Most popular baby names of 1900

In 1900, the most popular names for US babies were John for boys (9,828 babies, 6.5% of boys) and Mary for girls (16,705 babies, 5.6% of girls). The rest of the top five were William, James, George and Charles for boys and Helen, Anna, Margaret and Ruth for girls. SSA recorded 1,506 different boy names and 2,223 different girl names that year.

Top 100 boy names, 1900
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	John	9,828	–
2	William	8,579	–
3	James	7,245	–
4	George	5,403	–
5	Charles	4,098	–
6	Robert	3,821	▲ 1
7	Joseph	3,714	▼ 1
8	Frank	3,477	–
9	Edward	2,720	–
10	Henry	2,606	–
11	Thomas	2,556	–
12	Walter	2,298	–
13	Harry	2,272	–
14	Willie	2,113	▲ 4
15	Arthur	1,853	▼ 1
16	Albert	1,741	▼ 1
17	Fred	1,646	▼ 1
18	Clarence	1,483	▼ 1
19	Paul	1,288	▲ 2
20	Harold	1,245	▼ 1
21	Roy	1,215	▼ 1
22	Joe	1,179	▲ 2
23	Raymond	1,150	▼ 1
24	Richard	1,141	▲ 4
25	Charlie	1,124	▲ 6
26	Louis	1,097	–
27	Jack	1,053	▲ 8
28	Earl	1,037	▼ 5
29	Carl	1,016	▼ 4
30	Ernest	1,012	▼ 3
31	Ralph	896	▼ 2
32	David	883	–
33	Samuel	877	▼ 3
34	Sam	821	▲ 10
35	Howard	779	▼ 1
36	Herbert	751	▼ 3
37	Andrew	718	▼ 1
38	Elmer	699	▼ 1
39	Lee	675	▲ 11
40	Lawrence	659	–
41	Francis	652	▼ 3
42	Alfred	640	▼ 1
43	Will	603	▲ 5
44	Daniel	598	▼ 2
45	Eugene	587	–
46	Leo	570	▼ 3
47	Oscar	563	▼ 1
48	Floyd	555	▲ 4
49	Herman	550	–
50	Jesse	536	▼ 3
51	Michael	495	–
52	Lewis	469	▲ 2
53	Tom	469	▲ 14
54	Leonard	465	▲ 6
55	Ray	457	▲ 6
56	Clyde	451	▲ 2
57	Benjamin	450	–
58	Peter	443	▼ 5
59	Claude	433	▲ 4
60	Lester	431	▲ 5
61	Theodore	429	▲ 17
62	Russell	427	▼ 6
63	Eddie	425	▲ 12
64	Frederick	420	▼ 9
65	Leroy	419	▲ 4
66	Clifford	409	▼ 4
67	Anthony	406	▼ 3
68	Jim	399	▲ 3
69	Jessie	398	▲ 1
70	Martin	383	▲ 2
71	Edgar	374	▲ 9
72	Chester	364	▼ 6
73	Ben	355	–
74	Edwin	350	▼ 15
75	Dewey	345	▼ 36
76	Cecil	344	▲ 1
77	Stanley	342	▼ 1
78	Lloyd	337	▼ 10
79	Donald	328	▼ 5
80	Homer	326	▲ 2
81	Harvey	322	▼ 2
82	Luther	316	▼ 1
83	Norman	316	–
84	Johnnie	313	▲ 29
85	Leon	310	▲ 8
86	Bernard	308	▼ 1
87	Ed	297	▲ 14
88	Hugh	290	–
89	Patrick	285	▼ 3
90	Kenneth	279	▼ 3
91	Leslie	275	▲ 5
92	Victor	269	▲ 8
93	Alexander	260	▲ 4
94	Philip	259	▼ 10
95	Oliver	256	▲ 14
96	Mack	250	▲ 14
97	Horace	244	▲ 8
98	Milton	242	▼ 9
99	Guy	240	▼ 9
100	Everett	237	▼ 5

Top 100 girl names, 1900
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	Mary	16,705	–
2	Helen	6,342	▲ 1
3	Anna	6,114	▼ 1
4	Margaret	5,304	–
5	Ruth	4,765	–
6	Elizabeth	4,096	▲ 1
7	Florence	3,920	▼ 1
8	Ethel	3,896	▲ 1
9	Marie	3,856	▼ 1
10	Lillian	3,414	–
11	Annie	3,324	▲ 7
12	Edna	3,102	▼ 1
13	Emma	3,095	–
14	Alice	3,059	▼ 2
15	Bessie	3,044	▲ 4
16	Bertha	3,019	–
17	Grace	2,942	▼ 2
18	Rose	2,844	▲ 3
19	Clara	2,826	▼ 5
20	Mildred	2,800	▼ 3
21	Gladys	2,733	▼ 1
22	Minnie	2,673	▲ 3
23	Gertrude	2,580	–
24	Pearl	2,512	▲ 3
25	Mabel	2,509	▼ 3
26	Frances	2,495	▼ 2
27	Dorothy	2,491	▲ 8
28	Martha	2,437	–
29	Hazel	2,425	▼ 3
30	Ida	2,285	▲ 1
31	Irene	2,264	▲ 3
32	Myrtle	2,252	▼ 2
33	Eva	2,089	▲ 6
34	Catherine	2,081	▲ 2
35	Louise	2,070	▲ 5
36	Edith	2,068	▼ 4
37	Sarah	2,054	▲ 1
38	Elsie	2,045	▼ 5
39	Esther	2,017	▼ 10
40	Lillie	2,004	▲ 5
41	Agnes	1,914	▼ 4
42	Ella	1,911	–
43	Nellie	1,850	▼ 2
44	Mattie	1,834	▲ 4
45	Laura	1,824	▼ 2
46	Julia	1,766	▲ 1
47	Josephine	1,743	▼ 3
48	Carrie	1,711	▼ 2
49	Viola	1,674	▲ 1
50	Hattie	1,553	▲ 3
51	Ruby	1,540	▲ 1
52	Lena	1,506	▼ 3
53	Jessie	1,422	▲ 1
54	Mae	1,406	▲ 5
55	Cora	1,389	▲ 3
56	Beatrice	1,382	–
57	Alma	1,372	▼ 6
58	Willie	1,351	▲ 15
59	Mamie	1,337	▲ 5
60	Blanche	1,332	▼ 5
61	Lucy	1,246	▼ 1
62	Fannie	1,237	▲ 6
63	Lula	1,237	▲ 4
64	Jennie	1,204	▼ 7
65	Katherine	1,201	–
66	Marion	1,197	▼ 3
67	Lucille	1,182	▲ 4
68	Stella	1,177	▼ 6
69	Rosa	1,118	▲ 8
70	Evelyn	1,116	▲ 4
71	Pauline	1,104	▲ 1
72	Ada	1,101	▼ 11
73	Thelma	1,094	▲ 5
74	Virginia	1,068	▲ 1
75	Maggie	1,045	▼ 5
76	Vera	1,024	▼ 7
77	Maude	1,013	▼ 11
78	Beulah	974	▼ 2
79	Dora	958	–
80	Susie	947	▲ 6
81	Daisy	931	▲ 4
82	Ellen	922	▼ 1
83	Nora	919	▼ 3
84	Sadie	895	▼ 2
85	Leona	825	▼ 1
86	Marguerite	786	▼ 3
87	Georgia	765	▲ 12
88	Eleanor	753	▲ 6
89	Effie	752	▲ 1
90	Della	748	▲ 1
91	May	744	▲ 4
92	Ann	736	–
93	Kathryn	721	▼ 5
94	Nettie	711	▼ 5
95	Olive	705	▲ 3
96	Bernice	702	▲ 7
97	Lottie	690	▼ 4
98	Sallie	676	▲ 2
99	Nancy	673	▲ 8
100	Betty	665	▲ 19

Source: US Social Security Administration baby name data, 1900. Counts are Social Security card applications for US births; SSA leaves out names given to fewer than 5 babies in a year. Updated 2026-10-05. How these numbers are made.