Depression Era Baby Names: Top Baby Names of the 1930s
Traditional American Names
The recent economic downturns evoke memories of the darkest period in American history: the Great Depression of the 1930s. Comparisons between the two eras are common since America now faces the worst financial crisis since the Depression.
The 1929 Wall Street Crash changed nearly every aspect of American lives, including the birth rates. Worried about their financial futures, many Depression era couples put off having children until they had more money in the bank.
While fewer babies were born during the Depression years, one thing remained constant: the names that Depression era parents gave their newborn babies. According to the United States Social Security Administration (SSA), the top baby names remained stable during the 1930s.
So, what did Depression era parents name their children? Keep reading to discover the top American baby names of the 1930s.
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Depression Era Names
Compared with modern trendy names like Mason, Ava, Liam and Zoe, 1930s baby names may sound mundane and boring. But, in a time of instability and uncertainty, Depression era parents wanted to give their children solid, respectable names.
While they may sound a bit old-fashioned, many 1930s baby names still enjoy widespread use today. They are not as exciting as some modern names, but they are reliable ones that have certainly stood the test of time.
Baby names of the 1930s are a good way for parents to pay tribute to a bygone historical era. Robert and Mary, John and Patricia ... there is something special about these names. They represent the strength and spirit that defined America's "Greatest Generation."
Baby Names of the 1930s
Robert, James, John and William took the lead in boy names during the Great Depression. They were followed by Richard, Charles, and Donald. George, Thomas and Joseph round out the list of ten most popular boy names of the 1930s.
For girls, Mary was the overwhelming choice of Depression era parents. Betty, Barbara, Shirley, Patricia and Dorothy were other popular 1930s names. Joan, Margaret, Nancy and Helen round out the top ten.
The SSA has gathered data for the most popular baby names of the 1930s based on Social Security card applications. According to this government agency, the names were taken from "a universe that includes 10,846,238 male births and 11,043,322 female births."
The following table highlights the top Depression era names for each rank and gender. It also includes the number of occurrences for each name according to SSA data.
.
Depression Era Baby Names: Top American Names of the 1930s
Rank
| Boys
| Number
| Girls
| Number
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
1.
| Robert
| 590,434
| Mary
| 572,795
|
2.
| James
| 547,122
| Betty
| 300,303
|
3.
| John
| 487,654
| Barbara
| 296,337
|
4.
| William
| 416,458
| Shirley
| 229,312
|
5.
| Richard
| 330,315
| Patricia
| 220,534
|
6.
| Charles
| 302,999
| Dorothy
| 210,331
|
7.
| Donald
| 283,512
| Joan
| 173,388
|
8.
| George
| 192,150
| Margaret
| 157,324
|
9.
| Thomas
| 183,764
| Nancy
| 142,448
|
10.
| Joseph
| 180,457
| Helen
| 140,361
|
.
Reference Sources / Further Reading
- Babies Online. (n.d.) "Most Popular Baby Names of the 1930s." Babies Online. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
- Moss, Peggy. (n.d.) "BabyNames TV." BabyNames.com. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
- Rosenborg, Victoria and Neil Street. (n.d.) "Depression Era Baby Names." Baby Names Garden. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
- SSA. (April 22, 2011.) "Popular Baby Names: Top Names of the 1930s." United States Social Security Administration. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
Copyright © 2011. Annette R. Smith. All rights reserved.
Published: October 23, 2011 / Modified: December 14, 2012.
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This Hub was last updated on December 14, 2012
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You're welcome, Hyphenbird. I love many of the traditional "old-fashioned" names, too. I'm glad you enjoyed reading my hub.
Love the hub... but I have to be honest, I like non-traditional names. I think Apple is such a lovely name. My son is named Jude after St. Jude because we almost lost him. There is a girl in his class named Diamond... I love that. But I think it is so interesting that at a time when the future was so frightening (1930s), people felt safe in holding on to what was so familiar.
Great hub! PS my mother's brothers were Robert and John.
Nice to meet you, shea duane! Thanks for stopping by! Classic or non-traditional, aren't names fascinating? Thank you for sharing your thoughts here with us. I appreciate the interest and encouragement!
Great Hub! I named my children very traditional names, you just can't go wrong with names that stand the test of time.
Cultivate Life, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm glad you enjoyed my hub. Thanks for the comment!
Hyphenbird 19 months ago from America-Broken But Still Beautiful
Not an "Apple", "CoCo", or "OrangeAda" in the bunch. I love regular names that are classic and easy to spell. I saw a name spelled so strangely the other day that it took me a while to realize it was not a foreign language. Thanks for bringing baby naming back to earth.