Names That Peaked In 1920

These names hit their all-time highest U.S. ranking in 1920 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 1919 Peaked in 1921 Full 1920 top 100 The 1920s as a whole

Name & meaning	Babies 2025 · rank	5-year rank movement	Peak year
Dorothy	743#421	Up 114 rank positions in five years	1924
Vivian	3,362#72	Up 29 rank positions in five years	1920
Geneva	125#1,657	Down 223 rank positions in five years	1924
Delbert	12#6,897	Down 2,956 rank positions in five years	1932
Wilbert	20#5,030	Down 1,120 rank positions in five years	1922
Lorene	17#6,714	Down 200 rank positions in five years	1920
Ervin	101#1,656	Up 33 rank positions in five years	1921
Althea	171#1,299	Up 100 rank positions in five years	1956
Weldon	46#2,792	Up 184 rank positions in five years	1920
Mervin	58#2,377	Down 37 rank positions in five years	1920
Manuela	68#2,573	Down 555 rank positions in five years	1924
Beryl	8#11,097	Down 717 rank positions in five years	1920
Enid	30#4,585	Down 5 rank positions in five years	1920
Alene	5#15,037	Down 5,458 rank positions in five years	1920
Marcelle	17#6,728	Up 1,518 rank positions in five years	1920
Mozelle	6#14,378	new	1920
Larue	8#11,481	new	1920
Burnell	—Unranked	—	1920
Glenwood	—Unranked	—	1920
Winton	7#10,621	new	1920
Verle	—Unranked	—	1920
Lorean	—Unranked	—	1920
Harding	5#12,693	Down 2,770 rank positions in five years	1921

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How this list is built

A name “peaked” in 1920 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.