1930s Names
The 1930s was a hard time in US and world history. The Great Depression hit in 1929, and then the Dust Bowl, a harsh drought, hit the plains of the US. There was little work to be found, and it was hard to irk out an existence on your own. There was a constant growing disparity between the rich and the poor.
However, if you’re doing any writing in the 1940s to the 1960s, there’s a chance you’ll have characters born in the 1930s.
I compile my name lists by looking through census records, my own family trees, birth records, and social security indexes. Some may be popular names, others less so. I try to keep them unique names and avoid ones that are a bit timeless (aka John, Sarah, etc). However, sometimes I still get some of those.
Girl’s Names
- Aubrey
- Clara
- Carol
- Carolyn
- Corrine (1935)
- Daisy
- Darlene
- Donna/Dona (1932)
- Ethel May (1936)
- Gail (1935)
- Georgia (1933)
- Geraldine
- Gloria (1932)
- Jennette (1933)
- Joann (1939)
- Joyce
- Juanita
- Kathryn
- Loretta (1935)
- Marcia
- Marilyn
- Marlene
- Mildred (1938)
- Rosemary
- Suzanne
- Sheila
- Vera
- Virginia (1938)
- Vivienne (1933)
- Yvonne
Boy’s Names
- Barry (1933)
- Bernard (1931)
- Bruce
- Calvin
- Carroll
- Darrell
- David
- Delbert
- Edwin
- Gary (1939)
- Gerald (1933)
- Herman
- Joel
- Kenneth
- Melvin (1934)
- Merle (1932)
- Nelson
- Norman
- Richard
- Rodney
- Ronald
- Roosevelt
- Roy (1933)
- Russell (1938)
- Salvatore
- Sammy (1932)
- Terrance (1930)
- Terry
- Theodore
- William
Looking for More Naming Lists?
Check out my “Names” tag on my blog. I’m constantly adding lists of names from different decades or with different themes. You can find it here.