Birth year roster

Top names in 1908

The 100 most common names on 1908 birth certificates, for girls and boys, ranked by SSA records.

Mary and John led the 1908 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, 116 are now endangered or extinct; the tag on each shows where it stands today.

Explore the 1900s decade

Girls

#1Mary Endangered18,665
#2Helen Endangered8,439
#3Margaret Endangered6,976
#4Ruth Endangered6,180
#5Anna Declining5,860
#6Dorothy Endangered5,703
#7Elizabeth Stable4,904
#8Mildred Endangered4,624
#9Alice Stable4,270
#10Marie Endangered4,076
#11Florence Endangered3,883
#12Ethel Endangered3,786
#13Lillian Declining3,634
#14Frances Endangered3,593
#15Gladys Endangered3,580
#16Rose Stable3,382
#17Edna Endangered3,365
#18Louise Endangered2,937
#19Grace Declining2,901
#20Evelyn Stable2,857
#21Annie Rising2,820
#22Catherine Endangered2,750
#23Irene Endangered2,732
#24Hazel Rising2,698
#25Gertrude Endangered2,562
#26Thelma Endangered2,526
#27Edith Endangered2,410
#28Josephine Rising2,389
#29Bertha Endangered2,384
#30Emma Declining2,357
#31Clara Stable2,352
#32Martha Endangered2,324
#33Ruby Stable2,229
#34Bessie Endangered2,201
#35Virginia Endangered2,195
#36Esther Stable2,187
#37Mabel Rising2,096
#38Lucille Stable2,080
#39Pearl Endangered2,075
#40Beatrice Endangered1,997
#41Elsie Rising1,983
#42Viola Endangered1,964
#43Ida Endangered1,952
#44Myrtle Endangered1,952
#45Agnes Endangered1,934
#46Eva Declining1,930
#47Minnie Endangered1,817
#48Sarah Endangered1,814
#49Nellie Rising1,757
#50Julia Stable1,749
#51Pauline Endangered1,702
#52Laura Endangered1,558
#53Alma Rising1,474
#54Lillie Stable1,471
#55Katherine Declining1,430
#56Ella Declining1,428
#57Mae Stable1,384
#58Jessie Endangered1,382
#59Willie Endangered1,371
#60Mattie Endangered1,364
#61Bernice Endangered1,363
#62Ann Endangered1,354
#63Marion Endangered1,349
#64Lena Stable1,331
#65Eleanor Rising1,302
#66Carrie Endangered1,239
#67Stella Stable1,216
#68Vera Stable1,204
#69Blanche Endangered1,162
#70Doris Endangered1,155
#71Hattie Rising1,137
#72Betty Endangered1,128
#73Leona Stable1,118
#74Lucy Stable1,118
#75Anne Endangered1,088
#76Fannie Endangered1,085
#77Kathryn Endangered1,058
#78Jennie Endangered1,038
#79Mamie Endangered1,028
#80Lois Endangered1,023
#81Violet Rising1,017
#82Beulah Endangered1,015
#83Cora Stable962
#84Opal Rising955
#85Marjorie Endangered942
#86Rosa Stable941
#87Ada Rising922
#88Marguerite Endangered913
#89Lula Endangered892
#90Velma Endangered860
#91Jean Endangered852
#92Ellen Endangered848
#93Dora Endangered806
#94Theresa Endangered795
#95Maggie Stable772
#96Sadie Stable770
#97Georgia Rising768
#98Charlotte Stable766
#99Daisy Rising765
#100Inez Endangered757

Boys

#1John Past peak9,343
#2William Declining7,529
#3James Stable7,012
#4George Stable4,584
#5Robert Endangered4,219
#6Joseph Declining4,162
#7Charles Stable3,929
#8Frank Endangered3,146
#9Edward Endangered2,707
#10Thomas Stable2,301
#11Henry Stable2,283
#12Walter Stable2,192
#13Willie Endangered1,964
#14Harry Endangered1,934
#15Albert Endangered1,642
#16Arthur Rising1,601
#17Harold Endangered1,542
#18Paul Endangered1,478
#19Clarence Endangered1,428
#20Fred Endangered1,381
#21Raymond Endangered1,381
#22Louis Stable1,317
#23Richard Endangered1,244
#24Joe Endangered1,209
#25Ralph Endangered1,138
#26Roy Endangered1,097
#27Jack Stable1,086
#28Howard Endangered1,078
#29Carl Endangered1,074
#30David Past peak1,015
#31Ernest Endangered1,000
#32Earl Endangered999
#33Samuel Stable960
#34Francis Stable853
#35Lawrence Endangered815
#36Herbert Endangered759
#37Charlie Rising740
#38Alfred Endangered739
#39Andrew Declining722
#40Kenneth Endangered692
#41Anthony Declining690
#42Elmer Endangered689
#43Eugene Endangered689
#44Michael Past peak688
#45Donald Endangered664
#46Sam Stable644
#47Theodore Rising643
#48Leonard Endangered614
#49Leo Rising584
#50Herman Endangered562
#51Lee Endangered553
#52Stanley Endangered547
#53Peter Stable541
#54Daniel Declining530
#55Floyd Endangered529
#56Leroy Endangered523
#57Russell Stable523
#58Clifford Endangered515
#59Clyde Stable511
#60Lester Endangered509
#61Lewis Rising489
#62Jesse Stable482
#63Benjamin Declining480
#64Edwin Stable477
#65Oscar Stable476
#66Chester Endangered461
#67Ray Endangered446
#68Frederick Stable438
#69Claude Endangered428
#70Bernard Endangered414
#71Eddie Endangered413
#72Cecil Endangered397
#73Lloyd Endangered394
#74Norman Endangered374
#75Melvin Endangered366
#76Edgar Declining360
#77Jessie Endangered355
#78Ben Stable353
#79Milton Endangered346
#80Homer Endangered340
#81Tom Endangered340
#82Harvey Rising339
#83Martin Stable331
#84Leon Rising327
#85Johnnie Endangered321
#86Philip Endangered319
#87Marvin Endangered311
#88Victor Declining308
#89Alvin Declining307
#90Everett Stable294
#91Luther Endangered292
#92Allen Endangered287
#93Vernon Endangered285
#94Stephen Endangered280
#95Leslie Endangered279
#96Will Declining274
#97Gerald Endangered270
#98Morris Endangered269
#99Julius Stable263
#100Virgil Endangered258