State roster

Top names in Pennsylvania

The names most likely to appear on 1938 Pennsylvania birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 150,564 Pennsylvania births in 1938 across 1,174 distinct names.

Distinctively Pennsylvania

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

#80Maryann#168 nationally
#69Barry#155 nationally
#93Rosemarie#176 nationally
#81Nicholas#161 nationally
#85Karl#162 nationally
#99Mark#166 nationally
#78Jay#138 nationally
#58Eileen#113 nationally
#56Vincent#110 nationally
#64Constance#117 nationally
#85Marian#128 nationally
#89Elmer#130 nationally

Girls

#1Mary4,058US #1
#2Barbara3,082US #2
#3Patricia2,677US #3
#4Nancy2,063US #7
#5Joan1,706US #10
#6Shirley1,628US #5
#7Margaret1,530US #9
#8Carol1,413US #6
#9Dorothy1,324US #8
#10Janet1,197US #16
#11Betty1,187US #4
#12Elizabeth994US #17
#13Helen971US #13
#14Ruth957US #21
#15Sandra932US #14
#16Judith869US #12
#17Donna858US #20
#18Dolores843US #43
#19Anna710US #40
#20Jean701US #27
#21Beverly690US #18
#22Marie678US #37
#23Joyce672US #11
#24Doris651US #25
#25Frances635US #23
#26Ann628US #32
#27Catherine607US #48
#28Rose602US #39
#29Lois592US #33
#30Virginia587US #22
#31Phyllis558US #28
#32Joanne552US #57
#33Marlene541US #51
#34Elaine535US #42
#35Marilyn532US #19
#36Alice511US #29
#37Janice487US #24
#38Carole482US #46
#39Eleanor473US #60
#40Jane437US #44
#41Martha429US #26
#42Carolyn423US #15
#43Rosalie418US #66
#44Geraldine414US #45
#45Gloria411US #36
#46Norma407US #34
#47Loretta402US #62
#48Evelyn396US #38
#49Sally393US #54
#50Florence383US #90
#51Kathleen382US #58
#52Arlene377US #63
#53Theresa371US #92
#54Rita370US #74
#55Linda339US #31
#56Irene327US #72
#57Marjorie326US #53
#58Eileen320US #113
#59Sylvia319US #56
#60Jacqueline314US #69
#61Audrey313US #87
#62Louise312US #59
#63Charlotte305US #70
#64Constance305US #117
#65Judy301US #41
#66Roberta299US #73
#67Anne297US #84
#68Lorraine296US #93
#69Susan283US #71
#70Grace282US #100
#71Joann281US #68
#72Mildred271US #52
#73June266US #79
#74Kathryn265US #114
#75Peggy260US #35
#76Diane245US #64
#77Josephine245US #83
#78Delores242US #75
#79Rosemary241US #95
#80Maryann236US #168
#81Kay234US #81
#82Gail231US #77
#83Sarah231US #67
#84Marion228US #118
#85Marian215US #128
#86Lillian214US #88
#87Edith213US #102
#88Esther209US #120
#89Connie204US #110
#90Gladys191US #103
#91Edna189US #82
#92Ethel189US #94
#93Rosemarie188US #176
#94Sara188US #124
#95Yvonne175US #101
#96Pauline174US #97
#97Ellen173US #89
#98Darlene169US #76
#99Lucille169US #106
#100Jeanette159US #91

Boys

#1Robert5,563US #1
#2John5,253US #3
#3James4,180US #2
#4William4,087US #4
#5Richard3,058US #5
#6Joseph2,720US #12
#7Charles2,389US #6
#8Thomas2,226US #9
#9Donald2,206US #7
#10Ronald2,131US #10
#11George1,795US #11
#12David1,712US #8
#13Edward1,650US #13
#14Paul1,339US #15
#15Kenneth1,008US #14
#16Frank951US #18
#17Raymond855US #20
#18Michael837US #21
#19Harry746US #44
#20Gerald690US #19
#21Francis670US #51
#22Carl627US #29
#23Walter613US #26
#24Eugene608US #33
#25Anthony607US #46
#26Larry594US #16
#27Albert584US #37
#28Daniel560US #39
#29Harold533US #23
#30Jack528US #25
#31Ralph474US #35
#32Arthur456US #32
#33Lawrence453US #36
#34Fred435US #38
#35Howard395US #42
#36Gary390US #22
#37Samuel382US #62
#38Bernard381US #75
#39Louis375US #47
#40Henry371US #30
#41Stanley345US #59
#42Leonard339US #57
#43Norman333US #43
#44Wayne328US #40
#45Frederick319US #71
#46Earl305US #50
#47Stephen302US #74
#48Andrew300US #82
#49Peter294US #48
#50Russell292US #70
#51Theodore277US #84
#52Dale271US #56
#53Glenn248US #83
#54Philip248US #64
#55Clarence246US #58
#56Vincent241US #110
#57Bruce238US #66
#58Roger229US #31
#59Jerry224US #17
#60Melvin222US #54
#61Roy222US #41
#62Dennis218US #49
#63Ernest215US #55
#64Leroy213US #61
#65Martin209US #87
#66Alfred204US #69
#67Edwin185US #90
#68Allen181US #73
#69Barry181US #155
#70Alan175US #91
#71Patrick174US #88
#72Jerome172US #93
#73Lee171US #80
#74Herbert169US #68
#75Terry168US #86
#76Ray162US #72
#77Warren148US #102
#78Jay147US #138
#79Lloyd138US #92
#80Leon137US #85
#81Nicholas133US #161
#82Leo131US #104
#83Lewis130US #109
#84Marvin125US #53
#85Karl124US #162
#86Franklin123US #100
#87Gene123US #65
#88Clifford122US #89
#89Elmer118US #130
#90Allan117US #119
#91Harvey116US #99
#92Arnold114US #111
#93Alvin112US #98
#94Douglas112US #60
#95Lester109US #115
#96Clyde108US #97
#97Victor108US #117
#98Gordon107US #78
#99Mark97US #166
#100Chester96US #136

On the move since 1937

Rising

↑33Linda#55
↑28Judith#16
↑26Barry#69
↑22Terry#75
↑18Susan#69
↑16Alan#70
↑15Diane#76
↑14Carole#38

Falling

↓17Pauline#96
↓17Clyde#96
↓15Herbert#74
↓13Lorraine#68
↓13Lillian#86
↓13Yvonne#95
↓13Gene#87
↓12Nicholas#81

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1937 rankings.