Most popular baby names of 1926

In 1926, the most popular names for US babies were Robert for boys (61,130 babies, 5.5% of boys) and Mary for girls (67,833 babies, 5.7% of girls). The rest of the top five were John, James, William and Charles for boys and Dorothy, Betty, Helen and Margaret for girls. SSA recorded 4,837 different boy names and 5,622 different girl names that year.

Top 100 boy names, 1926
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	Robert	61,130	–
2	John	56,108	–
3	James	53,197	▲ 1
4	William	51,922	▼ 1
5	Charles	29,521	–
6	George	25,909	–
7	Richard	25,143	▲ 1
8	Joseph	23,756	▼ 1
9	Donald	20,912	▲ 1
10	Edward	19,375	▼ 1
11	Thomas	16,592	–
12	Frank	14,493	–
13	Paul	13,653	–
14	Harold	13,311	–
15	Raymond	12,809	–
16	Jack	12,195	▲ 1
17	Walter	11,774	▼ 1
18	Kenneth	10,342	▲ 1
19	Henry	9,994	▼ 1
20	Arthur	9,465	–
21	Albert	9,146	–
22	David	9,041	–
23	Eugene	9,016	▲ 1
24	Ralph	8,455	▲ 1
25	Harry	8,215	▼ 2
26	Carl	6,939	▲ 2
27	Howard	6,836	▼ 1
28	Willie	6,820	▼ 1
29	Clarence	6,537	▲ 1
30	Louis	6,513	▼ 1
31	Fred	6,447	▲ 2
32	Earl	6,441	▼ 1
33	Joe	6,338	▲ 1
34	Roy	6,224	▼ 2
35	Francis	5,789	–
36	Lawrence	5,582	–
37	Ernest	5,436	–
38	Leonard	5,402	–
39	Norman	5,282	▲ 2
40	Billy	5,180	▲ 9
41	Gerald	5,123	▲ 4
42	Anthony	5,058	▼ 3
43	Stanley	4,966	▼ 3
44	Herbert	4,939	▼ 2
45	Alfred	4,726	▼ 2
46	Daniel	4,516	▼ 2
47	Melvin	4,194	▲ 3
48	Samuel	4,179	▼ 2
49	Bernard	4,172	▼ 1
50	Marvin	4,111	▲ 1
51	Leroy	3,808	▲ 1
52	Russell	3,793	▲ 1
53	Floyd	3,623	▲ 5
54	Leo	3,552	–
55	Edwin	3,491	▲ 2
56	Michael	3,485	▼ 1
57	Ray	3,409	▲ 7
58	Peter	3,359	▲ 2
59	Andrew	3,344	▼ 3
60	Lloyd	3,278	▲ 2
61	Elmer	3,233	–
62	Clifford	3,190	▼ 3
63	Theodore	3,129	–
64	Frederick	3,120	▲ 1
65	Calvin	3,014	▼ 18
66	Vernon	2,953	▲ 1
67	Clyde	2,873	▲ 1
68	Wayne	2,812	▲ 6
69	Herman	2,798	–
70	Philip	2,708	▲ 5
71	Warren	2,701	▼ 5
72	Alvin	2,693	▼ 2
73	Leon	2,647	▲ 3
74	Bill	2,643	▲ 10
75	Glenn	2,635	▲ 2
76	Gordon	2,629	▼ 4
77	Vincent	2,543	▼ 6
78	Lester	2,539	▲ 3
79	Chester	2,534	▼ 6
80	Martin	2,493	▲ 3
81	Charlie	2,446	▼ 3
82	Lewis	2,444	▼ 3
83	Milton	2,418	▼ 3
84	Dale	2,398	▲ 2
85	Lee	2,313	▼ 3
86	Cecil	2,305	▲ 1
87	Jesse	2,298	▼ 2
88	Ronald	2,283	▲ 16
89	Roger	2,260	▲ 1
90	Harvey	2,128	▼ 2
91	Gene	2,083	▲ 21
92	Sam	2,033	▼ 1
93	Allen	2,021	▲ 1
94	Victor	2,016	▼ 5
95	Wallace	2,012	▼ 3
96	Don	1,966	▲ 10
97	Jerry	1,934	▲ 10
98	Benjamin	1,898	▼ 5
99	Arnold	1,882	▼ 4
100	Willard	1,810	▼ 3

Top 100 girl names, 1926
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	Mary	67,833	–
2	Dorothy	36,618	–
3	Betty	32,964	–
4	Helen	26,885	–
5	Margaret	23,073	–
6	Ruth	20,225	–
7	Doris	16,295	▲ 1
8	Virginia	16,161	▼ 1
9	Mildred	13,548	–
10	Frances	13,355	▲ 1
11	Elizabeth	12,837	▼ 1
12	Jean	12,168	▲ 2
13	Evelyn	11,780	▼ 1
14	Shirley	11,761	▲ 3
15	Anna	11,698	▼ 2
16	Barbara	11,079	▲ 6
17	Alice	10,956	▼ 2
18	Marie	10,629	▼ 2
19	Lois	9,817	▼ 1
20	Gloria	9,199	–
21	Irene	9,169	▼ 2
22	Marjorie	8,640	▼ 1
23	Patricia	8,586	▲ 5
24	Martha	8,556	▼ 1
25	Rose	8,509	▲ 1
26	Florence	8,178	▼ 2
27	Louise	7,979	–
28	Lillian	7,661	▼ 3
29	Norma	7,528	▲ 5
30	Ruby	7,476	–
31	Catherine	7,469	▼ 2
32	Eleanor	7,305	▼ 1
33	Phyllis	6,921	▲ 7
34	Annie	6,877	▼ 2
35	Gladys	6,634	▼ 2
36	Thelma	6,584	▼ 1
37	Josephine	6,410	▼ 1
38	Edna	6,396	▼ 1
39	Pauline	6,357	▼ 1
40	June	6,077	▼ 1
41	Ethel	5,856	▲ 2
42	Edith	5,786	–
43	Lucille	5,760	▼ 2
44	Joyce	5,704	▲ 15
45	Bernice	5,443	▲ 1
46	Grace	5,427	▼ 2
47	Marion	5,353	–
48	Hazel	5,303	▼ 3
49	Dolores	5,219	▲ 15
50	Rita	5,015	▼ 2
51	Joan	4,995	▲ 15
52	Juanita	4,981	▼ 3
53	Lorraine	4,891	▼ 2
54	Geraldine	4,812	–
55	Ann	4,779	▼ 3
56	Jane	4,641	▼ 3
57	Nancy	4,566	▲ 3
58	Beatrice	4,518	▼ 8
59	Emma	4,480	▼ 2
60	Audrey	4,477	▲ 18
61	Clara	4,464	▼ 6
62	Esther	4,454	▼ 6
63	Sarah	4,423	▼ 5
64	Theresa	4,407	▲ 16
65	Marilyn	4,370	▲ 18
66	Wanda	4,125	▲ 6
67	Wilma	4,054	▼ 5
68	Elaine	4,004	▲ 5
69	Elsie	3,910	▼ 6
70	Marian	3,859	▼ 3
71	Gertrude	3,852	▼ 1
72	Katherine	3,834	▼ 11
73	Willie	3,817	▼ 5
74	Beverly	3,775	▲ 31
75	Julia	3,688	▼ 10
76	Bertha	3,583	▼ 2
77	Agnes	3,533	▼ 8
78	Charlotte	3,512	▼ 1
79	Eva	3,494	▼ 8
80	Vivian	3,430	▼ 4
81	Laura	3,373	▼ 6
82	Ida	3,285	–
83	Kathleen	3,277	▼ 2
84	Vera	3,152	▲ 2
85	Maxine	3,150	▼ 6
86	Anne	3,109	▼ 1
87	Kathryn	3,094	▲ 1
88	Jeanne	3,063	▲ 1
89	Bessie	3,054	▼ 2
90	Donna	3,008	▲ 20
91	Alma	2,990	▲ 3
92	Eileen	2,928	▲ 4
93	Jessie	2,921	▲ 4
94	Violet	2,903	▼ 2
95	Rosemary	2,900	▲ 8
96	Pearl	2,899	▼ 6
97	Viola	2,876	▼ 13
98	Ella	2,852	▼ 5
99	Lillie	2,845	▼ 8
100	Ellen	2,768	▲ 1

Source: US Social Security Administration baby name data, 1926. 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.