Vintage and Old-Fashioned Girl Names

Top 100 girl names most popular before 1940, Social Security records

Mary, Dorothy and Helen lead the vintage girl names: the 100 names given to the most girls born from 1880 to 1939, among names whose most popular year came before 1940. Mary alone was given to 2,137,701 girls in those years, and its biggest year was 1921.

Some are back: in 2025, 9 of them were in the top 100 girl names again, led by Evelyn, Eleanor and Hazel (#8, #12, #21). Others are rare now: 35 were given to fewer than 100 girls in 2025, among them Mildred, Doris and Jean. For the names that fell out of use and came back, see Old-Fashioned Names Making a Comeback.

The 100 Most Popular Vintage Girl Names

Ranked by the girls given each name from 1880 to 1939. The peak year is the year the most girls got it; the last column gives the girls born in 2025 and the name's rank that year. Social Security lists a name only when at least 5 babies of one sex get it in a year.

#	Name	Peak year	Born 1880 to 1939	Born in 2025
1	MaryPeak 1921	1921	2,137,701	2,230 #125
2	DorothyPeak 1924	1924	838,811	743 #421
3	HelenPeak 1918	1918	797,710	668 #462
4	MargaretPeak 1921	1921	709,269	2,436 #112
5	BettyPeak 1930	1930	641,035	212 #1,113
6	RuthPeak 1920	1920	590,574	1,781 #173
7	AnnaPeak 1918	1918	457,829	2,521 #107
8	FrancesPeak 1918	1918	393,878	960 #318
9	VirginiaPeak 1922	1922	390,316	572 #526
10	MildredPeak 1920	1920	385,775	98 #1,973
11	AlicePeak 1921	1921	352,149	3,547 #65
12	ShirleyPeak 1935	1935	343,148	133 #1,586
13	MariePeak 1920	1920	339,887	474 #618
14	DorisPeak 1928	1928	325,984	58 #2,909
15	EvelynPeak 1921	1921	311,090	9,123 #8
16	FlorencePeak 1918	1918	292,937	796 #391
17	RosePeak 1917	1917	279,410	2,386 #114
18	LillianPeak 1920	1920	264,360	3,966 #57
19	JeanPeak 1927	1927	248,799	88 #2,130
20	LouisePeak 1921	1921	248,359	579 #516
21	IrenePeak 1921	1921	247,531	442 #651
22	EthelPeak 1918	1918	239,237	34 #4,211
23	AnniePeak 1922	1922	238,612	1,690 #182
24	EdnaPeak 1918	1918	237,419	72 #2,463
25	JoanPeak 1932	1932	227,062	222 #1,087
26	LoisPeak 1927	1927	218,898	124 #1,670
27	GladysPeak 1920	1920	218,462	49 #3,224
28	RubyPeak 1924	1924	214,171	3,554 #64
29	JosephinePeak 1918	1918	205,609	4,126 #53
30	EdithPeak 1918	1918	199,510	595 #499
31	MarjoriePeak 1921	1921	195,736	246 #1,019
32	EleanorPeak 1920	1920	192,222	7,649 #12
33	HazelPeak 1918	1918	192,219	6,318 #21
34	ClaraPeak 1918	1918	191,276	3,601 #63
35	ThelmaPeak 1921	1921	182,758	29 #4,745
36	LucillePeak 1920	1920	172,127	1,314 #239
37	PaulinePeak 1918	1918	170,379	56 #2,986
38	BerthaPeak 1918	1918	167,560	30 #4,569
39	GertrudePeak 1917	1917	162,766	17 #6,632
40	EstherPeak 1918	1918	162,472	2,277 #119
41	NormaPeak 1931	1931	159,429	95 #2,012
42	IdaPeak 1918	1918	149,005	209 #1,120
43	BessiePeak 1916	1916	147,826	16 #6,889
44	ElsiePeak 1918	1918	145,192	2,236 #123
45	MarionPeak 1924	1924	143,849	93 #2,044
46	BeatricePeak 1921	1921	143,141	583 #508
47	DoloresPeak 1930	1930	141,929	68 #2,567
48	BernicePeak 1921	1921	141,234	35 #4,082
49	EvaPeak 1918	1918	140,371	2,154 #134
50	MinniePeak 1916	1916	136,319	54 #3,060
51	AgnesPeak 1918	1918	135,791	246 #1,016
52	PearlPeak 1918	1918	130,773	350 #777
53	NelliePeak 1918	1918	125,656	567 #533
54	MyrtlePeak 1918	1918	124,312	8 #11,611
55	MabelPeak 1915	1915	120,815	1,522 #201
56	GeraldinePeak 1930	1930	120,615	73 #2,447
57	JunePeak 1925	1925	119,130	1,978 #150
58	LilliePeak 1919	1919	112,909	420 #676
59	WilliePeak 1919	1919	112,729	9 #10,870
60	JuanitaPeak 1924	1924	111,015	61 #2,794
61	ViolaPeak 1918	1918	110,334	247 #1,015
62	JessiePeak 1918	1918	108,184	330 #824
63	AlmaPeak 1918	1918	105,666	689 #449
64	LorrainePeak 1928	1928	104,109	238 #1,044
65	MattiePeak 1920	1920	100,194	249 #1,005
66	WilmaPeak 1925	1925	99,032	41 #3,705
67	VeraPeak 1918	1918	97,052	1,482 #205
68	SylviaPeak 1937	1937	95,200	1,017 #300
69	MarianPeak 1924	1924	92,373	217 #1,103
70	LenaPeak 1917	1917	90,892	1,106 #279
71	VivianPeak 1920	1920	90,420	3,362 #72
72	JenniePeak 1917	1917	87,231	79 #2,309
73	MaePeak 1918	1918	86,425	594 #501
74	LeonaPeak 1918	1918	81,111	723 #429
75	BlanchePeak 1917	1917	78,607	16 #6,892
76	HattiePeak 1918	1918	77,840	923 #334
77	LorettaPeak 1938	1938	76,747	485 #606
78	RosaPeak 1925	1925	76,152	441 #653
79	MaxinePeak 1924	1924	73,622	597 #497
80	FanniePeak 1918	1918	70,412	46 #3,356
81	LulaPeak 1921	1921	69,962	100 #1,937
82	MargueritePeak 1918	1918	69,315	71 #2,505
83	DoraPeak 1921	1921	68,717	75 #2,388
84	AdaPeak 1918	1918	66,784	1,401 #219
85	GenevievePeak 1918	1918	66,584	1,981 #148
86	ArlenePeak 1934	1934	65,624	127 #1,632
87	BeulahPeak 1916	1916	65,536	20 #5,949
88	VelmaPeak 1921	1921	64,771	21 #5,903
89	MamiePeak 1919	1919	64,605	19 #6,249
90	HarrietPeak 1921	1921	62,303	226 #1,073
91	JeanettePeak 1939	1939	60,378	75 #2,391
92	OpalPeak 1918	1918	59,208	740 #423
93	MargiePeak 1925	1925	59,195	17 #6,730
94	GenevaPeak 1924	1924	58,788	125 #1,657
95	EunicePeak 1921	1921	57,083	77 #2,362
96	DeloresPeak 1932	1932	56,772	21 #5,771
97	HildaPeak 1921	1921	56,114	55 #3,007
98	InezPeak 1920	1920	53,933	156 #1,400
99	AlbertaPeak 1919	1919	52,578	10 #9,481
100	SusiePeak 1919	1919	50,283	101 #1,922

More Old-Fashioned Name Ideas

The top names of each early decade, girls and boys side by side:

Or let the random name generator pick girl names from the 1920s or any other decade, and see the vintage boy names.