Most popular baby names of 1920

In 1920, the most popular names for US babies were John for boys (56,913 babies, 5.3% of boys) and Mary for girls (70,983 babies, 5.9% of girls). The rest of the top five were William, Robert, James and Charles for boys and Dorothy, Helen, Margaret and Ruth for girls. SSA recorded 4,989 different boy names and 5,767 different girl names that year.

Top 100 boy names, 1920
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	John	56,913	–
2	William	50,146	–
3	Robert	48,679	▲ 1
4	James	47,908	▼ 1
5	Charles	28,309	–
6	George	26,891	–
7	Joseph	25,587	–
8	Edward	20,097	–
9	Frank	16,430	–
10	Richard	15,010	▲ 2
11	Thomas	14,936	▼ 1
12	Harold	13,678	▲ 1
13	Walter	13,294	▼ 2
14	Paul	12,570	▲ 1
15	Raymond	12,193	▼ 1
16	Donald	11,941	▲ 1
17	Henry	11,305	▼ 1
18	Arthur	10,236	▲ 1
19	Albert	9,997	▼ 1
20	Jack	9,599	▲ 1
21	Harry	9,406	▼ 1
22	Ralph	8,556	–
23	Kenneth	7,840	▲ 3
24	Howard	7,466	–
25	David	7,444	▲ 2
26	Clarence	7,221	▼ 1
27	Carl	7,010	▲ 2
28	Louis	6,966	–
29	Willie	6,887	▼ 6
30	Eugene	6,867	▲ 3
31	Earl	6,533	–
32	Roy	6,355	–
33	Fred	6,298	▼ 3
34	Francis	6,241	–
35	Joe	6,071	–
36	Lawrence	5,727	▲ 2
37	Ernest	5,566	▼ 1
38	Leonard	5,511	▲ 1
39	Warren	5,492	▲ 44
40	Stanley	5,314	▼ 3
41	Herbert	5,249	▼ 1
42	Alfred	5,006	–
43	Anthony	4,944	▼ 2
44	Samuel	4,654	▼ 1
45	Elmer	4,206	▼ 1
46	Bernard	4,163	▼ 1
47	Norman	4,109	▲ 1
48	Leo	4,054	▲ 1
49	Andrew	4,026	▼ 2
50	Michael	4,003	▼ 4
51	Russell	3,901	▼ 1
52	Daniel	3,897	▼ 1
53	Edwin	3,734	▼ 1
54	Melvin	3,717	▲ 2
55	Chester	3,698	▼ 2
56	Leroy	3,549	▼ 1
57	Peter	3,497	–
58	Lloyd	3,454	–
59	Clifford	3,291	▲ 1
60	Frederick	3,275	▲ 4
61	Floyd	3,260	▼ 2
62	Marvin	3,244	▲ 1
63	Theodore	3,219	▼ 9
64	Gerald	3,157	▲ 6
65	Vernon	3,144	–
66	Herman	3,109	▼ 5
67	Ray	3,086	▲ 2
68	Clyde	3,069	▼ 1
69	Lester	3,068	▼ 7
70	Charlie	2,785	▼ 4
71	Philip	2,700	–
72	Lewis	2,688	▲ 2
73	Vincent	2,661	▼ 1
74	Milton	2,592	▼ 1
75	Leon	2,554	▲ 5
76	Alvin	2,523	–
77	Cecil	2,459	▲ 1
78	Martin	2,439	▲ 3
79	Jesse	2,420	▼ 2
80	Glenn	2,375	▲ 4
81	Victor	2,349	▼ 13
82	Lee	2,321	–
83	Benjamin	2,309	▼ 4
84	Sam	2,283	▼ 9
85	Gordon	2,277	▲ 1
86	Wayne	2,180	▲ 4
87	Harvey	2,165	▼ 2
88	Willard	2,089	▼ 1
89	Edgar	2,029	–
90	Oscar	2,006	▼ 2
91	Arnold	1,911	▲ 3
92	Claude	1,893	–
93	Wallace	1,877	▲ 14
94	Allen	1,866	▲ 7
95	Everett	1,827	▼ 2
96	Stephen	1,771	▲ 1
97	Gilbert	1,763	▲ 5
98	Wilbur	1,741	–
99	Johnnie	1,727	▼ 4
100	Homer	1,722	▲ 4

Top 100 girl names, 1920
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	Mary	70,983	–
2	Dorothy	36,643	▲ 1
3	Helen	35,097	▼ 1
4	Margaret	27,994	–
5	Ruth	26,102	–
6	Mildred	18,060	–
7	Virginia	17,314	–
8	Elizabeth	15,908	–
9	Frances	15,883	–
10	Anna	14,581	–
11	Betty	14,016	▲ 4
12	Evelyn	13,838	▼ 1
13	Marie	12,743	▼ 1
14	Doris	11,892	▲ 4
15	Alice	11,596	▼ 2
16	Florence	10,731	▼ 2
17	Irene	10,072	▼ 1
18	Lillian	10,049	▼ 1
19	Louise	9,179	▲ 1
20	Rose	9,011	▼ 1
21	Catherine	8,878	▲ 2
22	Gladys	8,819	▼ 1
23	Martha	8,709	▲ 2
24	Marjorie	8,658	▲ 9
25	Eleanor	8,497	▲ 5
26	Ruby	8,336	▼ 2
27	Edna	8,331	▼ 5
28	Josephine	8,093	▼ 2
29	Lucille	7,989	▼ 2
30	Ethel	7,868	▼ 2
31	Thelma	7,814	–
32	Edith	7,773	▼ 3
33	Jean	7,714	▲ 4
34	Hazel	7,308	▼ 2
35	Annie	7,268	–
36	Pauline	7,180	–
37	Grace	7,172	▼ 3
38	Lois	6,560	▲ 2
39	Esther	6,068	▼ 1
40	Bernice	5,928	▲ 2
41	Beatrice	5,804	–
42	Gertrude	5,797	▼ 3
43	Marion	5,745	▲ 1
44	Clara	5,470	▼ 1
45	Katherine	5,276	▲ 6
46	Emma	5,238	▼ 1
47	Barbara	5,106	▲ 13
48	Jane	5,054	▲ 5
49	Ann	5,041	–
50	Sarah	5,031	▼ 4
51	Elsie	4,993	▼ 4
52	Rita	4,979	▲ 2
53	June	4,911	▲ 11
54	Agnes	4,907	▼ 4
55	Julia	4,889	▼ 7
56	Shirley	4,713	▲ 33
57	Bertha	4,604	▼ 5
58	Eva	4,498	▼ 3
59	Viola	4,292	▼ 1
60	Geraldine	4,265	▲ 8
61	Juanita	4,238	▲ 12
62	Pearl	4,204	▼ 6
63	Laura	4,171	▲ 8
64	Vivian	4,128	▲ 8
65	Anne	4,114	▼ 2
66	Ida	4,090	▼ 9
67	Kathryn	4,082	▼ 1
68	Myrtle	3,955	▼ 1
69	Norma	3,949	▲ 14
70	Lorraine	3,928	▼ 8
71	Bessie	3,906	▼ 12
72	Phyllis	3,852	▲ 12
73	Marian	3,845	▲ 9
74	Willie	3,816	▼ 13
75	Vera	3,785	▼ 10
76	Nellie	3,762	▼ 7
77	Violet	3,694	▼ 3
78	Wilma	3,670	▲ 8
79	Charlotte	3,624	–
80	Alma	3,584	▼ 4
81	Maxine	3,507	▲ 4
82	Stella	3,492	▼ 12
83	Mabel	3,364	▼ 5
84	Jessie	3,329	▼ 9
85	Sylvia	3,317	▼ 8
86	Genevieve	3,258	▲ 2
87	Minnie	3,244	▼ 7
88	Ella	3,232	▼ 1
89	Leona	3,166	▲ 1
90	Lillie	3,162	▼ 9
91	Kathleen	3,158	▲ 10
92	Ellen	3,076	–
93	Marguerite	3,055	▲ 3
94	Lucy	3,018	▼ 3
95	Nancy	2,982	▲ 5
96	Mattie	2,902	▼ 1
97	Jennie	2,808	▼ 4
98	Lena	2,785	▼ 4
99	Mae	2,730	–
100	Eileen	2,718	▲ 3

Source: US Social Security Administration baby name data, 1920. 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.