These Were the 100 Most Popular Baby Names in 1919
Here's how they compare to today's.
When it comes to baby names, there are plenty of trends that go in and out of style over the years. But according to the Social Security Administration’s database, some names that were popular in 1919 are still common a century later today.
The agency’s records, which date back to the 1880s, analyze nearly seven million male births and 8.5 million female births to determine how many times a name has been used. In 1919, the top name for girls was Mary, which is nowhere to be found on the 2018 list. But the number one name for boys, John, still ranks in the top 50, although falling to number 42.
The girls’ names from 1919 that remain on the most popular list for 2018 include Elizabeth, Evelyn, Grace, and Sarah. And Emma, which was number 41 a century ago, rose to number three last year.
As for the boys, there is a lot more crossover. The names that are still popular in 2018 are William, James, Henry, David, Leo, and Michael. And not only was Jack also on both lists, but the number one name in 2018 was Jackson, a twist on the classic moniker.
Browse the entire top 50 lists from 1919 below.
THE 50 MOST POPULAR GIRLS’ NAMES OF 1919
- Mary
- Helen
- Dorothy
- Margaret
- Ruth
- Mildred
- Virginia
- Elizabeth
- Frances
- Anna
- Evelyn
- Marie
- Alice
- Florence
- Betty
- Irene
- Lillian
- Doris
- Rose
- Louise
- Gladys
- Edna
- Catherine
- Ruby
- Martha
- Grace
- Hazel
- Thelma
- Lucille
- Edith
- Eleanor
- Doris
- Annie
- Pauline
- Gertrude
- Esther
- Betty
- Beatrice
- Marjorie
- Clara
- Emma
- Bernice
- Bertha
- Ann
- Jean
- Elsie
- Julia
- Agnes
- Lois
- Sarah
THE 50 MOST POPULAR BOYS’ NAMES OF 1919
- John
- William
- James
- Robert
- Charles
- George
- Joseph
- Edward
- Frank
- Thomas
- Walter
- Richard
- Harold
- Raymond
- Paul
- Henry
- Donald
- Albert
- Arthur
- Harry
- Jack
- Ralph
- Willie
- Howard
- Clarence
- Carl
- Howard
- Fred
- David
- Kenneth
- Francis
- Roy
- Earl
- Joe
- Ernest
- Lawrence
- Stanley
- Anthony
- Eugene
- Samuel
- Herber
- Alfred
- Leonard
- Michael
- Elmer
- Andrew
- Leo
- Bernard
- Norman
- Peter
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