Birth year roster

Top names in 1905

The 100 most common names on 1905 birth certificates, for girls and boys, ranked by SSA records.

Mary and John led the 1905 baby-name charts, the top names among Greatest Generation births. Mary was the #1 girls’ name for 76 years in all (between 1880 and 1961); John was the #1 boys’ name for 44 years in all (1880–1923). Of the 200 names below, 114 are now endangered or extinct; the tag on each shows where it stands today.

Explore the 1900s decade

Girls

#1Mary Endangered16,067
#2Helen Endangered6,811
#3Margaret Endangered5,690
#4Anna Declining5,424
#5Ruth Endangered5,068
#6Elizabeth Stable4,121
#7Dorothy Endangered3,937
#8Mildred Endangered3,758
#9Marie Endangered3,643
#10Alice Stable3,610
#11Florence Endangered3,478
#12Ethel Endangered3,401
#13Lillian Declining3,185
#14Gladys Endangered2,996
#15Edna Endangered2,953
#16Frances Endangered2,887
#17Annie Rising2,793
#18Rose Stable2,724
#19Grace Declining2,630
#20Bessie Endangered2,446
#21Bertha Endangered2,434
#22Clara Stable2,397
#23Louise Endangered2,367
#24Irene Endangered2,357
#25Hazel Rising2,351
#26Emma Declining2,298
#27Gertrude Endangered2,276
#28Catherine Endangered2,198
#29Mabel Rising2,178
#30Edith Endangered2,137
#31Pearl Endangered2,108
#32Martha Endangered2,091
#33Myrtle Endangered2,026
#34Esther Stable1,993
#35Minnie Endangered1,950
#36Thelma Endangered1,945
#37Josephine Rising1,894
#38Ruby Stable1,885
#39Eva Declining1,815
#40Elsie Rising1,811
#41Sarah Endangered1,762
#42Ida Endangered1,757
#43Agnes Endangered1,718
#44Viola Endangered1,697
#45Beatrice Endangered1,661
#46Evelyn Stable1,661
#47Julia Stable1,642
#48Nellie Rising1,626
#49Laura Endangered1,566
#50Lucille Stable1,533
#51Lillie Stable1,481
#52Ella Declining1,438
#53Virginia Endangered1,394
#54Pauline Endangered1,381
#55Mattie Endangered1,371
#56Alma Rising1,333
#57Jessie Endangered1,315
#58Carrie Endangered1,288
#59Willie Endangered1,285
#60Mae Stable1,284
#61Lena Stable1,258
#62Hattie Rising1,197
#63Blanche Endangered1,190
#64Katherine Declining1,190
#65Marion Endangered1,141
#66Lucy Stable1,132
#67Stella Stable1,097
#68Fannie Endangered1,085
#69Leona Stable1,082
#70Mamie Endangered1,068
#71Vera Stable1,053
#72Cora Stable1,044
#73Eleanor Rising1,041
#74Bernice Endangered1,032
#75Ann Endangered996
#76Jennie Endangered981
#77Beulah Endangered968
#78Lula Endangered963
#79Rosa Stable922
#80Ada Rising873
#81Ellen Endangered845
#82Violet Rising831
#83Doris Endangered812
#84Maggie Stable809
#85Betty Endangered807
#86Kathryn Endangered788
#87Daisy Rising776
#88Lois Endangered763
#89Dora Endangered757
#90Marguerite Endangered753
#91Sadie Stable750
#92Nora Stable742
#93Susie Endangered739
#94Georgia Rising722
#95Velma Endangered722
#96Marjorie Endangered712
#97Maude Endangered709
#98Anne Endangered708
#99Opal Rising702
#100Emily Declining683

Boys

#1John Past peak8,059
#2William Declining6,495
#3James Stable6,042
#4George Stable4,256
#5Charles Stable3,608
#6Robert Endangered3,410
#7Joseph Declining3,302
#8Frank Endangered2,837
#9Edward Endangered2,366
#10Thomas Stable2,135
#11Henry Stable2,126
#12Walter Stable1,902
#13Willie Endangered1,782
#14Harry Endangered1,619
#15Albert Endangered1,532
#16Arthur Rising1,505
#17Clarence Endangered1,377
#18Fred Endangered1,284
#19Paul Endangered1,262
#20Harold Endangered1,258
#21Raymond Endangered1,159
#22Richard Endangered1,033
#23Joe Endangered1,024
#24Roy Endangered1,016
#25Louis Stable981
#26Carl Endangered959
#27Ralph Endangered938
#28Jack Stable907
#29Earl Endangered904
#30Samuel Stable856
#31Ernest Endangered845
#32David Past peak838
#33Theodore Rising834
#34Charlie Rising801
#35Howard Endangered735
#36Francis Stable685
#37Herbert Endangered681
#38Lawrence Endangered669
#39Sam Stable620
#40Andrew Declining619
#41Elmer Endangered602
#42Eugene Endangered593
#43Alfred Endangered591
#44Floyd Endangered523
#45Michael Past peak513
#46Leo Rising512
#47Leonard Endangered495
#48Anthony Declining490
#49Lee Endangered486
#50Daniel Declining484
#51Herman Endangered475
#52Clyde Stable474
#53Kenneth Endangered474
#54Jesse Stable443
#55Leroy Endangered441
#56Oscar Stable436
#57Lester Endangered432
#58Russell Stable432
#59Donald Endangered425
#60Ray Endangered424
#61Clifford Endangered420
#62Peter Stable409
#63Claude Endangered399
#64Chester Endangered388
#65Lewis Rising384
#66Stanley Endangered384
#67Frederick Stable381
#68Benjamin Declining379
#69Lloyd Endangered369
#70Edwin Stable357
#71Norman Endangered350
#72Cecil Endangered347
#73Eddie Endangered346
#74Jessie Endangered338
#75Martin Stable332
#76Homer Endangered318
#77Tom Endangered317
#78Edgar Declining315
#79Luther Endangered308
#80Milton Endangered299
#81Johnnie Endangered297
#82Bernard Endangered292
#83Melvin Endangered291
#84Ben Stable290
#85Harvey Rising286
#86Will Declining286
#87Leon Rising274
#88Allen Endangered272
#89Everett Stable270
#90Victor Declining268
#91Roosevelt Endangered264
#92Alvin Declining258
#93Stephen Endangered246
#94Leslie Endangered237
#95Jim Endangered236
#96Philip Endangered234
#97Virgil Endangered226
#98Jacob Declining220
#99Otis Rising216
#100Marvin Endangered215