Most popular baby names of 1903

In 1903, the most popular names for US babies were John for boys (7,608 babies, 6.4% of boys) and Mary for girls (14,275 babies, 5.4% 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 1,306 different boy names and 2,083 different girl names that year.

Top 100 boy names, 1903
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	John	7,608	–
2	William	6,311	–
3	James	5,479	–
4	George	3,961	–
5	Charles	3,213	–
6	Joseph	3,121	▲ 1
7	Robert	3,044	▼ 1
8	Frank	2,644	–
9	Edward	2,268	–
10	Thomas	1,962	▲ 1
11	Henry	1,922	▼ 1
12	Walter	1,840	–
13	Harry	1,647	–
14	Willie	1,454	–
15	Arthur	1,435	–
16	Albert	1,337	–
17	Clarence	1,261	–
18	Fred	1,204	–
19	Paul	1,081	▲ 1
20	Harold	1,065	▼ 1
21	Raymond	1,051	–
22	Roy	975	–
23	Carl	910	▲ 1
24	Joe	895	▼ 1
25	Louis	889	–
26	Richard	862	–
27	Earl	837	–
28	Jack	831	▲ 4
29	Ralph	807	▼ 1
30	Ernest	764	▼ 1
31	Samuel	741	▲ 2
32	Charlie	739	▼ 2
33	David	716	▼ 2
34	Herbert	668	▲ 2
35	Francis	665	▲ 3
36	Theodore	663	▼ 2
37	Howard	636	▼ 2
38	Leo	636	▲ 5
39	Alfred	557	–
40	Elmer	556	–
41	Sam	552	–
42	Andrew	550	–
43	Lawrence	536	▼ 6
44	Eugene	478	–
45	Lee	477	▲ 1
46	Floyd	472	▲ 1
47	Michael	466	▲ 1
48	Herman	449	▲ 1
49	Leonard	448	▲ 3
50	Daniel	432	▼ 5
51	Oscar	427	▲ 4
52	Clyde	413	▲ 8
53	Lester	400	▲ 5
54	Anthony	399	–
55	Ray	397	▲ 2
56	Russell	390	▼ 3
57	Jesse	388	▼ 7
58	Peter	372	▼ 7
59	Stanley	361	▲ 10
60	Donald	359	▲ 3
61	Clifford	348	▲ 10
62	Edwin	347	▼ 6
63	Frederick	341	▲ 7
64	Leroy	340	▼ 2
65	Lewis	335	▼ 6
66	Cecil	332	▼ 1
67	Kenneth	330	▲ 11
68	Chester	327	▲ 6
69	Benjamin	324	▼ 8
70	Eddie	314	▼ 4
71	Claude	301	▼ 3
72	Lloyd	299	▼ 5
73	Tom	295	▲ 2
74	Harvey	293	▲ 8
75	Will	293	▼ 11
76	Leon	287	▲ 10
77	Martin	283	▼ 5
78	Jessie	280	▼ 5
79	Bernard	271	▲ 4
80	Luther	265	▲ 1
81	Ben	259	▼ 2
82	Edgar	259	▼ 6
83	Homer	257	▼ 3
84	Jim	257	▼ 7
85	Philip	250	▲ 5
86	Norman	238	▼ 2
87	Johnnie	237	▲ 4
88	Melvin	230	▼ 1
89	Leslie	227	▼ 4
90	Alvin	222	▲ 9
91	Allen	219	▼ 2
92	Milton	210	▲ 4
93	Oliver	210	▲ 14
94	Patrick	210	▲ 4
95	Everett	204	▼ 7
96	Stephen	200	▼ 2
97	Glenn	198	▲ 9
98	Roosevelt	196	▲ 18
99	Victor	196	▼ 2
100	Alexander	195	▼ 7

Top 100 girl names, 1903
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	Mary	14,275	–
2	Helen	6,129	–
3	Anna	5,098	–
4	Margaret	5,045	–
5	Ruth	4,517	–
6	Elizabeth	3,724	–
7	Marie	3,469	▲ 1
8	Florence	3,468	▼ 1
9	Ethel	3,257	–
10	Mildred	3,088	▲ 4
11	Dorothy	3,078	▲ 4
12	Alice	2,996	▼ 2
13	Lillian	2,972	▼ 2
14	Gladys	2,674	▼ 2
15	Edna	2,667	▼ 2
16	Grace	2,616	▲ 1
17	Annie	2,551	▼ 1
18	Rose	2,478	▲ 2
19	Frances	2,365	▲ 4
20	Clara	2,342	▲ 1
21	Bessie	2,339	▼ 2
22	Bertha	2,309	–
23	Emma	2,308	▼ 5
24	Gertrude	2,253	▲ 3
25	Mabel	2,163	▼ 1
26	Hazel	2,139	▼ 1
27	Pearl	2,046	▲ 1
28	Irene	2,001	▼ 2
29	Martha	1,980	▲ 1
30	Myrtle	1,980	▲ 2
31	Louise	1,935	▲ 5
32	Catherine	1,916	▼ 1
33	Edith	1,901	–
34	Esther	1,883	▲ 1
35	Minnie	1,846	▼ 6
36	Eva	1,783	▲ 1
37	Ida	1,774	▼ 3
38	Elsie	1,720	–
39	Agnes	1,616	▲ 1
40	Josephine	1,587	▲ 2
41	Sarah	1,553	▼ 2
42	Ruby	1,538	▲ 5
43	Laura	1,503	–
44	Viola	1,495	▲ 4
45	Nellie	1,491	▼ 4
46	Lillie	1,485	▼ 2
47	Thelma	1,479	▲ 5
48	Julia	1,447	▼ 2
49	Beatrice	1,439	–
50	Ella	1,419	▼ 5
51	Mattie	1,278	–
52	Carrie	1,252	▼ 2
53	Alma	1,244	▲ 2
54	Evelyn	1,211	▲ 5
55	Jessie	1,202	▼ 1
56	Lena	1,200	–
57	Lucille	1,193	▲ 4
58	Mae	1,192	▼ 5
59	Blanche	1,174	▼ 1
60	Hattie	1,106	▼ 3
61	Marion	1,042	▲ 5
62	Pauline	1,042	▲ 8
63	Virginia	1,032	▲ 4
64	Fannie	1,016	▲ 8
65	Stella	1,016	▼ 2
66	Katherine	1,015	▲ 2
67	Willie	1,014	▼ 3
68	Lucy	990	▼ 3
69	Mamie	990	▼ 9
70	Cora	986	▼ 8
71	Jennie	936	▼ 2
72	Beulah	920	▲ 5
73	Lula	913	▼ 2
74	Rosa	911	▲ 1
75	Vera	899	▼ 2
76	Leona	881	–
77	Bernice	868	▲ 4
78	Ada	843	▼ 4
79	Eleanor	840	–
80	Maggie	780	▼ 2
81	Dora	778	▲ 1
82	Daisy	776	▲ 3
83	Maude	776	▼ 3
84	Ann	774	▼ 1
85	Ellen	773	▼ 1
86	Kathryn	729	▲ 1
87	Nora	724	▼ 1
88	Hilda	698	▲ 6
89	Sadie	683	–
90	Susie	680	▼ 2
91	Marguerite	667	▼ 1
92	Lois	664	▲ 6
93	Violet	636	▲ 2
94	Georgia	632	▼ 3
95	Doris	629	▼ 2
96	Della	611	–
97	Olive	597	▲ 2
98	Betty	596	▲ 3
99	Velma	589	▲ 14
100	Anne	581	▲ 6

Source: US Social Security Administration baby name data, 1903. 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.