Decade hub

1920s baby names

Girls' popularity champion
Mary 701,755 births
Boys' popularity champion
Robert 576,374 births
Total recorded births
22,972,053
Female births
11,952,683
Male births
11,019,370
Distinct recorded names
18,108
Top-10 birth share
19.0%
Top-100 birth share
54.6%
Diversity score
64.9of 100 · 583 effective names
Concentration score
0.6of 100

A name can be popular in the 1920s without belonging to the 1920s. This hub separates the two: the biggest names of the decade, and the names whose recorded history is concentrated inside it.

A concentrated decade, and a wider story

The 1920s include 22,972,053 births recorded in the Social Security data: 11,952,683 girls and 11,019,370 boys across 18,108 name-and-sex records. Mary led girls with 701,755 births, while Robert led boys with 576,374. The ten largest name-and-sex combinations accounted for 19.03% of all recorded births, and the top hundred accounted for 54.58%.

Those shares describe popularity, but they do not show which names belong most distinctly to the era. A long-running classic can be enormous in one decade while spreading most of its history across many others. Ownership asks a narrower question: how concentrated was a name's recorded lifetime inside these ten years, after smoothing rare names and accounting for prominence?

By that measure, Dorothy leads the girls' ownership ranking. It was also the decade's second-most-popular girls' name, but its 368,875 births cluster more tightly around this era than Mary's much longer history. Seymour leads the boys' ownership ranking despite ranking 211th by 1920s births. The result is a reminder that identity and size are related, but not interchangeable.

The representative classroom turns the national distribution into a fixed roster. Thirty seats apportioned from 1924 records produce sixteen girls and fourteen boys. In this deterministic reconstruction all thirty seats carry different names: even a concentrated naming pool does not make a duplicate inevitable at this classroom size.

Spelling also changes the view. Conventional tables rank Katherine and Catherine separately. The manually reviewed family combines 121,626 recorded girls' births in the decade, a footprint large enough to sit near the top of the decade even though neither spelling tells the whole story alone.

These figures describe the SSA's national files, not every birth or every person's identity. The files omit name-and-sex counts below five, record sex rather than gender, and do not explain why parents chose a name. Ownership is a versioned descriptive score—not a claim of cultural truth—and the methodology page publishes every formula and threshold behind it.

Methodology: how every number on this page is computed

Decade ownership

Popularity measures size. Ownership measures identity. Some names remain popular for generations. Others overwhelmingly belong to one decade. The ownership score ranks names by how concentrated their recorded history is inside 1920–1929, weighted against how visible they actually were — adjusted so that rare names cannot win on a technicality.

It is a descriptive statistic about SSA birth records, not a verdict about culture. Read the full methodology.

Girls, ranked by ownership

The 25 highest ownership scores in the female eligible set.

Girls, ranked by ownership — 1920s decade ownership rankings
Rank Name Ownership score 1920s births Lifetime births Decade share of lifetime Peak year Status
1 Dorothy 88.2 368,875 1,112,231 33.2% 1924 endangered
2 Doris 83.6 151,193 462,548 32.7% 1928 endangered
3 Mildred 83.3 147,155 451,415 32.6% 1920 endangered
4 Imogene 82.9 11,295 27,901 40.5% 1927 endangered
5 Marjorie 82.4 91,221 274,017 33.3% 1921 endangered
6 Muriel 81.9 20,481 54,884 37.3% 1922 endangered
7 Bette 80.2 13,273 34,897 38.0% 1924 endangered
8 Helen 78.4 290,404 1,024,202 28.4% 1918 endangered
9 Betty 78.1 283,096 1,001,238 28.3% 1930 endangered
10 Thelma 76.1 68,767 225,460 30.5% 1921 endangered
11 Bernice 75.4 55,842 182,130 30.7% 1921 endangered
12 Ruth 73.1 218,520 836,122 26.1% 1920 endangered
13 Marion 72.7 55,178 189,218 29.2% 1924 endangered
14 Pauline 71.8 64,075 226,404 28.3% 1918 endangered
15 Virginia 71.7 169,554 652,959 26.0% 1922 endangered
16 Maxine 70.4 33,743 115,612 29.2% 1924 rising
17 Gladys 70.3 72,561 266,718 27.2% 1920 endangered
18 Lucille 70.2 63,883 232,571 27.5% 1920 stable
19 Lois 69.8 88,133 332,950 26.5% 1927 endangered
20 June 69.7 56,482 205,556 27.5% 1925 rising
21 Irene 69.4 92,836 355,462 26.1% 1921 endangered
22 Florence 69.1 88,295 339,093 26.0% 1918 endangered
23 Wilma 68.8 39,127 140,101 27.9% 1925 endangered
24 Opal 68.3 21,542 73,539 29.3% 1918 rising
25 Marian 68.0 38,978 141,944 27.5% 1924 endangered

Boys, ranked by ownership

The 25 highest ownership scores in the male eligible set.

Boys, ranked by ownership — 1920s decade ownership rankings
Rank Name Ownership score 1920s births Lifetime births Decade share of lifetime Peak year Status
1 Seymour 81.2 6,533 13,112 49.8% 1924 endangered
2 Harold 63.1 133,585 551,632 24.2% 1924 endangered
3 Elmer 61.4 34,919 129,591 26.9% 1918 endangered
4 Junior 60.9 12,925 42,987 30.1% 1926 rising
5 Herbert 60.2 56,531 228,266 24.8% 1928 endangered
6 Billie 59.1 9,548 31,637 30.2% 1930 endangered
7 Morton 59.0 4,335 12,336 35.1% 1923 declining
8 Wilbur 58.4 15,713 56,906 27.6% 1918 endangered
9 Eugene 58.0 84,755 380,708 22.3% 1927 endangered
10 Patsy 56.8 2,895 7,713 37.5% 1921 extinct
11 Clarence 56.4 66,574 303,564 21.9% 1921 endangered
12 Earl 56.3 63,602 289,174 22.0% 1921 endangered
13 Wallace 56.1 20,916 83,263 25.1% 1923 endangered
14 Orville 55.7 9,722 35,065 27.7% 1920 endangered
15 Irving 55.6 11,898 44,364 26.8% 1918 endangered
16 George 55.3 261,945 1,487,297 17.6% 1921 stable
17 Ralph 55.0 84,466 414,018 20.4% 1921 endangered
18 Harry 54.9 86,183 423,866 20.3% 1918 endangered
19 Chester 54.9 28,435 121,474 23.4% 1920 endangered
20 Hubert 54.9 14,696 57,572 25.5% 1924 endangered
21 Norbert 54.2 5,933 20,379 29.1% 1924 declining
22 Walter 54.2 119,809 631,172 19.0% 1918 stable
23 Homer 54.0 15,145 60,912 24.9% 1920 endangered
24 Howard 54.0 70,348 346,666 20.3% 1921 endangered
25 Albert 53.5 94,431 491,861 19.2% 1921 endangered

Most owned by the 1920s

Top 25 by ownership score across both sexes; each row is tagged with its sex comparison set.

Most owned by the 1920s — 1920s decade ownership rankings
Rank Name Sex Ownership score 1920s births Lifetime births Decade share of lifetime Peak year Status
1 Dorothy F 88.2 368,875 1,112,231 33.2% 1924 endangered
2 Doris F 83.6 151,193 462,548 32.7% 1928 endangered
3 Mildred F 83.3 147,155 451,415 32.6% 1920 endangered
4 Imogene F 82.9 11,295 27,901 40.5% 1927 endangered
5 Marjorie F 82.4 91,221 274,017 33.3% 1921 endangered
6 Muriel F 81.9 20,481 54,884 37.3% 1922 endangered
1 Seymour M 81.2 6,533 13,112 49.8% 1924 endangered
7 Bette F 80.2 13,273 34,897 38.0% 1924 endangered
8 Helen F 78.4 290,404 1,024,202 28.4% 1918 endangered
9 Betty F 78.1 283,096 1,001,238 28.3% 1930 endangered
10 Thelma F 76.1 68,767 225,460 30.5% 1921 endangered
11 Bernice F 75.4 55,842 182,130 30.7% 1921 endangered
12 Ruth F 73.1 218,520 836,122 26.1% 1920 endangered
13 Marion F 72.7 55,178 189,218 29.2% 1924 endangered
14 Pauline F 71.8 64,075 226,404 28.3% 1918 endangered
15 Virginia F 71.7 169,554 652,959 26.0% 1922 endangered
16 Maxine F 70.4 33,743 115,612 29.2% 1924 rising
17 Gladys F 70.3 72,561 266,718 27.2% 1920 endangered
18 Lucille F 70.2 63,883 232,571 27.5% 1920 stable
19 Lois F 69.8 88,133 332,950 26.5% 1927 endangered
20 June F 69.7 56,482 205,556 27.5% 1925 rising
21 Irene F 69.4 92,836 355,462 26.1% 1921 endangered
22 Florence F 69.1 88,295 339,093 26.0% 1918 endangered
23 Wilma F 68.8 39,127 140,101 27.9% 1925 endangered
24 Opal F 68.3 21,542 73,539 29.3% 1918 rising

Popular but timeless

1920s births at or above the median of the pooled eligible set (both sexes) and adjusted concentration at or below its 25th percentile: big names whose recorded history spans many decades.

Popular but timeless — 1920s decade ownership rankings
Rank Name Sex Ownership score 1920s births Lifetime births Decade share of lifetime Peak year Status
428 David M 26.0 88,736 3,676,654 2.4% 1955 endangered
600 Patricia F 29.3 74,732 1,573,623 4.7% 1951 endangered
464 Anthony M 25.1 50,054 1,488,042 3.4% 1990 declining
661 Sarah F 26.4 46,769 1,098,498 4.3% 1982 endangered
589 Emma F 29.6 46,538 776,439 6.0% 2003 declining
665 Nancy F 26.4 43,807 1,004,448 4.4% 1947 endangered
551 Daniel M 22.6 43,407 1,982,812 2.2% 1985 declining
375 Samuel M 27.7 43,362 820,196 5.3% 2001 stable
622 Michael M 19.9 37,893 4,426,753 0.9% 1957 endangered
673 Laura F 25.8 35,991 801,811 4.5% 1964 endangered
547 Andrew M 22.7 35,952 1,329,454 2.7% 1987 declining
381 Peter M 27.4 34,066 589,588 5.8% 1957 stable
672 Kathleen F 25.9 33,597 713,645 4.7% 1951 endangered
739 Donna F 22.0 26,160 831,641 3.1% 1959 endangered
710 Janet F 23.8 23,973 556,776 4.3% 1954 endangered
462 Jesse M 25.2 23,170 432,428 5.4% 1981 stable
754 Carol F 20.8 22,978 816,928 2.8% 1946 endangered
720 Carolyn F 23.2 22,776 556,777 4.1% 1947 endangered
726 Maria F 23.0 22,584 566,111 4.0% 1964 stable
732 Christine F 22.6 22,334 586,465 3.8% 1952 endangered
496 Roger M 24.2 21,753 442,142 4.9% 1953 endangered
701 Sara F 24.2 21,101 436,193 4.8% 1981 stable
616 Benjamin M 20.2 21,028 826,830 2.5% 1989 declining
647 Ronald M 19.1 20,894 1,082,247 1.9% 1947 endangered
789 Emily F 18.7 18,754 896,487 2.1% 1999 declining

Unexpected results

Names whose popularity rank exceeds their ownership rank by 20 or more within their sex set — popular, but far less tied to the 1920s than their size suggests.

Unexpected results — 1920s decade ownership rankings
Rank Name Sex Ownership score 1920s births Lifetime births Decade share of lifetime Peak year Status
190 Mafalda F 47.1 674 1,279 52.7% 1925 extinct
237 Yoshiko F 43.8 624 1,331 46.9% 1921 extinct
290 Yoshio M 30.6 501 1,175 42.6% 1921 declining
326 Masao M 29.3 453 1,018 44.5% 1918 declining
337 Kiyoshi M 29.0 478 1,226 39.0% 1923 stable
278 Fernand M 31.2 562 1,493 37.6% 1923 declining
143 Ruthe F 49.7 877 1,949 45.0% 1924 extinct
245 Hiroshi M 32.9 611 1,565 39.0% 1924 stable
344 Concha F 38.2 588 1,696 34.7% 1925 extinct
343 Merwin M 28.8 532 1,625 32.7% 1928 extinct
368 Marybelle F 37.1 589 1,829 32.2% 1923 stable
348 Dorathy F 38.1 626 1,928 32.5% 1921 extinct
353 Alline F 37.7 617 1,918 32.2% 1921 extinct
426 Mildred M 26.0 469 1,583 29.6% 1926 extinct
415 Burdette M 26.4 495 1,714 28.9% 1922 extinct
270 Casimer M 31.8 639 1,895 33.7% 1918 declining
363 Nunzio M 28.1 547 1,838 29.8% 1923 stable
409 Verle M 26.7 506 1,758 28.8% 1920 extinct
321 Orvil M 29.6 595 1,935 30.7% 1921 extinct
315 Mortimer M 29.9 603 1,943 31.0% 1916 declining
445 Dorris M 25.6 472 1,675 28.2% 1922 extinct
431 Lurline F 34.8 552 1,885 29.3% 1921 extinct
308 Ellwood M 30.0 612 1,979 30.9% 1918 declining
405 Laurel M 26.8 521 1,860 28.0% 1926 declining
318 Hilbert M 29.7 610 2,020 30.2% 1922 extinct

The 1924 classroom

Apportion 30 seats from the actual 1924 national birth records and every seat carries a different name — no name was common enough in 1924 to guarantee a duplicate in a class of 30.

A statistical reconstruction of an average classroom, not an actual class record.

See the full 30-student roster

Spelling families

Conventional rankings separate spelling variants. This view groups manually reviewed variants to show their combined demographic footprint.

Explore all 4 spelling families

How these numbers are made

Every figure on this page is computed offline from SSA birth records with methodology decade-hub/v1.0.0, then served as a precomputed profile. Nothing is recalculated in your browser.

For the generation-scale view, see Millennial names — the classroom names of the 1980s and 1990s.

Read the methodology

Data coverage
Decade 1920–1929; lifetime data through 2025
Completeness
Complete decade
Methodology version
decade-hub/v1.0.0
Source version
ssa-national-2025
Generated
2026-07-31T06:09:02.546Z