Most popular baby names of 1909

In 1909, the most popular names for US babies were John for boys (9,590 babies, 5.8% of boys) and Mary for girls (19,259 babies, 5.5% of girls). The rest of the top five were William, James, George and Robert for boys and Helen, Margaret, Ruth and Dorothy for girls. SSA recorded 1,679 different boy names and 2,548 different girl names that year.

Top 100 boy names, 1909
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	John	9,590	–
2	William	7,913	–
3	James	7,595	–
4	George	4,688	–
5	Robert	4,563	–
6	Joseph	4,348	–
7	Charles	4,029	–
8	Frank	3,244	–
9	Edward	2,935	–
10	Thomas	2,468	–
11	Henry	2,411	–
12	Walter	2,287	–
13	Willie	2,175	–
14	Harry	1,924	–
15	Albert	1,816	–
16	Harold	1,725	▲ 1
17	Paul	1,676	▲ 1
18	Arthur	1,665	▼ 2
19	Clarence	1,518	–
20	Raymond	1,441	▲ 1
21	Richard	1,427	▲ 2
22	Fred	1,355	▼ 2
23	Joe	1,292	▲ 1
24	Louis	1,231	▼ 2
25	Carl	1,215	▲ 4
26	Howard	1,166	▲ 2
27	Jack	1,150	–
28	Roy	1,135	▼ 2
29	David	1,094	▲ 1
30	Ralph	1,091	▼ 5
31	Earl	1,007	▲ 1
32	Samuel	983	▲ 1
33	Francis	886	▲ 1
34	Ernest	885	▼ 3
35	Lawrence	854	–
36	Charlie	833	▲ 1
37	Herbert	831	▼ 1
38	Andrew	766	▲ 1
39	Alfred	763	▼ 1
40	Anthony	758	▲ 1
41	Kenneth	746	▼ 1
42	Donald	725	▲ 3
43	Eugene	724	–
44	Sam	700	▲ 2
45	Elmer	687	▼ 3
46	Leonard	665	▲ 2
47	Michael	635	▼ 3
48	Herman	618	▲ 2
49	Leo	609	–
50	Stanley	607	▲ 2
51	Theodore	595	▼ 4
52	Lee	584	▼ 1
53	Floyd	570	▲ 2
54	Daniel	569	–
55	Leroy	568	▲ 1
56	Peter	539	▼ 3
57	Clifford	536	▲ 1
58	Russell	528	▼ 1
59	Jesse	517	▲ 3
60	Clyde	516	▼ 1
61	Lester	501	▼ 1
62	Edwin	492	▲ 2
63	Benjamin	489	–
64	Frederick	477	▲ 4
65	Lewis	477	▼ 4
66	Chester	475	–
67	Ray	475	–
68	Bernard	463	▲ 2
69	Eddie	462	▲ 2
70	Oscar	459	▼ 5
71	Melvin	448	▲ 4
72	Cecil	432	–
73	Jessie	432	▲ 4
74	Claude	419	▼ 5
75	Norman	415	▼ 1
76	Lloyd	412	▼ 3
77	Johnnie	401	▲ 8
78	Philip	395	▲ 8
79	Martin	391	▲ 4
80	Leon	377	▲ 4
81	Milton	369	▼ 2
82	Alvin	363	▲ 7
83	Harvey	361	▼ 1
84	Ben	358	▼ 6
85	Marvin	354	▲ 2
86	Edgar	347	▼ 10
87	Luther	347	▲ 4
88	Tom	340	▼ 7
89	Victor	320	▼ 1
90	Everett	314	–
91	Stephen	314	▲ 3
92	Homer	313	▼ 12
93	Allen	312	▼ 1
94	Morris	305	▲ 4
95	Gerald	301	▲ 2
96	Leslie	292	▼ 1
97	Vernon	284	▼ 4
98	Julius	269	▲ 1
99	Otis	267	▲ 6
100	Will	267	▼ 4

Top 100 girl names, 1909
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	Mary	19,259	–
2	Helen	9,250	–
3	Margaret	7,358	–
4	Ruth	6,509	–
5	Dorothy	6,253	▲ 1
6	Anna	5,804	▼ 1
7	Elizabeth	5,176	–
8	Mildred	5,054	–
9	Marie	4,301	▲ 1
10	Alice	4,170	▼ 1
11	Florence	3,789	–
12	Frances	3,780	▲ 2
13	Ethel	3,661	▼ 1
14	Lillian	3,596	▼ 1
15	Gladys	3,538	–
16	Edna	3,429	▲ 1
17	Rose	3,374	▼ 1
18	Evelyn	3,157	▲ 2
19	Louise	3,019	▼ 1
20	Irene	2,961	▲ 3
21	Grace	2,912	▼ 2
22	Annie	2,904	▼ 1
23	Catherine	2,897	▼ 1
24	Hazel	2,708	–
25	Gertrude	2,622	–
26	Thelma	2,612	–
27	Ruby	2,524	▲ 6
28	Martha	2,510	▲ 4
29	Bertha	2,444	–
30	Virginia	2,420	▲ 5
31	Josephine	2,416	▼ 3
32	Clara	2,403	▼ 1
33	Edith	2,371	▼ 6
34	Emma	2,338	▼ 4
35	Bessie	2,276	▼ 1
36	Lucille	2,192	▲ 2
37	Esther	2,185	▼ 1
38	Beatrice	2,105	▲ 2
39	Elsie	2,064	▲ 2
40	Pearl	2,048	▼ 1
41	Mabel	2,007	▼ 4
42	Agnes	1,974	▲ 3
43	Myrtle	1,950	▲ 1
44	Ida	1,943	▼ 1
45	Julia	1,931	▲ 5
46	Viola	1,926	▼ 4
47	Eva	1,896	▼ 1
48	Pauline	1,896	▲ 3
49	Sarah	1,845	▼ 1
50	Minnie	1,779	▼ 3
51	Nellie	1,768	▼ 2
52	Lillie	1,635	▲ 2
53	Katherine	1,557	▲ 2
54	Willie	1,549	▲ 5
55	Laura	1,524	▼ 3
56	Ann	1,477	▲ 6
57	Eleanor	1,460	▲ 8
58	Marion	1,445	▲ 5
59	Mattie	1,407	▲ 1
60	Ella	1,382	▼ 4
61	Alma	1,375	▼ 8
62	Bernice	1,337	▼ 1
63	Jessie	1,321	▼ 5
64	Doris	1,298	▲ 6
65	Lena	1,295	▼ 1
66	Carrie	1,276	–
67	Vera	1,242	▲ 1
68	Mae	1,230	▼ 11
69	Blanche	1,217	–
70	Stella	1,188	▼ 3
71	Lucy	1,175	▲ 3
72	Leona	1,167	▲ 1
73	Lois	1,157	▲ 7
74	Kathryn	1,138	▲ 3
75	Hattie	1,134	▼ 4
76	Anne	1,110	▼ 1
77	Betty	1,082	▼ 5
78	Marjorie	1,082	▲ 7
79	Fannie	1,071	▼ 3
80	Beulah	1,052	▲ 2
81	Marguerite	1,036	▲ 7
82	Opal	1,028	▲ 2
83	Jennie	998	▼ 5
84	Mamie	974	▼ 5
85	Cora	969	▼ 2
86	Ellen	960	▲ 6
87	Rosa	959	▼ 1
88	Ada	945	▼ 1
89	Violet	945	▼ 8
90	Jean	940	▲ 1
91	Lula	922	▼ 2
92	Velma	857	▼ 2
93	Sylvia	847	▲ 8
94	Charlotte	841	▲ 4
95	Dora	829	▼ 2
96	Inez	826	▲ 4
97	Georgia	813	–
98	Maggie	794	▼ 3
99	Genevieve	785	▲ 9
100	Hilda	773	▲ 2

Source: US Social Security Administration baby name data, 1909. 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.