Most Popular Baby Names of 1903
Top 100 girl and boy names, Social Security records
Mary and John were the most popular baby names of 1903 in the US: 14,275 girls were named Mary and 7,608 boys were named John, about 1 in 18 girls and 1 in 16 boys born that year. It was Mary's 24th year in a row at #1 for girls (since 1880), and it was John's 24th year in a row at #1 for boys (since 1880).
Social Security records list 261,970 girls and 119,230 boys born in 1903, with 2,082 different girl names and 1,304 boy names. A name is listed for a year only when at least 5 babies of one sex got it.
What Changed From 1902
- Mildred joined the girls' top 10; Thomas joined the boys' top 10.
- Biggest climbers in the girls' top 100: Velma (#113 to #99), Pauline (#69 to #61) and Fannie (#72 to #64).
- Biggest climbers in the boys' top 100: Roosevelt (#115 to #98), Oliver (#107 to #92) and Kenneth (#78 to #67).
- 3 girl names and 3 boy names left the top 100, among them Emily (#97 to #101) and Hugh (#92 to #101).
- 99 names appeared in the records for the first time.
Top 100 Baby Names of 1903
Ranked by the babies given each name; the last column is the name's rank in 1902, among names of the same sex. Tied names share a rank.
Top 100 Girl Names of 1903
| # | Name | Babies | In 1902 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mary | 14,275 | #1 |
| 2 | Helen | 6,129 | #2 |
| 3 | Anna | 5,098 | #3 |
| 4 | Margaret | 5,045 | #4 |
| 5 | Ruth | 4,517 | #5 |
| 6 | Elizabeth | 3,724 | #6 |
| 7 | Marie | 3,469 | #8 |
| 8 | Florence | 3,468 | #7 |
| 9 | Ethel | 3,257 | #9 |
| 10 | Mildred | 3,088 | #14 |
| 11 | Dorothy | 3,078 | #15 |
| 12 | Alice | 2,996 | #10 |
| 13 | Lillian | 2,972 | #11 |
| 14 | Gladys | 2,674 | #12 |
| 15 | Edna | 2,667 | #13 |
| 16 | Grace | 2,616 | #17 |
| 17 | Annie | 2,551 | #16 |
| 18 | Rose | 2,478 | #20 |
| 19 | Frances | 2,365 | #23 |
| 20 | Clara | 2,342 | #21 |
| 21 | Bessie | 2,339 | #19 |
| 22 | Bertha | 2,309 | #22 |
| 23 | Emma | 2,308 | #18 |
| 24 | Gertrude | 2,253 | #27 |
| 25 | Mabel | 2,163 | #24 |
| 26 | Hazel | 2,139 | #25 |
| 27 | Pearl | 2,046 | #28 |
| 28 | Irene | 2,001 | #26 |
| 29 | Martha | 1,980 | #30 |
| 29 | Myrtle | 1,980 | #32 |
| 31 | Louise | 1,935 | #36 |
| 32 | Catherine | 1,916 | #31 |
| 33 | Edith | 1,901 | #33 |
| 34 | Esther | 1,883 | #35 |
| 35 | Minnie | 1,846 | #29 |
| 36 | Eva | 1,783 | #37 |
| 37 | Ida | 1,774 | #34 |
| 38 | Elsie | 1,720 | #38 |
| 39 | Agnes | 1,616 | #40 |
| 40 | Josephine | 1,587 | #42 |
| 41 | Sarah | 1,553 | #39 |
| 42 | Ruby | 1,538 | #47 |
| 43 | Laura | 1,503 | #43 |
| 44 | Viola | 1,495 | #48 |
| 45 | Nellie | 1,491 | #41 |
| 46 | Lillie | 1,485 | #44 |
| 47 | Thelma | 1,479 | #52 |
| 48 | Julia | 1,447 | #46 |
| 49 | Beatrice | 1,439 | #49 |
| 50 | Ella | 1,419 | #45 |
| 51 | Mattie | 1,278 | #51 |
| 52 | Carrie | 1,252 | #50 |
| 53 | Alma | 1,244 | #55 |
| 54 | Evelyn | 1,211 | #59 |
| 55 | Jessie | 1,202 | #54 |
| 56 | Lena | 1,200 | #56 |
| 57 | Lucille | 1,193 | #61 |
| 58 | Mae | 1,192 | #53 |
| 59 | Blanche | 1,174 | #58 |
| 60 | Hattie | 1,106 | #57 |
| 61 | Marion | 1,042 | #66 |
| 61 | Pauline | 1,042 | #69 |
| 63 | Virginia | 1,032 | #67 |
| 64 | Fannie | 1,016 | #72 |
| 64 | Stella | 1,016 | #63 |
| 66 | Katherine | 1,015 | #68 |
| 67 | Willie | 1,014 | #64 |
| 68 | Lucy | 990 | #65 |
| 68 | Mamie | 990 | #60 |
| 70 | Cora | 986 | #62 |
| 71 | Jennie | 936 | #69 |
| 72 | Beulah | 920 | #77 |
| 73 | Lula | 913 | #71 |
| 74 | Rosa | 911 | #75 |
| 75 | Vera | 899 | #73 |
| 76 | Leona | 881 | #76 |
| 77 | Bernice | 868 | #81 |
| 78 | Ada | 843 | #74 |
| 79 | Eleanor | 840 | #79 |
| 80 | Maggie | 780 | #78 |
| 81 | Dora | 778 | #82 |
| 82 | Daisy | 776 | #85 |
| 82 | Maude | 776 | #80 |
| 84 | Ann | 774 | #83 |
| 85 | Ellen | 773 | #83 |
| 86 | Kathryn | 729 | #87 |
| 87 | Nora | 724 | #86 |
| 88 | Hilda | 698 | #94 |
| 89 | Sadie | 683 | #89 |
| 90 | Susie | 680 | #87 |
| 91 | Marguerite | 667 | #90 |
| 92 | Lois | 664 | #98 |
| 93 | Violet | 636 | #94 |
| 94 | Georgia | 632 | #91 |
| 95 | Doris | 629 | #93 |
| 96 | Della | 611 | #96 |
| 97 | Olive | 597 | #99 |
| 98 | Betty | 596 | #101 |
| 99 | Velma | 589 | #113 |
| 100 | Anne | 581 | #106 |
Top 100 Boy Names of 1903
| # | Name | Babies | In 1902 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John | 7,608 | #1 |
| 2 | William | 6,311 | #2 |
| 3 | James | 5,479 | #3 |
| 4 | George | 3,961 | #4 |
| 5 | Charles | 3,213 | #5 |
| 6 | Joseph | 3,121 | #7 |
| 7 | Robert | 3,044 | #6 |
| 8 | Frank | 2,644 | #8 |
| 9 | Edward | 2,268 | #9 |
| 10 | Thomas | 1,962 | #11 |
| 11 | Henry | 1,922 | #10 |
| 12 | Walter | 1,840 | #12 |
| 13 | Harry | 1,647 | #13 |
| 14 | Willie | 1,454 | #14 |
| 15 | Arthur | 1,435 | #15 |
| 16 | Albert | 1,337 | #16 |
| 17 | Clarence | 1,261 | #17 |
| 18 | Fred | 1,204 | #18 |
| 19 | Paul | 1,081 | #20 |
| 20 | Harold | 1,065 | #19 |
| 21 | Raymond | 1,051 | #21 |
| 22 | Roy | 975 | #22 |
| 23 | Carl | 910 | #24 |
| 24 | Joe | 895 | #23 |
| 25 | Louis | 889 | #25 |
| 26 | Richard | 862 | #26 |
| 27 | Earl | 837 | #27 |
| 28 | Jack | 831 | #32 |
| 29 | Ralph | 807 | #28 |
| 30 | Ernest | 764 | #29 |
| 31 | Samuel | 741 | #33 |
| 32 | Charlie | 739 | #30 |
| 33 | David | 716 | #30 |
| 34 | Herbert | 668 | #36 |
| 35 | Francis | 665 | #38 |
| 36 | Theodore | 663 | #34 |
| 37 | Howard | 636 | #35 |
| 37 | Leo | 636 | #43 |
| 39 | Alfred | 557 | #39 |
| 40 | Elmer | 556 | #40 |
| 41 | Sam | 552 | #41 |
| 42 | Andrew | 550 | #42 |
| 43 | Lawrence | 536 | #37 |
| 44 | Eugene | 478 | #44 |
| 45 | Lee | 477 | #46 |
| 46 | Floyd | 472 | #47 |
| 47 | Michael | 466 | #48 |
| 48 | Herman | 449 | #49 |
| 49 | Leonard | 448 | #52 |
| 50 | Daniel | 432 | #45 |
| 51 | Oscar | 427 | #55 |
| 52 | Clyde | 413 | #60 |
| 53 | Lester | 400 | #58 |
| 54 | Anthony | 399 | #54 |
| 55 | Ray | 397 | #57 |
| 56 | Russell | 390 | #53 |
| 57 | Jesse | 388 | #50 |
| 58 | Peter | 372 | #51 |
| 59 | Stanley | 361 | #69 |
| 60 | Donald | 359 | #63 |
| 61 | Clifford | 348 | #71 |
| 62 | Edwin | 347 | #56 |
| 63 | Frederick | 341 | #70 |
| 64 | Leroy | 340 | #62 |
| 65 | Lewis | 335 | #58 |
| 66 | Cecil | 332 | #65 |
| 67 | Kenneth | 330 | #78 |
| 68 | Chester | 327 | #74 |
| 69 | Benjamin | 324 | #61 |
| 70 | Eddie | 314 | #66 |
| 71 | Claude | 301 | #68 |
| 72 | Lloyd | 299 | #67 |
| 73 | Tom | 295 | #75 |
| 74 | Harvey | 293 | #82 |
| 74 | Will | 293 | #64 |
| 76 | Leon | 287 | #86 |
| 77 | Martin | 283 | #72 |
| 78 | Jessie | 280 | #73 |
| 79 | Bernard | 271 | #83 |
| 80 | Luther | 265 | #81 |
| 81 | Ben | 259 | #79 |
| 81 | Edgar | 259 | #76 |
| 83 | Homer | 257 | #80 |
| 83 | Jim | 257 | #77 |
| 85 | Philip | 250 | #90 |
| 86 | Norman | 238 | #84 |
| 87 | Johnnie | 237 | #91 |
| 88 | Melvin | 230 | #86 |
| 89 | Leslie | 227 | #85 |
| 90 | Alvin | 222 | #99 |
| 91 | Allen | 219 | #89 |
| 92 | Milton | 210 | #95 |
| 92 | Oliver | 210 | #107 |
| 92 | Patrick | 210 | #98 |
| 95 | Everett | 204 | #88 |
| 96 | Stephen | 200 | #94 |
| 97 | Glenn | 198 | #106 |
| 98 | Roosevelt | 196 | #115 |
| 98 | Victor | 196 | #97 |
| 100 | Alexander | 195 | #93 |
Open a name to see how many people with it are alive today and how its popularity changed. See the year before, 1902, or the year after, 1904, the top 100 of the whole 1900s, or let the random name generator pick names from the 1900s.