Names That Peaked In 1903

These names hit their all-time highest U.S. ranking in 1903 and have never ranked as high since — the sound of that moment, frozen in the data. (The #1 names that year were Mary and John — reigning champions usually peak in a different year than they reign.)

Peaked in 1902 Peaked in 1904 Full 1903 top 100 The 1900s as a whole

Name & meaning	Babies 2025 · rank	5-year rank movement	Peak year
Beulah	20#5,948	Up 3,097 rank positions in five years	1916
Bennie	53#2,519	Down 99 rank positions in five years	1929
Ila	390#718	Up 148 rank positions in five years	1925
Letha	—Unranked	—	1918
Coleman	148#1,311	Down 289 rank positions in five years	1997
Isabell	87#2,144	Down 474 rank positions in five years	2006
Merle	5#16,470	new	1921
Vida	187#1,218	Up 52 rank positions in five years	2022
Rollin	13#6,728	Down 1,542 rank positions in five years	1925
Rubie	36#4,050	Down 1,169 rank positions in five years	1921
Hayward	5#12,703	Down 1,601 rank positions in five years	1956
Lesley	—Unranked	—	1958
Reynold	7#10,443	Down 3,497 rank positions in five years	1922
Ottis	15#6,067	Up 2,483 rank positions in five years	1920
Rowland	16#5,796	Down 609 rank positions in five years	1917
Loy	—Unranked	—	1922
Gaston	34#3,395	Up 1,514 rank positions in five years	1918
Rafaela	58#2,922	Up 404 rank positions in five years	2011
Ozzie	123#1,455	Up 319 rank positions in five years	2023
Lorenza	16#7,011	Down 496 rank positions in five years	1920
Jonnie	—Unranked	—	1919
Trudie	—Unranked	—	1950
Helen	—Unranked	—	1927
Cleon	7#9,896	new	1921
Ela	135#1,562	Up 144 rank positions in five years	2018
Alverta	—Unranked	—	1918
Augustina	25#5,117	Up 1,231 rank positions in five years	1927
Gregoria	7#12,350	Down 2,554 rank positions in five years	1921
Ewell	—Unranked	—	1919
Heyward	—Unranked	—	1928
Maye	9#10,610	Up 3,902 rank positions in five years	1921
Hershell	—Unranked	—	1920
Ressie	—Unranked	—	1917
Mildred	—Unranked	—	1926
Leonia	—Unranked	—	1918
Teddie	7#10,559	Up 3,267 rank positions in five years	1940
Cleda	—Unranked	—	1917
Thedore	—Unranked	—	1929
Williard	—Unranked	—	1915
Evia	11#9,042	Down 933 rank positions in five years	1919
Josephine	—Unranked	—	1932
Lessie	—Unranked	—	1925
Elvie	—Unranked	—	1915
Virgie	—Unranked	—	1927
Lemmie	—Unranked	—	1931
Girtha	—Unranked	—	1919
Roma	8#9,527	Down 938 rank positions in five years	1919
Fern	—Unranked	—	1915
Lenon	—Unranked	—	1932
Loney	—Unranked	—	1915

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How this list is built

A name “peaked” in 1903 when that year holds its best-ever position in the national rankings — rank, not raw count, because raw counts track how many babies were born and would pile every “peak” into the boom years. To qualify, a name must have reached the top 1,000 at its height and have at least 500 all-time applications. Lists are ordered by that peak rank.

Ranks come from U.S. births, counted separately for girls and boys. “Unranked” today means fewer than 5 applications in the latest year — uncommon, never invalid.