Most popular baby names of 1921

In 1921, the most popular names for US babies were John for boys (58,215 babies, 5.3% of boys) and Mary for girls (73,984 babies, 6.0% of girls). The rest of the top five were Robert, William, James and Charles for boys and Dorothy, Helen, Margaret and Ruth for girls. SSA recorded 4,985 different boy names and 5,871 different girl names that year.

Top 100 boy names, 1921
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	John	58,215	–
2	Robert	52,779	▲ 1
3	William	51,862	▼ 1
4	James	49,750	–
5	Charles	29,242	–
6	George	27,476	–
7	Joseph	26,182	–
8	Edward	20,817	–
9	Frank	16,705	–
10	Richard	16,376	–
11	Thomas	15,308	–
12	Harold	13,811	–
13	Donald	13,776	▲ 3
14	Paul	13,169	–
15	Walter	13,004	▼ 2
16	Raymond	12,645	▼ 1
17	Henry	11,411	–
18	Jack	10,757	▲ 2
19	Arthur	10,527	▼ 1
20	Albert	10,158	▼ 1
21	Harry	9,731	–
22	Kenneth	8,959	▲ 1
23	Ralph	8,860	▼ 1
24	Warren	7,798	▲ 15
25	David	7,765	–
26	Eugene	7,717	▲ 4
27	Howard	7,713	▼ 3
28	Clarence	7,332	▼ 2
29	Louis	7,247	▼ 1
30	Carl	7,077	▼ 3
31	Earl	6,754	–
32	Roy	6,545	–
33	Fred	6,496	–
34	Willie	6,491	▼ 5
35	Francis	6,293	▼ 1
36	Joe	6,204	▼ 1
37	Lawrence	5,977	▼ 1
38	Ernest	5,697	▼ 1
39	Leonard	5,650	▼ 1
40	Anthony	5,239	▲ 3
41	Stanley	5,231	▼ 1
42	Herbert	5,217	▼ 1
43	Alfred	4,925	▼ 1
44	Samuel	4,754	–
45	Bernard	4,485	▲ 1
46	Norman	4,479	▲ 1
47	Michael	4,198	▲ 3
48	Elmer	4,146	▼ 3
49	Daniel	4,087	▲ 3
50	Leo	4,066	▼ 2
51	Andrew	4,015	▼ 2
52	Russell	3,946	▼ 1
53	Melvin	3,887	▲ 1
54	Edwin	3,750	▼ 1
55	Leroy	3,749	▲ 1
56	Chester	3,549	▼ 1
57	Peter	3,548	–
58	Lloyd	3,536	–
59	Marvin	3,490	▲ 3
60	Gerald	3,382	▲ 4
61	Frederick	3,376	▼ 1
62	Clifford	3,262	▼ 3
63	Floyd	3,255	▼ 2
64	Herman	3,219	▲ 2
65	Theodore	3,172	▼ 2
66	Lester	3,076	▲ 3
67	Ray	3,075	–
68	Vernon	3,069	▼ 3
69	Clyde	3,022	▼ 1
70	Vincent	2,779	▲ 3
71	Lewis	2,712	▲ 1
72	Philip	2,703	▼ 1
73	Alvin	2,687	▲ 3
74	Leon	2,616	▲ 1
75	Milton	2,588	▼ 1
76	Charlie	2,574	▼ 6
77	Jesse	2,486	▲ 2
78	Martin	2,461	–
79	Cecil	2,456	▼ 2
80	Glenn	2,449	–
81	Wayne	2,417	▲ 5
82	Benjamin	2,412	▲ 1
83	Victor	2,407	▼ 2
84	Gordon	2,382	▲ 1
85	Sam	2,367	▼ 1
86	Lee	2,354	▼ 4
87	Harvey	2,287	–
88	Wallace	2,095	▲ 5
89	Willard	2,077	▼ 1
90	Edgar	2,014	▼ 1
91	Arnold	1,982	–
92	Oscar	1,978	▼ 2
93	Dale	1,956	▲ 12
94	Allen	1,937	–
95	Everett	1,913	–
96	Claude	1,887	▼ 4
97	Stephen	1,868	▼ 1
98	Virgil	1,830	▲ 3
99	Roger	1,803	▲ 4
100	Wilbur	1,755	▼ 2

Top 100 girl names, 1921
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	Mary	73,984	–
2	Dorothy	39,087	–
3	Helen	34,822	–
4	Margaret	28,468	–
5	Ruth	25,783	–
6	Virginia	19,032	▲ 1
7	Mildred	17,880	▼ 1
8	Betty	17,638	▲ 3
9	Frances	15,993	–
10	Elizabeth	15,800	▼ 2
11	Anna	14,476	▼ 1
12	Evelyn	14,278	–
13	Doris	13,152	▲ 1
14	Marie	12,501	▼ 1
15	Alice	11,955	–
16	Marjorie	11,209	▲ 8
17	Florence	10,720	▼ 1
18	Irene	10,624	▼ 1
19	Lillian	9,770	▼ 1
20	Rose	9,352	–
21	Martha	9,264	▲ 2
22	Louise	9,180	▼ 3
23	Catherine	8,887	▼ 2
24	Gladys	8,814	▼ 2
25	Jean	8,592	▲ 8
26	Ruby	8,333	–
27	Edna	8,302	–
28	Josephine	8,135	–
29	Eleanor	8,054	▼ 4
30	Thelma	7,839	▲ 1
31	Lucille	7,698	▼ 2
32	Ethel	7,603	▼ 2
33	Edith	7,589	▼ 1
34	Hazel	7,341	–
35	Grace	7,230	▲ 2
36	Annie	7,209	▼ 1
37	Pauline	7,142	▼ 1
38	Lois	6,899	–
39	Bernice	6,190	▲ 1
40	Barbara	6,013	▲ 7
41	Beatrice	5,968	–
42	Esther	5,926	▼ 3
43	Marion	5,814	–
44	Shirley	5,695	▲ 12
45	Clara	5,606	▼ 1
46	Gertrude	5,349	▼ 4
47	Jane	5,188	▲ 1
48	Rita	5,157	▲ 4
49	Katherine	5,156	▼ 4
50	June	5,155	▲ 3
51	Norma	5,102	▲ 18
52	Emma	5,072	▼ 6
53	Ann	5,058	▼ 4
54	Sarah	5,024	▼ 4
55	Elsie	4,879	▼ 4
56	Agnes	4,798	▼ 2
57	Juanita	4,779	▲ 4
58	Julia	4,737	▼ 3
59	Bertha	4,608	▼ 2
60	Phyllis	4,590	▲ 12
61	Lorraine	4,533	▲ 9
62	Geraldine	4,523	▼ 2
63	Eva	4,325	▼ 5
64	Kathryn	4,201	▲ 3
65	Pearl	4,175	▼ 3
66	Viola	4,160	▼ 7
67	Ida	4,146	▼ 1
68	Vivian	4,103	▼ 4
69	Marian	4,064	▲ 4
70	Anne	4,007	▼ 5
71	Laura	3,998	▼ 8
72	Wilma	3,824	▲ 6
73	Myrtle	3,791	▼ 5
74	Willie	3,748	–
75	Bessie	3,678	▼ 4
76	Vera	3,631	▼ 1
77	Maxine	3,630	▲ 4
78	Alma	3,589	▲ 2
79	Charlotte	3,587	–
80	Nellie	3,513	▼ 4
81	Violet	3,469	▼ 4
82	Audrey	3,434	▲ 21
83	Kathleen	3,419	▲ 8
84	Patricia	3,380	▲ 20
85	Mabel	3,336	▼ 2
86	Stella	3,335	▼ 4
87	Nancy	3,323	▲ 8
88	Sylvia	3,297	▼ 3
89	Ella	3,237	▼ 1
90	Genevieve	3,235	▼ 4
91	Jessie	3,225	▼ 7
92	Leona	3,210	▼ 3
93	Lucy	3,157	▲ 1
94	Lillie	3,118	▼ 4
95	Ellen	3,064	▼ 3
96	Minnie	2,998	▼ 9
97	Elaine	2,922	▲ 10
98	Marguerite	2,897	▼ 5
99	Jennie	2,889	▼ 2
100	Eileen	2,862	–

Source: US Social Security Administration baby name data, 1921. 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.