Most popular baby names of 1912

In 1912, the most popular names for US babies were John for boys (24,588 babies, 5.7% of boys) and Mary for girls (32,304 babies, 5.8% of girls). The rest of the top five were William, James, Robert and Joseph for boys and Helen, Dorothy, Margaret and Ruth for girls. SSA recorded 2,905 different boy names and 3,445 different girl names that year.

Top 100 boy names, 1912
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	John	24,588	–
2	William	19,626	–
3	James	17,644	–
4	Robert	12,836	▲ 1
5	Joseph	12,062	▲ 1
6	George	11,734	▼ 2
7	Charles	11,070	–
8	Edward	7,936	▲ 1
9	Frank	7,912	▼ 1
10	Thomas	6,087	–
11	Walter	5,809	▲ 1
12	Henry	5,643	▼ 1
13	Harold	5,102	▲ 3
14	Paul	4,785	▲ 3
15	Arthur	4,685	▲ 3
16	Harry	4,624	▼ 3
17	Albert	4,587	▼ 2
18	Raymond	4,374	▲ 1
19	Richard	4,188	▲ 1
20	Louis	3,591	▲ 1
21	Clarence	3,590	▲ 2
22	Willie	3,508	▼ 8
23	Ralph	3,435	▲ 1
24	Carl	3,224	▲ 2
25	Howard	3,212	▲ 3
26	Fred	3,103	▼ 4
27	Donald	2,872	▲ 9
28	Jack	2,870	▼ 3
29	David	2,858	▼ 2
30	Samuel	2,602	–
31	Roy	2,591	–
32	Ernest	2,569	–
33	Kenneth	2,538	▲ 7
34	Earl	2,518	–
35	Francis	2,516	▼ 2
36	Joe	2,515	▼ 7
37	Anthony	2,480	▼ 2
38	Lawrence	2,467	▼ 1
39	Herbert	2,236	▲ 2
40	Alfred	2,210	▼ 1
41	Eugene	2,114	▲ 2
42	Michael	2,104	▼ 4
43	Stanley	2,017	▲ 1
44	Andrew	1,946	▼ 2
45	Leonard	1,928	▲ 1
46	Woodrow	1,843	▲ 188
47	Elmer	1,840	▲ 1
48	Peter	1,679	▲ 2
49	Leo	1,654	▲ 2
50	Herman	1,646	▼ 1
51	Frederick	1,564	▲ 1
52	Theodore	1,561	▲ 4
53	Daniel	1,524	–
54	Edwin	1,518	▲ 6
55	Chester	1,460	▲ 3
56	Russell	1,449	▼ 1
57	Charlie	1,446	▼ 12
58	Lester	1,443	▲ 7
59	Floyd	1,438	▼ 2
60	Bernard	1,437	▼ 6
61	Norman	1,367	▲ 2
62	Clifford	1,345	–
63	Sam	1,325	▼ 16
64	Milton	1,319	▲ 6
65	Clyde	1,314	▼ 4
66	Leroy	1,306	▼ 7
67	Benjamin	1,272	▼ 3
68	Lewis	1,247	▼ 2
69	Philip	1,237	–
70	Lloyd	1,227	▲ 4
71	Melvin	1,185	▲ 2
72	Vincent	1,178	▲ 8
73	Oscar	1,157	▼ 5
74	Jesse	1,106	▼ 2
75	Martin	1,064	–
76	Cecil	1,058	–
77	Ray	1,050	▼ 6
78	Lee	1,030	▼ 11
79	Leon	1,006	▼ 2
80	Sidney	1,003	▲ 12
81	Victor	989	–
82	Morris	960	▲ 3
83	Marvin	958	▼ 1
84	Glenn	948	▲ 27
85	Edgar	945	▼ 2
86	Alvin	929	▲ 3
87	Gerald	929	▲ 1
88	Stephen	928	▼ 4
89	Claude	890	▼ 2
90	Vernon	889	▲ 6
91	Harvey	875	–
92	Wilbur	832	▲ 9
93	Gordon	822	▲ 4
94	Irving	815	▼ 1
95	Maurice	811	▲ 4
96	Everett	806	▲ 6
97	Alexander	803	▼ 3
98	Homer	794	▼ 3
99	Arnold	767	▲ 9
100	Julius	758	▲ 4

Top 100 girl names, 1912
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	Mary	32,304	–
2	Helen	16,133	–
3	Dorothy	12,645	▲ 1
4	Margaret	12,536	▼ 1
5	Ruth	11,280	–
6	Mildred	8,764	▲ 2
7	Anna	8,586	▼ 1
8	Elizabeth	8,527	▼ 1
9	Frances	6,680	▲ 1
10	Marie	6,642	▼ 1
11	Alice	6,285	–
12	Florence	5,739	–
13	Evelyn	5,620	▲ 3
14	Lillian	5,568	▼ 1
15	Rose	5,431	▼ 1
16	Edna	5,136	▲ 1
17	Louise	5,116	▲ 2
18	Ethel	5,073	▼ 3
19	Gladys	4,980	▼ 1
20	Virginia	4,810	▲ 6
21	Catherine	4,666	▼ 1
22	Irene	4,646	▼ 1
23	Ruby	4,452	▼ 1
24	Grace	4,418	▼ 1
25	Hazel	4,197	–
26	Thelma	4,183	▲ 1
27	Annie	4,083	▼ 3
28	Josephine	3,980	▲ 1
29	Martha	3,911	▼ 1
30	Gertrude	3,887	–
31	Edith	3,842	–
32	Lucille	3,763	–
33	Esther	3,569	▲ 1
34	Clara	3,480	▼ 1
35	Emma	3,357	–
36	Bertha	3,288	–
37	Beatrice	3,205	–
38	Pauline	3,163	–
39	Eleanor	3,120	▲ 10
40	Agnes	2,945	▼ 1
41	Sarah	2,919	▲ 1
42	Elsie	2,895	▼ 1
43	Bessie	2,832	▼ 3
44	Julia	2,825	–
45	Ida	2,740	–
46	Mabel	2,714	▼ 3
47	Ann	2,666	▲ 6
48	Doris	2,657	▲ 8
49	Eva	2,636	▼ 3
50	Myrtle	2,599	–
51	Bernice	2,593	–
52	Viola	2,550	▼ 5
53	Katherine	2,546	▲ 2
54	Pearl	2,528	▼ 6
55	Marion	2,522	▲ 3
56	Marjorie	2,468	▲ 3
57	Laura	2,413	–
58	Anne	2,369	▲ 6
59	Nellie	2,365	▼ 5
60	Minnie	2,295	▼ 8
61	Willie	2,267	–
62	Alma	2,183	–
63	Lois	2,146	▲ 5
64	Jean	2,056	▲ 10
65	Jessie	2,052	▲ 1
66	Betty	2,011	▲ 3
67	Lillie	2,003	▼ 7
68	Vera	1,974	▼ 1
69	Ella	1,921	▼ 6
70	Mattie	1,915	▼ 5
71	Kathryn	1,905	▲ 2
72	Lena	1,903	▼ 2
73	Stella	1,834	▼ 1
74	Mae	1,775	▼ 3
75	Blanche	1,761	–
76	Leona	1,650	–
77	Sylvia	1,639	▲ 5
78	Lucy	1,636	▼ 1
79	Marguerite	1,620	▲ 8
80	Beulah	1,607	▼ 1
81	Jennie	1,595	▲ 4
82	Carrie	1,580	▼ 4
83	Violet	1,535	–
84	Vivian	1,487	▼ 4
85	Opal	1,465	▼ 4
86	Ellen	1,449	▼ 2
87	Fannie	1,425	▲ 1
88	Velma	1,403	▲ 2
89	Jane	1,390	▲ 9
90	Hattie	1,389	▼ 4
91	Charlotte	1,375	▲ 4
92	Genevieve	1,353	▲ 1
93	Marian	1,313	▲ 12
94	Rosa	1,305	▼ 2
95	Mamie	1,273	▼ 6
96	Ada	1,268	▲ 1
97	Theresa	1,268	▲ 3
98	Cora	1,253	▼ 7
99	Wilma	1,241	▲ 3
100	Inez	1,228	▼ 1

Source: US Social Security Administration baby name data, 1912. 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.