State roster

Top names in Illinois

The names most likely to appear on 1921 Illinois birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 117,275 Illinois births in 1921 across 1,220 distinct names.

Distinctively Illinois

Names that rank far higher here than they do nationally — the ones that say Illinois more than they say America.

#80Laverne#185 nationally
#83Adeline#177 nationally
#94Marcella#159 nationally
#62Loretta#122 nationally
#70Rosemary#128 nationally
#92Lyle#150 nationally
#54Dolores#111 nationally
#42Elaine#97 nationally
#97Alex#149 nationally
#85Sophie#136 nationally
#75Jerome#125 nationally
#13Lorraine#61 nationally

Girls

#1Mary3,674US #1
#2Dorothy2,731US #2
#3Helen2,249US #3
#4Margaret1,463US #4
#5Ruth1,366US #5
#6Betty1,336US #8
#7Virginia1,266US #6
#8Mildred997US #7
#9Evelyn958US #12
#10Frances868US #9
#11Florence811US #17
#12Marjorie803US #16
#13Lorraine772US #61
#14Irene725US #18
#15Marie720US #14
#16Anna669US #11
#17Lillian662US #19
#18Alice657US #15
#19Shirley637US #44
#20Doris623US #13
#21Rose607US #20
#22Elizabeth606US #10
#23Jean606US #25
#24Eleanor603US #29
#25Bernice559US #39
#26Josephine524US #28
#27Lucille522US #31
#28June467US #50
#29Lois465US #38
#30Catherine441US #23
#31Martha393US #21
#32Marion369US #43
#33Phyllis362US #60
#34Ann356US #53
#35Barbara352US #40
#36Louise350US #22
#37Grace344US #35
#38Edna343US #27
#39Esther340US #42
#40Gladys337US #24
#41Norma334US #51
#42Elaine329US #97
#43Marian328US #69
#44Ethel319US #32
#45Genevieve319US #90
#46Jane318US #47
#47Edith312US #33
#48Gertrude304US #46
#49Geraldine303US #62
#50Pauline289US #37
#51Hazel284US #34
#52Vivian283US #68
#53Charlotte282US #79
#54Dolores281US #111
#55Violet274US #81
#56Rita268US #48
#57Anne265US #70
#58Clara265US #45
#59Eileen261US #100
#60Ruby261US #26
#61Wilma258US #72
#62Loretta255US #122
#63Patricia255US #84
#64Kathryn250US #64
#65Wanda250US #101
#66Maxine234US #77
#67Elsie229US #55
#68Juanita227US #57
#69Pearl226US #65
#70Rosemary224US #128
#71Thelma224US #30
#72Harriet223US #114
#73Leona216US #92
#74Agnes214US #56
#75Stella212US #86
#76Katherine206US #49
#77Jeanette199US #125
#78Jeanne199US #109
#79Julia194US #58
#80Laverne189US #185
#81Beatrice183US #41
#82Vera178US #76
#83Adeline177US #177
#84Sylvia174US #88
#85Sophie172US #136
#86Eva166US #63
#87Audrey165US #82
#88Emily163US #121
#89Viola162US #66
#90Emma161US #52
#91Margie158US #106
#92Bertha153US #59
#93Ellen152US #95
#94Marcella152US #159
#95Marguerite151US #98
#96Laura145US #71
#97Mabel143US #85
#98Joan142US #142
#99Janet140US #124
#100Muriel139US #119

Boys

#1Robert3,761US #2
#2John3,335US #1
#3William2,679US #3
#4James2,049US #4
#5Edward1,725US #8
#6Charles1,688US #5
#7George1,543US #6
#8Joseph1,386US #7
#9Frank1,143US #9
#10Richard1,039US #10
#11Donald989US #13
#12Raymond979US #16
#13Harold957US #12
#14Walter836US #15
#15Paul747US #14
#16Thomas743US #11
#17Arthur654US #19
#18Kenneth638US #22
#19Henry621US #17
#20Jack586US #18
#21Eugene579US #26
#22Harry568US #21
#23Albert564US #20
#24Warren503US #24
#25Ralph478US #23
#26Louis457US #29
#27Clarence442US #28
#28Leonard441US #39
#29Carl440US #30
#30Earl412US #31
#31Lawrence403US #37
#32Howard402US #27
#33Stanley394US #41
#34Fred357US #33
#35Roy342US #32
#36Chester334US #56
#37Bernard329US #45
#38Elmer319US #48
#39Francis318US #35
#40David301US #25
#41Anthony286US #40
#42Leo281US #50
#43Russell281US #52
#44Herbert280US #42
#45Norman273US #46
#46Edwin268US #54
#47Leroy260US #55
#48Joe249US #36
#49Melvin240US #53
#50Michael236US #47
#51Theodore221US #65
#52Peter214US #57
#53Vernon213US #68
#54Alfred210US #43
#55Daniel208US #49
#56Ernest203US #38
#57Clifford199US #62
#58Lloyd199US #58
#59Dale198US #93
#60Gerald196US #60
#61Lester196US #66
#62Glenn191US #80
#63Wayne185US #81
#64Marvin178US #59
#65Ray178US #67
#66Andrew175US #51
#67Floyd167US #63
#68Victor161US #83
#69Martin159US #78
#70Frederick152US #61
#71Samuel151US #44
#72Everett142US #95
#73Herman142US #64
#74Alvin136US #73
#75Jerome133US #125
#76Vincent133US #70
#77Wilbur132US #100
#78Philip130US #72
#79Sam129US #85
#80Willard127US #89
#81Virgil121US #98
#82Harvey120US #87
#83Maurice119US #101
#84Clyde113US #69
#85Milton111US #75
#86Gordon106US #84
#87Marion99US #102
#88Arnold98US #91
#89Roger97US #99
#90Gilbert95US #103
#91Max95US #112
#92Lyle94US #150
#93Lee92US #86
#94Leslie92US #106
#95Edmund90US #142
#96Irving90US #124
#97Alex89US #149
#98Glen89US #119
#99Steve88US #130
#100Jesse85US #77

On the move since 1920

Rising

↑32Barbara#35
↑26Phyllis#33
↑23Elaine#42
↑17Patricia#63
↑16Norma#41
↑16Harvey#82
↑15Hazel#51
↑15Jeanne#78

Falling

↓17Elsie#67
↓14Steve#99
↓13Anne#57
↓13Stella#75
↓13Katherine#76
↓12Sylvia#84
↓12Sophie#85
↓11Genevieve#45

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1920 rankings.