Name Awesome

Most Popular Baby Names Of 1926

The 100 most-used girls’ and boys’ names among U.S. births in 1926 — 2,295,839 recorded births in total that year.

19251927 The 1920s as a wholeNames that peaked in 1926

Girls’ names

  1. 1Mary67,8325.7%
  2. 2Dorothy36,6183.1%
  3. 3Betty32,9642.8%
  4. 4Helen26,8862.3%
  5. 5Margaret23,0721.9%
  6. 6Ruth20,2251.7%
  7. 7Doris16,2951.4%
  8. 8Virginia16,1611.4%
  9. 9Mildred13,5471.1%
  10. 10Frances13,3551.1%
  11. 11Elizabeth12,8371.1%
  12. 12Jean12,1681.0%
  13. 13Evelyn11,7801.0%
  14. 14Shirley11,7621.0%
  15. 15Anna11,6981.0%
  16. 16Barbara11,0790.9%
  17. 17Alice10,9560.9%
  18. 18Marie10,6290.9%
  19. 19Lois9,8160.8%
  20. 20Gloria9,1980.8%
  21. 21Irene9,1690.8%
  22. 22Marjorie8,6400.7%
  23. 23Patricia8,5860.7%
  24. 24Martha8,5560.7%
  25. 25Rose8,5090.7%
  26. 26Florence8,1780.7%
  27. 27Louise7,9790.7%
  28. 28Lillian7,6610.6%
  29. 29Norma7,5280.6%
  30. 30Ruby7,4760.6%
  31. 31Catherine7,4690.6%
  32. 32Eleanor7,3050.6%
  33. 33Phyllis6,9210.6%
  34. 34Annie6,8770.6%
  35. 35Gladys6,6340.6%
  36. 36Thelma6,5850.6%
  37. 37Josephine6,4100.5%
  38. 38Edna6,3960.5%
  39. 39Pauline6,3570.5%
  40. 40June6,0770.5%
  41. 41Ethel5,8560.5%
  42. 42Edith5,7860.5%
  43. 43Lucille5,7600.5%
  44. 44Joyce5,7040.5%
  45. 45Bernice5,4430.5%
  46. 46Grace5,4270.5%
  47. 47Marion5,3530.5%
  48. 48Hazel5,3030.4%
  49. 49Dolores5,2180.4%
  50. 50Rita5,0150.4%
  51. 51Joan4,9950.4%
  52. 52Juanita4,9810.4%
  53. 53Lorraine4,8910.4%
  54. 54Geraldine4,8120.4%
  55. 55Ann4,7790.4%
  56. 56Jane4,6410.4%
  57. 57Nancy4,5660.4%
  58. 58Beatrice4,5180.4%
  59. 59Emma4,4800.4%
  60. 60Audrey4,4770.4%
  61. 61Clara4,4640.4%
  62. 62Esther4,4530.4%
  63. 63Sarah4,4240.4%
  64. 64Theresa4,4070.4%
  65. 65Marilyn4,3700.4%
  66. 66Wanda4,1250.3%
  67. 67Wilma4,0540.3%
  68. 68Elaine4,0040.3%
  69. 69Elsie3,9100.3%
  70. 70Marian3,8590.3%
  71. 71Gertrude3,8520.3%
  72. 72Katherine3,8340.3%
  73. 73Willie3,8170.3%
  74. 74Beverly3,7750.3%
  75. 75Julia3,6880.3%
  76. 76Bertha3,5830.3%
  77. 77Agnes3,5330.3%
  78. 78Charlotte3,5120.3%
  79. 79Eva3,4940.3%
  80. 80Vivian3,4300.3%
  81. 81Laura3,3730.3%
  82. 82Ida3,2850.3%
  83. 83Kathleen3,2770.3%
  84. 84Vera3,1520.3%
  85. 85Maxine3,1500.3%
  86. 86Anne3,1090.3%
  87. 87Kathryn3,0940.3%
  88. 88Jeanne3,0630.3%
  89. 89Bessie3,0540.3%
  90. 90Donna3,0080.3%
  91. 91Alma2,9900.3%
  92. 92Eileen2,9280.2%
  93. 93Jessie2,9210.2%
  94. 94Violet2,9030.2%
  95. 95Rosemary2,9000.2%
  96. 96Pearl2,8990.2%
  97. 97Viola2,8760.2%
  98. 98Ella2,8520.2%
  99. 99Lillie2,8450.2%
  100. 100Ellen2,7680.2%

Boys’ names

  1. 1Robert61,1305.5%
  2. 2John56,1085.1%
  3. 3James53,1964.8%
  4. 4William51,9224.7%
  5. 5Charles29,5212.7%
  6. 6George25,9102.3%
  7. 7Richard25,1432.3%
  8. 8Joseph23,7562.1%
  9. 9Donald20,9121.9%
  10. 10Edward19,3751.7%
  11. 11Thomas16,5921.5%
  12. 12Frank14,4931.3%
  13. 13Paul13,6531.2%
  14. 14Harold13,3101.2%
  15. 15Raymond12,8091.2%
  16. 16Jack12,1951.1%
  17. 17Walter11,7741.1%
  18. 18Kenneth10,3420.9%
  19. 19Henry9,9940.9%
  20. 20Arthur9,4650.9%
  21. 21Albert9,1460.8%
  22. 22David9,0410.8%
  23. 23Eugene9,0160.8%
  24. 24Ralph8,4550.8%
  25. 25Harry8,2160.7%
  26. 26Carl6,9390.6%
  27. 27Howard6,8360.6%
  28. 28Willie6,8200.6%
  29. 29Clarence6,5370.6%
  30. 30Louis6,5130.6%
  31. 31Fred6,4470.6%
  32. 32Earl6,4410.6%
  33. 33Joe6,3380.6%
  34. 34Roy6,2240.6%
  35. 35Francis5,7890.5%
  36. 36Lawrence5,5820.5%
  37. 37Ernest5,4360.5%
  38. 38Leonard5,4020.5%
  39. 39Norman5,2820.5%
  40. 40Billy5,1800.5%
  41. 41Gerald5,1230.5%
  42. 42Anthony5,0580.5%
  43. 43Stanley4,9660.4%
  44. 44Herbert4,9390.4%
  45. 45Alfred4,7260.4%
  46. 46Daniel4,5160.4%
  47. 47Melvin4,1940.4%
  48. 48Samuel4,1800.4%
  49. 49Bernard4,1720.4%
  50. 50Marvin4,1110.4%
  51. 51Leroy3,8080.3%
  52. 52Russell3,7930.3%
  53. 53Floyd3,6230.3%
  54. 54Leo3,5520.3%
  55. 55Edwin3,4910.3%
  56. 56Michael3,4850.3%
  57. 57Ray3,4090.3%
  58. 58Peter3,3580.3%
  59. 59Andrew3,3440.3%
  60. 60Lloyd3,2780.3%
  61. 61Elmer3,2330.3%
  62. 62Clifford3,1900.3%
  63. 63Theodore3,1290.3%
  64. 64Frederick3,1200.3%
  65. 65Calvin3,0140.3%
  66. 66Vernon2,9530.3%
  67. 67Clyde2,8730.3%
  68. 68Wayne2,8110.3%
  69. 69Herman2,7980.3%
  70. 70Philip2,7080.2%
  71. 71Warren2,7010.2%
  72. 72Alvin2,6930.2%
  73. 73Leon2,6470.2%
  74. 74Bill2,6430.2%
  75. 75Glenn2,6350.2%
  76. 76Gordon2,6290.2%
  77. 77Vincent2,5430.2%
  78. 78Lester2,5390.2%
  79. 79Chester2,5340.2%
  80. 80Martin2,4930.2%
  81. 81Charlie2,4460.2%
  82. 82Lewis2,4440.2%
  83. 83Milton2,4180.2%
  84. 84Dale2,3980.2%
  85. 85Lee2,3130.2%
  86. 86Cecil2,3050.2%
  87. 87Jesse2,2980.2%
  88. 88Ronald2,2830.2%
  89. 89Roger2,2600.2%
  90. 90Harvey2,1280.2%
  91. 91Gene2,0830.2%
  92. 92Sam2,0330.2%
  93. 93Allen2,0210.2%
  94. 94Victor2,0160.2%
  95. 95Wallace2,0120.2%
  96. 96Don1,9660.2%
  97. 97Jerry1,9340.2%
  98. 98Benjamin1,8980.2%
  99. 99Arnold1,8820.2%
  100. 100Willard1,8100.2%

Percentages are each name’s share of all 1926 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.