Most popular baby names of 1930

The top three names for both boys and girls remained remarkably stable from 1929 to 1930. Robert, James, and John held their positions as the most popular boys' names, while Mary, Betty, and Dorothy maintained their reign for girls. This consistency suggests that parents continued to favor traditional, established names during this transitional period between decades.

Looking at the top 10 girls' names in 1930, we see that Patricia made a notable climb, rising from 10th place in 1929 to 7th in 1930, demonstrating its growing popularity. Joan also showed impressive movement, jumping from 13th place to 8th. Meanwhile, Doris experienced a decline, dropping from 6th to 9th place. The top 10 girls' names featured a mix of classic biblical names like Mary and Ruth alongside newer favorites like Barbara and Betty. Interestingly, most popular girls' names ended with the feminine "-y" or "-ie" sound, reflecting a preference for names with soft endings.

Among boys' names in 1930, the top 10 lineup remained largely unchanged from the previous year, with only minor positional shifts. Richard moved up from 6th to 5th place, while Charles dropped one position from 5th to 6th. The remarkable stability in boys' naming patterns suggests parents were more conservative when naming sons than daughters during this period. Traditional, strong-sounding names dominated the list, with Robert, James, John, and William continuing their longstanding popularity as they had for generations.

A broader look at naming patterns reveals interesting cultural preferences of the early 1930s. Short, simple names were favored for both genders, with one and two-syllable names dominating the top ranks. For girls, names beginning with "M" were particularly popular, with Mary and Margaret both in the top 5. Biblical names maintained strong representation in both lists, reflecting the cultural importance of religious tradition. Notably, many of the names popular in 1930 have a timeless quality - Mary, James, John, and Elizabeth remain recognizable and used today, though far less frequently than during this peak period when parents overwhelmingly chose from a smaller pool of common names.

Top baby names of 1930