Classic Boy Names

Every name in the main list has ranked in the U.S. top 1,000 for boys every single year since 1880 — 146 years in a row without missing once. This is the complete census, not a selection.

Names that never left: 181; of 3,773 ever in the top 1,000
Babies with one: 28.9%; of boys born in 2025
In it 100+ years: 517; 100+ years total, gaps allowed

Name & meaning	Babies 2025 · rank	5-year rank movement	Peak year
James	11,945#6	Steady	1947
John	8,027#23	Up 4 rank positions in five years	1947
Robert	3,772#92	Down 12 rank positions in five years	1947
Michael	8,094#21	Down 9 rank positions in five years	1957
William	10,545#9	Down 4 rank positions in five years	1947
David	6,794#35	Down 7 rank positions in five years	1955
Joseph	7,303#29	Down 3 rank positions in five years	1956
Richard	1,505#234	Down 26 rank positions in five years	1946
Charles	5,898#48	Down 2 rank positions in five years	1947
Thomas	6,917#34	Up 11 rank positions in five years	1952
Christopher	4,748#68	Down 21 rank positions in five years	1984
Daniel	8,085#22	Down 8 rank positions in five years	1985
Matthew	7,003#32	Down 2 rank positions in five years	1983
Anthony	5,967#46	Down 5 rank positions in five years	1990
George	2,848#126	Up 6 rank positions in five years	1921
Donald	395#690	Down 81 rank positions in five years	1934
Paul	1,316#262	Down 10 rank positions in five years	1957
Mark	1,416#245	Down 10 rank positions in five years	1960
Andrew	4,497#73	Down 21 rank positions in five years	1987
Edward	1,591#224	Down 29 rank positions in five years	1924
Steven	1,261#271	Down 49 rank positions in five years	1956
Kenneth	1,148#294	Down 51 rank positions in five years	1957
Joshua	4,773#66	Down 13 rank positions in five years	1989
Timothy	1,734#203	Down 11 rank positions in five years	1959
Jacob	6,152#43	Down 28 rank positions in five years	1998
Nicholas	3,115#112	Down 25 rank positions in five years	1995
Frank	584#514	Down 86 rank positions in five years	1918
Eric	1,256#273	Down 75 rank positions in five years	1970
Jonathan	3,822#89	Down 19 rank positions in five years	1988
Stephen	829#383	Down 61 rank positions in five years	1952
Benjamin	9,762#11	Down 4 rank positions in five years	1989
Samuel	8,334#18	Up 7 rank positions in five years	2001
Raymond	807#395	Down 84 rank positions in five years	1924
Scott	561#534	Up 30 rank positions in five years	1971
Henry	12,020#5	Up 4 rank positions in five years	2025
Jack	8,748#15	Up 6 rank positions in five years	1927
Alexander	7,230#30	Down 20 rank positions in five years	1993
Patrick	1,495#235	Down 30 rank positions in five years	1964
Walter	1,381#252	Up 20 rank positions in five years	1918
Dennis	381#707	Down 60 rank positions in five years	1952
Jerry	262#907	Down 306 rank positions in five years	1947
Aaron	4,041#80	Down 17 rank positions in five years	1989
Jose	3,678#95	Down 1 rank positions in five years	2002
Peter	1,954#187	Up 28 rank positions in five years	1957
Nathan	4,975#63	Down 8 rank positions in five years	2004
Adam	3,501#101	Down 4 rank positions in five years	1984
Douglas	308#807	Down 70 rank positions in five years	1957
Harold	230#993	Down 61 rank positions in five years	1924
Arthur	3,847#87	Up 76 rank positions in five years	1921
Noah	20,358#2	Steady	2024
Albert	461#614	Down 91 rank positions in five years	1921
Lawrence	578#520	Up 43 rank positions in five years	1952
Christian	3,641#96	Down 34 rank positions in five years	2000
Joe	230#994	Down 266 rank positions in five years	1936
Roger	297#834	Down 149 rank positions in five years	1953
Austin	3,103#113	Down 25 rank positions in five years	1995
Jesse	2,002#184	Up 19 rank positions in five years	1981
Harry	329#775	Down 56 rank positions in five years	1918
Roy	570#525	Up 47 rank positions in five years	1947
Louis	1,391#249	Up 11 rank positions in five years	1921
Gabriel	6,569#37	Up 1 rank positions in five years	2008
Bruce	558#536	Down 38 rank positions in five years	1956
Eugene	249#943	Down 103 rank positions in five years	1927
Elijah	11,111#7	Down 3 rank positions in five years	2011
Juan	2,318#159	Down 14 rank positions in five years	2005
Vincent	3,267#107	Up 14 rank positions in five years	1962
Russell	944#345	Up 25 rank positions in five years	1960
Wayne	422#655	Up 120 rank positions in five years	1947
Philip	568#528	Down 75 rank positions in five years	1953
Mason	6,291#39	Down 28 rank positions in five years	2011
Isaac	5,953#47	Down 8 rank positions in five years	2007
Victor	1,664#211	Down 11 rank positions in five years	1990
Luke	6,948#33	Down 2 rank positions in five years	2014
Johnny	682#458	Down 70 rank positions in five years	1947
Theodore	13,355#4	Up 19 rank positions in five years	2025
Martin	1,009#335	Down 42 rank positions in five years	1963
Phillip	425#651	Down 132 rank positions in five years	1960
Carlos	2,418#150	Down 1 rank positions in five years	2001
Stanley	278#863	Down 128 rank positions in five years	1954
Jackson	6,582#36	Down 19 rank positions in five years	2013
Leonard	438#637	Down 2 rank positions in five years	1921
Luis	2,475#144	Down 7 rank positions in five years	2007
Francis	769#420	Up 62 rank positions in five years	1918
Evan	2,412#153	Down 48 rank positions in five years	2007
Nathaniel	2,565#140	Down 15 rank positions in five years	2002
Alex	1,515#232	Down 49 rank positions in five years	1993
Joel	1,633#219	Down 12 rank positions in five years	1985
Adrian	4,464#74	Down 16 rank positions in five years	2008
Allen	507#578	Down 115 rank positions in five years	1951
Oliver	14,939#3	Steady	2024
Frederick	728#435	Up 49 rank positions in five years	1951
Julian	7,603#25	Up 9 rank positions in five years	2017
Antonio	2,058#176	Up 4 rank positions in five years	1997
Curtis	232#985	Down 282 rank positions in five years	1962
Leo	8,173#19	Up 17 rank positions in five years	2022
Marvin	385#699	Down 92 rank positions in five years	1928
Tony	325#784	Down 154 rank positions in five years	1961
Wesley	5,578#52	Up 46 rank positions in five years	2025
Edwin	798#398	Down 54 rank positions in five years	1922
Owen	7,190#31	Down 9 rank positions in five years	2016
Melvin	243#959	Down 207 rank positions in five years	1928
Alfred	293#840	Up 59 rank positions in five years	1928
Marcus	1,341#258	Down 32 rank positions in five years	1984
Lee	366#727	Up 42 rank positions in five years	1951
Jeremiah	3,840#88	Down 14 rank positions in five years	2010
Calvin	2,710#132	Up 12 rank positions in five years	1924
Troy	563#533	Down 118 rank positions in five years	1970
Levi	9,642#12	Up 6 rank positions in five years	2022
Oscar	1,620#223	Down 9 rank positions in five years	2006
Eddie	280#861	Down 131 rank positions in five years	1947
Ray	319#792	Down 67 rank positions in five years	1957
Jay	809#392	Down 12 rank positions in five years	1960
Dean	2,876#125	Up 51 rank positions in five years	1961
Manuel	860#371	Down 48 rank positions in five years	2005
Warren	1,471#240	Up 103 rank positions in five years	1921
Charlie	2,460#145	Up 59 rank positions in five years	1919
Leon	2,583#138	Up 58 rank positions in five years	1924
Max	2,025#180	Down 33 rank positions in five years	2009
Seth	505#581	Down 149 rank positions in five years	2000
Mitchell	245#954	Down 228 rank positions in five years	1994
Alvin	294#838	Down 156 rank positions in five years	1927
Edgar	617#486	Down 95 rank positions in five years	2005
Lewis	736#433	Up 64 rank positions in five years	1921
Eli	3,418#104	Down 44 rank positions in five years	2012
Ivan	2,240#163	Down 10 rank positions in five years	2004
Chris	431#646	Up 30 rank positions in five years	1961
Francisco	1,069#322	Down 26 rank positions in five years	1993
Franklin	909#359	Up 55 rank positions in five years	1933
Clayton	1,130#300	Down 11 rank positions in five years	2000
Grant	1,555#228	Down 15 rank positions in five years	1997
Everett	4,287#77	Up 13 rank positions in five years	2025
Garrett	526#564	Down 200 rank positions in five years	2000
Jake	682#457	Down 137 rank positions in five years	2004
Elias	8,837#13	Up 41 rank positions in five years	2025
Sam	428#647	Up 8 rank positions in five years	1918
Spencer	908#360	Down 43 rank positions in five years	1998
Preston	1,131#299	Down 71 rank positions in five years	2007
Miles	6,072#44	Up 15 rank positions in five years	2024
Ruben	632#480	Down 14 rank positions in five years	1992
Taylor	398#685	Down 92 rank positions in five years	1992
Riley	1,666#208	Up 49 rank positions in five years	2006
Neil	288#851	Down 100 rank positions in five years	1954
Abraham	1,664#209	Down 8 rank positions in five years	2016
Roland	466#608	Down 38 rank positions in five years	1924
Harrison	3,072#116	Down 2 rank positions in five years	2016
Marshall	977#340	Up 27 rank positions in five years	1947
Andy	524#565	Down 164 rank positions in five years	2005
Pedro	684#455	Down 44 rank positions in five years	2000
Lorenzo	3,065#117	Up 35 rank positions in five years	2025
Ben	292#843	Down 75 rank positions in five years	1918
Julius	759#424	Down 89 rank positions in five years	1918
Felix	2,064#175	Up 50 rank positions in five years	2024
Byron	233#981	Down 191 rank positions in five years	1964
Nelson	300#825	Down 155 rank positions in five years	1959
Emmett	2,950#121	Down 14 rank positions in five years	2021
Mathew	235#975	Down 262 rank positions in five years	1990
Ramon	288#852	Down 93 rank positions in five years	1991
Wade	948#344	Down 3 rank positions in five years	1970
Israel	1,081#315	Down 78 rank positions in five years	2007
Dallas	1,475#238	Up 31 rank positions in five years	2025
Simon	1,529#230	Up 19 rank positions in five years	2015
Malcolm	1,257#272	Up 19 rank positions in five years	1992
August	3,958#81	Up 74 rank positions in five years	2025
Avery	1,156#291	Down 80 rank positions in five years	2014
Elliott	2,287#160	Down 2 rank positions in five years	2019
Jasper	2,804#129	Up 9 rank positions in five years	2023
Emanuel	513#574	Down 164 rank positions in five years	2007
Clark	837#377	Up 10 rank positions in five years	1961
Ellis	1,417#243	Up 83 rank positions in five years	2025
Wilson	405#673	Down 17 rank positions in five years	1918
Alonzo	590#511	Down 34 rank positions in five years	2022
Morgan	532#559	Up 136 rank positions in five years	1995
Moses	583#515	Down 21 rank positions in five years	2016
Clay	515#573	Up 71 rank positions in five years	1960
Conrad	770#417	Up 134 rank positions in five years	2025
Solomon	767#422	Down 20 rank positions in five years	2016
Sterling	944#346	Up 54 rank positions in five years	2025
Reuben	269#889	Up 20 rank positions in five years	1920
Davis	409#668	Down 114 rank positions in five years	2007
Cyrus	1,284#268	Up 101 rank positions in five years	2024
Jefferson	298#831	Down 125 rank positions in five years	2009

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The century club

Boys’ names with 100+ total years in the top 1,000 that dropped out at least once — classics with a gap in the résumé.

Modern classics

Top-1,000 every year for 25+ years running and top-200 today — the boys’ names that became classics within living memory.

Top names by decade Old names coming back The opposite: rare names

Sources & methodology

Ranks come from official births data, 1880–2025, computed per sex and year across every listed name. “Never left” means ranked in the top 1,000 in every single year — one miss breaks the streak, and absence from a year’s file counts as a miss. The century club needs 100+ total years but allows gaps; modern classics need an unbroken run of 25+ years plus a top-200 rank today. Counts are card applications rather than births, and names under 5 uses in a year aren’t published at all.