Most popular baby names of 1920
Top 100 boys & girls in 1920 (decade snapshot). Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
In 1920, the most popular US baby name for girls was Mary (70,983 babies) and for boys was John (56,913 babies), according to the Social Security Administration. The top five girl names were Mary, Dorothy, Helen, Margaret, Ruth; the top five boy names were John, William, Robert, James, Charles. The full top 100 for each sex, with birth counts, is below.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Popular Baby Names. Data as of SSA national data through 2025, state data through 2025, retrieved June 2026.
Top 100 girl names, 1920
| # | Name | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mary | 70,983 |
| 2 | Dorothy | 36,643 |
| 3 | Helen | 35,097 |
| 4 | Margaret | 27,994 |
| 5 | Ruth | 26,102 |
| 6 | Mildred | 18,060 |
| 7 | Virginia | 17,314 |
| 8 | Elizabeth | 15,908 |
| 9 | Frances | 15,883 |
| 10 | Anna | 14,581 |
| 11 | Betty | 14,016 |
| 12 | Evelyn | 13,838 |
| 13 | Marie | 12,743 |
| 14 | Doris | 11,892 |
| 15 | Alice | 11,596 |
| 16 | Florence | 10,731 |
| 17 | Irene | 10,072 |
| 18 | Lillian | 10,049 |
| 19 | Louise | 9,179 |
| 20 | Rose | 9,011 |
| 21 | Catherine | 8,878 |
| 22 | Gladys | 8,819 |
| 23 | Martha | 8,709 |
| 24 | Marjorie | 8,658 |
| 25 | Eleanor | 8,497 |
| 26 | Ruby | 8,336 |
| 27 | Edna | 8,331 |
| 28 | Josephine | 8,093 |
| 29 | Lucille | 7,989 |
| 30 | Ethel | 7,868 |
| 31 | Thelma | 7,814 |
| 32 | Edith | 7,773 |
| 33 | Jean | 7,714 |
| 34 | Hazel | 7,308 |
| 35 | Annie | 7,268 |
| 36 | Pauline | 7,180 |
| 37 | Grace | 7,172 |
| 38 | Lois | 6,560 |
| 39 | Esther | 6,068 |
| 40 | Bernice | 5,928 |
| 41 | Beatrice | 5,804 |
| 42 | Gertrude | 5,797 |
| 43 | Marion | 5,745 |
| 44 | Clara | 5,470 |
| 45 | Katherine | 5,276 |
| 46 | Emma | 5,238 |
| 47 | Barbara | 5,106 |
| 48 | Jane | 5,054 |
| 49 | Ann | 5,041 |
| 50 | Sarah | 5,031 |
| 51 | Elsie | 4,993 |
| 52 | Rita | 4,979 |
| 53 | June | 4,911 |
| 54 | Agnes | 4,907 |
| 55 | Julia | 4,889 |
| 56 | Shirley | 4,713 |
| 57 | Bertha | 4,604 |
| 58 | Eva | 4,498 |
| 59 | Viola | 4,292 |
| 60 | Geraldine | 4,265 |
| 61 | Juanita | 4,238 |
| 62 | Pearl | 4,204 |
| 63 | Laura | 4,171 |
| 64 | Vivian | 4,128 |
| 65 | Anne | 4,114 |
| 66 | Ida | 4,090 |
| 67 | Kathryn | 4,082 |
| 68 | Myrtle | 3,955 |
| 69 | Norma | 3,949 |
| 70 | Lorraine | 3,928 |
| 71 | Bessie | 3,906 |
| 72 | Phyllis | 3,852 |
| 73 | Marian | 3,845 |
| 74 | Willie | 3,816 |
| 75 | Vera | 3,785 |
| 76 | Nellie | 3,762 |
| 77 | Violet | 3,694 |
| 78 | Wilma | 3,670 |
| 79 | Charlotte | 3,624 |
| 80 | Alma | 3,584 |
| 81 | Maxine | 3,507 |
| 82 | Stella | 3,492 |
| 83 | Mabel | 3,364 |
| 84 | Jessie | 3,329 |
| 85 | Sylvia | 3,317 |
| 86 | Genevieve | 3,258 |
| 87 | Minnie | 3,244 |
| 88 | Ella | 3,232 |
| 89 | Leona | 3,166 |
| 90 | Lillie | 3,162 |
| 91 | Kathleen | 3,158 |
| 92 | Ellen | 3,076 |
| 93 | Marguerite | 3,055 |
| 94 | Lucy | 3,018 |
| 95 | Nancy | 2,982 |
| 96 | Mattie | 2,902 |
| 97 | Jennie | 2,808 |
| 98 | Lena | 2,785 |
| 99 | Mae | 2,730 |
| 100 | Eileen | 2,718 |
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Popular Baby Names. Data as of SSA national data through 2025, state data through 2025, retrieved June 2026.
Top 100 boy names, 1920
| # | Name | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | John | 56,913 |
| 2 | William | 50,146 |
| 3 | Robert | 48,679 |
| 4 | James | 47,908 |
| 5 | Charles | 28,309 |
| 6 | George | 26,891 |
| 7 | Joseph | 25,587 |
| 8 | Edward | 20,097 |
| 9 | Frank | 16,430 |
| 10 | Richard | 15,010 |
| 11 | Thomas | 14,936 |
| 12 | Harold | 13,678 |
| 13 | Walter | 13,294 |
| 14 | Paul | 12,570 |
| 15 | Raymond | 12,193 |
| 16 | Donald | 11,941 |
| 17 | Henry | 11,305 |
| 18 | Arthur | 10,236 |
| 19 | Albert | 9,997 |
| 20 | Jack | 9,599 |
| 21 | Harry | 9,406 |
| 22 | Ralph | 8,556 |
| 23 | Kenneth | 7,840 |
| 24 | Howard | 7,466 |
| 25 | David | 7,444 |
| 26 | Clarence | 7,221 |
| 27 | Carl | 7,010 |
| 28 | Louis | 6,966 |
| 29 | Willie | 6,887 |
| 30 | Eugene | 6,867 |
| 31 | Earl | 6,533 |
| 32 | Roy | 6,355 |
| 33 | Fred | 6,298 |
| 34 | Francis | 6,241 |
| 35 | Joe | 6,071 |
| 36 | Lawrence | 5,727 |
| 37 | Ernest | 5,566 |
| 38 | Leonard | 5,511 |
| 39 | Warren | 5,492 |
| 40 | Stanley | 5,314 |
| 41 | Herbert | 5,249 |
| 42 | Alfred | 5,006 |
| 43 | Anthony | 4,944 |
| 44 | Samuel | 4,654 |
| 45 | Elmer | 4,206 |
| 46 | Bernard | 4,163 |
| 47 | Norman | 4,109 |
| 48 | Leo | 4,054 |
| 49 | Andrew | 4,026 |
| 50 | Michael | 4,003 |
| 51 | Russell | 3,901 |
| 52 | Daniel | 3,897 |
| 53 | Edwin | 3,734 |
| 54 | Melvin | 3,717 |
| 55 | Chester | 3,698 |
| 56 | Leroy | 3,549 |
| 57 | Peter | 3,497 |
| 58 | Lloyd | 3,454 |
| 59 | Clifford | 3,291 |
| 60 | Frederick | 3,275 |
| 61 | Floyd | 3,260 |
| 62 | Marvin | 3,244 |
| 63 | Theodore | 3,219 |
| 64 | Gerald | 3,157 |
| 65 | Vernon | 3,144 |
| 66 | Herman | 3,109 |
| 67 | Ray | 3,086 |
| 68 | Clyde | 3,069 |
| 69 | Lester | 3,068 |
| 70 | Charlie | 2,785 |
| 71 | Philip | 2,700 |
| 72 | Lewis | 2,688 |
| 73 | Vincent | 2,661 |
| 74 | Milton | 2,592 |
| 75 | Leon | 2,554 |
| 76 | Alvin | 2,523 |
| 77 | Cecil | 2,459 |
| 78 | Martin | 2,439 |
| 79 | Jesse | 2,420 |
| 80 | Glenn | 2,375 |
| 81 | Victor | 2,349 |
| 82 | Lee | 2,321 |
| 83 | Benjamin | 2,309 |
| 84 | Sam | 2,283 |
| 85 | Gordon | 2,277 |
| 86 | Wayne | 2,180 |
| 87 | Harvey | 2,165 |
| 88 | Willard | 2,089 |
| 89 | Edgar | 2,029 |
| 90 | Oscar | 2,006 |
| 91 | Arnold | 1,911 |
| 92 | Claude | 1,893 |
| 93 | Wallace | 1,877 |
| 94 | Allen | 1,866 |
| 95 | Everett | 1,827 |
| 96 | Stephen | 1,771 |
| 97 | Gilbert | 1,763 |
| 98 | Wilbur | 1,741 |
| 99 | Johnnie | 1,727 |
| 100 | Homer | 1,722 |
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Popular Baby Names. Data as of SSA national data through 2025, state data through 2025, retrieved June 2026.
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Frequently asked questions
What were the most popular baby names in 1920?
In 1920, the most popular US girl name was Mary (70,983 babies) and the most popular boy name was John (56,913 babies), per the Social Security Administration. The top five girls were Mary, Dorothy, Helen, Margaret, Ruth; the top five boys were John, William, Robert, James, Charles.
How many babies got the #1 name in 1920?
In 1920, Mary was given to 70,983 baby girls and John to 56,913 baby boys, the highest counts that year in SSA national data.
Source
U.S. Social Security Administration, Popular Baby Names, national data for 1920. SSA national data through 2025, state data through 2025, retrieved June 2026. Public domain (U.S. Government). See our methodology.
Last updated: 2026-06-22