Birth year roster

Top names in 1917

The 100 most common names on 1917 birth certificates, for girls and boys, ranked by SSA records.

Mary and John led the 1917 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, 117 are now endangered or extinct; the tag on each shows where it stands today.

Explore the 1910s decade

Girls

#1Mary Endangered64,280
#2Helen Endangered34,251
#3Dorothy Endangered28,852
#4Margaret Endangered25,560
#5Ruth Endangered23,568
#6Mildred Endangered16,256
#7Anna Declining15,160
#8Elizabeth Stable15,131
#9Frances Endangered14,363
#10Virginia Endangered14,261
#11Evelyn Stable12,532
#12Marie Endangered11,813
#13Alice Stable10,990
#14Florence Endangered10,538
#15Lillian Declining9,843
#16Rose Stable9,783
#17Irene Endangered9,163
#18Catherine Endangered8,689
#19Louise Endangered8,584
#20Edna Endangered8,422
#21Josephine Rising8,326
#22Martha Endangered8,261
#23Gladys Endangered8,075
#24Ethel Endangered7,865
#25Doris Endangered7,819
#26Eleanor Rising7,669
#27Ruby Stable7,662
#28Edith Endangered7,532
#29Lucille Stable7,529
#30Grace Declining7,373
#31Hazel Rising7,285
#32Thelma Endangered7,245
#33Pauline Endangered6,896
#34Betty Endangered6,639
#35Annie Rising6,404
#36Marjorie Endangered6,399
#37Gertrude Endangered6,300
#38Esther Stable6,281
#39Beatrice Endangered5,839
#40Jean Endangered5,692
#41Clara Stable5,626
#42Bernice Endangered5,546
#43Lois Endangered5,485
#44Ann Endangered5,455
#45Marion Endangered5,371
#46Emma Declining5,121
#47Julia Stable5,078
#48Agnes Endangered5,066
#49Katherine Declining4,956
#50Elsie Rising4,939
#51Bertha Endangered4,881
#52Sarah Endangered4,766
#53Anne Endangered4,603
#54Eva Declining4,286
#55Jane Stable4,258
#56Ida Endangered4,247
#57Pearl Endangered4,232
#58Myrtle Endangered4,046
#59Viola Endangered4,040
#60Kathryn Endangered3,984
#61Bessie Endangered3,927
#62Stella Stable3,872
#63Rita Endangered3,870
#64Nellie Rising3,808
#65Laura Endangered3,807
#66Vera Stable3,714
#67Barbara Endangered3,535
#68Mabel Rising3,499
#69Sylvia Rising3,469
#70Jessie Endangered3,465
#71Alma Rising3,407
#72Willie Endangered3,381
#73June Rising3,370
#74Marian Endangered3,267
#75Minnie Endangered3,262
#76Charlotte Stable3,229
#77Genevieve Stable3,192
#78Marguerite Endangered3,161
#79Vivian Stable3,119
#80Leona Stable3,115
#81Jennie Endangered3,109
#82Wilma Endangered3,071
#83Ella Declining3,054
#84Violet Rising3,026
#85Lena Stable3,004
#86Lillie Stable2,931
#87Juanita Endangered2,929
#88Lucy Stable2,929
#89Geraldine Endangered2,897
#90Ellen Endangered2,855
#91Blanche Endangered2,836
#92Phyllis Endangered2,696
#93Maxine Rising2,647
#94Mattie Endangered2,572
#95Opal Rising2,541
#96Mae Stable2,507
#97Theresa Endangered2,490
#98Nancy Endangered2,411
#99Velma Endangered2,411
#100Sophie Stable2,382

Boys

#1John Past peak51,852
#2William Declining42,422
#3James Stable37,337
#4Robert Endangered35,220
#5Joseph Declining24,761
#6George Stable24,196
#7Charles Stable24,143
#8Edward Endangered17,501
#9Frank Endangered15,768
#10Thomas Stable12,611
#11Walter Stable12,582
#12Harold Endangered11,194
#13Paul Endangered11,156
#14Richard Endangered10,914
#15Henry Stable10,696
#16Raymond Endangered9,956
#17Arthur Rising9,282
#18Albert Endangered9,157
#19Harry Endangered8,856
#20Donald Endangered8,729
#21Ralph Endangered7,391
#22Jack Stable6,875
#23Louis Stable6,771
#24Carl Endangered6,699
#25Clarence Endangered6,587
#26Howard Endangered6,410
#27Kenneth Endangered6,141
#28David Past peak6,099
#29Fred Endangered5,986
#30Francis Stable5,801
#31Willie Endangered5,751
#32Earl Endangered5,632
#33Roy Endangered5,586
#34Stanley Endangered5,186
#35Joe Endangered5,142
#36Lawrence Endangered5,094
#37Ernest Endangered5,055
#38Anthony Declining5,027
#39Eugene Endangered4,873
#40Herbert Endangered4,745
#41Leonard Endangered4,694
#42Samuel Stable4,490
#43Alfred Endangered4,424
#44Michael Past peak4,288
#45Elmer Endangered3,812
#46Norman Endangered3,788
#47Leo Rising3,779
#48Andrew Declining3,752
#49Bernard Endangered3,711
#50Peter Stable3,464
#51Frederick Stable3,455
#52Russell Stable3,436
#53Lloyd Endangered3,417
#54Daniel Declining3,360
#55Edwin Stable3,346
#56Chester Endangered3,338
#57Melvin Endangered3,155
#58Herman Endangered2,974
#59Clifford Endangered2,969
#60Leroy Endangered2,951
#61Lester Endangered2,854
#62Floyd Endangered2,820
#63Theodore Rising2,809
#64Clyde Stable2,719
#65Vincent Stable2,636
#66Philip Endangered2,544
#67Charlie Rising2,536
#68Marvin Endangered2,517
#69Gerald Endangered2,486
#70Lewis Rising2,477
#71Vernon Endangered2,463
#72Sam Stable2,454
#73Woodrow Endangered2,428
#74Ray Endangered2,426
#75Milton Endangered2,394
#76Benjamin Declining2,386
#77Martin Stable2,336
#78Victor Declining2,207
#79Jesse Stable2,200
#80Willard Endangered2,188
#81Alvin Declining2,142
#82Leon Rising2,102
#83Cecil Endangered2,101
#84Gordon Endangered2,019
#85Lee Endangered2,004
#86Glenn Endangered1,997
#87Oscar Stable1,961
#88Edgar Declining1,920
#89Stephen Endangered1,892
#90Harvey Rising1,808
#91Arnold Endangered1,781
#92Wilbur Endangered1,749
#93Warren Rising1,743
#94Everett Stable1,734
#95Sidney Endangered1,727
#96Wayne Endangered1,715
#97Alexander Declining1,664
#98Claude Endangered1,625
#99Morris Endangered1,624
#100Allen Endangered1,592