Name Awesome

Most Popular Baby Names Of 1917

The 100 most-used girls’ and boys’ names among U.S. births in 1917 — 2,006,698 recorded births in total that year.

19161918 The 1910s as a wholeNames that peaked in 1917

Girls’ names

  1. 1Mary64,2805.9%
  2. 2Helen34,2513.2%
  3. 3Dorothy28,8522.7%
  4. 4Margaret25,5602.4%
  5. 5Ruth23,5682.2%
  6. 6Mildred16,2561.5%
  7. 7Anna15,1601.4%
  8. 8Elizabeth15,1311.4%
  9. 9Frances14,3631.3%
  10. 10Virginia14,2611.3%
  11. 11Evelyn12,5321.2%
  12. 12Marie11,8131.1%
  13. 13Alice10,9901.0%
  14. 14Florence10,5381.0%
  15. 15Lillian9,8430.9%
  16. 16Rose9,7830.9%
  17. 17Irene9,1630.8%
  18. 18Catherine8,6890.8%
  19. 19Louise8,5840.8%
  20. 20Edna8,4220.8%
  21. 21Josephine8,3260.8%
  22. 22Martha8,2610.8%
  23. 23Gladys8,0750.7%
  24. 24Ethel7,8650.7%
  25. 25Doris7,8190.7%
  26. 26Eleanor7,6690.7%
  27. 27Ruby7,6620.7%
  28. 28Edith7,5320.7%
  29. 29Lucille7,5290.7%
  30. 30Grace7,3730.7%
  31. 31Hazel7,2850.7%
  32. 32Thelma7,2450.7%
  33. 33Pauline6,8960.6%
  34. 34Betty6,6390.6%
  35. 35Annie6,4040.6%
  36. 36Marjorie6,3990.6%
  37. 37Gertrude6,3000.6%
  38. 38Esther6,2810.6%
  39. 39Beatrice5,8390.5%
  40. 40Jean5,6920.5%
  41. 41Clara5,6260.5%
  42. 42Bernice5,5460.5%
  43. 43Lois5,4850.5%
  44. 44Ann5,4550.5%
  45. 45Marion5,3710.5%
  46. 46Emma5,1210.5%
  47. 47Julia5,0780.5%
  48. 48Agnes5,0660.5%
  49. 49Katherine4,9560.5%
  50. 50Elsie4,9390.5%
  51. 51Bertha4,8810.5%
  52. 52Sarah4,7660.4%
  53. 53Anne4,6030.4%
  54. 54Eva4,2860.4%
  55. 55Jane4,2580.4%
  56. 56Ida4,2470.4%
  57. 57Pearl4,2320.4%
  58. 58Myrtle4,0460.4%
  59. 59Viola4,0400.4%
  60. 60Kathryn3,9840.4%
  61. 61Bessie3,9270.4%
  62. 62Stella3,8720.4%
  63. 63Rita3,8700.4%
  64. 64Nellie3,8080.4%
  65. 65Laura3,8070.4%
  66. 66Vera3,7140.3%
  67. 67Barbara3,5350.3%
  68. 68Mabel3,4990.3%
  69. 69Sylvia3,4690.3%
  70. 70Jessie3,4650.3%
  71. 71Alma3,4070.3%
  72. 72Willie3,3810.3%
  73. 73June3,3700.3%
  74. 74Marian3,2670.3%
  75. 75Minnie3,2620.3%
  76. 76Charlotte3,2290.3%
  77. 77Genevieve3,1920.3%
  78. 78Marguerite3,1610.3%
  79. 79Vivian3,1190.3%
  80. 80Leona3,1150.3%
  81. 81Jennie3,1090.3%
  82. 82Wilma3,0710.3%
  83. 83Ella3,0540.3%
  84. 84Violet3,0260.3%
  85. 85Lena3,0040.3%
  86. 86Lillie2,9310.3%
  87. 87Juanita2,9290.3%
  88. 88Lucy2,9290.3%
  89. 89Geraldine2,8970.3%
  90. 90Ellen2,8550.3%
  91. 91Blanche2,8360.3%
  92. 92Phyllis2,6960.2%
  93. 93Maxine2,6470.2%
  94. 94Mattie2,5720.2%
  95. 95Opal2,5410.2%
  96. 96Mae2,5070.2%
  97. 97Theresa2,4900.2%
  98. 98Nancy2,4110.2%
  99. 99Velma2,4110.2%
  100. 100Sophie2,3820.2%

Boys’ names

  1. 1John51,8525.6%
  2. 2William42,4224.6%
  3. 3James37,3374.0%
  4. 4Robert35,2203.8%
  5. 5Joseph24,7612.7%
  6. 6George24,1962.6%
  7. 7Charles24,1432.6%
  8. 8Edward17,5011.9%
  9. 9Frank15,7681.7%
  10. 10Thomas12,6111.4%
  11. 11Walter12,5821.4%
  12. 12Harold11,1941.2%
  13. 13Paul11,1561.2%
  14. 14Richard10,9141.2%
  15. 15Henry10,6961.2%
  16. 16Raymond9,9561.1%
  17. 17Arthur9,2821.0%
  18. 18Albert9,1571.0%
  19. 19Harry8,8561.0%
  20. 20Donald8,7290.9%
  21. 21Ralph7,3910.8%
  22. 22Jack6,8750.7%
  23. 23Louis6,7710.7%
  24. 24Carl6,6990.7%
  25. 25Clarence6,5870.7%
  26. 26Howard6,4100.7%
  27. 27Kenneth6,1410.7%
  28. 28David6,0990.7%
  29. 29Fred5,9860.6%
  30. 30Francis5,8010.6%
  31. 31Willie5,7510.6%
  32. 32Earl5,6320.6%
  33. 33Roy5,5860.6%
  34. 34Stanley5,1860.6%
  35. 35Joe5,1420.6%
  36. 36Lawrence5,0940.6%
  37. 37Ernest5,0550.5%
  38. 38Anthony5,0270.5%
  39. 39Eugene4,8730.5%
  40. 40Herbert4,7450.5%
  41. 41Leonard4,6940.5%
  42. 42Samuel4,4900.5%
  43. 43Alfred4,4240.5%
  44. 44Michael4,2880.5%
  45. 45Elmer3,8120.4%
  46. 46Norman3,7880.4%
  47. 47Leo3,7790.4%
  48. 48Andrew3,7520.4%
  49. 49Bernard3,7110.4%
  50. 50Peter3,4640.4%
  51. 51Frederick3,4550.4%
  52. 52Russell3,4360.4%
  53. 53Lloyd3,4170.4%
  54. 54Daniel3,3600.4%
  55. 55Edwin3,3460.4%
  56. 56Chester3,3380.4%
  57. 57Melvin3,1550.3%
  58. 58Herman2,9740.3%
  59. 59Clifford2,9690.3%
  60. 60Leroy2,9510.3%
  61. 61Lester2,8540.3%
  62. 62Floyd2,8200.3%
  63. 63Theodore2,8090.3%
  64. 64Clyde2,7190.3%
  65. 65Vincent2,6360.3%
  66. 66Philip2,5440.3%
  67. 67Charlie2,5360.3%
  68. 68Marvin2,5170.3%
  69. 69Gerald2,4860.3%
  70. 70Lewis2,4770.3%
  71. 71Vernon2,4630.3%
  72. 72Sam2,4540.3%
  73. 73Woodrow2,4280.3%
  74. 74Ray2,4260.3%
  75. 75Milton2,3940.3%
  76. 76Benjamin2,3860.3%
  77. 77Martin2,3360.3%
  78. 78Victor2,2070.2%
  79. 79Jesse2,2000.2%
  80. 80Willard2,1880.2%
  81. 81Alvin2,1420.2%
  82. 82Leon2,1020.2%
  83. 83Cecil2,1010.2%
  84. 84Gordon2,0190.2%
  85. 85Lee2,0040.2%
  86. 86Glenn1,9970.2%
  87. 87Oscar1,9610.2%
  88. 88Edgar1,9200.2%
  89. 89Stephen1,8920.2%
  90. 90Harvey1,8080.2%
  91. 91Arnold1,7810.2%
  92. 92Wilbur1,7490.2%
  93. 93Warren1,7430.2%
  94. 94Everett1,7340.2%
  95. 95Sidney1,7270.2%
  96. 96Wayne1,7150.2%
  97. 97Alexander1,6640.2%
  98. 98Claude1,6250.2%
  99. 99Morris1,6240.2%
  100. 100Allen1,5920.2%

Percentages are each name’s share of all 1917 applications for that sex — a useful reminder of how much more concentrated naming used to be. In 1880 the top girls’ name alone accounted for several percent of all girls; today the #1 name is well under one percent.

Counts are based on U.S. births and are tracked separately for girls and boys. Names used fewer than 5 times in a year aren’t published for that year, so totals here are a floor — the shortfall is largest in the sparse early years.