Top 100 Baby Names of the Last 100 Years

In exploring the most popular baby names of the last century, it’s evident that certain names have stood the test of time, consistently appearing at the top of the charts. Names with biblical references, such as James and Deborah, have shown remarkable endurance, while names of Irish origin like Patrick, boosted by the cultural and religious significance of Saint Patrick, showcase the diverse influences on American naming conventions. The Social Security Administration’s baby name data reveals not just the fluctuating popularity of names but also the wider social impact and the stories behind these choices. From vintage names that hark back to early Hollywood starlets like Janet Gaynor to those with a long lineage reflecting a rich history, such as Alexander, the landscape of baby names offers an insightful reflection of societal changes and values over time.

Here are the top 100 most popular baby names over the last 100 years.

1.) James

• Origin: Hebrew
• Boy

The number-one male baby name for the last 100 years, James has been the popular given name for around 4.9 million boys. James is still in the top 20, showing what a timeless name it really is.

2.) Mary

• Origin: Greek
• Girl

The number one girl’s name is Mary. Over 3.7 million girls have this name. James has been in the top 5 from 1912 to 1980, while Mary has been in the top from 1912 to 1967. Mary ranked 112th in 2011, which still isn’t bad considering the millions of babies born over the last 100 years

3.) Patricia

• Origin: Latin
• Girl

Patricia first became popular in 1935, remaining in the top five for around 20 years. More than 1.5 million girls have been named Patricia. It hasn’t been a popular name recently, so maybe it’s due for a comeback.

4.) John

• Origin: English
• Boy

The name John enjoyed seemingly endless popularity from 1912 to 1972. This baby name is still in the top 30 popular boy’s baby names. There have been more than 4.7 million baby boys named John in the last 100 years.

5.) Elizabeth

• Origin: Greek
• Girl

Elizabeth, meaning “my God is abundance,” is the name given to more than 1.4 million girls in the last 100 years. Famous women named Elizabeth include Queen Elizabeth and actress Elizabeth Taylor.

6.) Robert

• Origin: French
• Boy

The name Robert has been given to more than 4.6 million boys since it first became popular in 1912. Robert means “bright fame” and is the name of many famous men including author Robert Browning, poet Robert Frost and actor Robert Redford.

7.) Jennifer

• Origin: Welsh
• Girl

Jennifer has been the name of more than 1.4 million people in the last 100 years, first hitting the top five in 1968. This name remained popular for 20 years before it fell off the top-five list.

8.) Michael

• Origin: Herbew
• Boy

Michael first hit the top five in 1949 and stayed there through 2010. In that time period, more than 4.2 million people have been named Michael, which means, “who is like God.” Unfortunately, naming your son Michael does not guarantee that he will be god-like.

9.) William

• Origin: French
• Boy

William has been the name of more than 3.7 million boys since 1912. It held strong for 57 years before it dropped from the top five, but it reappeared in 2009 and has been a top name ever since. Famous Williams include William Shakespeare, William the Conqueror of England and author William Faulkner.

10.) Linda

• Origin: Spanish
• Girl

Linda first broke into the top five in 1941 and remained there for more than 20 years. In the last 100 years, there have been more than 1.4 million babies named Linda, which means “soft and tender” or “beautiful.”

11.) Barbara

• Origin: Greek
• Girl

Barbara comes from the Greek word “barbaros”. It means “foreign” or “strange traveler from a foreign land.” It was popular in medieval Britain after the 3rd-century martyr, St. Barbara.

12.) David

• Origin: Hebrew
• Boy

This baby name comes from the Hebrew word Dawid, which means “beloved” or “uncle.”

13.) Susan

• Origin: Persian language, Hebrew, Greek
• Girl

Even though there were many places this name came from, Susan means “lily.”

14.) Richard

• Origin: German, French, and English
• Boy

This name derives from the word “ric” (ruler, leader, king, powerful) and “hard” (strong, brave, hardy). The nam, therefore,e means “strong in rule.”

15.) Jessica

• Origin: Hebrew
• Girl

16.) Margaret

• Origin: Greek
• Girl

Margaret means “pearl.”

17.) Joseph

• Origin: Latin
• Boy

Originally derived from Ioseph, this means “he will add.”

18.) Sarah

• Origin: Hebrew
• Girl

In Hebrew, the meaning of the name Sarah is “Princess.”

19.) Thomas

• Origin: English, Welsh, Scottish, French, German, Dutch and Danish
• Boy

The name derives from the medieval personal name of Biblical origin, meaning ‘twin’.

20.) Charles

• Origin: German
• Boy

Started in Germany, this name is an Old English word meaning “a man, freeman, peasant.”

21.) Karen

• Origin: Danish
• Girl

The root of this name means “pure” or “unsullied.”

22.) Nancy

• Origin: Hebrew
• Girl

The meaning of this name is “grace.”

23.) Christopher

• Origin: Greek
• Boy

Christopher comes from a medieval personal name which ostensibly means “bearer of Christ.”

24.) Betty

• Origin: Hebrew
• Girl

Even though this is an American name, the meaning is either “oath of God” or “God is satisfaction.”

25.) Daniel

• Origin: Hebrew
• Boy

This baby name means, “God is my judge” and it derives from two early biblical figures, primary among them Daniel from the Book of Daniel.

26.) Dorothy

• Origin: Greek
• Girl

Dorothy derives from the Greek word Dōrothéa, which means the “gift of God.”

27.) Matthew

• Origin: Greek , Hebrew
• Boy

It comes from the Greek form of Hebrew meaning “gift of YAHWEH.” It comes from the roots of the meaning “gift” and refers to the Hebrew God

28.) Lisa

• Origin: Hebrew
• Girl

Similar to Elizabeth, Lisa means “the oath of God” or “God is satisfaction”.

29.) Anthony

• Origin: Roman
• Boy

This popular baby name means “highly praiseworthy.” It also derives from a Roman clan name.

30.) Donald

• Origin: Gaelic
• Boy

The baby name Donald means “world-ruler” or “world-wielder.”

31.) Sandra

• Origin: Greek
• Girl

A feminine form of Alexander meaning defender of men, this name has been used in Britain since the early 13th century.

32.) Mark

• Origin: Latin
• Boy

The name Mark means “consecrated to the god Mars.” It also may mean “God of war” or “to be warlike.”

33.) Ashley

• Origin: Anglo-Saxon
• Girl and Boy

The name of the drives from the Anglo-Saxon words meaning “ash,” “meadow” and “forest cleaning.”

34.) Paul

• Origin: Roman
• Boy

The name derives from the Roman clan name, Paulus, which means “small” or “humble.”

35.) Kimberly

• Origin: Old English
• Girl

The meaning of Kimberly is “from the wood of the royal forest.”

36.) Steven

• Origin: Latin
• Boy

The name is derived from Stephanos, which means “a crown” or “a garland.”

37.) George

• Origin: Greek
• Boy

Coming from a few Greek words, the meaning of George is “rustic” and “farmer.”

38.) Donna

• Origin: Italian
• Girl

The name means “woman” in Italian.

39.) Carol

• Origin: Greek
• Girl

The name is derived from the vocabulary word carol (joyous song, a carol).

40.) Kenneth

• Origin: Gaelic
• Boy

Kenneth means “born of fire” and “handsome.”

41.) Andrew

• Origin: Greek
• Boy

The boy name comes from the Greek word “andros”, which means “man” The meaning evolved into “manly” and, as consequence, “brave”, “strong”, “courageous” and “warrior”.

42.) Michelle

• Origin: French, Hebrew
• Girl

Starting at the French feminine form of Michel, from the Hebrew name Michael that means “Who is like God?”

43.) Emily

• Origin: Latin
• Girl

This girl name is derived from the Latin origin name Aemilia, which is the feminine form of the Roman family name Aemilius, which means trying to equal or excel. Also, it is a name taken from the root word aemulus, meaning “rival.”

44.) Joshua

• Origin: Hebrew
• Boy

The name was the name of the biblical Moses’s successor who led the children of Israel into the Promised Land.

45.) Edward

• Origin: Old English
• Boy

The meaning behind Edward is “wealthy” or “fortunate guardian”.

46.) Helen

• Origin: Greek
• Girl

From a Greek origin, Helen means “light, torch, bright.”

47.) Amanda

• Origin: Latin
• Girl

This baby name is derived from the Latin word “amanda”, which means “lovable” and “worthy to be loved.”

48.) Brian

• Origin: Irish, Breton
• Boy

The name possibly means “high” or “noble.”

49.) Kevin

• Origin: Irish
• Boy

Kevin is an Irish name that means “kind, gentle, handsome.”

50.) Melissa

Origin: Greek

• Girl

This girl’s name means “bee.”

51.) Deborah

• Origin: Hebrew
• Girl

Similar to Melissa, Deborah means “bee.”

52.) Ronald

• Origin: Scandinavian
• Boy

The name is derived from elements that meant “advice,” “decision” and “ruler.”

53.) Timothy

• Origin: Greek
• Boy

Timothy means “honoring God.”

54.) Stephanie

• Origin: Greek
• Girl

Similar to Steven, the name has ties to the Greek word, Stephana, which is a feminine form of Stephanos. This means “a crown” or “a garland.”

55.) Laura

• Origin: Latin
• Girl

The name Laura is the feminized form of “laurus”, which is Latin for “bay laurel plant”. In the Greco-Roman era, this plant was used as a symbol of victory, honor or fame.

56.) Jason

• Origin: Latin, Greek
• Boy

This boy name derived from the word “iasthai”, which means “to heal.”

57.) Jeffrey

• Origin: German
• Boy

Derived from one of three Old German names, Jeffrey means “district,” “traveler” or “peaceful pledge.”

58.) Rebecca

• Origin: Hebrew
• Girl

The origins of this word stem from the meaning of “noose” and “to tie.”

59.) Sharon

• Origin: Hebrew
• Girl

Sharon means “a plain, a flat area.”

60.) Ryan

• Origin: Gaelic
• Boy and Girl

Popular sources typically suggest that Ryan means “little king” or “illustrious.”

61.) Gary

• Origin: German
• Boy

The name is derived from the German word “gar”, which means “spear.”

62.) Cynthia

• Origin: Greek
• Girl

Cynthia was originally a title of the Greek goddess Artemis. According to legend, Arthemis was born on Mount Cynthus.

63.) Kathleen

• Origin: Gaelic
• Girl

Similar to Katherine, this name means “pure” from the old Irish language.

64.) Jacob

• Origin: Latin
• Boy

Jacob means “seizing by the heel” or “supplanting.”

65.) Nicholas

• Origin: Greek
• Boy

Derived from the Greek word “nike”, this name means “victory of the people.”

66.) Shirley

• Origin: English
• Girl

The original meaning of the name Shirley is “bright wood,” “bright meadow” and “from the white meadow.”

67.) Amy

• Origin: French
• Girl

Originally from the French, the meaning of this girl name is “dearly loved” and “beloved.”

68.) Eric

• Origin: Norwegian
• Boy

The name is derived from the name “ever or eternal ruler.”

69.) Stephen

• Origin: Greek
• Boy

The meaning of this boy name means “crown” and “that which surrounds.”

70.) Anna

• Origin: Latin
• Girl

Derived from the name Hannah, the meaning of Anna is “favor,” “grace” or “beautiful.”

71.) Angela

• Origin: Greek
• Girl

This baby name is derived from the Greek word “ángelos”, which means “messenger of gods”

72.) Jonathan

• Origin: Hebrew
• Boy

In Hebrew, the meaning of the name Jonathan is “Jehovah has given.”

73.) Larry

• Origin: Latin
• Boy

The name Larry, which is similar to Lawrence and Laurence, means “laurel.”

74.) Ruth

• Origin: Hebrew
• Girl

Ruth means “companion,” “friend” or “vision of beauty.”

75.) Brenda

• Origin: Norwegian
• Girl

This girl name means “sword” or “torch.”

76.) Scott

• Origin: Latin
• Boy

Scott is derived from the Latin word “Scoti”, which means Gaelic speaker.

77.) Frank

• Origin: Latin
• Boy

The name Francis means “Frenchman” or “free one.”

78.) Pamela

• Origin: Greek
• Girl

The girl name Pamela has roots in Greek meaning “all sweetness” or “honey.”

79.) Virginia

• Origin: Latin
• Girl

This feminine name has a connection to the Ancient Roman family name Virginius, a name probably derived from the Latin word “virgo”, meaning “maiden” or “virgin.”

80.) Justin

• Origin: Latin
• Boy

Justin is a form of the Latin given name Justinus, a derivative of Justus, meaning “just,” “fair” or “righteous.”

81.) Brandon

• Origin: English
• Boy

Brandon comes from an old English wording meaning “hill covered with broom.”

82.) Katherine

• Origin: Latin and Greek
• Girl

Katherine comes from Latin and Greek both meaning “pure” and “clear.”

83.) Nicole

• Origin: Greek
• Girl

The girl name Nicole means “victory of the people.”

84.) Raymond

• Origin: German
• Boy

The male given name comes from the old German word, Ragin, which means “counsel.”

85.) Gregory

• Origin: Latin
• Boy

Gregory is a masculine name from the word “Gregorius,” which means “watchful.”

86.) Catherine

• Origin: Latin, Greek
• Girl

Similar to Katherine, this name means “pure” and “clear.”

87.) Christine

• Origin: Greek
• Girl

The name is mentioned in many languages, all meaning “follower of Christ.”

88.) Samuel

• Origin: Hebrew
• Boy

The boy name means “the name of God.”

89.) Benjamin

• Origin: Hebrew
• Boy

In Hebrew, the meaning of the name Benjamin is “son of my right hand.”

90.) Samantha

• Origin: Aramaic
• Girl

The girl name Samantha means “listener.”

91.) Debra

• Origin: Hebrew
• Girl

The name Debra in Hebrew means “bee.”

92.) Patrick

• Origin: Roman
• Boy

Patrick comes for the Romans, and it means “noble.”

93.) Jack

• Origin: English
• Boy

This boy name means “God is gracious.”

94.) Janet

• Origin: English
• Girl

This girl name is the feminine version of John, and it means “God has been gracious.”

95.) Carolyn

• Origin: Italian
• Girl

Originally from Italy, Carolyn means “strong.”

96.) Alexander

• Origin: Greek
• Boy

The name comes from the Greeks, and it means “defender of men.”

97.) Dennis

• Origin: Greek
• Boy

The name comes for a Greek God of mythological god of wine and revelry.

98.) Rachel

• Origin: Hebrew
• Girl

The meaning of the Hebrew name is “ewe.”

99.) Heather

• Origin: English
• Girl

In English, the meaning of the name Heather is “a flowering evergreen plant that thrives on peaty barren lands as in Scotland.”

100.) Jerry

• Origin: English
• Boy

The meaning of this name is “ruling spear.”

In conclusion, the evolution of baby names over the last century, as documented by the Social Security Administration, presents a fascinating narrative of cultural shifts, enduring traditions, and the ever-present influence of popular culture. Whether it’s the dominance of biblical names, the resurgence of vintage names, or the introduction of names influenced by pop culture and literature, the diversity and history encapsulated in these names are a valuable part of our community’s fabric. As we look forward to the coming years, it’s intriguing to ponder which names will rise to prominence, reflecting new societal influences, and which traditional monikers will continue to stand the test of time, marking their place in the annals of naming history.