Decade hub

1900s baby names

A name can be popular in the 1900s without belonging to the 1900s. This hub separates the two: the biggest names of the decade, and the names whose recorded history is concentrated inside it.

Expansion without a single new owner

The 1900s cover 1900–1909 and contain 4,285,123 recorded births: 2,927,552 girls and 1,357,571 boys, across 6,318 distinct names. Mary leads girls with 161,504 births and John leads boys with 84,590. The total reconciles exactly to the independent D1 anchor, which also reports Mary and John as the decade champions.

The top ten account for 16.25% of births and the top hundred for 56.76%, while the diversity score is 71.1213, the effective number of names is 504.69, and the concentration score is 0.5532. The profile therefore has more distinct names and a larger effective roster than the two preceding decades, even while the leading names remain prominent. These metrics measure distributional shape, not the causes of that shape.

Mabel is the girls’ ownership leader with 21,625 decade births out of 142,284 lifetime births, a 0.151985 decade share, and an ownership score of 91.6087; it ranks 30th in popularity. Will leads boys’ ownership with 3,246 decade births out of 45,952 lifetime births, a 0.070639 decade share, and an ownership score of 86.6070; it ranks 77th in popularity. The contrast with Mary and John shows why raw decade totals and decade ownership answer different questions.

The representative classroom is based on 1904: 20 girls’ seats and 10 boys’ seats, with 30 unique names and zero repeated names. The most repeated name still has only one seat, and the stored top-share display is 0.0333. This reconstruction describes the deterministic classroom rule used by the profile; it does not generalize to every school or community.

The strongest approved spelling family is Catherine: Catherine (22,006), Katherine (12,105), Katharine (1,246), and Kathryn (8,333) total 43,690 births. All four forms clear the 1,000-birth floor and the family clears 20,000; the forms are conventional spelling variants of the same name family. Sarah/Sara is also approved at 21,552 combined births. Cathryn is rejected from the Catherine family at 242 births because it fails the per-variant floor.

The source is the SSA national birth-name file, not a complete census of names or identities; counts under five are suppressed, and the source reports sex rather than gender. Lifetime totals and ownership use the 2025 vintage, so the scores can change when the source vintage changes. Nothing in these associations establishes why the 1900s distribution looked this way or makes a causal claim about naming behavior.

Girls' popularity champion
Mary 161,504 births
Boys' popularity champion
John 84,590 births
Total recorded births
4,285,123
Female births
2,927,552
Male births
1,357,571
Distinct recorded names
6,318
Top-10 birth share
16.2%
Top-100 birth share
56.8%
Diversity score
71.1of 100 · 505 effective names
Concentration score
0.6of 100

Methodology: how every number on this page is computed

Decade ownership

Popularity measures size. Ownership measures identity. Some names remain popular for generations. Others overwhelmingly belong to one decade. The ownership score ranks names by how concentrated their recorded history is inside 1900–1909, weighted against how visible they actually were — adjusted so that rare names cannot win on a technicality.

It is a descriptive statistic about SSA birth records, not a verdict about culture. Read the full methodology.

Girls, ranked by ownership

The 25 highest ownership scores in the female eligible set.

Girls, ranked by ownership — 1900s decade ownership rankings
Rank Name Ownership score 1900s births Lifetime births Decade share of lifetime Peak year Status
1 Mabel 91.6 21,625 142,284 15.2% 1915 rising
2 Myrtle 87.6 19,691 136,486 14.4% 1918 endangered
3 Bessie 87.1 23,984 170,140 14.1% 1916 endangered
4 Maude 86.8 7,142 45,754 15.6% 1888 endangered
5 Gertrude 83.5 23,607 177,100 13.3% 1917 endangered
6 Pearl 82.1 20,913 159,088 13.1% 1918 endangered
7 Ethel 81.6 34,868 278,922 12.5% 1918 endangered
8 Flossie 80.8 3,410 21,808 15.6% 1919 declining
9 Mamie 80.7 10,618 77,907 13.6% 1919 endangered
10 Blanche 80.3 11,730 87,425 13.4% 1917 endangered
11 Beulah 78.6 9,716 73,252 13.3% 1916 endangered
12 Minnie 78.3 19,715 159,280 12.4% 1916 endangered
13 Viola 77.8 16,559 132,993 12.5% 1918 endangered
14 Bertha 76.1 24,247 207,870 11.7% 1918 endangered
15 Gladys 75.7 30,285 266,718 11.4% 1920 endangered
16 Effie 75.5 5,870 44,256 13.3% 1919 endangered
17 Fannie 73.8 10,346 85,580 12.1% 1918 endangered
18 Florence 73.3 36,191 339,093 10.7% 1918 endangered
19 Lucile 73.0 4,566 34,887 13.1% 1917 endangered
20 Goldie 72.8 4,966 38,553 12.9% 1915 rising
21 Gussie 71.9 1,942 13,084 14.8% 1918 extinct
22 Agnes 71.7 17,616 159,517 11.0% 1918 endangered
23 Nannie 71.5 3,391 25,560 13.3% 1920 extinct
24 Mae 70.3 12,711 114,835 11.1% 1918 stable
25 Hattie 70.2 11,717 105,197 11.1% 1918 rising

Boys, ranked by ownership

The 25 highest ownership scores in the male eligible set.

Boys, ranked by ownership — 1900s decade ownership rankings
Rank Name Ownership score 1900s births Lifetime births Decade share of lifetime Peak year Status
1 Will 86.6 3,246 45,952 7.1% 1888 declining
2 Ed 80.6 1,814 26,205 6.9% 1959 declining
3 Charley 78.7 1,633 23,974 6.8% 1920 stable
4 Claud 75.5 811 10,893 7.4% 1919 extinct
5 Dock 73.5 469 5,383 8.7% 1920 declining
6 Mose 71.8 601 7,935 7.6% 1919 stable
7 Johnie 70.3 1,276 20,930 6.1% 1920 endangered
8 Edd 69.8 446 5,438 8.2% 1919 extinct
9 Booker 69.5 809 12,230 6.6% 1916 rising
10 Pearl 69.0 357 3,922 9.1% 1918 extinct
11 Sam 68.6 6,161 127,234 4.8% 1918 stable
12 Clarence 68.5 13,573 303,564 4.5% 1921 endangered
13 Elmer 67.8 6,161 129,591 4.8% 1918 endangered
14 Harry 67.2 17,906 423,866 4.2% 1918 endangered
15 Rosevelt 64.8 289 3,074 9.4% 1933 extinct
16 Charlie 64.4 7,928 184,280 4.3% 1919 rising
17 Willie 64.2 17,746 450,188 3.9% 1947 endangered
18 Homer 64.2 2,915 60,912 4.8% 1920 endangered
19 Ollie 61.8 952 17,626 5.4% 1919 rising
20 Fred 61.5 13,076 343,655 3.8% 1924 endangered
21 Roosevelt 61.0 1,790 37,661 4.8% 1933 endangered
22 Abe 60.1 572 9,694 5.9% 1917 stable
23 Percy 59.5 1,517 32,204 4.7% 1921 rising
24 Ora 59.4 380 5,616 6.8% 1919 declining
25 Luther 59.2 2,866 66,986 4.3% 1922 endangered

Most owned by the 1900s

Top 25 by ownership score across both sexes; each row is tagged with its sex comparison set.

Most owned by the 1900s — 1900s decade ownership rankings
Rank Name Sex Ownership score 1900s births Lifetime births Decade share of lifetime Peak year Status
1 Mabel F 91.6 21,625 142,284 15.2% 1915 rising
2 Myrtle F 87.6 19,691 136,486 14.4% 1918 endangered
3 Bessie F 87.1 23,984 170,140 14.1% 1916 endangered
4 Maude F 86.8 7,142 45,754 15.6% 1888 endangered
1 Will M 86.6 3,246 45,952 7.1% 1888 declining
5 Gertrude F 83.5 23,607 177,100 13.3% 1917 endangered
6 Pearl F 82.1 20,913 159,088 13.1% 1918 endangered
7 Ethel F 81.6 34,868 278,922 12.5% 1918 endangered
8 Flossie F 80.8 3,410 21,808 15.6% 1919 declining
9 Mamie F 80.7 10,618 77,907 13.6% 1919 endangered
2 Ed M 80.6 1,814 26,205 6.9% 1959 declining
10 Blanche F 80.3 11,730 87,425 13.4% 1917 endangered
3 Charley M 78.7 1,633 23,974 6.8% 1920 stable
11 Beulah F 78.6 9,716 73,252 13.3% 1916 endangered
12 Minnie F 78.3 19,715 159,280 12.4% 1916 endangered
13 Viola F 77.8 16,559 132,993 12.5% 1918 endangered
14 Bertha F 76.1 24,247 207,870 11.7% 1918 endangered
15 Gladys F 75.7 30,285 266,718 11.4% 1920 endangered
4 Claud M 75.5 811 10,893 7.4% 1919 extinct
16 Effie F 75.5 5,870 44,256 13.3% 1919 endangered
17 Fannie F 73.8 10,346 85,580 12.1% 1918 endangered
5 Dock M 73.5 469 5,383 8.7% 1920 declining
18 Florence F 73.3 36,191 339,093 10.7% 1918 endangered
19 Lucile F 73.0 4,566 34,887 13.1% 1917 endangered
20 Goldie F 72.8 4,966 38,553 12.9% 1915 rising

Popular but timeless

1900s births at or above the median of the pooled eligible set (both sexes) and adjusted concentration at or below its 25th percentile: big names whose recorded history spans many decades.

Popular but timeless — 1900s decade ownership rankings
Rank Name Sex Ownership score 1900s births Lifetime births Decade share of lifetime Peak year Status
254 Robert M 34.0 35,849 4,849,730 0.7% 1947 endangered
256 Thomas M 33.9 21,783 2,358,576 0.9% 1952 stable
305 Paul M 31.4 12,636 1,398,293 0.9% 1957 endangered
441 Richard M 25.7 10,675 2,577,552 0.4% 1946 endangered
526 David M 22.9 8,619 3,676,654 0.2% 1955 endangered
326 Samuel M 30.6 8,149 820,196 1.0% 2001 stable
628 Betty F 21.0 7,921 1,001,238 0.8% 1930 endangered
650 Emily F 19.8 6,423 896,487 0.7% 1999 declining
491 Andrew M 24.1 6,277 1,329,454 0.5% 1987 declining
684 Nancy F 18.7 5,733 1,004,448 0.6% 1947 endangered
610 Michael M 19.6 5,220 4,426,753 0.1% 1957 endangered
549 Anthony M 21.8 5,043 1,488,042 0.3% 1990 declining
573 Daniel M 20.9 5,036 1,982,812 0.3% 1985 declining
562 Donald M 21.3 4,632 1,414,824 0.3% 1934 endangered
556 Kenneth M 21.6 4,579 1,283,974 0.4% 1957 endangered
374 Jesse M 28.8 4,559 432,428 1.1% 1981 stable
453 Peter M 25.4 4,375 589,588 0.7% 1957 stable
667 Sara F 19.2 4,210 436,193 1.0% 1981 stable
693 Maria F 18.1 4,174 566,111 0.7% 1964 stable
720 Rebecca F 17.1 4,052 755,992 0.5% 1981 endangered
534 Benjamin M 22.4 4,009 826,830 0.5% 1989 declining
749 Barbara F 15.8 3,999 1,436,695 0.3% 1947 endangered
705 Rachel F 17.7 3,974 573,957 0.7% 1985 endangered
725 Kathleen F 17.0 3,924 713,645 0.5% 1951 endangered
708 Christine F 17.5 3,901 586,465 0.7% 1952 endangered

Unexpected results

Names whose popularity rank exceeds their ownership rank by 20 or more within their sex set — popular, but far less tied to the 1900s than their size suggests.

Unexpected results — 1900s decade ownership rankings
Rank Name Sex Ownership score 1900s births Lifetime births Decade share of lifetime Peak year Status
79 Mabel M 47.6 103 409 25.2% 1917 extinct
202 Agnes M 36.8 78 465 16.8% 1921 extinct
237 Gertrude M 34.9 76 568 13.4% 1920 extinct
238 Rube M 34.8 77 612 12.6% 1917 extinct
168 Bessie M 39.4 93 737 12.6% 1928 extinct
181 Minnie M 38.1 91 787 11.6% 1925 extinct
193 Eino M 37.4 90 814 11.1% 1915 extinct
236 Mattie M 34.9 82 780 10.5% 1928 extinct
145 Elsie M 41.2 103 886 11.6% 1927 extinct
239 Tomie M 34.7 85 904 9.4% 1919 extinct
282 Ella M 32.3 78 901 8.7% 2004 declining
101 Bertha M 45.0 116 937 12.4% 1932 extinct
220 Eva M 35.8 91 1,007 9.0% 1933 declining
122 Clara M 43.4 114 1,016 11.2% 1930 declining
229 Lonie M 35.1 91 1,078 8.4% 1921 extinct
107 Son M 44.6 119 1,061 11.2% 1982 declining
84 Edna M 46.7 125 1,042 12.0% 1927 extinct
275 Bee M 32.6 82 1,023 8.0% 1991 extinct
111 Pink M 44.2 119 1,089 10.9% 1919 extinct
332 Lillie M 30.4 72 873 8.2% 1929 extinct
285 Lemon M 32.2 82 1,071 7.7% 1927 extinct
259 Hamp M 33.8 87 1,076 8.1% 1920 extinct
321 Hildur F 34.0 156 718 21.7% 1915 extinct
123 Guss M 43.4 118 1,136 10.4% 1920 extinct
353 Aurore F 32.3 145 693 20.9% 1914 declining

The 1904 classroom

Apportion 30 seats from the actual 1904 national birth records and every seat carries a different name — no name was common enough in 1904 to guarantee a duplicate in a class of 30.

A statistical reconstruction of an average classroom, not an actual class record.

See the full 30-student roster

Spelling families

Conventional rankings separate spelling variants. This view groups manually reviewed variants to show their combined demographic footprint.

Explore all 2 spelling families

How these numbers are made

Every figure on this page is computed offline from SSA birth records with methodology decade-hub/v1.0.0, then served as a precomputed profile. Nothing is recalculated in your browser.

Read the methodology

Data coverage
Decade 1900–1909; lifetime data through 2025
Completeness
Complete decade
Methodology version
decade-hub/v1.0.0
Source version
ssa-national-2025
Generated
2026-08-14T03:32:54.323Z