These Were the Most Popular Baby Names in 1920
Baby names don’t typically experience dramatic dips and surges in popularity from one year to the next. But over time, there are interesting trends.
Some fall off the map for good, while others decline only to make a comeback. And of course, there are the classics that remain popular to this day. HuffPost took a look at the Social Security Administration’s baby name database to see which names have tanked over time and which ones have staying power … like 100 years of staying power.
Below, find the 25 most popular baby names for boys and girls in 1920. While James, William, Elizabeth and Evelyn remain popular today, others like Gladys, Mildred and Howard aren’t seen on many new birth certificates a century later.
Girls
1. Mary
2. Dorothy
3. Helen
4. Margaret
5. Ruth
6. Mildred
7. Virginia
8. Elizabeth
9. Frances
10. Anna
11. Betty
12. Evelyn
13. Marie
14. Doris
15. Alice
16. Florence
17. Irene
18. Lillian
19. Louise
20. Rose
21. Catherine
22. Gladys
23. Martha
24. Marjorie
25. Eleanor
Boys
1. John
2. William
3. Robert
4. James
5. Charles
6. George
7. Joseph
8. Edward
9. Frank
10. Richard
11. Thomas
12. Harold
13. Walter
14. Paul
15. Raymond
16. Donald
17. Henry
18. Arthur
19. Albert
20. Jack
21. Harry
22. Ralph
23. Kenneth
24. Howard
25. David