State roster

Top names in Pennsylvania

The names most likely to appear on 1920 Pennsylvania birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 182,332 Pennsylvania births in 1920 across 1,288 distinct names.

Distinctively Pennsylvania

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

#83Clairoutside the national top 200
#84Elwoodoutside the national top 200
#89Nick#194 nationally
#88Regina#186 nationally
#96Veronica#192 nationally
#58Mike#141 nationally
#71Olga#146 nationally
#66Miriam#140 nationally
#98Merle#171 nationally
#57Steve#127 nationally
#82Matthew#152 nationally
#62Sophie#129 nationally

Girls

#1Mary7,650US #1
#2Helen4,969US #3
#3Margaret3,667US #4
#4Dorothy3,665US #2
#5Anna3,187US #10
#6Ruth2,649US #5
#7Elizabeth2,295US #8
#8Betty1,884US #11
#9Mildred1,562US #6
#10Catherine1,411US #21
#11Marie1,349US #13
#12Florence1,294US #16
#13Rose1,261US #20
#14Frances1,248US #9
#15Eleanor1,181US #25
#16Virginia1,100US #7
#17Josephine1,062US #28
#18Jean1,056US #33
#19Evelyn1,048US #12
#20Irene930US #17
#21Alice913US #15
#22Grace891US #37
#23Martha857US #23
#24Ann846US #49
#25Doris829US #14
#26Lillian788US #18
#27Ethel733US #30
#28Jane719US #48
#29Pauline713US #36
#30Esther710US #39
#31Kathryn706US #67
#32Edith686US #32
#33Julia653US #55
#34Rita644US #52
#35Edna639US #27
#36Anne633US #65
#37Louise632US #19
#38Thelma601US #31
#39Agnes596US #54
#40Gladys578US #22
#41Marion561US #43
#42Emma549US #46
#43Gertrude547US #42
#44Stella519US #82
#45Marjorie483US #24
#46Marian480US #73
#47Beatrice477US #41
#48Elsie473US #51
#49Sara455US #111
#50Clara453US #44
#51Katherine450US #45
#52June439US #53
#53Geraldine424US #60
#54Sarah424US #50
#55Bertha419US #57
#56Genevieve379US #86
#57Hazel372US #34
#58Pearl372US #62
#59Laura369US #63
#60Violet361US #77
#61Lois351US #38
#62Sophie344US #129
#63Charlotte341US #79
#64Bernice340US #40
#65Jennie340US #97
#66Miriam334US #140
#67Theresa327US #108
#68Sylvia321US #85
#69Ida308US #66
#70Barbara280US #47
#71Olga278US #146
#72Phyllis278US #72
#73Viola276US #59
#74Eva275US #58
#75Nellie274US #76
#76Lucille273US #29
#77Leona272US #89
#78Janet270US #124
#79Nancy268US #95
#80Mabel267US #83
#81Alma260US #80
#82Blanche260US #102
#83Ellen259US #92
#84Vivian242US #64
#85Marguerite241US #93
#86Verna239US #135
#87Mae238US #99
#88Regina237US #186
#89Dolores235US #110
#90Emily228US #119
#91Kathleen226US #91
#92Loretta226US #120
#93Arlene225US #145
#94Alberta219US #128
#95Jeanne219US #114
#96Veronica213US #192
#97Hilda209US #125
#98Shirley209US #56
#99Norma200US #69
#100Vera200US #75

Boys

#1John7,041US #1
#2William5,115US #2
#3Robert4,147US #3
#4Joseph4,089US #7
#5James3,120US #4
#6Charles3,114US #5
#7George2,851US #6
#8Edward2,363US #8
#9Frank1,953US #9
#10Paul1,725US #14
#11Thomas1,578US #11
#12Walter1,454US #13
#13Harry1,392US #21
#14Richard1,312US #10
#15Albert1,171US #19
#16Harold1,005US #12
#17Michael973US #50
#18Donald970US #16
#19Raymond945US #15
#20Francis931US #34
#21Anthony886US #43
#22Ralph791US #22
#23Stanley773US #40
#24Henry772US #17
#25Andrew720US #49
#26Louis709US #28
#27David680US #25
#28Arthur653US #18
#29Samuel618US #44
#30Carl617US #27
#31Earl617US #31
#32Kenneth597US #23
#33Jack593US #20
#34Howard580US #24
#35Peter507US #57
#36Eugene499US #30
#37Daniel486US #52
#38Bernard445US #46
#39Leonard445US #38
#40Clarence438US #26
#41Stephen406US #96
#42Fred398US #33
#43Alfred389US #42
#44Russell384US #51
#45Elmer372US #45
#46Lawrence371US #36
#47Vincent366US #73
#48Ernest363US #37
#49Warren355US #39
#50Herbert336US #41
#51Norman335US #47
#52Chester330US #55
#53Frederick325US #60
#54Leo316US #48
#55Theodore316US #63
#56Edwin311US #53
#57Steve309US #127
#58Mike279US #141
#59Gerald278US #64
#60Leroy278US #56
#61Roy277US #32
#62Philip273US #71
#63Martin271US #78
#64Lester262US #69
#65Nicholas249US #124
#66Glenn227US #80
#67Melvin222US #54
#68Leon214US #75
#69Benjamin211US #83
#70Clyde209US #68
#71Victor204US #81
#72Alexander200US #117
#73Lewis193US #72
#74Clifford189US #59
#75Herman187US #66
#76Ray187US #67
#77Joe186US #35
#78Lloyd184US #58
#79Jacob173US #143
#80Alvin165US #76
#81Franklin164US #119
#82Matthew161US #152
#83Clair149
#84Elwood149
#85Floyd147US #61
#86Milton145US #74
#87Wayne143US #86
#88Willard143US #88
#89Nick141US #194
#90Angelo140US #155
#91Sidney138US #107
#92Wilbur133US #98
#93Harvey128US #87
#94Allen124US #94
#95Tony120US #136
#96Edmund119US #138
#97Edgar117US #89
#98Merle117US #171
#99Alex116US #142
#100Morris114US #108

On the move since 1919

Rising

↑23Warren#49
↑19Miriam#66
↑19Alvin#80
↑11Marian#46
↑10Doris#25
↑10Phyllis#72
↑10Nancy#79
↑10Mae#87

Falling

↓19Vera#100
↓13Edgar#97
↓11Victor#71
↓10Sophie#62
↓10Joe#77
↓10Harvey#93
↓9Nick#89
↓8Sarah#54

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1919 rankings.