Most popular baby names of 1928

The top three baby names for both boys and girls showed remarkable stability from 1927 to 1928. For girls, Mary maintained its dominant position at number one, while Dorothy dropped from second to third place, allowing Betty to rise from third to second. This subtle repositioning within the top three girls' names reflects the continued popularity of these classic choices, even as they jockeyed for position. On the boys' side, the top three remained completely unchanged with Robert, John, and James holding firmly to their respective ranks, demonstrating their enduring appeal to American parents.

The top 10 girls' names in 1928 reveal some interesting movement within the highest ranks. Barbara notably climbed two positions from tenth to eighth place, showing growing popularity. Patricia made an impressive leap, rising from eighteenth place in 1927 to eleventh place in 1928, nearly breaking into the top 10. Shirley retained its popularity at tenth position, while Virginia dropped slightly from eighth to ninth. Among these top girls' names, we see many ending with the feminine "-a" sound (Barbara, Virginia) or the diminutive "-y" sound (Betty, Dorothy, Shirley), indicating parents' preference for names with these soft endings.

For boys, the top 10 list in 1928 maintained remarkable consistency with the previous year. Donald showed the only change, moving up from eighth place in 1927 to seventh in 1928, while George dropped from seventh to eighth. Traditional masculine names dominated this list, with shorter, stronger-sounding names like John, James, and Charles continuing their long-standing popularity. Notably, every name in the top 10 for boys has been a perennial favorite for generations, showing American parents' preference for classic, traditional male names over newer alternatives.

Looking at broader naming patterns across both lists, we see traditional Anglo-Saxon and biblical names maintaining strong popularity. Short, one or two-syllable names dominated the top ranks for both genders, though girls' names showed more variety in endings and sounds. The letter "J" was particularly popular for boys' names, with James, John, and Joseph all appearing in the top 10. For girls, names starting with "M" featured prominently with Mary and Margaret both in the top five. Interestingly, the data reveals parents in the late 1920s generally favored established, conventional names over innovative choices, perhaps reflecting the cultural values of stability and tradition during this pre-Depression era.

Top baby names of 1928