Name Awesome

Most Popular Baby Names Of 1921

The 100 most-used girls’ and boys’ names among U.S. births in 1921 — 2,334,460 recorded births in total that year.

19201922 The 1920s as a wholeNames that peaked in 1921

Girls’ names

  1. 1Mary73,9846.0%
  2. 2Dorothy39,0873.2%
  3. 3Helen34,8222.8%
  4. 4Margaret28,4682.3%
  5. 5Ruth25,7832.1%
  6. 6Virginia19,0321.5%
  7. 7Mildred17,8801.5%
  8. 8Betty17,6381.4%
  9. 9Frances15,9931.3%
  10. 10Elizabeth15,8001.3%
  11. 11Anna14,4761.2%
  12. 12Evelyn14,2781.2%
  13. 13Doris13,1521.1%
  14. 14Marie12,5011.0%
  15. 15Alice11,9551.0%
  16. 16Marjorie11,2090.9%
  17. 17Florence10,7200.9%
  18. 18Irene10,6240.9%
  19. 19Lillian9,7700.8%
  20. 20Rose9,3520.8%
  21. 21Martha9,2640.8%
  22. 22Louise9,1800.7%
  23. 23Catherine8,8870.7%
  24. 24Gladys8,8140.7%
  25. 25Jean8,5920.7%
  26. 26Ruby8,3330.7%
  27. 27Edna8,3020.7%
  28. 28Josephine8,1350.7%
  29. 29Eleanor8,0540.7%
  30. 30Thelma7,8390.6%
  31. 31Lucille7,6980.6%
  32. 32Ethel7,6030.6%
  33. 33Edith7,5890.6%
  34. 34Hazel7,3410.6%
  35. 35Grace7,2300.6%
  36. 36Annie7,2090.6%
  37. 37Pauline7,1420.6%
  38. 38Lois6,8990.6%
  39. 39Bernice6,1900.5%
  40. 40Barbara6,0130.5%
  41. 41Beatrice5,9680.5%
  42. 42Esther5,9260.5%
  43. 43Marion5,8140.5%
  44. 44Shirley5,6950.5%
  45. 45Clara5,6060.5%
  46. 46Gertrude5,3490.4%
  47. 47Jane5,1880.4%
  48. 48Rita5,1570.4%
  49. 49Katherine5,1560.4%
  50. 50June5,1550.4%
  51. 51Norma5,1020.4%
  52. 52Emma5,0720.4%
  53. 53Ann5,0580.4%
  54. 54Sarah5,0240.4%
  55. 55Elsie4,8790.4%
  56. 56Agnes4,7980.4%
  57. 57Juanita4,7790.4%
  58. 58Julia4,7370.4%
  59. 59Bertha4,6080.4%
  60. 60Phyllis4,5900.4%
  61. 61Lorraine4,5330.4%
  62. 62Geraldine4,5230.4%
  63. 63Eva4,3250.4%
  64. 64Kathryn4,2010.3%
  65. 65Pearl4,1750.3%
  66. 66Viola4,1600.3%
  67. 67Ida4,1460.3%
  68. 68Vivian4,1030.3%
  69. 69Marian4,0640.3%
  70. 70Anne4,0070.3%
  71. 71Laura3,9980.3%
  72. 72Wilma3,8240.3%
  73. 73Myrtle3,7910.3%
  74. 74Willie3,7480.3%
  75. 75Bessie3,6780.3%
  76. 76Vera3,6310.3%
  77. 77Maxine3,6300.3%
  78. 78Alma3,5890.3%
  79. 79Charlotte3,5870.3%
  80. 80Nellie3,5130.3%
  81. 81Violet3,4690.3%
  82. 82Audrey3,4340.3%
  83. 83Kathleen3,4190.3%
  84. 84Patricia3,3800.3%
  85. 85Mabel3,3360.3%
  86. 86Stella3,3350.3%
  87. 87Nancy3,3230.3%
  88. 88Sylvia3,2970.3%
  89. 89Ella3,2370.3%
  90. 90Genevieve3,2350.3%
  91. 91Jessie3,2250.3%
  92. 92Leona3,2100.3%
  93. 93Lucy3,1570.3%
  94. 94Lillie3,1180.3%
  95. 95Ellen3,0640.2%
  96. 96Minnie2,9980.2%
  97. 97Elaine2,9220.2%
  98. 98Marguerite2,8970.2%
  99. 99Jennie2,8890.2%
  100. 100Eileen2,8620.2%

Boys’ names

  1. 1John58,2165.3%
  2. 2Robert52,7794.8%
  3. 3William51,8624.7%
  4. 4James49,7504.5%
  5. 5Charles29,2422.7%
  6. 6George27,4762.5%
  7. 7Joseph26,1822.4%
  8. 8Edward20,8171.9%
  9. 9Frank16,7051.5%
  10. 10Richard16,3761.5%
  11. 11Thomas15,3081.4%
  12. 12Harold13,8111.3%
  13. 13Donald13,7761.3%
  14. 14Paul13,1691.2%
  15. 15Walter13,0041.2%
  16. 16Raymond12,6451.1%
  17. 17Henry11,4111.0%
  18. 18Jack10,7571.0%
  19. 19Arthur10,5271.0%
  20. 20Albert10,1580.9%
  21. 21Harry9,7310.9%
  22. 22Kenneth8,9590.8%
  23. 23Ralph8,8600.8%
  24. 24Warren7,7980.7%
  25. 25David7,7650.7%
  26. 26Eugene7,7170.7%
  27. 27Howard7,7130.7%
  28. 28Clarence7,3320.7%
  29. 29Louis7,2470.7%
  30. 30Carl7,0770.6%
  31. 31Earl6,7540.6%
  32. 32Roy6,5450.6%
  33. 33Fred6,4960.6%
  34. 34Willie6,4920.6%
  35. 35Francis6,2930.6%
  36. 36Joe6,2040.6%
  37. 37Lawrence5,9770.5%
  38. 38Ernest5,6970.5%
  39. 39Leonard5,6500.5%
  40. 40Anthony5,2390.5%
  41. 41Stanley5,2310.5%
  42. 42Herbert5,2170.5%
  43. 43Alfred4,9250.4%
  44. 44Samuel4,7540.4%
  45. 45Bernard4,4850.4%
  46. 46Norman4,4790.4%
  47. 47Michael4,1980.4%
  48. 48Elmer4,1460.4%
  49. 49Daniel4,0870.4%
  50. 50Leo4,0660.4%
  51. 51Andrew4,0150.4%
  52. 52Russell3,9460.4%
  53. 53Melvin3,8870.4%
  54. 54Edwin3,7500.3%
  55. 55Leroy3,7490.3%
  56. 56Chester3,5490.3%
  57. 57Peter3,5480.3%
  58. 58Lloyd3,5360.3%
  59. 59Marvin3,4900.3%
  60. 60Gerald3,3820.3%
  61. 61Frederick3,3760.3%
  62. 62Clifford3,2620.3%
  63. 63Floyd3,2550.3%
  64. 64Herman3,2190.3%
  65. 65Theodore3,1720.3%
  66. 66Lester3,0760.3%
  67. 67Ray3,0750.3%
  68. 68Vernon3,0690.3%
  69. 69Clyde3,0220.3%
  70. 70Vincent2,7790.3%
  71. 71Lewis2,7120.2%
  72. 72Philip2,7030.2%
  73. 73Alvin2,6860.2%
  74. 74Leon2,6160.2%
  75. 75Milton2,5880.2%
  76. 76Charlie2,5740.2%
  77. 77Jesse2,4860.2%
  78. 78Martin2,4610.2%
  79. 79Cecil2,4560.2%
  80. 80Glenn2,4490.2%
  81. 81Wayne2,4170.2%
  82. 82Benjamin2,4120.2%
  83. 83Victor2,4070.2%
  84. 84Gordon2,3820.2%
  85. 85Sam2,3670.2%
  86. 86Lee2,3540.2%
  87. 87Harvey2,2870.2%
  88. 88Wallace2,0950.2%
  89. 89Willard2,0770.2%
  90. 90Edgar2,0140.2%
  91. 91Arnold1,9820.2%
  92. 92Oscar1,9780.2%
  93. 93Dale1,9560.2%
  94. 94Allen1,9370.2%
  95. 95Everett1,9130.2%
  96. 96Claude1,8870.2%
  97. 97Stephen1,8680.2%
  98. 98Virgil1,8300.2%
  99. 99Roger1,8030.2%
  100. 100Wilbur1,7550.2%

Percentages are each name’s share of all 1921 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.