Most popular baby names of 1901

In 1901, the most popular names for US babies were John for boys (6,900 babies, 6.5% of boys) and Mary for girls (13,136 babies, 5.5% 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 1,210 different boy names and 1,943 different girl names that year.

Top 100 boy names, 1901
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	John	6,900	–
2	William	5,990	–
3	James	4,735	–
4	George	3,609	–
5	Charles	3,049	–
6	Joseph	2,766	▲ 1
7	Robert	2,543	▼ 1
8	Frank	2,402	–
9	Edward	1,917	–
10	Henry	1,870	–
11	Thomas	1,820	–
12	Walter	1,718	–
13	Harry	1,594	–
14	Arthur	1,329	▲ 1
15	Albert	1,317	▲ 1
16	Willie	1,294	▼ 2
17	Clarence	1,196	▲ 1
18	Fred	1,133	▼ 1
19	Paul	924	–
20	Roy	917	▲ 1
21	Harold	915	▼ 1
22	Raymond	888	▲ 1
23	Earl	818	▲ 5
24	Carl	817	▲ 5
25	Louis	797	▲ 1
26	Richard	784	▼ 2
27	Joe	756	▼ 5
28	Ernest	691	▲ 2
29	Ralph	682	▲ 2
30	David	672	▲ 2
31	Charlie	654	▼ 6
32	Jack	645	▼ 5
33	Samuel	628	–
34	Howard	584	▲ 1
35	Herbert	573	▲ 1
36	Francis	543	▲ 5
37	Lawrence	535	▲ 3
38	Elmer	520	–
39	Alfred	506	▲ 3
40	Andrew	479	▼ 3
41	Sam	479	▼ 7
42	Leo	456	▲ 4
43	Theodore	450	▲ 18
44	Eugene	445	▲ 1
45	Lee	424	▼ 6
46	Floyd	423	▲ 2
47	Oscar	422	–
48	Daniel	416	▼ 4
49	Jesse	411	▲ 1
50	Russell	395	▲ 12
51	Herman	393	▼ 2
52	Michael	384	▼ 1
53	Will	364	▼ 10
54	Leonard	362	–
55	Clyde	356	▲ 1
56	Benjamin	343	▲ 1
57	Peter	343	▲ 1
58	Claude	341	▲ 1
59	Ray	338	▼ 4
60	Frederick	336	▲ 4
61	Lester	332	▼ 1
62	Anthony	323	▲ 5
63	Lewis	309	▼ 11
64	Martin	304	▲ 6
65	Edwin	299	▲ 9
66	Eddie	296	▼ 3
67	Tom	291	▼ 14
68	Lloyd	285	▲ 10
69	Clifford	282	▼ 3
70	Cecil	278	▲ 6
71	Edgar	271	–
72	Leroy	268	▼ 7
73	Ben	259	–
74	Homer	257	▲ 6
75	Chester	253	▼ 3
76	Harvey	253	▲ 5
77	Donald	250	▲ 2
78	Kenneth	246	▲ 12
79	Luther	244	▲ 3
80	Bernard	242	▲ 6
81	Jim	239	▼ 13
82	Stanley	239	▼ 5
83	Norman	238	–
84	Philip	232	▲ 10
85	Jessie	231	▼ 16
86	Everett	218	▲ 14
87	Leon	208	▼ 2
88	Allen	199	▲ 16
89	Leslie	198	▲ 2
90	Milton	197	▲ 8
91	Hugh	192	▼ 3
92	Oliver	187	▲ 3
93	Patrick	181	▼ 4
94	Glenn	180	▲ 24
95	Alvin	179	▲ 10
96	Horace	178	▲ 1
97	Melvin	176	▲ 5
98	Jacob	172	▲ 3
99	Guy	170	–
100	Victor	169	▼ 8

Top 100 girl names, 1901
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	Mary	13,136	–
2	Helen	5,247	–
3	Anna	4,923	–
4	Margaret	4,424	–
5	Ruth	3,974	–
6	Elizabeth	3,216	–
7	Marie	3,157	▲ 2
8	Florence	3,131	▼ 1
9	Ethel	3,067	▼ 1
10	Lillian	2,681	–
11	Gladys	2,676	▲ 10
12	Alice	2,562	▲ 2
13	Edna	2,488	▼ 1
14	Mildred	2,424	▲ 6
15	Grace	2,398	▲ 2
16	Annie	2,396	▼ 5
17	Emma	2,374	▼ 4
18	Clara	2,319	▲ 1
19	Bertha	2,257	▼ 3
20	Rose	2,212	▼ 2
21	Bessie	2,183	▼ 6
22	Dorothy	2,173	▲ 5
23	Hazel	2,097	▲ 6
24	Mabel	2,097	▲ 1
25	Frances	2,071	▲ 1
26	Minnie	2,026	▼ 4
27	Gertrude	1,964	▼ 4
28	Myrtle	1,892	▲ 4
29	Martha	1,886	▼ 1
30	Irene	1,879	▲ 1
31	Pearl	1,866	▼ 7
32	Edith	1,863	▲ 4
33	Esther	1,844	▲ 6
34	Ida	1,835	▼ 4
35	Elsie	1,747	▲ 3
36	Louise	1,640	▼ 1
37	Eva	1,617	▼ 4
38	Catherine	1,599	▼ 4
39	Agnes	1,525	▲ 2
40	Sarah	1,514	▼ 3
41	Nellie	1,454	▲ 2
42	Ella	1,435	–
43	Josephine	1,434	▲ 4
44	Laura	1,402	▲ 1
45	Lillie	1,382	▼ 5
46	Julia	1,362	–
47	Viola	1,331	▲ 2
48	Carrie	1,247	–
49	Ruby	1,225	▲ 2
50	Mattie	1,224	▼ 6
51	Lena	1,216	▲ 1
52	Alma	1,195	▲ 5
53	Beatrice	1,183	▲ 3
54	Mae	1,140	–
55	Jessie	1,116	▼ 2
56	Hattie	1,106	▼ 6
57	Thelma	1,090	▲ 16
58	Cora	1,027	▼ 3
59	Blanche	1,025	▲ 1
60	Mamie	992	▼ 1
61	Lucy	979	–
62	Evelyn	966	▲ 8
63	Marion	963	▲ 3
64	Pauline	938	▲ 7
65	Stella	928	▲ 3
66	Ada	913	▲ 6
67	Lula	905	▼ 4
68	Willie	901	▼ 10
69	Jennie	898	▼ 5
70	Lucille	894	▼ 3
71	Katherine	890	▼ 6
72	Fannie	873	▼ 10
73	Vera	860	▲ 3
74	Beulah	859	▲ 4
75	Rosa	845	▼ 6
76	Virginia	825	▼ 2
77	Maude	819	–
78	Leona	779	▲ 7
79	Dora	768	–
80	Maggie	746	▼ 5
81	Nora	727	▲ 2
82	Ellen	711	–
83	Marguerite	699	▲ 3
84	Eleanor	686	▲ 4
85	Sadie	676	▼ 1
86	Bernice	660	▲ 10
87	Daisy	653	▼ 6
88	Susie	650	▼ 8
89	Ann	634	▲ 3
90	Kathryn	620	▲ 3
91	Violet	611	▲ 18
92	Hilda	574	▲ 9
93	Nettie	562	▲ 1
94	Theresa	554	▲ 8
95	May	550	▼ 4
96	Georgia	549	▼ 9
97	Effie	545	▼ 8
98	Olive	539	▼ 3
99	Emily	537	▲ 6
100	Della	534	▼ 10

Source: US Social Security Administration baby name data, 1901. 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.