Birth year roster

Top names in 1916

The 100 most common names on 1916 birth certificates, for girls and boys, ranked by SSA records.

Mary and John led the 1916 baby-name charts, the top names among Greatest Generation births. Mary was the #1 girls’ name for 76 years in all (between 1880 and 1961); John was the #1 boys’ name for 44 years in all (1880–1923). Of the 200 names below, 116 are now endangered or extinct; the tag on each shows where it stands today.

Explore the 1910s decade

Girls

#1Mary Endangered61,438
#2Helen Endangered32,661
#3Dorothy Endangered27,418
#4Margaret Endangered24,953
#5Ruth Endangered23,189
#6Mildred Endangered15,633
#7Anna Declining15,228
#8Elizabeth Stable14,940
#9Frances Endangered13,746
#10Virginia Endangered12,487
#11Evelyn Stable11,889
#12Marie Endangered11,682
#13Alice Stable10,719
#14Florence Endangered10,412
#15Rose Stable9,605
#16Lillian Declining9,592
#17Irene Endangered9,035
#18Louise Endangered8,630
#19Edna Endangered8,625
#20Catherine Endangered8,469
#21Josephine Rising8,127
#22Gladys Endangered8,019
#23Ruby Stable7,686
#24Martha Endangered7,610
#25Ethel Endangered7,601
#26Grace Declining7,461
#27Eleanor Rising7,406
#28Edith Endangered7,307
#29Thelma Endangered7,290
#30Lucille Stable7,241
#31Hazel Rising7,214
#32Doris Endangered7,161
#33Pauline Endangered6,655
#34Esther Stable6,421
#35Gertrude Endangered6,243
#36Annie Rising6,105
#37Marjorie Endangered5,866
#38Beatrice Endangered5,586
#39Clara Stable5,544
#40Ann Endangered5,343
#41Emma Declining5,217
#42Bernice Endangered5,183
#43Lois Endangered5,149
#44Betty Endangered5,136
#45Jean Endangered5,081
#46Julia Stable5,066
#47Marion Endangered5,033
#48Elsie Rising5,027
#49Bertha Endangered4,900
#50Agnes Endangered4,852
#51Katherine Declining4,801
#52Sarah Endangered4,798
#53Anne Endangered4,571
#54Ida Endangered4,364
#55Eva Declining4,337
#56Bessie Endangered4,122
#57Pearl Endangered4,073
#58Myrtle Endangered3,960
#59Viola Endangered3,948
#60Kathryn Endangered3,933
#61Nellie Rising3,862
#62Jane Stable3,826
#63Stella Stable3,818
#64Laura Endangered3,744
#65Mabel Rising3,680
#66Vera Stable3,622
#67Rita Endangered3,477
#68Jessie Endangered3,414
#69Sylvia Rising3,414
#70Alma Rising3,403
#71Minnie Endangered3,274
#72Marian Endangered3,198
#73Willie Endangered3,116
#74Barbara Endangered3,112
#75Leona Stable3,086
#76Genevieve Stable3,063
#77Vivian Stable3,049
#78Marguerite Endangered3,034
#79Jennie Endangered3,010
#80Charlotte Stable2,995
#81Ella Declining2,965
#82Wilma Endangered2,962
#83Violet Rising2,921
#84Lucy Stable2,877
#85Lena Stable2,869
#86June Rising2,840
#87Ellen Endangered2,838
#88Lillie Stable2,825
#89Blanche Endangered2,714
#90Juanita Endangered2,644
#91Opal Rising2,636
#92Mae Stable2,607
#93Mattie Endangered2,556
#94Geraldine Endangered2,549
#95Phyllis Endangered2,427
#96Maxine Rising2,424
#97Beulah Endangered2,401
#98Theresa Endangered2,348
#99Velma Endangered2,319
#100Emily Declining2,213

Boys

#1John Past peak50,043
#2William Declining40,418
#3James Stable35,569
#4Robert Endangered31,741
#5Joseph Declining23,883
#6Charles Stable23,612
#7George Stable23,381
#8Edward Endangered17,005
#9Frank Endangered15,291
#10Thomas Stable11,998
#11Walter Stable11,760
#12Paul Endangered10,790
#13Harold Endangered10,698
#14Henry Stable10,656
#15Richard Endangered10,134
#16Raymond Endangered9,565
#17Albert Endangered9,044
#18Arthur Rising8,921
#19Harry Endangered8,476
#20Donald Endangered7,736
#21Ralph Endangered7,085
#22Louis Stable6,817
#23Carl Endangered6,785
#24Clarence Endangered6,304
#25Howard Endangered6,171
#26Jack Stable6,161
#27Kenneth Endangered6,012
#28David Past peak5,812
#29Fred Endangered5,745
#30Willie Endangered5,660
#31Francis Stable5,652
#32Earl Endangered5,553
#33Roy Endangered5,327
#34Stanley Endangered5,130
#35Joe Endangered4,911
#36Ernest Endangered4,823
#37Anthony Declining4,749
#38Lawrence Endangered4,742
#39Eugene Endangered4,646
#40Herbert Endangered4,463
#41Samuel Stable4,399
#42Leonard Endangered4,328
#43Alfred Endangered4,278
#44Michael Past peak4,210
#45Elmer Endangered3,936
#46Andrew Declining3,723
#47Leo Rising3,621
#48Norman Endangered3,609
#49Bernard Endangered3,476
#50Peter Stable3,370
#51Russell Stable3,330
#52Frederick Stable3,325
#53Edwin Stable3,299
#54Chester Endangered3,212
#55Daniel Declining3,149
#56Herman Endangered3,043
#57Melvin Endangered2,984
#58Lloyd Endangered2,926
#59Lester Endangered2,907
#60Floyd Endangered2,783
#61Clifford Endangered2,767
#62Clyde Stable2,707
#63Leroy Endangered2,699
#64Woodrow Endangered2,668
#65Theodore Rising2,641
#66Marvin Endangered2,529
#67Vincent Stable2,500
#68Charlie Rising2,416
#69Willard Endangered2,413
#70Philip Endangered2,409
#71Lewis Rising2,374
#72Milton Endangered2,345
#73Ray Endangered2,334
#74Sam Stable2,313
#75Vernon Endangered2,288
#76Gerald Endangered2,260
#77Jesse Stable2,230
#78Victor Declining2,215
#79Benjamin Declining2,186
#80Cecil Endangered2,181
#81Martin Stable2,122
#82Alvin Declining2,093
#83Lee Endangered2,016
#84Glenn Endangered1,970
#85Leon Rising1,954
#86Oscar Stable1,916
#87Stephen Endangered1,877
#88Edgar Declining1,874
#89Arnold Endangered1,858
#90Gordon Endangered1,792
#91Everett Stable1,764
#92Harvey Rising1,763
#93Claude Endangered1,733
#94Wilbur Endangered1,680
#95Sidney Endangered1,659
#96Hugh Stable1,619
#97Morris Endangered1,618
#98Wayne Endangered1,587
#99Alexander Declining1,584
#100Maurice Declining1,584