicholas284US #109
#58Roy276US #33
#59Ernest268US #37
#60Leroy249US #60
#61Lester246US #61
#62Philip238US #66
#63Edwin237US #55
#64Benjamin230US #76
#65Alexander226US #97
#66Victor203US #78
#67Melvin202US #57
#68Herman194US #58
#69Lewis193US #70
#70Leon192US #82
#71Joe191US #35
#72Gerald188US #69
#73Lloyd188US #53
#74Clyde184US #64
#75Jacob177US #130
#76Glenn173US #86
#77Clifford169US #59
#78Ray167US #74
#79Warren158US #93
#80Edgar156US #88
#81Nick149US #177
#82Wilbur144US #92
#83Floyd142US #62
#84Franklin142US #124
#85Willard137US #80
#86Milton136US #75
#87Alex133US #132
#88Rudolph130US #141
#89Wayne126US #96
#90Clair125
#91Sidney124US #95
#92Elwood123
#93Angelo121US #152
#94Tony118US #131
#95Matthew117US #149
#96Harvey116US #90
#97Sam115US #72
#98Morris112US #99
#99Edmund111US #135
#100Maurice110US #101

On the move since 1916

Rising

↑17Mae#79
↑15Lucille#72
↑15Nick#81
↑14Betty#17
↑10Leonard#42
↑10Theodore#50
↑10Floyd#83
↑9Daniel#35

Falling

↓20Hilda#93
↓14Morris#98
↓13Mabel#74
↓12Madeline#97
↓10Vera#90
↓9Steve#46
↓8Frederick#47
↓8Elmer#54

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1916 rankings.