Most popular baby names of 1916

In 1916, the most popular names for US babies were John for boys (50,043 babies, 5.6% of boys) and Mary for girls (61,438 babies, 5.9% 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 4,535 different boy names and 5,161 different girl names that year.

Top 100 boy names, 1916
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	John	50,043	–
2	William	40,418	–
3	James	35,568	–
4	Robert	31,741	–
5	Joseph	23,883	–
6	Charles	23,612	▲ 1
7	George	23,381	▼ 1
8	Edward	17,005	–
9	Frank	15,291	–
10	Thomas	11,998	–
11	Walter	11,760	–
12	Paul	10,790	▲ 1
13	Harold	10,698	▼ 1
14	Henry	10,656	–
15	Richard	10,134	–
16	Raymond	9,565	–
17	Albert	9,044	–
18	Arthur	8,921	–
19	Harry	8,476	–
20	Donald	7,737	–
21	Ralph	7,085	–
22	Louis	6,817	▲ 1
23	Carl	6,786	▼ 1
24	Clarence	6,304	–
25	Howard	6,171	–
26	Jack	6,162	▲ 1
27	Kenneth	6,012	▲ 1
28	David	5,812	▲ 3
29	Fred	5,745	▼ 3
30	Willie	5,660	–
31	Francis	5,652	▼ 2
32	Earl	5,553	▲ 1
33	Roy	5,327	▼ 1
34	Stanley	5,130	–
35	Joe	4,911	▲ 3
36	Ernest	4,823	▼ 1
37	Anthony	4,749	▼ 1
38	Lawrence	4,742	▼ 1
39	Eugene	4,646	▲ 2
40	Herbert	4,463	–
41	Samuel	4,399	▼ 2
42	Leonard	4,328	▲ 2
43	Alfred	4,278	▼ 1
44	Michael	4,210	▼ 1
45	Elmer	3,936	–
46	Andrew	3,723	–
47	Leo	3,621	–
48	Norman	3,609	▲ 2
49	Bernard	3,476	▼ 1
50	Peter	3,370	▼ 1
51	Russell	3,330	–
52	Frederick	3,325	–
53	Edwin	3,299	–
54	Chester	3,212	–
55	Daniel	3,149	–
56	Herman	3,043	–
57	Melvin	2,984	▲ 3
58	Lloyd	2,926	▲ 4
59	Lester	2,907	▼ 2
60	Floyd	2,783	▼ 1
61	Clifford	2,767	–
62	Clyde	2,707	▲ 1
63	Leroy	2,699	▲ 3
64	Woodrow	2,668	▲ 19
65	Theodore	2,641	▼ 1
66	Marvin	2,529	▲ 6
67	Vincent	2,500	▼ 2
68	Charlie	2,416	▲ 7
69	Willard	2,413	▼ 11
70	Philip	2,409	▼ 1
71	Lewis	2,374	▼ 1
72	Milton	2,345	▲ 1
73	Ray	2,334	▼ 6
74	Sam	2,313	▼ 6
75	Vernon	2,288	▲ 5
76	Gerald	2,260	▲ 2
77	Jesse	2,230	–
78	Victor	2,215	▼ 4
79	Benjamin	2,186	▼ 8
80	Cecil	2,181	▼ 4
81	Martin	2,122	▼ 2
82	Alvin	2,093	▼ 1
83	Lee	2,016	▲ 1
84	Glenn	1,970	▲ 3
85	Leon	1,954	▼ 3
86	Oscar	1,916	▲ 2
87	Stephen	1,877	▼ 1
88	Edgar	1,874	▼ 3
89	Arnold	1,858	▲ 2
90	Gordon	1,792	–
91	Everett	1,764	▼ 2
92	Harvey	1,763	▲ 3
93	Claude	1,733	▲ 3
94	Wilbur	1,680	▼ 2
95	Sidney	1,659	▼ 1
96	Hugh	1,619	▲ 15
97	Morris	1,618	▼ 4
98	Wayne	1,587	▼ 1
99	Alexander	1,584	▲ 4
100	Maurice	1,584	▲ 1

Top 100 girl names, 1916
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	Mary	61,438	–
2	Helen	32,661	–
3	Dorothy	27,418	–
4	Margaret	24,953	–
5	Ruth	23,189	–
6	Mildred	15,633	–
7	Anna	15,228	–
8	Elizabeth	14,940	–
9	Frances	13,746	–
10	Virginia	12,487	▲ 2
11	Evelyn	11,889	▼ 1
12	Marie	11,682	▼ 1
13	Alice	10,719	–
14	Florence	10,412	–
15	Rose	9,605	▲ 1
16	Lillian	9,592	▼ 1
17	Irene	9,035	–
18	Louise	8,630	–
19	Edna	8,625	▲ 1
20	Catherine	8,469	▼ 1
21	Josephine	8,127	▲ 1
22	Gladys	8,019	▼ 1
23	Ruby	7,686	▲ 1
24	Martha	7,610	▲ 1
25	Ethel	7,601	▼ 2
26	Grace	7,461	▲ 1
27	Eleanor	7,406	▲ 1
28	Edith	7,307	▲ 3
29	Thelma	7,290	▲ 1
30	Lucille	7,241	▼ 1
31	Hazel	7,214	▼ 5
32	Doris	7,161	▲ 2
33	Pauline	6,655	▼ 1
34	Esther	6,421	▼ 1
35	Gertrude	6,243	–
36	Annie	6,105	–
37	Marjorie	5,866	▲ 2
38	Beatrice	5,586	▼ 1
39	Clara	5,544	▼ 1
40	Ann	5,343	▲ 3
41	Emma	5,217	▼ 1
42	Bernice	5,183	–
43	Lois	5,149	▲ 4
44	Betty	5,136	▲ 9
45	Jean	5,081	▲ 3
46	Julia	5,066	▼ 2
47	Marion	5,033	▲ 3
48	Elsie	5,027	▼ 7
49	Bertha	4,900	▼ 3
50	Agnes	4,852	▼ 5
51	Katherine	4,801	▼ 2
52	Sarah	4,798	▼ 1
53	Anne	4,571	▼ 1
54	Ida	4,364	–
55	Eva	4,337	–
56	Bessie	4,122	▲ 1
57	Pearl	4,073	▼ 1
58	Myrtle	3,960	–
59	Viola	3,948	–
60	Kathryn	3,933	–
61	Nellie	3,862	▲ 2
62	Jane	3,826	▲ 7
63	Stella	3,818	▲ 1
64	Laura	3,744	▼ 3
65	Mabel	3,680	▼ 3
66	Vera	3,622	▼ 1
67	Rita	3,477	▲ 4
68	Jessie	3,414	▼ 2
69	Sylvia	3,414	▼ 2
70	Alma	3,403	–
71	Minnie	3,274	▼ 3
72	Marian	3,198	▲ 14
73	Willie	3,116	▼ 1
74	Barbara	3,112	▲ 9
75	Leona	3,086	▼ 1
76	Genevieve	3,063	–
77	Vivian	3,049	▲ 1
78	Marguerite	3,034	▲ 7
79	Jennie	3,010	▼ 6
80	Charlotte	2,995	▲ 1
81	Ella	2,965	▼ 6
82	Wilma	2,962	▼ 2
83	Violet	2,921	▼ 1
84	Lucy	2,877	▼ 5
85	Lena	2,869	▼ 8
86	June	2,840	▲ 10
87	Ellen	2,838	▲ 1
88	Lillie	2,825	▼ 4
89	Blanche	2,714	▼ 2
90	Juanita	2,644	▲ 2
91	Opal	2,636	▼ 1
92	Mae	2,607	▼ 3
93	Mattie	2,556	▼ 2
94	Geraldine	2,549	▲ 14
95	Phyllis	2,427	▲ 5
96	Maxine	2,424	▲ 2
97	Beulah	2,401	▼ 2
98	Theresa	2,348	▼ 5
99	Velma	2,319	▼ 5
100	Emily	2,213	▼ 1

Source: US Social Security Administration baby name data, 1916. 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.