Most Popular Baby Names of 1908
Top 100 girl and boy names, Social Security records
Mary and John were the most popular baby names of 1908 in the US: 18,665 girls were named Mary and 9,343 boys were named John, about 1 in 18 girls and 1 in 17 boys born that year. It was Mary's 29th year in a row at #1 for girls (since 1880), and it was John's 29th year in a row at #1 for boys (since 1880).
Social Security records list 334,312 girls and 154,336 boys born in 1908, with 2,433 different girl names and 1,582 boy names. A name is listed for a year only when at least 5 babies of one sex got it.
What Changed From 1907
- The girls' top 10 had the same names as in 1907; Thomas joined the boys' top 10.
- Biggest climbers in the girls' top 100: Kathryn (#88 to #77), Lucille (#45 to #38) and Marjorie (#92 to #85).
- Biggest climbers in the boys' top 100: Vernon (#109 to #93), Victor (#99 to #88) and Milton (#89 to #79).
- 2 girl names and 3 boy names left the top 100, among them Emily (#100 to #103) and Alexander (#92 to #104).
- 170 names appeared in the records for the first time.
Top 100 Baby Names of 1908
Ranked by the babies given each name; the last column is the name's rank in 1907, among names of the same sex. Tied names share a rank.
Top 100 Girl Names of 1908
| # | Name | Babies | In 1907 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mary | 18,665 | #1 |
| 2 | Helen | 8,439 | #2 |
| 3 | Margaret | 6,976 | #3 |
| 4 | Ruth | 6,180 | #5 |
| 5 | Anna | 5,860 | #4 |
| 6 | Dorothy | 5,703 | #6 |
| 7 | Elizabeth | 4,904 | #7 |
| 8 | Mildred | 4,624 | #8 |
| 9 | Alice | 4,270 | #9 |
| 10 | Marie | 4,076 | #10 |
| 11 | Florence | 3,883 | #11 |
| 12 | Ethel | 3,786 | #12 |
| 13 | Lillian | 3,634 | #13 |
| 14 | Frances | 3,593 | #16 |
| 15 | Gladys | 3,580 | #14 |
| 16 | Rose | 3,382 | #17 |
| 17 | Edna | 3,365 | #15 |
| 18 | Louise | 2,937 | #21 |
| 19 | Grace | 2,901 | #20 |
| 20 | Evelyn | 2,857 | #18 |
| 21 | Annie | 2,820 | #19 |
| 22 | Catherine | 2,750 | #25 |
| 23 | Irene | 2,732 | #22 |
| 24 | Hazel | 2,698 | #23 |
| 25 | Gertrude | 2,562 | #24 |
| 26 | Thelma | 2,526 | #28 |
| 27 | Edith | 2,410 | #32 |
| 28 | Josephine | 2,389 | #33 |
| 29 | Bertha | 2,384 | #26 |
| 30 | Emma | 2,357 | #27 |
| 31 | Clara | 2,352 | #29 |
| 32 | Martha | 2,324 | #31 |
| 33 | Ruby | 2,229 | #34 |
| 34 | Bessie | 2,201 | #30 |
| 35 | Virginia | 2,195 | #41 |
| 36 | Esther | 2,187 | #37 |
| 37 | Mabel | 2,096 | #36 |
| 38 | Lucille | 2,080 | #45 |
| 39 | Pearl | 2,075 | #35 |
| 40 | Beatrice | 1,997 | #44 |
| 41 | Elsie | 1,983 | #43 |
| 42 | Viola | 1,964 | #47 |
| 43 | Ida | 1,952 | #38 |
| 43 | Myrtle | 1,952 | #39 |
| 45 | Agnes | 1,934 | #46 |
| 46 | Eva | 1,930 | #42 |
| 47 | Minnie | 1,817 | #40 |
| 48 | Sarah | 1,814 | #48 |
| 49 | Nellie | 1,757 | #50 |
| 50 | Julia | 1,749 | #49 |
| 51 | Pauline | 1,702 | #52 |
| 52 | Laura | 1,558 | #51 |
| 53 | Alma | 1,474 | #58 |
| 54 | Lillie | 1,471 | #53 |
| 55 | Katherine | 1,430 | #55 |
| 56 | Ella | 1,428 | #54 |
| 57 | Mae | 1,384 | #57 |
| 58 | Jessie | 1,382 | #60 |
| 59 | Willie | 1,371 | #56 |
| 60 | Mattie | 1,364 | #59 |
| 61 | Bernice | 1,363 | #65 |
| 62 | Ann | 1,354 | #62 |
| 63 | Marion | 1,349 | #63 |
| 64 | Lena | 1,331 | #64 |
| 65 | Eleanor | 1,302 | #67 |
| 66 | Carrie | 1,239 | #61 |
| 67 | Stella | 1,216 | #70 |
| 68 | Vera | 1,204 | #68 |
| 69 | Blanche | 1,162 | #66 |
| 70 | Doris | 1,155 | #76 |
| 71 | Hattie | 1,137 | #71 |
| 72 | Betty | 1,128 | #77 |
| 73 | Leona | 1,118 | #72 |
| 73 | Lucy | 1,118 | #68 |
| 75 | Anne | 1,088 | #79 |
| 76 | Fannie | 1,085 | #74 |
| 77 | Kathryn | 1,058 | #88 |
| 78 | Jennie | 1,038 | #78 |
| 79 | Mamie | 1,028 | #75 |
| 80 | Lois | 1,023 | #85 |
| 81 | Violet | 1,017 | #81 |
| 82 | Beulah | 1,015 | #73 |
| 83 | Cora | 962 | #80 |
| 84 | Opal | 955 | #86 |
| 85 | Marjorie | 942 | #92 |
| 86 | Rosa | 941 | #82 |
| 87 | Ada | 922 | #83 |
| 88 | Marguerite | 913 | #87 |
| 89 | Lula | 892 | #84 |
| 90 | Velma | 860 | #90 |
| 91 | Jean | 852 | #96 |
| 92 | Ellen | 848 | #89 |
| 93 | Dora | 806 | #94 |
| 94 | Theresa | 795 | #99 |
| 95 | Maggie | 772 | #91 |
| 96 | Sadie | 770 | #95 |
| 97 | Georgia | 768 | #92 |
| 98 | Charlotte | 766 | #105 |
| 99 | Daisy | 765 | #98 |
| 100 | Inez | 757 | #102 |
Top 100 Boy Names of 1908
| # | Name | Babies | In 1907 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John | 9,343 | #1 |
| 2 | William | 7,529 | #2 |
| 3 | James | 7,012 | #3 |
| 4 | George | 4,584 | #4 |
| 5 | Robert | 4,219 | #5 |
| 6 | Joseph | 4,162 | #7 |
| 7 | Charles | 3,929 | #6 |
| 8 | Frank | 3,146 | #8 |
| 9 | Edward | 2,707 | #9 |
| 10 | Thomas | 2,301 | #11 |
| 11 | Henry | 2,283 | #10 |
| 12 | Walter | 2,192 | #12 |
| 13 | Willie | 1,964 | #13 |
| 14 | Harry | 1,934 | #14 |
| 15 | Albert | 1,642 | #15 |
| 16 | Arthur | 1,601 | #16 |
| 17 | Harold | 1,542 | #17 |
| 18 | Paul | 1,478 | #20 |
| 19 | Clarence | 1,428 | #18 |
| 20 | Fred | 1,381 | #19 |
| 20 | Raymond | 1,381 | #21 |
| 22 | Louis | 1,317 | #25 |
| 23 | Richard | 1,244 | #22 |
| 24 | Joe | 1,209 | #23 |
| 25 | Ralph | 1,138 | #29 |
| 26 | Roy | 1,097 | #24 |
| 27 | Jack | 1,086 | #26 |
| 28 | Howard | 1,078 | #33 |
| 29 | Carl | 1,074 | #27 |
| 30 | David | 1,015 | #31 |
| 31 | Ernest | 1,000 | #30 |
| 32 | Earl | 999 | #28 |
| 33 | Samuel | 960 | #32 |
| 34 | Francis | 853 | #37 |
| 35 | Lawrence | 815 | #34 |
| 36 | Herbert | 759 | #39 |
| 37 | Charlie | 740 | #35 |
| 38 | Alfred | 739 | #36 |
| 39 | Andrew | 722 | #40 |
| 40 | Kenneth | 692 | #47 |
| 41 | Anthony | 690 | #46 |
| 42 | Elmer | 689 | #44 |
| 42 | Eugene | 689 | #41 |
| 44 | Michael | 688 | #48 |
| 45 | Donald | 664 | #44 |
| 46 | Sam | 644 | #43 |
| 47 | Theodore | 643 | #38 |
| 48 | Leonard | 614 | #51 |
| 49 | Leo | 584 | #42 |
| 50 | Herman | 562 | #49 |
| 51 | Lee | 553 | #54 |
| 52 | Stanley | 547 | #54 |
| 53 | Peter | 541 | #61 |
| 54 | Daniel | 530 | #52 |
| 55 | Floyd | 529 | #53 |
| 56 | Leroy | 523 | #50 |
| 56 | Russell | 523 | #57 |
| 58 | Clifford | 515 | #65 |
| 59 | Clyde | 511 | #56 |
| 60 | Lester | 509 | #58 |
| 61 | Lewis | 489 | #66 |
| 62 | Jesse | 482 | #63 |
| 63 | Benjamin | 480 | #64 |
| 64 | Edwin | 477 | #62 |
| 65 | Oscar | 476 | #59 |
| 66 | Chester | 461 | #67 |
| 67 | Ray | 446 | #60 |
| 68 | Frederick | 438 | #68 |
| 69 | Claude | 428 | #74 |
| 70 | Bernard | 414 | #73 |
| 71 | Eddie | 413 | #70 |
| 72 | Cecil | 397 | #69 |
| 73 | Lloyd | 394 | #71 |
| 74 | Norman | 374 | #75 |
| 75 | Melvin | 366 | #78 |
| 76 | Edgar | 360 | #81 |
| 77 | Jessie | 355 | #71 |
| 78 | Ben | 353 | #82 |
| 79 | Milton | 346 | #89 |
| 80 | Homer | 340 | #84 |
| 80 | Tom | 340 | #83 |
| 82 | Harvey | 339 | #77 |
| 83 | Martin | 331 | #79 |
| 84 | Leon | 327 | #80 |
| 85 | Johnnie | 321 | #86 |
| 86 | Philip | 319 | #76 |
| 87 | Marvin | 311 | #87 |
| 88 | Victor | 308 | #99 |
| 89 | Alvin | 307 | #99 |
| 90 | Everett | 294 | #88 |
| 91 | Luther | 292 | #91 |
| 92 | Allen | 287 | #85 |
| 93 | Vernon | 285 | #109 |
| 94 | Stephen | 280 | #94 |
| 95 | Leslie | 279 | #94 |
| 96 | Will | 274 | #96 |
| 97 | Gerald | 270 | #102 |
| 98 | Morris | 269 | #96 |
| 99 | Julius | 263 | #105 |
| 100 | Virgil | 258 | #93 |
Open a name to see how many people with it are alive today and how its popularity changed. See the year before, 1907, or the year after, 1909, the top 100 of the whole 1900s, or let the random name generator pick names from the 1900s.