State roster

Top names in Pennsylvania

The names most likely to appear on 1939 Pennsylvania birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 146,159 Pennsylvania births in 1939 across 1,163 distinct names.

Distinctively Pennsylvania

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

#95Clairoutside the national top 200
#77Maryann#167 nationally
#71Nicholas#156 nationally
#95Rosemarie#175 nationally
#51Barry#127 nationally
#76Jay#142 nationally
#57Eileen#115 nationally
#69Constance#123 nationally
#57Vincent#110 nationally
#80Marian#130 nationally
#64Kathryn#106 nationally
#66Grace#108 nationally

Girls

#1Mary3,879US #1
#2Barbara2,933US #2
#3Patricia2,836US #3
#4Nancy1,982US #7
#5Carol1,616US #6
#6Joan1,604US #11
#7Margaret1,475US #10
#8Shirley1,364US #5
#9Dorothy1,296US #9
#10Judith1,281US #8
#11Janet1,116US #17
#12Betty997US #4
#13Sandra995US #13
#14Ruth968US #22
#15Elizabeth935US #18
#16Helen886US #16
#17Donna854US #20
#18Joyce770US #12
#19Jean731US #32
#20Anna669US #43
#21Marie655US #37
#22Dolores639US #58
#23Beverly633US #25
#24Catherine603US #49
#25Frances598US #26
#26Lois582US #35
#27Virginia580US #21
#28Joanne576US #53
#29Doris573US #29
#30Ann545US #33
#31Rose544US #42
#32Elaine537US #45
#33Phyllis534US #30
#34Linda514US #15
#35Eleanor503US #63
#36Alice496US #31
#37Geraldine494US #41
#38Marlene489US #64
#39Janice487US #24
#40Carolyn479US #14
#41Carole476US #47
#42Jane469US #46
#43Kathleen468US #48
#44Marilyn459US #19
#45Evelyn416US #40
#46Sally416US #52
#47Gloria415US #36
#48Judy410US #28
#49Arlene393US #69
#50Martha385US #27
#51Susan359US #44
#52Loretta342US #65
#53Theresa342US #94
#54Joann323US #57
#55Charlotte315US #66
#56Norma312US #38
#57Eileen311US #115
#58Jacqueline307US #72
#59Rita307US #78
#60Louise306US #59
#61Marjorie300US #60
#62Sylvia291US #62
#63Florence290US #96
#64Kathryn282US #106
#65Audrey273US #98
#66Grace271US #108
#67Irene270US #74
#68Mildred264US #55
#69Constance261US #123
#70Lorraine255US #95
#71Josephine251US #84
#72Gail250US #73
#73Diane247US #51
#74Kay245US #76
#75Roberta242US #71
#76June241US #83
#77Maryann238US #167
#78Rosemary231US #93
#79Esther227US #117
#80Marian226US #130
#81Anne223US #85
#82Ellen222US #80
#83Sarah218US #68
#84Rosalie212US #114
#85Marion206US #120
#86Pauline206US #105
#87Yvonne202US #90
#88Delores197US #79
#89Peggy196US #34
#90Connie195US #111
#91Ethel190US #100
#92Lillian189US #99
#93Suzanne179US #122
#94Darlene177US #75
#95Rosemarie177US #175
#96Bonnie175US #61
#97Edna168US #81
#98Bernice166US #116
#99Brenda158US #86
#100Edith158US #102

Boys

#1Robert5,322US #1
#2John5,075US #3
#3James3,935US #2
#4William3,926US #4
#5Richard3,133US #5
#6Joseph2,628US #12
#7Thomas2,267US #9
#8Charles2,244US #6
#9Ronald2,022US #10
#10Donald1,923US #8
#11David1,844US #7
#12George1,687US #11
#13Edward1,642US #15
#14Paul1,216US #17
#15Kenneth1,058US #13
#16Frank925US #20
#17Michael916US #18
#18Raymond792US #22
#19Harry718US #45
#20Larry706US #14
#21Gerald703US #19
#22Francis669US #53
#23Walter619US #25
#24Anthony597US #48
#25Carl588US #30
#26Harold549US #23
#27Eugene526US #37
#28Daniel507US #38
#29Albert506US #41
#30Jack469US #26
#31Lawrence451US #36
#32Arthur444US #32
#33Fred437US #40
#34Gary436US #21
#35Ralph424US #35
#36Louis395US #49
#37Stanley373US #57
#38Henry363US #31
#39Wayne354US #39
#40Norman344US #44
#41Samuel341US #63
#42Bernard339US #76
#43Leonard339US #54
#44Peter339US #46
#45Dennis310US #34
#46Stephen307US #65
#47Howard306US #47
#48Andrew301US #84
#49Frederick301US #71
#50Earl275US #50
#51Barry274US #127
#52Jerry269US #16
#53Philip264US #66
#54Theodore254US #90
#55Dale244US #59
#56Roger243US #28
#57Vincent230US #110
#58Russell227US #73
#59Bruce214US #64
#60Herbert214US #68
#61Glenn209US #87
#62Melvin209US #51
#63Ernest205US #55
#64Leroy205US #61
#65Alfred204US #70
#66Martin203US #91
#67Roy200US #42
#68Clarence194US #60
#69Patrick184US #79
#70Allen183US #72
#71Nicholas176US #156
#72Lee175US #78
#73Edwin166US #96
#74Alan161US #85
#75Jerome150US #93
#76Jay146US #142
#77Ray146US #74
#78Terry146US #83
#79Warren140US #104
#80Leon133US #86
#81Lewis132US #107
#82Leo126US #108
#83Clifford123US #88
#84Franklin123US #106
#85Gene122US #69
#86Marvin119US #52
#87Lester118US #116
#88Harvey114US #102
#89Alvin109US #103
#90Allan108US #125
#91Clyde108US #101
#92Douglas104US #58
#93Lloyd104US #95
#94Gordon101US #82
#95Clair100
#96Chester98US #133
#97Steve96US #139
#98Benjamin95US #124
#99Elmer94US #132
#100Arnold93US #113

On the move since 1938

Rising

↑21Linda#34
↑18Susan#51
↑18Barry#51
↑17Judy#48
↑17Joann#54
↑17Dennis#45
↑15Ellen#82
↑14Herbert#60

Falling

↓41Rosalie#84
↓14Anne#81
↓14Peggy#89
↓14Lloyd#93
↓13Florence#63
↓13Edith#100
↓13Clarence#68
↓12Howard#47

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1938 rankings.