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Most Popular Baby Names by Decade

Each row shows a name's total recorded births in one decade. Names are ranked within each decade and sex. The 2020s row covers 2020 to 2025 only.

Quick Answer

Mary ranked first for girls in every decade from the 1880s through the 1950s. John led boys through the 1910s, and Michael led from the 1960s through the 1990s. Liam leads boys in the 2020s so far.

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Most Popular Baby Names by Decade. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby names data, 1880 to 2025.
DecadeSexRankNameBirths in decade
1880sGirls1Mary91,668
1880sGirls2Anna38,159
1880sGirls3Emma25,404
1880sGirls4Elizabeth25,006
1880sGirls5Margaret21,799
1880sGirls6Minnie21,724
1880sGirls7Ida18,283
1880sGirls8Bertha18,263
1880sGirls9Clara17,717
1880sGirls10Alice17,142
1880sBoys1John89,949
1880sBoys2William84,881
1880sBoys3James54,055
1880sBoys4George47,651
1880sBoys5Charles46,656
1880sBoys6Frank30,967
1880sBoys7Joseph26,292
1880sBoys8Henry24,139
1880sBoys9Robert24,074
1880sBoys10Thomas23,750
1890sGirls1Mary131,138
1890sGirls2Anna55,261
1890sGirls3Margaret37,937
1890sGirls4Helen37,802
1890sGirls5Elizabeth33,879
1890sGirls6Ruth32,867
1890sGirls7Florence32,345
1890sGirls8Ethel31,453
1890sGirls9Emma28,652
1890sGirls10Marie25,853
1890sBoys1John80,664
1890sBoys2William72,244
1890sBoys3James50,723
1890sBoys4George43,358
1890sBoys5Charles36,848
1890sBoys6Joseph29,000
1890sBoys7Frank28,718
1890sBoys8Robert26,147
1890sBoys9Edward22,033
1890sBoys10Henry21,664
1900sGirls1Mary161,504
1900sGirls2Helen69,428
1900sGirls3Margaret57,919
1900sGirls4Anna54,918
1900sGirls5Ruth51,010
1900sGirls6Elizabeth41,708
1900sGirls7Dorothy39,112
1900sGirls8Marie37,091
1900sGirls9Florence36,191
1900sGirls10Mildred36,173
1900sBoys1John84,590
1900sBoys2William69,320
1900sBoys3James62,170
1900sBoys4George43,589
1900sBoys5Charles36,184
1900sBoys6Robert35,849
1900sBoys7Joseph35,173
1900sBoys8Frank29,046
1900sBoys9Edward24,516
1900sBoys10Thomas21,783
1910sGirls1Mary478,636
1910sGirls2Helen248,154
1910sGirls3Dorothy207,475
1910sGirls4Margaret189,234
1910sGirls5Ruth173,675
1910sGirls6Mildred123,998
1910sGirls7Anna118,998
1910sGirls8Elizabeth116,811
1910sGirls9Frances105,599
1910sGirls10Virginia94,322
1910sBoys1John376,311
1910sBoys2William303,017
1910sBoys3James275,070
1910sBoys4Robert239,185
1910sBoys5Joseph179,300
1910sBoys6George176,609
1910sBoys7Charles173,535
1910sBoys8Edward125,720
1910sBoys9Frank116,017
1910sBoys10Thomas91,619
1920sGirls1Mary701,755
1920sGirls2Dorothy368,875
1920sGirls3Helen290,404
1920sGirls4Betty283,096
1920sGirls5Margaret245,011
1920sGirls6Ruth218,520
1920sGirls7Virginia169,554
1920sGirls8Doris151,193
1920sGirls9Mildred147,155
1920sGirls10Frances140,391
1920sBoys1Robert576,374
1920sBoys2John564,052
1920sBoys3James515,301
1920sBoys4William512,402
1920sBoys5Charles298,031
1920sBoys6George261,945
1920sBoys7Joseph243,809
1920sBoys8Richard222,599
1920sBoys9Edward197,348
1920sBoys10Donald191,816
1930sGirls1Mary573,000
1930sGirls2Betty300,409
1930sGirls3Barbara296,420
1930sGirls4Shirley229,380
1930sGirls5Patricia220,582
1930sGirls6Dorothy210,415
1930sGirls7Joan173,439
1930sGirls8Margaret157,369
1930sGirls9Nancy142,488
1930sGirls10Helen140,426
1930sBoys1Robert590,810
1930sBoys2James547,479
1930sBoys3John487,950
1930sBoys4William416,730
1930sBoys5Richard330,502
1930sBoys6Charles303,218
1930sBoys7Donald283,718
1930sBoys8George192,289
1930sBoys9Thomas183,878
1930sBoys10Joseph180,566
1940sGirls1Mary640,080
1940sGirls2Linda531,660
1940sGirls3Barbara425,271
1940sGirls4Patricia411,412
1940sGirls5Carol292,333
1940sGirls6Sandra265,538
1940sGirls7Nancy252,061
1940sGirls8Sharon221,237
1940sGirls9Judith218,037
1940sGirls10Susan212,016
1940sBoys1James795,775
1940sBoys2Robert758,126
1940sBoys3John711,614
1940sBoys4William556,478
1940sBoys5Richard477,476
1940sBoys6David426,372
1940sBoys7Charles361,772
1940sBoys8Thomas350,775
1940sBoys9Michael336,568
1940sBoys10Ronald282,489
1950sGirls1Mary625,606
1950sGirls2Linda564,364
1950sGirls3Patricia459,681
1950sGirls4Susan437,774
1950sGirls5Deborah430,537
1950sGirls6Barbara345,722
1950sGirls7Debra341,348
1950sGirls8Karen332,531
1950sGirls9Nancy286,812
1950sGirls10Donna270,338
1950sBoys1James843,768
1950sBoys2Michael837,471
1950sBoys3Robert830,395
1950sBoys4John797,922
1950sBoys5David769,963
1950sBoys6William591,228
1950sBoys7Richard535,461
1950sBoys8Thomas454,385
1950sBoys9Mark382,589
1950sBoys10Charles361,177
1960sGirls1Lisa496,987
1960sGirls2Mary355,240
1960sGirls3Susan287,666
1960sGirls4Karen286,053
1960sGirls5Kimberly259,072
1960sGirls6Patricia231,178
1960sGirls7Linda225,454
1960sGirls8Donna213,468
1960sGirls9Michelle208,293
1960sGirls10Cynthia196,597
1960sBoys1Michael833,092
1960sBoys2David733,953
1960sBoys3John713,394
1960sBoys4James684,722
1960sBoys5Robert650,786
1960sBoys6Mark441,390
1960sBoys7William421,433
1960sBoys8Richard373,907
1960sBoys9Thomas327,055
1960sBoys10Jeffrey302,029
1970sGirls1Jennifer581,729
1970sGirls2Amy268,994
1970sGirls3Melissa253,267
1970sGirls4Michelle249,130
1970sGirls5Kimberly229,097
1970sGirls6Lisa228,690
1970sGirls7Angela225,262
1970sGirls8Heather203,902
1970sGirls9Stephanie160,468
1970sGirls10Nicole144,667
1970sBoys1Michael707,327
1970sBoys2Christopher475,423
1970sBoys3Jason462,709
1970sBoys4David445,704
1970sBoys5James444,713
1970sBoys6John402,612
1970sBoys7Robert397,225
1970sBoys8Brian322,660
1970sBoys9William283,401
1970sBoys10Matthew277,727
1980sGirls1Jessica469,510
1980sGirls2Jennifer440,914
1980sGirls3Amanda369,727
1980sGirls4Ashley352,185
1980sGirls5Sarah272,637
1980sGirls6Stephanie218,173
1980sGirls7Melissa217,922
1980sGirls8Nicole210,494
1980sGirls9Elizabeth198,972
1980sGirls10Heather191,852
1980sBoys1Michael663,807
1980sBoys2Christopher554,863
1980sBoys3Matthew458,951
1980sBoys4Joshua396,524
1980sBoys5David383,687
1980sBoys6James356,491
1980sBoys7Daniel345,537
1980sBoys8Robert321,655
1980sBoys9John321,150
1980sBoys10Joseph299,411
1990sGirls1Jessica303,136
1990sGirls2Ashley301,820
1990sGirls3Emily237,262
1990sGirls4Sarah224,423
1990sGirls5Samantha224,023
1990sGirls6Amanda191,132
1990sGirls7Brittany190,826
1990sGirls8Elizabeth172,693
1990sGirls9Taylor169,040
1990sGirls10Megan160,375
1990sBoys1Michael462,466
1990sBoys2Christopher360,287
1990sBoys3Matthew351,682
1990sBoys4Joshua329,192
1990sBoys5Jacob298,415
1990sBoys6Nicholas275,329
1990sBoys7Andrew272,941
1990sBoys8Daniel272,360
1990sBoys9Tyler262,320
1990sBoys10Joseph260,751
2000sGirls1Emily223,768
2000sGirls2Madison193,222
2000sGirls3Emma181,414
2000sGirls4Olivia156,054
2000sGirls5Hannah155,784
2000sGirls6Abigail150,926
2000sGirls7Isabella149,571
2000sGirls8Samantha134,313
2000sGirls9Elizabeth133,568
2000sGirls10Ashley133,051
2000sBoys1Jacob274,077
2000sBoys2Michael250,715
2000sBoys3Joshua232,053
2000sBoys4Matthew221,631
2000sBoys5Daniel203,975
2000sBoys6Christopher203,372
2000sBoys7Andrew202,588
2000sBoys8Ethan201,835
2000sBoys9Joseph194,962
2000sBoys10William194,415
2010sGirls1Emma195,070
2010sGirls2Olivia184,561
2010sGirls3Sophia181,174
2010sGirls4Isabella170,605
2010sGirls5Ava155,879
2010sGirls6Mia129,110
2010sGirls7Abigail118,734
2010sGirls8Emily117,646
2010sGirls9Charlotte102,488
2010sGirls10Madison98,438
2010sBoys1Noah183,378
2010sBoys2Liam174,017
2010sBoys3Jacob163,321
2010sBoys4William159,981
2010sBoys5Mason157,911
2010sBoys6Ethan149,111
2010sBoys7Michael145,220
2010sBoys8Alexander142,161
2010sBoys9James139,689
2010sBoys10Elijah137,147
2020sGirls1Olivia95,853
2020sGirls2Emma85,652
2020sGirls3Charlotte78,055
2020sGirls4Amelia76,108
2020sGirls5Sophia74,758
2020sGirls6Mia68,154
2020sGirls7Isabella67,643
2020sGirls8Ava63,350
2020sGirls9Evelyn55,734
2020sGirls10Harper47,509
2020sBoys1Liam124,842
2020sBoys2Noah116,024
2020sBoys3Oliver89,293
2020sBoys4James72,523
2020sBoys5Elijah72,049
2020sBoys6William68,067
2020sBoys7Henry68,047
2020sBoys8Lucas65,795
2020sBoys9Theodore65,579
2020sBoys10Benjamin64,922

Sources

  • U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby names data, 1880 to 2025

How to cite this data

Dayblip, "Most Popular Baby Names by Decade", October 2026, dayblip.com/data/name-popularity. The CSV is free to use with this credit.

Methodology: Counts are the number of Social Security card applications that list the name, summed by decade. The source only includes names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. Spelling variants are counted as separate names, so a name's real popularity can be higher than its rank suggests.

Last updated: October 2026

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