Most popular baby names of 1923

In 1923, the most popular names for US babies were John for boys (57,467 babies, 5.2% of boys) and Mary for girls (71,635 babies, 5.9% of girls). The rest of the top five were Robert, William, James and Charles for boys and Dorothy, Helen, Margaret and Betty for girls. SSA recorded 4,904 different boy names and 5,739 different girl names that year.

Top 100 boy names, 1923
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	John	57,467	–
2	Robert	56,113	–
3	William	52,136	–
4	James	50,463	–
5	Charles	28,966	–
6	George	27,024	–
7	Joseph	25,561	–
8	Edward	20,597	–
9	Richard	18,887	–
10	Donald	16,433	▲ 2
11	Frank	15,903	▼ 1
12	Thomas	15,886	▼ 1
13	Harold	13,874	–
14	Paul	13,362	–
15	Raymond	12,460	▲ 1
16	Walter	12,433	▼ 1
17	Jack	11,190	▲ 1
18	Henry	11,067	▼ 1
19	Arthur	9,924	–
20	Albert	9,825	–
21	Kenneth	9,734	–
22	Harry	9,261	–
23	Ralph	8,629	–
24	David	8,230	–
25	Eugene	7,947	–
26	Howard	7,157	–
27	Louis	7,075	–
28	Carl	6,871	▲ 2
29	Clarence	6,801	–
30	Willie	6,665	▼ 2
31	Earl	6,339	–
32	Roy	6,316	–
33	Fred	6,314	–
34	Francis	6,087	–
35	Joe	6,003	–
36	Lawrence	5,913	–
37	Leonard	5,486	▲ 1
38	Ernest	5,372	▼ 1
39	Anthony	5,121	–
40	Herbert	5,071	–
41	Stanley	5,036	–
42	Alfred	5,005	–
43	Warren	4,820	▲ 2
44	Norman	4,706	–
45	Samuel	4,578	▼ 2
46	Bernard	4,376	–
47	Daniel	4,264	–
48	Melvin	4,012	▲ 2
49	Leo	3,973	▲ 2
50	Michael	3,915	▼ 2
51	Marvin	3,810	▲ 5
52	Russell	3,805	▼ 3
53	Andrew	3,748	–
54	Gerald	3,696	▲ 4
55	Leroy	3,686	–
56	Edwin	3,652	▼ 4
57	Elmer	3,630	▼ 3
58	Peter	3,409	▼ 1
59	Lloyd	3,387	–
60	Frederick	3,278	–
61	Ray	3,161	▲ 4
62	Theodore	3,157	–
63	Chester	3,150	▲ 1
64	Floyd	3,143	▼ 3
65	Clifford	3,106	▼ 2
66	Herman	2,961	–
67	Vernon	2,956	▲ 1
68	Clyde	2,853	▼ 1
69	Wallace	2,803	▲ 18
70	Philip	2,783	–
71	Lester	2,765	▼ 2
72	Vincent	2,719	▼ 1
73	Alvin	2,647	–
74	Lewis	2,618	▲ 1
75	Wayne	2,597	▲ 3
76	Gordon	2,576	–
77	Leon	2,528	–
78	Billy	2,488	▲ 12
79	Charlie	2,471	▼ 7
80	Martin	2,459	–
81	Milton	2,446	▼ 7
82	Calvin	2,408	▲ 46
83	Jesse	2,387	▼ 2
84	Glenn	2,370	▼ 5
85	Lee	2,359	▼ 2
86	Benjamin	2,316	▼ 4
87	Cecil	2,255	▼ 2
88	Victor	2,226	▼ 2
89	Sam	2,204	▼ 5
90	Dale	2,172	▼ 1
91	Harvey	2,115	▼ 3
92	Willard	1,945	▼ 1
93	Arnold	1,927	▲ 1
94	Edgar	1,897	▼ 1
95	Roger	1,888	▲ 1
96	Oscar	1,880	▼ 4
97	Allen	1,875	▼ 2
98	Bill	1,833	▲ 6
99	Everett	1,745	▼ 1
100	Virgil	1,713	▼ 1

Top 100 girl names, 1923
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	Mary	71,635	–
2	Dorothy	39,043	–
3	Helen	31,486	–
4	Margaret	26,135	–
5	Betty	25,990	▲ 1
6	Ruth	23,638	▼ 1
7	Virginia	18,326	–
8	Mildred	15,989	–
9	Elizabeth	15,460	–
10	Frances	14,881	–
11	Doris	14,610	–
12	Evelyn	13,174	▲ 1
13	Anna	12,865	▼ 1
14	Marie	11,513	–
15	Alice	11,331	–
16	Marjorie	10,220	–
17	Irene	10,053	–
18	Florence	9,746	–
19	Jean	9,511	▲ 1
20	Lillian	9,327	▼ 1
21	Martha	8,961	–
22	Louise	8,882	–
23	Rose	8,440	–
24	Catherine	8,437	–
25	Ruby	8,232	▲ 1
26	Shirley	7,918	▲ 13
27	Lois	7,814	▲ 8
28	Eleanor	7,772	–
29	Gladys	7,695	▼ 4
30	Josephine	7,560	▼ 3
31	Thelma	7,379	–
32	Edna	7,299	▼ 3
33	Barbara	7,209	▲ 7
34	Annie	7,095	▼ 4
35	Lucille	6,914	▼ 2
36	Edith	6,836	▼ 2
37	Pauline	6,707	▼ 1
38	Ethel	6,541	▼ 6
39	Grace	6,316	▼ 1
40	Hazel	6,246	▼ 3
41	Norma	5,885	▲ 5
42	June	5,810	▲ 3
43	Bernice	5,809	▼ 2
44	Marion	5,711	▼ 2
45	Phyllis	5,476	▲ 8
46	Beatrice	5,464	▼ 3
47	Esther	5,315	▼ 3
48	Gloria	5,310	▲ 13
49	Clara	5,134	▼ 2
50	Rita	5,095	▲ 2
51	Juanita	5,048	▲ 6
52	Ann	5,022	▼ 3
53	Emma	4,977	▼ 3
54	Sarah	4,963	▼ 3
55	Jane	4,917	–
56	Patricia	4,800	▲ 13
57	Lorraine	4,764	▼ 1
58	Geraldine	4,712	–
59	Gertrude	4,700	▼ 11
60	Katherine	4,579	▼ 6
61	Elsie	4,550	▼ 2
62	Julia	4,323	▼ 2
63	Agnes	4,222	▼ 1
64	Bertha	4,122	▼ 1
65	Marian	4,029	▲ 2
66	Eva	3,975	▼ 2
67	Willie	3,963	▲ 3
68	Ida	3,888	▼ 3
69	Vivian	3,831	▲ 5
70	Kathleen	3,754	▲ 10
71	Anne	3,727	▼ 5
72	Kathryn	3,714	▲ 1
73	Laura	3,710	▼ 5
74	Wilma	3,706	▲ 3
75	Nancy	3,673	▲ 3
76	Maxine	3,603	▲ 6
77	Charlotte	3,596	▼ 1
78	Pearl	3,543	▼ 7
79	Viola	3,534	▼ 7
80	Wanda	3,405	▲ 12
81	Bessie	3,387	–
82	Vera	3,375	▼ 3
83	Dolores	3,369	▲ 21
84	Myrtle	3,314	▼ 9
85	Audrey	3,281	▲ 4
86	Violet	3,276	–
87	Elaine	3,212	▲ 15
88	Nellie	3,184	▼ 5
89	Alma	3,070	▼ 5
90	Jeanne	3,040	▲ 7
91	Lillie	3,036	▼ 6
92	Lucy	3,002	▲ 1
93	Ella	2,995	▼ 3
94	Jessie	2,995	▼ 7
95	Eileen	2,976	▲ 1
96	Stella	2,956	▼ 8
97	Genevieve	2,869	▲ 1
98	Sylvia	2,838	▼ 4
99	Minnie	2,785	▼ 8
100	Leona	2,744	▲ 1

Source: US Social Security Administration baby name data, 1923. 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.