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Top 1930s Baby Names

1930s baby names took a serious turn along with the mood of the country during the Great Depression, with many names popular in that decade feeling decidedly out of style today. But given the Hundred Year Rule, we see names from the 1930s starting to feel more appealing over the coming decade, so we may be in for a new generation of girls named Barbara and Joan and boys called Ronald and Howard.

Along with Ronald and Howard, other 1930s baby names that remain in the US Top 1000 include Alice, Arthur, Dorothy, Francis, Irene, Marvin, Patricia, and Walter. Among those with the greatest drop in popularity are Wanda and Phyllis for girls, and Fred and Earl for boys.

These 1930s names may be familiar to you via grandparents or great-grandparents or other older relatives born in the first half of the 20th century. If you are interested in exploring names from the 1930s for your baby, browse the selection here drawn from the Top 50 for that decade but relatively rare today.

Willie The name Willie is of German origins and it ...
Origin:Diminutive of William
5757
Charles

Meaning: man, free man

Origin:French from German
290
David

Meaning: beloved

Origin:Hebrew
337
Howard

Meaning: high guardian or brave heart

Origin:German or English
715
Roy

Meaning: king or red-haired

Origin:French or Celtic
720
Bobby

Meaning: bright fame

Origin:Diminutive of Robert
737
Wayne

Meaning: maker of wagons

Origin:English occupational name
620
Eugene

Meaning: wellborn, noble

Origin:Greek
360
Marilyn

Meaning: drop of the sea, bitter, or beloved + lake

Origin:English, combination of Mary and Lynn
672
Harold

Meaning: army ruler

Origin:Scandinavian
610
Roger

Meaning: famous warrior

Origin:German
370
Earl Companion or Friend (Arabic), Warrior or Fig...
Origin:English aristocratic title
1605
Origin:German, diminutive of Frederick and Alfred
926
Marvin

Meaning: sea hill

Origin:Welsh, variant of Mervyn
1011
Wanda

Meaning: shepherdess; wanderer

Origin:Slavic or German
763
Elaine

Meaning: bright, shining light

Origin:French and Scottish
261
Frances

Meaning: from France; free man

Origin:English from Latin
135
Frank

Meaning: Frenchman or free man

Origin:Diminutive of Francis or Franklin
273
James

Meaning: supplanter

Origin:English variation of Jacob, Hebrew
33
Eleanor A name with French origins, the meaning of E...
Origin:English variation of French Provencal Alienor, meaning unknown
18