Most Popular Baby Names of 1909
Top 100 girl and boy names, Social Security records
Mary and John were the most popular baby names of 1909 in the US: 19,259 girls were named Mary and 9,590 boys were named John, about 1 in 18 girls and 1 in 17 boys born that year. It was Mary's 30th year in a row at #1 for girls (since 1880), and it was John's 30th year in a row at #1 for boys (since 1880).
Social Security records list 347,228 girls and 163,996 boys born in 1909, with 2,548 different girl names and 1,678 boy names. A name is listed for a year only when at least 5 babies of one sex got it.
What Changed From 1908
- The girls' top 10 had the same names as in 1908; the boys' top 10 had the same names as in 1908.
- Biggest climbers in the girls' top 100: Genevieve (#108 to #99), Eleanor (#65 to #57) and Marjorie (#85 to #77).
- Biggest climbers in the boys' top 100: Johnnie (#85 to #77), Philip (#86 to #78) and Alvin (#89 to #82).
- 3 girl names and 1 boy name left the top 100, among them Daisy (#99 to #102) and Virgil (#100 to #110).
- 198 names appeared in the records for the first time.
Top 100 Baby Names of 1909
Ranked by the babies given each name; the last column is the name's rank in 1908, among names of the same sex. Tied names share a rank.
Top 100 Girl Names of 1909
| # | Name | Babies | In 1908 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mary | 19,259 | #1 |
| 2 | Helen | 9,250 | #2 |
| 3 | Margaret | 7,358 | #3 |
| 4 | Ruth | 6,509 | #4 |
| 5 | Dorothy | 6,253 | #6 |
| 6 | Anna | 5,804 | #5 |
| 7 | Elizabeth | 5,176 | #7 |
| 8 | Mildred | 5,054 | #8 |
| 9 | Marie | 4,301 | #10 |
| 10 | Alice | 4,170 | #9 |
| 11 | Florence | 3,789 | #11 |
| 12 | Frances | 3,780 | #14 |
| 13 | Ethel | 3,661 | #12 |
| 14 | Lillian | 3,596 | #13 |
| 15 | Gladys | 3,538 | #15 |
| 16 | Edna | 3,429 | #17 |
| 17 | Rose | 3,374 | #16 |
| 18 | Evelyn | 3,157 | #20 |
| 19 | Louise | 3,019 | #18 |
| 20 | Irene | 2,961 | #23 |
| 21 | Grace | 2,912 | #19 |
| 22 | Annie | 2,904 | #21 |
| 23 | Catherine | 2,897 | #22 |
| 24 | Hazel | 2,708 | #24 |
| 25 | Gertrude | 2,622 | #25 |
| 26 | Thelma | 2,612 | #26 |
| 27 | Ruby | 2,524 | #33 |
| 28 | Martha | 2,510 | #32 |
| 29 | Bertha | 2,444 | #29 |
| 30 | Virginia | 2,420 | #35 |
| 31 | Josephine | 2,416 | #28 |
| 32 | Clara | 2,403 | #31 |
| 33 | Edith | 2,371 | #27 |
| 34 | Emma | 2,338 | #30 |
| 35 | Bessie | 2,276 | #34 |
| 36 | Lucille | 2,192 | #38 |
| 37 | Esther | 2,185 | #36 |
| 38 | Beatrice | 2,105 | #40 |
| 39 | Elsie | 2,064 | #41 |
| 40 | Pearl | 2,048 | #39 |
| 41 | Mabel | 2,007 | #37 |
| 42 | Agnes | 1,974 | #45 |
| 43 | Myrtle | 1,950 | #43 |
| 44 | Ida | 1,943 | #43 |
| 45 | Julia | 1,931 | #50 |
| 46 | Viola | 1,926 | #42 |
| 47 | Eva | 1,896 | #46 |
| 47 | Pauline | 1,896 | #51 |
| 49 | Sarah | 1,845 | #48 |
| 50 | Minnie | 1,779 | #47 |
| 51 | Nellie | 1,768 | #49 |
| 52 | Lillie | 1,635 | #54 |
| 53 | Katherine | 1,557 | #55 |
| 54 | Willie | 1,549 | #59 |
| 55 | Laura | 1,524 | #52 |
| 56 | Ann | 1,477 | #62 |
| 57 | Eleanor | 1,460 | #65 |
| 58 | Marion | 1,445 | #63 |
| 59 | Mattie | 1,407 | #60 |
| 60 | Ella | 1,382 | #56 |
| 61 | Alma | 1,375 | #53 |
| 62 | Bernice | 1,337 | #61 |
| 63 | Jessie | 1,321 | #58 |
| 64 | Doris | 1,298 | #70 |
| 65 | Lena | 1,295 | #64 |
| 66 | Carrie | 1,276 | #66 |
| 67 | Vera | 1,242 | #68 |
| 68 | Mae | 1,230 | #57 |
| 69 | Blanche | 1,217 | #69 |
| 70 | Stella | 1,188 | #67 |
| 71 | Lucy | 1,175 | #73 |
| 72 | Leona | 1,167 | #73 |
| 73 | Lois | 1,157 | #80 |
| 74 | Kathryn | 1,138 | #77 |
| 75 | Hattie | 1,134 | #71 |
| 76 | Anne | 1,110 | #75 |
| 77 | Betty | 1,082 | #72 |
| 77 | Marjorie | 1,082 | #85 |
| 79 | Fannie | 1,071 | #76 |
| 80 | Beulah | 1,052 | #82 |
| 81 | Marguerite | 1,036 | #88 |
| 82 | Opal | 1,028 | #84 |
| 83 | Jennie | 998 | #78 |
| 84 | Mamie | 974 | #79 |
| 85 | Cora | 969 | #83 |
| 86 | Ellen | 960 | #92 |
| 87 | Rosa | 959 | #86 |
| 88 | Ada | 945 | #87 |
| 88 | Violet | 945 | #81 |
| 90 | Jean | 940 | #91 |
| 91 | Lula | 922 | #89 |
| 92 | Velma | 857 | #90 |
| 93 | Sylvia | 847 | #101 |
| 94 | Charlotte | 841 | #98 |
| 95 | Dora | 829 | #93 |
| 96 | Inez | 826 | #100 |
| 97 | Georgia | 813 | #97 |
| 98 | Maggie | 794 | #95 |
| 99 | Genevieve | 785 | #108 |
| 100 | Hilda | 773 | #102 |
Top 100 Boy Names of 1909
| # | Name | Babies | In 1908 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John | 9,590 | #1 |
| 2 | William | 7,913 | #2 |
| 3 | James | 7,595 | #3 |
| 4 | George | 4,688 | #4 |
| 5 | Robert | 4,563 | #5 |
| 6 | Joseph | 4,348 | #6 |
| 7 | Charles | 4,029 | #7 |
| 8 | Frank | 3,244 | #8 |
| 9 | Edward | 2,935 | #9 |
| 10 | Thomas | 2,468 | #10 |
| 11 | Henry | 2,411 | #11 |
| 12 | Walter | 2,287 | #12 |
| 13 | Willie | 2,175 | #13 |
| 14 | Harry | 1,924 | #14 |
| 15 | Albert | 1,816 | #15 |
| 16 | Harold | 1,725 | #17 |
| 17 | Paul | 1,676 | #18 |
| 18 | Arthur | 1,665 | #16 |
| 19 | Clarence | 1,518 | #19 |
| 20 | Raymond | 1,441 | #20 |
| 21 | Richard | 1,427 | #23 |
| 22 | Fred | 1,355 | #20 |
| 23 | Joe | 1,292 | #24 |
| 24 | Louis | 1,231 | #22 |
| 25 | Carl | 1,215 | #29 |
| 26 | Howard | 1,166 | #28 |
| 27 | Jack | 1,150 | #27 |
| 28 | Roy | 1,135 | #26 |
| 29 | David | 1,094 | #30 |
| 30 | Ralph | 1,091 | #25 |
| 31 | Earl | 1,007 | #32 |
| 32 | Samuel | 983 | #33 |
| 33 | Francis | 886 | #34 |
| 34 | Ernest | 885 | #31 |
| 35 | Lawrence | 854 | #35 |
| 36 | Charlie | 833 | #37 |
| 37 | Herbert | 831 | #36 |
| 38 | Andrew | 766 | #39 |
| 39 | Alfred | 763 | #38 |
| 40 | Anthony | 758 | #41 |
| 41 | Kenneth | 746 | #40 |
| 42 | Donald | 725 | #45 |
| 43 | Eugene | 724 | #42 |
| 44 | Sam | 700 | #46 |
| 45 | Elmer | 687 | #42 |
| 46 | Leonard | 665 | #48 |
| 47 | Michael | 635 | #44 |
| 48 | Herman | 618 | #50 |
| 49 | Leo | 609 | #49 |
| 50 | Stanley | 607 | #52 |
| 51 | Theodore | 595 | #47 |
| 52 | Lee | 584 | #51 |
| 53 | Floyd | 570 | #55 |
| 54 | Daniel | 569 | #54 |
| 55 | Leroy | 568 | #56 |
| 56 | Peter | 539 | #53 |
| 57 | Clifford | 536 | #58 |
| 58 | Russell | 528 | #56 |
| 59 | Jesse | 517 | #62 |
| 60 | Clyde | 516 | #59 |
| 61 | Lester | 501 | #60 |
| 62 | Edwin | 492 | #64 |
| 63 | Benjamin | 489 | #63 |
| 64 | Frederick | 477 | #68 |
| 64 | Lewis | 477 | #61 |
| 66 | Chester | 475 | #66 |
| 66 | Ray | 475 | #67 |
| 68 | Bernard | 463 | #70 |
| 69 | Eddie | 462 | #71 |
| 70 | Oscar | 459 | #65 |
| 71 | Melvin | 448 | #75 |
| 72 | Cecil | 432 | #72 |
| 72 | Jessie | 432 | #77 |
| 74 | Claude | 419 | #69 |
| 75 | Norman | 415 | #74 |
| 76 | Lloyd | 412 | #73 |
| 77 | Johnnie | 401 | #85 |
| 78 | Philip | 395 | #86 |
| 79 | Martin | 391 | #83 |
| 80 | Leon | 377 | #84 |
| 81 | Milton | 369 | #79 |
| 82 | Alvin | 363 | #89 |
| 83 | Harvey | 361 | #82 |
| 84 | Ben | 358 | #78 |
| 85 | Marvin | 354 | #87 |
| 86 | Edgar | 347 | #76 |
| 86 | Luther | 347 | #91 |
| 88 | Tom | 340 | #80 |
| 89 | Victor | 320 | #88 |
| 90 | Everett | 314 | #90 |
| 90 | Stephen | 314 | #94 |
| 92 | Homer | 313 | #80 |
| 93 | Allen | 312 | #92 |
| 94 | Morris | 305 | #98 |
| 95 | Gerald | 301 | #97 |
| 96 | Leslie | 292 | #95 |
| 97 | Vernon | 284 | #93 |
| 98 | Julius | 269 | #99 |
| 99 | Otis | 267 | #105 |
| 99 | Will | 267 | #96 |
Open a name to see how many people with it are alive today and how its popularity changed. See the year before, 1908, or the year after, 1910, the top 100 of the whole 1900s, or let the random name generator pick names from the 1900s.