Most popular baby names of 1918

In 1918, the most popular names for US babies were John for boys (56,558 babies, 5.6% of boys) and Mary for girls (67,365 babies, 5.8% of girls). The rest of the top five were William, James, Robert and Charles for boys and Helen, Dorothy, Margaret and Ruth for girls. SSA recorded 4,813 different boy names and 5,585 different girl names that year.

Top 100 boy names, 1918
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	John	56,558	–
2	William	45,291	–
3	James	42,115	–
4	Robert	40,619	–
5	Charles	26,921	▲ 2
6	George	26,318	–
7	Joseph	26,261	▼ 2
8	Edward	19,489	–
9	Frank	17,018	–
10	Thomas	13,910	–
11	Walter	13,338	–
12	Richard	12,323	▲ 2
13	Harold	12,185	▼ 1
14	Paul	11,755	▼ 1
15	Raymond	11,604	▲ 1
16	Henry	11,354	▼ 1
17	Arthur	10,105	–
18	Donald	9,972	▲ 2
19	Albert	9,935	▼ 1
20	Harry	9,896	▼ 1
21	Jack	8,341	▲ 1
22	Ralph	8,162	▼ 1
23	Clarence	7,187	▲ 2
24	Louis	7,082	▼ 1
25	Carl	7,003	▼ 1
26	Howard	6,928	–
27	Kenneth	6,809	–
28	David	6,627	–
29	Willie	6,537	▲ 2
30	Francis	6,347	–
31	Earl	6,321	▲ 1
32	Roy	6,211	▲ 1
33	Fred	6,182	▼ 4
34	Joe	5,805	▲ 1
35	Eugene	5,631	▲ 4
36	Stanley	5,618	▼ 2
37	Ernest	5,527	–
38	Lawrence	5,372	▼ 2
39	Anthony	5,168	▼ 1
40	Herbert	5,128	–
41	Leonard	4,980	–
42	Alfred	4,873	▲ 1
43	Samuel	4,772	▼ 1
44	Elmer	4,373	▲ 1
45	Michael	4,296	▼ 1
46	Andrew	4,138	▲ 2
47	Bernard	4,098	▲ 2
48	Leo	4,036	▼ 1
49	Norman	3,867	▼ 3
50	Russell	3,833	▲ 2
51	Lloyd	3,742	▲ 2
52	Daniel	3,726	▲ 2
53	Peter	3,711	▼ 3
54	Chester	3,692	▲ 2
55	Edwin	3,487	–
56	Melvin	3,469	▲ 1
57	Leroy	3,422	▲ 3
58	Woodrow	3,358	▲ 15
59	Frederick	3,351	▼ 8
60	Clifford	3,299	▼ 1
61	Floyd	3,235	▲ 1
62	Lester	3,229	▼ 1
63	Victor	3,183	▲ 15
64	Theodore	3,143	▼ 1
65	Herman	3,041	▼ 7
66	Vernon	2,971	▲ 5
67	Clyde	2,917	▼ 3
68	Marvin	2,829	–
69	Ray	2,763	▲ 5
70	Charlie	2,743	▼ 3
71	Philip	2,733	▼ 5
72	Gerald	2,712	▼ 3
73	Vincent	2,621	▼ 8
74	Lewis	2,593	▼ 4
75	Sam	2,505	▼ 3
76	Milton	2,454	▼ 1
77	Leon	2,442	▲ 5
78	Jesse	2,433	▲ 1
79	Benjamin	2,431	▼ 3
80	Alvin	2,409	▲ 1
81	Martin	2,403	▼ 4
82	Cecil	2,328	▲ 1
83	Willard	2,311	▼ 3
84	Glenn	2,253	▲ 2
85	Gordon	2,233	▼ 1
86	Lee	2,159	▼ 1
87	Oscar	2,113	–
88	Harvey	2,111	▲ 2
89	Edgar	2,085	▼ 1
90	Warren	1,990	▲ 3
91	Wayne	1,912	▲ 5
92	Arnold	1,910	▼ 1
93	Everett	1,891	▲ 1
94	Sidney	1,879	▲ 1
95	Claude	1,878	▲ 3
96	Stephen	1,843	▼ 7
97	Wilbur	1,800	▼ 5
98	Allen	1,779	▲ 2
99	Virgil	1,707	▲ 4
100	Homer	1,680	▲ 2

Top 100 girl names, 1918
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	Mary	67,365	–
2	Helen	36,148	–
3	Dorothy	32,030	–
4	Margaret	27,139	–
5	Ruth	25,535	–
6	Mildred	17,258	–
7	Virginia	16,421	▲ 3
8	Frances	16,131	▲ 1
9	Elizabeth	15,853	▼ 1
10	Anna	15,666	▼ 3
11	Evelyn	13,493	–
12	Marie	12,589	–
13	Alice	11,590	–
14	Florence	11,318	–
15	Lillian	9,986	–
16	Irene	9,774	▲ 1
17	Rose	9,568	▼ 1
18	Louise	9,111	▲ 1
19	Doris	9,061	▲ 6
20	Catherine	8,842	▼ 2
21	Betty	8,803	▲ 13
22	Gladys	8,734	▲ 1
23	Edna	8,698	▼ 3
24	Josephine	8,682	▼ 3
25	Martha	8,342	▼ 3
26	Eleanor	8,176	–
27	Ruby	8,134	–
28	Ethel	8,075	▼ 4
29	Lucille	7,902	–
30	Edith	7,858	▼ 2
31	Grace	7,770	▼ 1
32	Thelma	7,740	–
33	Hazel	7,615	▼ 2
34	Marjorie	7,517	▲ 2
35	Pauline	7,222	▼ 2
36	Annie	6,743	▼ 1
37	Jean	6,600	▲ 3
38	Esther	6,574	–
39	Gertrude	6,264	▼ 2
40	Beatrice	5,907	▼ 1
41	Bernice	5,892	▲ 1
42	Lois	5,877	▲ 1
43	Clara	5,778	▼ 2
44	Ann	5,613	–
45	Marion	5,583	–
46	Emma	5,324	–
47	Agnes	5,291	▲ 1
48	Julia	5,268	▼ 1
49	Elsie	5,194	▲ 1
50	Katherine	5,191	▼ 1
51	Bertha	5,051	–
52	Sarah	4,969	–
53	Jane	4,730	▲ 2
54	Anne	4,567	▼ 1
55	Eva	4,563	▼ 1
56	Pearl	4,521	▲ 1
57	Ida	4,450	▼ 1
58	Rita	4,447	▲ 5
59	Viola	4,331	–
60	Barbara	4,224	▲ 7
61	Bessie	4,101	–
62	Myrtle	4,076	▼ 4
63	Kathryn	4,068	▼ 3
64	Laura	4,062	▲ 1
65	Nellie	4,048	▼ 1
66	June	4,034	▲ 7
67	Stella	3,928	▼ 5
68	Vera	3,923	▼ 2
69	Lorraine	3,876	▲ 47
70	Willie	3,867	▲ 2
71	Sylvia	3,675	▼ 2
72	Vivian	3,663	▲ 7
73	Alma	3,650	▼ 2
74	Mabel	3,636	▼ 6
75	Jessie	3,591	▼ 5
76	Marian	3,503	▼ 2
77	Geraldine	3,446	▲ 12
78	Charlotte	3,373	▼ 2
79	Leona	3,335	▲ 1
80	Phyllis	3,326	▲ 12
81	Genevieve	3,304	▼ 4
82	Wilma	3,298	–
83	Violet	3,294	▲ 1
84	Ella	3,291	▼ 1
85	Juanita	3,260	▲ 2
86	Marguerite	3,249	▼ 8
87	Maxine	3,216	▲ 6
88	Minnie	3,181	▼ 13
89	Lillie	3,112	▼ 3
90	Lucy	3,108	▼ 2
91	Jennie	3,033	▼ 10
92	Ellen	3,030	▼ 2
93	Lena	2,937	▼ 8
94	Opal	2,847	▲ 1
95	Mae	2,756	▲ 1
96	Blanche	2,739	▼ 5
97	Shirley	2,654	▲ 26
98	Norma	2,653	▲ 10
99	Kathleen	2,629	▲ 2
100	Mattie	2,610	▼ 6

Source: US Social Security Administration baby name data, 1918. 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.