Most popular baby names of 1931

Looking at the baby names data from 1930 to 1931, the top three names for both boys and girls remained remarkably consistent. Robert, James, and John held steady as the top three boys' names, showing Americans' continued preference for these classic masculine names. Similarly, Mary, Betty, and Dorothy maintained their reign as the top three girls' names, with no changes in their positioning from 1930 to 1931. This stability at the very top suggests these names had firmly entrenched themselves in American naming culture during this period.

Among the top 10 girls' names in 1931, we see some subtle but notable shifts. Barbara rose from 6th place in 1930 to 4th in 1931, while Helen dropped from 4th to 6th. Joan climbed from 8th to 5th place, showing growing popularity. Shirley made the most dramatic move, jumping from 11th place in 1930 into the top 10 at 9th place in 1931, replacing Doris which fell to 10th position. Margaret slipped from 5th to 7th place. The popularity of shorter names with soft sounds like Mary, Joan, and Betty seems to characterize this era's feminine naming preferences.

For boys' names in 1931, the top 10 remained quite stable with only minor repositioning. Thomas moved up from 11th place in 1930 to enter the top 10 at 10th place in 1931. This displaced Edward, who dropped from 10th to 11th position. Joseph remained steady at 9th place, while George held firm at 8th. Donald, Charles, Richard, and William all maintained their relative positions in the top 10. This stability suggests parents were gravitating toward traditional, established names for their sons during this period of American history.

Looking at broader naming patterns, both years show a strong preference for traditional biblical and English names. For girls, names ending with the "-y" or "-ie" sound (Betty, Dorothy, Shirley) were particularly popular, comprising 30% of the top 10 girls' names. For boys, classic one or two-syllable names dominated the rankings. Interestingly, many diminutive names like Billy and Bobby ranked in the top 50 for boys, suggesting a trend toward informality. Names beginning with "J" were disproportionately popular for boys, with James, John, Joseph, and Jack all ranking highly. In contrast, "M" was a common initial letter for girls' names, with Mary and Margaret in the top 10 and Martha, Mildred, and Marilyn all appearing in the top 30.

Top baby names of 1931