Name Awesome

Most Popular Baby Names Of 1920

The 100 most-used girls’ and boys’ names among U.S. births in 1920 — 2,262,602 recorded births in total that year.

19191921 The 1920s as a wholeNames that peaked in 1920

Girls’ names

  1. 1Mary70,9835.9%
  2. 2Dorothy36,6433.1%
  3. 3Helen35,0972.9%
  4. 4Margaret27,9942.3%
  5. 5Ruth26,1022.2%
  6. 6Mildred18,0601.5%
  7. 7Virginia17,3141.4%
  8. 8Elizabeth15,9081.3%
  9. 9Frances15,8831.3%
  10. 10Anna14,5811.2%
  11. 11Betty14,0161.2%
  12. 12Evelyn13,8381.2%
  13. 13Marie12,7431.1%
  14. 14Doris11,8921.0%
  15. 15Alice11,5961.0%
  16. 16Florence10,7310.9%
  17. 17Irene10,0720.8%
  18. 18Lillian10,0490.8%
  19. 19Louise9,1790.8%
  20. 20Rose9,0110.8%
  21. 21Catherine8,8780.7%
  22. 22Gladys8,8190.7%
  23. 23Martha8,7090.7%
  24. 24Marjorie8,6580.7%
  25. 25Eleanor8,4970.7%
  26. 26Ruby8,3360.7%
  27. 27Edna8,3310.7%
  28. 28Josephine8,0930.7%
  29. 29Lucille7,9890.7%
  30. 30Ethel7,8680.7%
  31. 31Thelma7,8140.7%
  32. 32Edith7,7730.6%
  33. 33Jean7,7140.6%
  34. 34Hazel7,3080.6%
  35. 35Annie7,2680.6%
  36. 36Pauline7,1800.6%
  37. 37Grace7,1720.6%
  38. 38Lois6,5600.5%
  39. 39Esther6,0680.5%
  40. 40Bernice5,9280.5%
  41. 41Beatrice5,8040.5%
  42. 42Gertrude5,7970.5%
  43. 43Marion5,7450.5%
  44. 44Clara5,4700.5%
  45. 45Katherine5,2760.4%
  46. 46Emma5,2380.4%
  47. 47Barbara5,1060.4%
  48. 48Jane5,0540.4%
  49. 49Ann5,0410.4%
  50. 50Sarah5,0310.4%
  51. 51Elsie4,9930.4%
  52. 52Rita4,9790.4%
  53. 53June4,9110.4%
  54. 54Agnes4,9070.4%
  55. 55Julia4,8890.4%
  56. 56Shirley4,7130.4%
  57. 57Bertha4,6040.4%
  58. 58Eva4,4980.4%
  59. 59Viola4,2920.4%
  60. 60Geraldine4,2650.4%
  61. 61Juanita4,2380.4%
  62. 62Pearl4,2040.4%
  63. 63Laura4,1710.3%
  64. 64Vivian4,1280.3%
  65. 65Anne4,1140.3%
  66. 66Ida4,0900.3%
  67. 67Kathryn4,0820.3%
  68. 68Myrtle3,9550.3%
  69. 69Norma3,9490.3%
  70. 70Lorraine3,9280.3%
  71. 71Bessie3,9060.3%
  72. 72Phyllis3,8520.3%
  73. 73Marian3,8450.3%
  74. 74Willie3,8160.3%
  75. 75Vera3,7850.3%
  76. 76Nellie3,7620.3%
  77. 77Violet3,6940.3%
  78. 78Wilma3,6700.3%
  79. 79Charlotte3,6240.3%
  80. 80Alma3,5840.3%
  81. 81Maxine3,5070.3%
  82. 82Stella3,4920.3%
  83. 83Mabel3,3640.3%
  84. 84Jessie3,3290.3%
  85. 85Sylvia3,3170.3%
  86. 86Genevieve3,2580.3%
  87. 87Minnie3,2440.3%
  88. 88Ella3,2320.3%
  89. 89Leona3,1660.3%
  90. 90Lillie3,1620.3%
  91. 91Kathleen3,1580.3%
  92. 92Ellen3,0760.3%
  93. 93Marguerite3,0550.3%
  94. 94Lucy3,0180.3%
  95. 95Nancy2,9820.2%
  96. 96Mattie2,9020.2%
  97. 97Jennie2,8080.2%
  98. 98Lena2,7850.2%
  99. 99Mae2,7300.2%
  100. 100Eileen2,7180.2%

Boys’ names

  1. 1John56,9135.3%
  2. 2William50,1464.7%
  3. 3Robert48,6794.6%
  4. 4James47,9084.5%
  5. 5Charles28,3092.7%
  6. 6George26,8912.5%
  7. 7Joseph25,5872.4%
  8. 8Edward20,0971.9%
  9. 9Frank16,4301.5%
  10. 10Richard15,0101.4%
  11. 11Thomas14,9361.4%
  12. 12Harold13,6781.3%
  13. 13Walter13,2941.2%
  14. 14Paul12,5701.2%
  15. 15Raymond12,1931.1%
  16. 16Donald11,9411.1%
  17. 17Henry11,3051.1%
  18. 18Arthur10,2361.0%
  19. 19Albert9,9970.9%
  20. 20Jack9,5990.9%
  21. 21Harry9,4060.9%
  22. 22Ralph8,5560.8%
  23. 23Kenneth7,8400.7%
  24. 24Howard7,4660.7%
  25. 25David7,4440.7%
  26. 26Clarence7,2210.7%
  27. 27Carl7,0100.7%
  28. 28Louis6,9660.7%
  29. 29Willie6,8870.6%
  30. 30Eugene6,8670.6%
  31. 31Earl6,5330.6%
  32. 32Roy6,3550.6%
  33. 33Fred6,2980.6%
  34. 34Francis6,2410.6%
  35. 35Joe6,0710.6%
  36. 36Lawrence5,7270.5%
  37. 37Ernest5,5660.5%
  38. 38Leonard5,5110.5%
  39. 39Warren5,4920.5%
  40. 40Stanley5,3140.5%
  41. 41Herbert5,2490.5%
  42. 42Alfred5,0060.5%
  43. 43Anthony4,9440.5%
  44. 44Samuel4,6540.4%
  45. 45Elmer4,2060.4%
  46. 46Bernard4,1630.4%
  47. 47Norman4,1090.4%
  48. 48Leo4,0540.4%
  49. 49Andrew4,0260.4%
  50. 50Michael4,0030.4%
  51. 51Russell3,9010.4%
  52. 52Daniel3,8970.4%
  53. 53Edwin3,7340.4%
  54. 54Melvin3,7170.3%
  55. 55Chester3,6980.3%
  56. 56Leroy3,5490.3%
  57. 57Peter3,4970.3%
  58. 58Lloyd3,4540.3%
  59. 59Clifford3,2910.3%
  60. 60Frederick3,2750.3%
  61. 61Floyd3,2600.3%
  62. 62Marvin3,2440.3%
  63. 63Theodore3,2190.3%
  64. 64Gerald3,1570.3%
  65. 65Vernon3,1440.3%
  66. 66Herman3,1090.3%
  67. 67Ray3,0860.3%
  68. 68Clyde3,0690.3%
  69. 69Lester3,0680.3%
  70. 70Charlie2,7850.3%
  71. 71Philip2,7000.3%
  72. 72Lewis2,6880.3%
  73. 73Vincent2,6610.3%
  74. 74Milton2,5920.2%
  75. 75Leon2,5540.2%
  76. 76Alvin2,5230.2%
  77. 77Cecil2,4590.2%
  78. 78Martin2,4390.2%
  79. 79Jesse2,4200.2%
  80. 80Glenn2,3750.2%
  81. 81Victor2,3490.2%
  82. 82Lee2,3210.2%
  83. 83Benjamin2,3090.2%
  84. 84Sam2,2830.2%
  85. 85Gordon2,2770.2%
  86. 86Wayne2,1800.2%
  87. 87Harvey2,1650.2%
  88. 88Willard2,0890.2%
  89. 89Edgar2,0290.2%
  90. 90Oscar2,0060.2%
  91. 91Arnold1,9110.2%
  92. 92Claude1,8930.2%
  93. 93Wallace1,8770.2%
  94. 94Allen1,8660.2%
  95. 95Everett1,8270.2%
  96. 96Stephen1,7710.2%
  97. 97Gilbert1,7630.2%
  98. 98Wilbur1,7410.2%
  99. 99Johnnie1,7270.2%
  100. 100Homer1,7220.2%

Percentages are each name’s share of all 1920 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.