Birth year roster

Top names in 1921

The 100 most common names on 1921 birth certificates, for girls and boys, ranked by SSA records.

Mary and John led the 1921 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 Endangered73,984
#2Dorothy Endangered39,087
#3Helen Endangered34,822
#4Margaret Endangered28,468
#5Ruth Endangered25,783
#6Virginia Endangered19,032
#7Mildred Endangered17,880
#8Betty Endangered17,638
#9Frances Endangered15,993
#10Elizabeth Stable15,800
#11Anna Declining14,476
#12Evelyn Stable14,278
#13Doris Endangered13,152
#14Marie Endangered12,501
#15Alice Stable11,955
#16Marjorie Endangered11,209
#17Florence Endangered10,720
#18Irene Endangered10,624
#19Lillian Declining9,770
#20Rose Stable9,352
#21Martha Endangered9,264
#22Louise Endangered9,180
#23Catherine Endangered8,887
#24Gladys Endangered8,814
#25Jean Endangered8,592
#26Ruby Stable8,333
#27Edna Endangered8,302
#28Josephine Rising8,135
#29Eleanor Rising8,054
#30Thelma Endangered7,839
#31Lucille Stable7,698
#32Ethel Endangered7,603
#33Edith Endangered7,589
#34Hazel Rising7,341
#35Grace Declining7,230
#36Annie Rising7,209
#37Pauline Endangered7,142
#38Lois Endangered6,899
#39Bernice Endangered6,190
#40Barbara Endangered6,013
#41Beatrice Endangered5,968
#42Esther Stable5,926
#43Marion Endangered5,814
#44Shirley Endangered5,695
#45Clara Stable5,606
#46Gertrude Endangered5,349
#47Jane Stable5,188
#48Rita Endangered5,157
#49Katherine Declining5,156
#50June Rising5,155
#51Norma Endangered5,102
#52Emma Declining5,072
#53Ann Endangered5,058
#54Sarah Endangered5,024
#55Elsie Rising4,879
#56Agnes Endangered4,798
#57Juanita Endangered4,779
#58Julia Stable4,737
#59Bertha Endangered4,608
#60Phyllis Endangered4,590
#61Lorraine Endangered4,533
#62Geraldine Endangered4,523
#63Eva Declining4,325
#64Kathryn Endangered4,201
#65Pearl Endangered4,175
#66Viola Endangered4,160
#67Ida Endangered4,146
#68Vivian Stable4,103
#69Marian Endangered4,064
#70Anne Endangered4,007
#71Laura Endangered3,998
#72Wilma Endangered3,824
#73Myrtle Endangered3,791
#74Willie Endangered3,748
#75Bessie Endangered3,678
#76Vera Stable3,631
#77Maxine Rising3,630
#78Alma Rising3,589
#79Charlotte Stable3,587
#80Nellie Rising3,513
#81Violet Rising3,469
#82Audrey Declining3,434
#83Kathleen Endangered3,419
#84Patricia Endangered3,380
#85Mabel Rising3,336
#86Stella Stable3,335
#87Nancy Endangered3,323
#88Sylvia Rising3,297
#89Ella Declining3,237
#90Genevieve Stable3,235
#91Jessie Endangered3,225
#92Leona Stable3,210
#93Lucy Stable3,157
#94Lillie Stable3,118
#95Ellen Endangered3,064
#96Minnie Endangered2,998
#97Elaine Rising2,922
#98Marguerite Endangered2,897
#99Jennie Endangered2,889
#100Eileen Stable2,862

Boys

#1John Past peak58,216
#2Robert Endangered52,779
#3William Declining51,862
#4James Stable49,750
#5Charles Stable29,242
#6George Stable27,476
#7Joseph Declining26,182
#8Edward Endangered20,817
#9Frank Endangered16,705
#10Richard Endangered16,376
#11Thomas Stable15,308
#12Harold Endangered13,811
#13Donald Endangered13,776
#14Paul Endangered13,169
#15Walter Stable13,004
#16Raymond Endangered12,645
#17Henry Stable11,411
#18Jack Stable10,757
#19Arthur Rising10,527
#20Albert Endangered10,158
#21Harry Endangered9,731
#22Kenneth Endangered8,959
#23Ralph Endangered8,860
#24Warren Rising7,798
#25David Past peak7,765
#26Eugene Endangered7,717
#27Howard Endangered7,713
#28Clarence Endangered7,332
#29Louis Stable7,247
#30Carl Endangered7,077
#31Earl Endangered6,754
#32Roy Endangered6,545
#33Fred Endangered6,496
#34Willie Endangered6,492
#35Francis Stable6,293
#36Joe Endangered6,204
#37Lawrence Endangered5,977
#38Ernest Endangered5,697
#39Leonard Endangered5,650
#40Anthony Declining5,239
#41Stanley Endangered5,231
#42Herbert Endangered5,217
#43Alfred Endangered4,925
#44Samuel Stable4,754
#45Bernard Endangered4,485
#46Norman Endangered4,479
#47Michael Past peak4,198
#48Elmer Endangered4,146
#49Daniel Declining4,087
#50Leo Rising4,066
#51Andrew Declining4,015
#52Russell Stable3,946
#53Melvin Endangered3,887
#54Edwin Stable3,750
#55Leroy Endangered3,749
#56Chester Endangered3,549
#57Peter Stable3,548
#58Lloyd Endangered3,536
#59Marvin Endangered3,490
#60Gerald Endangered3,382
#61Frederick Stable3,376
#62Clifford Endangered3,262
#63Floyd Endangered3,255
#64Herman Endangered3,219
#65Theodore Rising3,172
#66Lester Endangered3,076
#67Ray Endangered3,075
#68Vernon Endangered3,069
#69Clyde Stable3,022
#70Vincent Stable2,779
#71Lewis Rising2,712
#72Philip Endangered2,703
#73Alvin Declining2,686
#74Leon Rising2,616
#75Milton Endangered2,588
#76Charlie Rising2,574
#77Jesse Stable2,486
#78Martin Stable2,461
#79Cecil Endangered2,456
#80Glenn Endangered2,449
#81Wayne Endangered2,417
#82Benjamin Declining2,412
#83Victor Declining2,407
#84Gordon Endangered2,382
#85Sam Stable2,367
#86Lee Endangered2,354
#87Harvey Rising2,287
#88Wallace Endangered2,095
#89Willard Endangered2,077
#90Edgar Declining2,014
#91Arnold Endangered1,982
#92Oscar Stable1,978
#93Dale Endangered1,956
#94Allen Endangered1,937
#95Everett Stable1,913
#96Claude Endangered1,887
#97Stephen Endangered1,868
#98Virgil Endangered1,830
#99Roger Endangered1,803
#100Wilbur Endangered1,755