Names That Peaked In 1912

These names hit their all-time highest U.S. ranking in 1912 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 1911 Peaked in 1913 Full 1912 top 100 The 1910s as a whole

Name & meaning	Babies 2025 · rank	5-year rank movement	Peak year
Joseph	7,303#29	Down 3 rank positions in five years	1956
Edward	1,591#224	Down 29 rank positions in five years	1924
Mildred	98#1,973	Up 1 rank positions in five years	1920
Louise	579#516	Up 165 rank positions in five years	1921
Milton	125#1,440	Down 162 rank positions in five years	1920
Velma	21#5,902	Up 1,639 rank positions in five years	1921
Sidney	146#1,327	Down 163 rank positions in five years	1918
Morris	92#1,762	Down 132 rank positions in five years	1918
Dorothea	113#1,782	Up 1,008 rank positions in five years	1920
Aubrey	70#2,093	Down 822 rank positions in five years	1926
Avis	6#13,413	Down 4,945 rank positions in five years	1920
Clement	62#2,262	Up 328 rank positions in five years	1918
Carmine	214#1,035	Up 313 rank positions in five years	2006
Domenic	60#2,310	Down 369 rank positions in five years	2003
Mariano	198#1,087	Up 6 rank positions in five years	2022
Allene	7#11,995	Up 3,229 rank positions in five years	1926
Rubye	—Unranked	—	1919
Ishmael	121#1,469	Down 197 rank positions in five years	2017
Myrtis	—Unranked	—	1921
Meyer	97#1,693	Up 170 rank positions in five years	1917
Norine	—Unranked	—	1920
Alvis	13#6,462	Up 2,310 rank positions in five years	1924
Tyrus	36#3,306	Down 1,048 rank positions in five years	1997
Wayland	61#2,301	Up 1,502 rank positions in five years	2023
Sylvan	99#1,674	Up 1,076 rank positions in five years	1918
Rosamond	5#16,777	new	1916
Elwyn	13#6,559	new	1924
Durward	—Unranked	—	1916
Sigmund	7#10,520	Up 1,297 rank positions in five years	1918
Beryl	—Unranked	—	1919
Trula	—Unranked	—	1923
Noma	—Unranked	—	1916
Larue	—Unranked	—	1920
Assunta	—Unranked	—	1916
Myer	26#4,106	Up 266 rank positions in five years	1918
Maebell	—Unranked	—	1920

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How this list is built

A name “peaked” in 1912 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.