Birth year roster

Top names in 1920

The 100 most common names on 1920 birth certificates, for girls and boys, ranked by SSA records.

Mary and John led the 1920 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, 119 are now endangered or extinct; the tag on each shows where it stands today.

Explore the 1920s decade

Girls

#1Mary Endangered70,983
#2Dorothy Endangered36,643
#3Helen Endangered35,097
#4Margaret Endangered27,994
#5Ruth Endangered26,102
#6Mildred Endangered18,060
#7Virginia Endangered17,314
#8Elizabeth Stable15,908
#9Frances Endangered15,883
#10Anna Declining14,581
#11Betty Endangered14,016
#12Evelyn Stable13,838
#13Marie Endangered12,743
#14Doris Endangered11,892
#15Alice Stable11,596
#16Florence Endangered10,731
#17Irene Endangered10,072
#18Lillian Declining10,049
#19Louise Endangered9,179
#20Rose Stable9,011
#21Catherine Endangered8,878
#22Gladys Endangered8,819
#23Martha Endangered8,709
#24Marjorie Endangered8,658
#25Eleanor Rising8,497
#26Ruby Stable8,336
#27Edna Endangered8,331
#28Josephine Rising8,093
#29Lucille Stable7,989
#30Ethel Endangered7,868
#31Thelma Endangered7,814
#32Edith Endangered7,773
#33Jean Endangered7,714
#34Hazel Rising7,308
#35Annie Rising7,268
#36Pauline Endangered7,180
#37Grace Declining7,172
#38Lois Endangered6,560
#39Esther Stable6,068
#40Bernice Endangered5,928
#41Beatrice Endangered5,804
#42Gertrude Endangered5,797
#43Marion Endangered5,745
#44Clara Stable5,470
#45Katherine Declining5,276
#46Emma Declining5,238
#47Barbara Endangered5,106
#48Jane Stable5,054
#49Ann Endangered5,041
#50Sarah Endangered5,031
#51Elsie Rising4,993
#52Rita Endangered4,979
#53June Rising4,911
#54Agnes Endangered4,907
#55Julia Stable4,889
#56Shirley Endangered4,713
#57Bertha Endangered4,604
#58Eva Declining4,498
#59Viola Endangered4,292
#60Geraldine Endangered4,265
#61Juanita Endangered4,238
#62Pearl Endangered4,204
#63Laura Endangered4,171
#64Vivian Stable4,128
#65Anne Endangered4,114
#66Ida Endangered4,090
#67Kathryn Endangered4,082
#68Myrtle Endangered3,955
#69Norma Endangered3,949
#70Lorraine Endangered3,928
#71Bessie Endangered3,906
#72Phyllis Endangered3,852
#73Marian Endangered3,845
#74Willie Endangered3,816
#75Vera Stable3,785
#76Nellie Rising3,762
#77Violet Rising3,694
#78Wilma Endangered3,670
#79Charlotte Stable3,624
#80Alma Rising3,584
#81Maxine Rising3,507
#82Stella Stable3,492
#83Mabel Rising3,364
#84Jessie Endangered3,329
#85Sylvia Rising3,317
#86Genevieve Stable3,258
#87Minnie Endangered3,244
#88Ella Declining3,232
#89Leona Stable3,166
#90Lillie Stable3,162
#91Kathleen Endangered3,158
#92Ellen Endangered3,076
#93Marguerite Endangered3,055
#94Lucy Stable3,018
#95Nancy Endangered2,982
#96Mattie Endangered2,902
#97Jennie Endangered2,808
#98Lena Stable2,785
#99Mae Stable2,730
#100Eileen Stable2,718

Boys

#1John Past peak56,913
#2William Declining50,146
#3Robert Endangered48,679
#4James Stable47,908
#5Charles Stable28,309
#6George Stable26,891
#7Joseph Declining25,587
#8Edward Endangered20,097
#9Frank Endangered16,430
#10Richard Endangered15,010
#11Thomas Stable14,936
#12Harold Endangered13,678
#13Walter Stable13,294
#14Paul Endangered12,570
#15Raymond Endangered12,193
#16Donald Endangered11,941
#17Henry Stable11,305
#18Arthur Rising10,236
#19Albert Endangered9,997
#20Jack Stable9,599
#21Harry Endangered9,406
#22Ralph Endangered8,556
#23Kenneth Endangered7,840
#24Howard Endangered7,466
#25David Past peak7,444
#26Clarence Endangered7,221
#27Carl Endangered7,010
#28Louis Stable6,966
#29Willie Endangered6,887
#30Eugene Endangered6,867
#31Earl Endangered6,533
#32Roy Endangered6,355
#33Fred Endangered6,298
#34Francis Stable6,241
#35Joe Endangered6,071
#36Lawrence Endangered5,727
#37Ernest Endangered5,566
#38Leonard Endangered5,511
#39Warren Rising5,492
#40Stanley Endangered5,314
#41Herbert Endangered5,249
#42Alfred Endangered5,006
#43Anthony Declining4,944
#44Samuel Stable4,654
#45Elmer Endangered4,206
#46Bernard Endangered4,163
#47Norman Endangered4,109
#48Leo Rising4,054
#49Andrew Declining4,026
#50Michael Past peak4,003
#51Russell Stable3,901
#52Daniel Declining3,897
#53Edwin Stable3,734
#54Melvin Endangered3,717
#55Chester Endangered3,698
#56Leroy Endangered3,549
#57Peter Stable3,497
#58Lloyd Endangered3,454
#59Clifford Endangered3,291
#60Frederick Stable3,275
#61Floyd Endangered3,260
#62Marvin Endangered3,244
#63Theodore Rising3,219
#64Gerald Endangered3,157
#65Vernon Endangered3,144
#66Herman Endangered3,109
#67Ray Endangered3,086
#68Clyde Stable3,069
#69Lester Endangered3,068
#70Charlie Rising2,785
#71Philip Endangered2,700
#72Lewis Rising2,688
#73Vincent Stable2,661
#74Milton Endangered2,592
#75Leon Rising2,554
#76Alvin Declining2,523
#77Cecil Endangered2,459
#78Martin Stable2,439
#79Jesse Stable2,420
#80Glenn Endangered2,375
#81Victor Declining2,349
#82Lee Endangered2,321
#83Benjamin Declining2,309
#84Sam Stable2,283
#85Gordon Endangered2,277
#86Wayne Endangered2,180
#87Harvey Rising2,165
#88Willard Endangered2,089
#89Edgar Declining2,029
#90Oscar Stable2,006
#91Arnold Endangered1,911
#92Claude Endangered1,893
#93Wallace Endangered1,877
#94Allen Endangered1,866
#95Everett Stable1,827
#96Stephen Endangered1,771
#97Gilbert Endangered1,763
#98Wilbur Endangered1,741
#99Johnnie Endangered1,727
#100Homer Endangered1,722