State roster

Top names in Rhode Island

The names most likely to appear on 1939 Rhode Island birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 8,741 Rhode Island births in 1939 across 253 distinct names.

Distinctively Rhode Island

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

#19Claire#189 nationally
#45Normandoutside the national top 200
#47Gerardoutside the national top 200
#52Reneoutside the national top 200
#61Murieloutside the national top 200
#63Edmundoutside the national top 200
#68Armandoutside the national top 200
#70Wilfredoutside the national top 200
#73Angelooutside the national top 200
#26Jeanne#147 nationally
#80Margueriteoutside the national top 200
#27Maureen#146 nationally

Girls

#1Barbara225US #2
#2Mary179US #1
#3Joan161US #11
#4Patricia157US #3
#5Carol134US #6
#6Judith105US #8
#7Nancy95US #7
#8Sandra77US #13
#9Ann70US #33
#10Elaine68US #45
#11Joyce68US #12
#12Beverly67US #25
#13Dorothy66US #9
#14Elizabeth66US #18
#15Carolyn64US #14
#16Shirley61US #5
#17Margaret60US #10
#18Jean58US #32
#19Claire54US #189
#20Frances54US #26
#21Marie54US #37
#22Helen51US #16
#23Jane48US #46
#24Lorraine48US #95
#25Pauline48US #105
#26Jeanne47US #147
#27Maureen45US #146
#28Virginia44US #21
#29Doris41US #29
#30Janice41US #24
#31Anne40US #85
#32Eleanor39US #63
#33Carole38US #47
#34Janet38US #17
#35Dolores37US #58
#36Marilyn37US #19
#37Theresa35US #94
#38Jacqueline34US #72
#39Lucille33US #110
#40Anna32US #43
#41Gail32US #73
#42Phyllis32US #30
#43Roberta31US #71
#44Sheila30US #125
#45Ruth29US #22
#46Catherine27US #49
#47Norma27US #38
#48Evelyn26US #40
#49Irene26US #74
#50Constance25US #123
#51Marjorie25US #60
#52Rita25US #78
#53Alice24US #31
#54Annette24US #121
#55Brenda24US #86
#56Eileen24US #115
#57June24US #83
#58Kathleen24US #48
#59Lois24US #35
#60Marcia24US #109
#61Muriel24
#62Rose24US #42
#63Louise23US #59
#64Anita22US #97
#65Diane22US #51
#66Joanne22US #53
#67Florence21US #96
#68Gloria21US #36
#69Rosemary21US #93
#70Arlene20US #69
#71Lillian20US #99
#72Linda20US #15
#73Suzanne19US #122
#74Susan18US #44
#75Rosalie17US #114
#76Audrey16US #98
#77Gertrude16US #173
#78Grace16US #108
#79Loretta16US #65
#80Marguerite16
#81Marion16US #120
#82Martha16US #27
#83Donna15US #20
#84Edith15US #102
#85Ellen15US #80
#86Geraldine15US #41
#87Betty14US #4
#88Sally14US #52
#89Claudette12
#90Jeannette12US #184
#91Maria12US #119
#92Meredith12
#93Cynthia11US #152
#94Katherine11US #101
#95Beatrice10US #136
#96Bette10
#97Charlotte10US #66
#98Gladys10US #104
#99Josephine10US #84
#100Rosemarie10US #175

Boys

#1Robert444US #1
#2John346US #3
#3Richard276US #5
#4William218US #4
#5Joseph205US #12
#6James193US #2
#7Edward138US #15
#8Raymond128US #22
#9David123US #7
#10Donald118US #8
#11Ronald117US #10
#12George115US #11
#13Thomas104US #9
#14Charles100US #6
#15Paul96US #17
#16Anthony80US #48
#17Kenneth67US #13
#18Peter67US #46
#19Michael65US #18
#20Arthur60US #32
#21Albert59US #41
#22Frank59US #20
#23Henry53US #31
#24Roger47US #28
#25Francis43US #53
#26Roland42US #131
#27Gerald40US #19
#28Walter39US #25
#29Daniel36US #38
#30Alfred35US #70
#31Ralph35US #35
#32Louis33US #49
#33Stephen33US #65
#34Bruce30US #64
#35Vincent29US #110
#36Ernest28US #55
#37Eugene27US #37
#38Carl26US #30
#39Frederick26US #71
#40Norman26US #44
#41Leo25US #108
#42Harold23US #23
#43Lawrence23US #36
#44Dennis22US #34
#45Normand22
#46Howard20US #47
#47Gerard19
#48Maurice19US #157
#49Philip19US #66
#50Earl18US #50
#51Manuel18US #143
#52Rene17
#53Alan16US #85
#54Herbert16US #68
#55Stanley14US #57
#56Victor14US #119
#57Wayne14US #39
#58Barry13US #127
#59Fred13US #40
#60Russell13US #73
#61Bernard12US #76
#62Douglas12US #58
#63Edmund12
#64Leonard12US #54
#65Martin12US #91
#66Nicholas12US #156
#67Harry11US #45
#68Armand10
#69Roy10US #42
#70Wilfred10
#71Alexander9US #186
#72Allan9US #125
#73Angelo9
#74Benjamin9US #124
#75Brian9US #176
#76Clifford9US #88
#77Edwin9US #96
#78Gilbert9US #115
#79Gordon9US #82
#80Joel9US #135
#81Leon9US #86
#82Andrew8US #84
#83Salvatore8
#84Theodore8US #90
#85Alvin7US #103
#86Antonio7
#87Jerry7US #16
#88Lewis7US #107
#89Arnold6US #113
#90Eric6
#91Everett6US #163
#92Franklin6US #106
#93Gary6US #21
#94Harvey6US #102
#95Matthew6
#96Pasquale6
#97Rodney6US #122
#98Allen5US #72
#99Edgar5US #158
#100Glenn5US #87

On the move since 1938

Rising

↑37Edmund#63
↑35Gerard#47
↑30Roberta#43
↑28Theresa#37
↑25Dennis#44
↑25Earl#50
↑24Sheila#44
↑23Annette#54

Falling

↓41Betty#87
↓39Marion#81
↓35Gloria#68
↓35Edgar#99
↓33Allen#98
↓32Jeannette#90
↓30Irene#49
↓30Rita#52

Every state

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