State roster

Top names in Pennsylvania

The names most likely to appear on 1921 Pennsylvania birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 189,573 Pennsylvania births in 1921 across 1,336 distinct names.

Distinctively Pennsylvania

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

#78Regina#188 nationally
#99Clairoutside the national top 200
#84Nick#183 nationally
#60Mike#145 nationally
#47Steve#130 nationally
#98Merle#173 nationally
#75Miriam#147 nationally
#82Olga#153 nationally
#67Sophie#136 nationally
#82Angelo#148 nationally
#95Matthew#161 nationally
#50Sara#115 nationally

Girls

#1Mary7,772US #1
#2Helen4,873US #3
#3Dorothy3,857US #2
#4Margaret3,647US #4
#5Anna2,985US #11
#6Ruth2,698US #5
#7Betty2,348US #8
#8Elizabeth2,260US #10
#9Mildred1,451US #7
#10Catherine1,434US #23
#11Marie1,391US #14
#12Frances1,322US #9
#13Florence1,293US #17
#14Virginia1,260US #6
#15Jean1,240US #25
#16Rose1,224US #20
#17Eleanor1,172US #29
#18Evelyn1,163US #12
#19Josephine1,049US #28
#20Irene1,030US #18
#21Doris979US #13
#22Grace903US #35
#23Alice901US #15
#24Ann868US #53
#25Martha849US #21
#26Jane838US #47
#27Lillian811US #19
#28Kathryn754US #64
#29Ethel749US #32
#30Pauline706US #37
#31Edith705US #33
#32Marjorie689US #16
#33Esther675US #42
#34Rita665US #48
#35Agnes654US #56
#36Louise647US #22
#37Anne629US #70
#38Edna618US #27
#39Julia615US #58
#40Gladys602US #24
#41Gertrude564US #46
#42Thelma563US #30
#43Marion541US #43
#44Beatrice505US #41
#45Stella498US #86
#46Emma496US #52
#47Clara479US #45
#48June465US #50
#49Marian461US #69
#50Sara444US #115
#51Katherine429US #49
#52Lois424US #38
#53Geraldine413US #62
#54Bertha411US #59
#55Sarah411US #54
#56Pearl408US #65
#57Jennie406US #99
#58Genevieve405US #90
#59Elsie403US #55
#60Laura363US #71
#61Theresa361US #107
#62Bernice355US #39
#63Phyllis349US #60
#64Hazel347US #34
#65Ida347US #67
#66Charlotte345US #79
#67Sophie339US #136
#68Norma326US #51
#69Violet324US #81
#70Sylvia319US #88
#71Eva316US #63
#72Janet313US #124
#73Barbara311US #40
#74Viola304US #66
#75Miriam303US #147
#76Dolores286US #111
#77Nancy285US #87
#78Regina282US #188
#79Alma281US #78
#80Lucille280US #31
#81Mabel278US #85
#82Olga265US #153
#83Shirley261US #44
#84Kathleen258US #83
#85Nellie256US #80
#86Ellen253US #95
#87Lucy252US #93
#88Jeanne251US #109
#89Emily248US #121
#90Mae247US #110
#91Blanche243US #112
#92Leona243US #92
#93Arlene242US #138
#94Hilda241US #123
#95Vivian238US #68
#96Verna235US #141
#97Marguerite231US #98
#98Madeline230US #139
#99Vera230US #76
#100Harriet227US #114

Boys

#1John7,194US #1
#2William5,441US #3
#3Robert4,389US #2
#4Joseph4,375US #7
#5James3,353US #4
#6Charles3,124US #5
#7George2,999US #6
#8Edward2,473US #8
#9Frank1,997US #9
#10Paul1,707US #14
#11Thomas1,616US #11
#12Richard1,484US #10
#13Harry1,468US #21
#14Walter1,357US #15
#15Albert1,203US #20
#16Donald1,161US #13
#17Raymond1,065US #16
#18Michael1,054US #47
#19Harold1,040US #12
#20Anthony959US #40
#21Francis950US #35
#22Ralph784US #23
#23David760US #25
#24Henry755US #17
#25Stanley740US #41
#26Louis735US #29
#27Kenneth686US #22
#28Andrew679US #51
#29Jack679US #18
#30Arthur678US #19
#31Samuel647US #44
#32Eugene595US #26
#33Howard593US #27
#34Carl583US #30
#35Earl569US #31
#36Warren548US #24
#37Peter542US #57
#38Bernard526US #45
#39Leonard504US #39
#40Clarence492US #28
#41Daniel467US #49
#42Lawrence435US #37
#43Fred417US #33
#44Stephen411US #97
#45Norman396US #46
#46Russell385US #52
#47Steve379US #130
#48Ernest375US #38
#49Alfred367US #43
#50Leo360US #50
#51Vincent354US #70
#52Herbert353US #42
#53Theodore352US #65
#54Elmer343US #48
#55Chester331US #56
#56Frederick331US #61
#57Martin318US #78
#58Roy315US #32
#59Philip284US #72
#60Mike283US #145
#61Gerald282US #60
#62Nicholas281US #114
#63Edwin264US #54
#64Leroy253US #55
#65Glenn238US #80
#66Melvin238US #53
#67Herman230US #64
#68Lester227US #66
#69Lewis222US #71
#70Alexander217US #116
#71Leon215US #74
#72Victor213US #83
#73Benjamin202US #82
#74Clyde201US #69
#75Lloyd192US #58
#76Clifford183US #62
#77Joe182US #36
#78Jacob175US #143
#79Ray164US #67
#80Floyd163US #63
#81Milton158US #75
#82Angelo157US #148
#83Harvey157US #87
#84Nick157US #183
#85Alvin150US #73
#86Edgar139US #90
#87Franklin137US #126
#88Wayne136US #81
#89Wilbur136US #100
#90Morris130US #104
#91Allen129US #94
#92Edmund127US #142
#93Alex123US #149
#94Willard123US #89
#95Matthew121US #161
#96Tony120US #134
#97Wallace120US #88
#98Merle119US #173
#99Clair116
#100Sidney116US #110

On the move since 1920

Rising

↑31Norma#68
↑15Shirley#83
↑13Marjorie#32
↑13Dolores#76
↑13Warren#36
↑11Edgar#86
↑10Regina#78
↑10Steve#47

Falling

↓16Clair#99
↓15Leona#92
↓13Matthew#95
↓12Marguerite#97
↓11Elsie#59
↓11Olga#82
↓11Vivian#95
↓10Nellie#85

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1920 rankings.