The Most Popular Baby Name Every Year of the Last Century
Over the past hundred years, baby-naming trends have largely been shaped by family traditions and popular culture. Classic names such as Mary, John, Betty, and James often appear repeatedly in family trees, passed down out of respect for previous generations and a desire to keep family legacies alive. By the latter half of the 20th century, parents found baby name inspiration in popular culture, including films, theater, and music. The name Jennifer, for instance, began its climb in the U.S. thanks to the George Bernard Shaw play The Doctor’s Dilemma, which debuted on Broadway in 1927. Today, Olivia and Liam are the reigning favorites, and it’s likely only a matter of time before names that are already in the top 10 — such as Mia, Mateo, Evelyn, and Elijah — claim the No. 1 spots.Here is a fascinating look at the most popular girls’ and boys’ names of the last century, based on data collected by the U.S. Social Security Administration from Social Security card applications.
1924 to 1929
1924: Mary, Robert
1925: Mary, Robert
1926: Mary, Robert
1927: Mary, Robert
1928: Mary, Robert
1929: Mary, Robert
The “Roaring ’20s” brought new cultural, economic, and sexual freedoms for women, but the most popular female names of the Greatest Generation — those born between 1901 and 1927 — didn’t reflect this newfound sense of liberation. Mary remained the most popular girls’ name from 1924 to 1929, just as it had since 1900. A biblical name that appears in both the Old and New Testaments, Mary is the anglicized form of Maria and originated from the Hebrew Miryam. In 1924, the name Robert, favored by European royalty and nobility in the Middle Ages,” replaced John, another common biblical name, as the most popular boys’ name, ending John’s decades-long place at the top of the list.
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1930s
1930: Mary, Robert
1931: Mary, Robert
1932: Mary, Robert
1933: Mary, Robert
1934: Mary, Robert
1935: Mary, Robert
1936: Mary, Robert
1937: Mary, Robert
1938: Mary, Robert
1939: Mary, Robert
The end of the 1920s represented the beginning of the Silent Generation, which continued until 1945. For children born in the 1930s, it was an era marked by scarcity, sacrifice, and traditional values. This generation is also known as the Traditionalist Generation, and the most popular baby names of the 1930s reflect that characteristic: As in the second half of the 1920s, Mary and Robert remained the most popular female and male names, respectively, throughout the decade.
1940s
1940: Mary, James
1941: Mary, James
1942: Mary, James
1943: Mary, James
1944: Mary, James
1945: Mary, James
1946: Mary, James
1947: Linda, James
1948: Linda, James
1949: Linda, James
With the end of the Silent Generation in 1945, a new era of baby boomers — so named for the “baby boom” that happened after World War II — was born. After decades as the No. 1 female name, Mary lost that designation when Linda claimed the top spot in 1947, boosted by the popularity of Jack Lawrence’s 1946 song “Linda.”For boys’ names, Robert’s 16-year reign at the top came to an end at the beginning of the decade, when James — a staple on the top 100 most popular names thanks to both its biblical and royal associations — took the No. 1 spot in 1940 and stayed there until 1952.
1950s
1950: Linda, James
1951: Linda, James
1952: Linda, James
1953: Mary, Robert
1954: Mary, Michael
1955: Mary, Michael
1956: Mary, Michael
1957: Mary, Michael
1958: Mary, Michael
1959: Mary, Michael
Linda continued to be the top female name at the start of the 1950s but swapped places with Mary (again) in 1953, when Mary reclaimed the No. 1 spot and stayed there for the rest of the decade. Meanwhile, three different boys’ names saw the No. 1 spot during the 1950s. James remained at the top for three years before Robert returned as the No. 1 name for just one year in 1953. In 1954, Robert slipped to No. 2 behind Michael — a biblical name historically associated with emperors, kings, and saints — which remained the most popular male name for the rest of the decade.
1960s
1960: Mary, David
1961: Mary, Michael
1962: Lisa, Michael
1963: Lisa, Michael
1964: Lisa, Michael
1965: Lisa, Michael
1966: Lisa, Michael
1967: Lisa, Michael
1968: Lisa, Michael
1969: Lisa, Michael
In 1960 and 1961, Mary was once again the most popular female name in the nation. In 1961, Lisa appeared on the list of the top five most popular names for the first time, coming in second behind Mary. The following year, Lisa surpassed Mary as the No. 1 female name, and stayed in the top spot for the rest of the decade. David, which first appeared in the top five most popular male names in 1948 and continually ranked between No. 2 and No. 5 for the next 12 years, finally took the top spot in 1960. Its reign was short-lived, though: David was bumped in 1961 by perennial favorite Michael, making 1960 the only year David has ever held the No. 1 spot, despite being in the top five 39 times over the past century.
1970s
1970: Jennifer, Michael
1971: Jennifer, Michael
1972: Jennifer, Michael
1973: Jennifer, Michael
1974: Jennifer, Michael
1975: Jennifer, Michael
1976: Jennifer, Michael
1977: Jennifer, Michael
1978: Jennifer, Michael
1979: Jennifer, Michael
Generation X, which includes people born between 1965 and 1980, introduced a generation of “latchkey kids,” children of dual-income or divorced parents whose free-range childhoods led them to be characterized as independent, resourceful, and cynical. Jennifer, which first appeared in the top five most popular female names in 1968, took the top spot in 1970 and stayed there throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s. Michael, which had dominated the top of the list since the mid-1950s, continued as No. 1 throughout the decade. Three names — James, Christopher, and Jason — vied for the No. 2 spot over the course of the decade, but neither Christopher nor Jason ever reached No. 1, unlike James, which had previously held that spot for 13 years.
1980s
1980: Jennifer, Michael
1981: Jennifer, Michael
1982: Jennifer, Michael
1983: Jennifer, Michael
1984: Jennifer, Michael
1985: Jessica, Michael
1986: Jessica, Michael
1987: Jessica, Michael
1988: Jessica, Michael
1989: Jessica, Michael
The year 1981 marked the start of Generation Y, better known as millennials. This generation grew up during a time of major technological advancements, including personal computers and internet access. During the early 1980s, Jennifer continued to hold the top spot as the most popular female name, but 1985 saw another three-syllable “J” name take the lead: Jessica. This name may have appealed to parents who wanted a trendier “J” name than Jennifer, but the first recorded instance of Jessica actually dates back to William Shakespeare’s play, The Merchant of Venice. Meanwhile, Michael enjoyed another decade at No. 1, while Christopher remained No. 2 throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s, never quite surpassing the popularity of Michael.
1990s
1990: Jessica, Michael
1991: Ashley, Michael
1992: Ashley, Michael
1993: Jessica, Michael
1994: Jessica, Michael
1995: Jessica, Michael
1996: Emily, Michael
1997: Emily, Michael
1998: Emily, Michael
1999: Emily, Jacob
In 1993, the World Wide Web launched, introducing a whole new way of learning and communicating. The millennial generation came to a close in the mid-1990s, and 1997 is considered the beginning of Generation Z, also called “zoomers.” Jessica bounced between No. 1 and No. 2 for most of the decade before disappearing from the top five in 1998. Ashley, a name more commonly given to boys prior to the 1960s, held the lead in 1991 and 1992, but slipped to No. 2, No. 3, and No. 5 for the rest of the decade. Emily, another appealing “-ly” name, appeared in the top five in 1993 and held the lead for 13 years, starting in 1996. And after holding the No. 1 spot as the most popular male name for 44 of the previous 45 years, Michael was dethroned in 1999 by Jacob, a name that first appeared in the top five in 1995.
2000s
2000: Emily, Jacob
2001: Emily, Jacob
2002: Emily, Jacob
2003: Emily, Jacob
2004: Emily, Jacob
2005: Emily, Jacob
2006: Emily, Jacob
2007: Emily, Jacob
2008: Emily, Jacob
2009: Isabella, Jacob
The year 2001 marked the beginning of the second millennium CE, but the occasion didn’t have an impact on the most popular baby names for the youngest Gen Zers. Though computers and the internet changed the way millennials lived and worked, Generation Z is considered the first true digital native generation, as this cohort has never known a time when the internet wasn’t as close as their smartphone. Still, for older Gen X and millennial parents, sticking with tradition was the name of the name game in this booming digital era. Emily held the No. 1 spot for the entire decade until Isabella, which first appeared on the top five in 2006, took the lead in 2009. And Jacob, a biblical name with a more contemporary feel, replaced Michael after a long reign and remained No. 1 throughout this decade and into the next.
2010s
2010: Isabella, Jacob
2011: Sophia, Jacob
2012: Sophia, Jacob
2013: Sophia, Noah
2014: Emma, Noah
2015: Emma, Noah
2016: Emma, Noah
2017: Emma, Liam
2018: Emma, Liam
2019: Olivia, Liam
Those born in the 2010s are shaping up to be known as Generation Alpha. The oldest members are just entering their teen years and the qualities that will define their cohort are still being formed. That fact might be reflected in the number of names — four for girls and three for boys — that held the No. 1 spot over the decade. This decade saw a trend toward vintage and vintage-inspired names. Isabella started in the No. 1 spot just as it had ended the previous decade, but was displaced in 2011 by Sophia, which stayed at the top for three years before being replaced by Emma. Emma then stayed at No. 1 for four years, before Olivia claimed the No. 1 spot to finish the decade. Continuing its popularity from the previous decade, Jacob held the top spot as the most popular male name for three years before being unseated by Noah. Four years later, in 2017, Liam — a derivative of William that first appeared on the top five list in 2013 as the third most popular male name — replaced Noah as the most popular name for the rest of the decade.
2020s
2020: Olivia, Liam
2021: Olivia, Liam
2022: Olivia, Liam
2023: Olivia, Liam
2024: Olivia, Liam
We’re only a few years into this century’s ’20s, but the most popular baby names reflect how trends have shifted since the start of the new millennium. So far in this decade, Olivia and Liam are holding steady at No. 1, but old-fashioned names are making a notable comeback. Henry, which ranked as the 18th most popular male name in 1924, climbed to No. 8 in 2023, and Evelyn, which was the 12th most popular female name in 1924, was No. 9 in 2023. On the other hand, Robert and Mary, the two most popular names 100 years ago, now rank 89th and 135th in popularity, showing how much trends have changed in the last hundred years.
