Most Popular Baby Names of 1921
Top 100 girl and boy names, Social Security records
Mary and John were the most popular baby names of 1921 in the US: 73,984 girls were named Mary and 58,216 boys were named John, about 1 in 17 girls and 1 in 19 boys born that year. It was Mary's 42nd year in a row at #1 for girls (since 1880), and it was John's 42nd year in a row at #1 for boys (since 1880).
Social Security records list 1,233,058 girls and 1,101,449 boys born in 1921, with 5,869 different girl names and 4,983 boy names. A name is listed for a year only when at least 5 babies of one sex got it.
What Changed From 1920
- Betty joined the girls' top 10; the boys' top 10 had the same names as in 1920.
- Biggest climbers in the girls' top 100: Audrey (#103 to #82), Patricia (#104 to #84) and Norma (#69 to #51).
- Biggest climbers in the boys' top 100: Warren (#39 to #24), Dale (#105 to #93) and Wayne (#86 to #81).
- 3 girl names and 3 boy names left the top 100, among them Lena (#98 to #104) and Gilbert (#97 to #103).
- 565 names appeared in the records for the first time.
Top 100 Baby Names of 1921
Ranked by the babies given each name; the last column is the name's rank in 1920, among names of the same sex. Tied names share a rank.
Top 100 Girl Names of 1921
| # | Name | Babies | In 1920 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mary | 73,984 | #1 |
| 2 | Dorothy | 39,087 | #2 |
| 3 | Helen | 34,822 | #3 |
| 4 | Margaret | 28,468 | #4 |
| 5 | Ruth | 25,783 | #5 |
| 6 | Virginia | 19,032 | #7 |
| 7 | Mildred | 17,880 | #6 |
| 8 | Betty | 17,638 | #11 |
| 9 | Frances | 15,993 | #9 |
| 10 | Elizabeth | 15,800 | #8 |
| 11 | Anna | 14,476 | #10 |
| 12 | Evelyn | 14,278 | #12 |
| 13 | Doris | 13,152 | #14 |
| 14 | Marie | 12,501 | #13 |
| 15 | Alice | 11,955 | #15 |
| 16 | Marjorie | 11,209 | #24 |
| 17 | Florence | 10,720 | #16 |
| 18 | Irene | 10,624 | #17 |
| 19 | Lillian | 9,770 | #18 |
| 20 | Rose | 9,352 | #20 |
| 21 | Martha | 9,264 | #23 |
| 22 | Louise | 9,180 | #19 |
| 23 | Catherine | 8,887 | #21 |
| 24 | Gladys | 8,814 | #22 |
| 25 | Jean | 8,592 | #33 |
| 26 | Ruby | 8,333 | #26 |
| 27 | Edna | 8,302 | #27 |
| 28 | Josephine | 8,135 | #28 |
| 29 | Eleanor | 8,054 | #25 |
| 30 | Thelma | 7,839 | #31 |
| 31 | Lucille | 7,698 | #29 |
| 32 | Ethel | 7,603 | #30 |
| 33 | Edith | 7,589 | #32 |
| 34 | Hazel | 7,341 | #34 |
| 35 | Grace | 7,230 | #37 |
| 36 | Annie | 7,209 | #35 |
| 37 | Pauline | 7,142 | #36 |
| 38 | Lois | 6,899 | #38 |
| 39 | Bernice | 6,190 | #40 |
| 40 | Barbara | 6,013 | #47 |
| 41 | Beatrice | 5,968 | #41 |
| 42 | Esther | 5,926 | #39 |
| 43 | Marion | 5,814 | #43 |
| 44 | Shirley | 5,695 | #56 |
| 45 | Clara | 5,606 | #44 |
| 46 | Gertrude | 5,349 | #42 |
| 47 | Jane | 5,188 | #48 |
| 48 | Rita | 5,157 | #52 |
| 49 | Katherine | 5,156 | #45 |
| 50 | June | 5,155 | #53 |
| 51 | Norma | 5,102 | #69 |
| 52 | Emma | 5,072 | #46 |
| 53 | Ann | 5,058 | #49 |
| 54 | Sarah | 5,024 | #50 |
| 55 | Elsie | 4,879 | #51 |
| 56 | Agnes | 4,798 | #54 |
| 57 | Juanita | 4,779 | #61 |
| 58 | Julia | 4,737 | #55 |
| 59 | Bertha | 4,608 | #57 |
| 60 | Phyllis | 4,590 | #72 |
| 61 | Lorraine | 4,533 | #70 |
| 62 | Geraldine | 4,523 | #60 |
| 63 | Eva | 4,325 | #58 |
| 64 | Kathryn | 4,201 | #67 |
| 65 | Pearl | 4,175 | #62 |
| 66 | Viola | 4,160 | #59 |
| 67 | Ida | 4,146 | #66 |
| 68 | Vivian | 4,103 | #64 |
| 69 | Marian | 4,064 | #73 |
| 70 | Anne | 4,007 | #65 |
| 71 | Laura | 3,998 | #63 |
| 72 | Wilma | 3,824 | #78 |
| 73 | Myrtle | 3,791 | #68 |
| 74 | Willie | 3,748 | #74 |
| 75 | Bessie | 3,678 | #71 |
| 76 | Vera | 3,631 | #75 |
| 77 | Maxine | 3,630 | #81 |
| 78 | Alma | 3,589 | #80 |
| 79 | Charlotte | 3,587 | #79 |
| 80 | Nellie | 3,513 | #76 |
| 81 | Violet | 3,469 | #77 |
| 82 | Audrey | 3,434 | #103 |
| 83 | Kathleen | 3,419 | #91 |
| 84 | Patricia | 3,380 | #104 |
| 85 | Mabel | 3,336 | #83 |
| 86 | Stella | 3,335 | #82 |
| 87 | Nancy | 3,323 | #95 |
| 88 | Sylvia | 3,297 | #85 |
| 89 | Ella | 3,237 | #88 |
| 90 | Genevieve | 3,235 | #86 |
| 91 | Jessie | 3,225 | #84 |
| 92 | Leona | 3,210 | #89 |
| 93 | Lucy | 3,157 | #94 |
| 94 | Lillie | 3,118 | #90 |
| 95 | Ellen | 3,064 | #92 |
| 96 | Minnie | 2,998 | #87 |
| 97 | Elaine | 2,922 | #107 |
| 98 | Marguerite | 2,897 | #93 |
| 99 | Jennie | 2,889 | #97 |
| 100 | Eileen | 2,862 | #100 |
Top 100 Boy Names of 1921
| # | Name | Babies | In 1920 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John | 58,216 | #1 |
| 2 | Robert | 52,779 | #3 |
| 3 | William | 51,862 | #2 |
| 4 | James | 49,750 | #4 |
| 5 | Charles | 29,242 | #5 |
| 6 | George | 27,476 | #6 |
| 7 | Joseph | 26,182 | #7 |
| 8 | Edward | 20,817 | #8 |
| 9 | Frank | 16,705 | #9 |
| 10 | Richard | 16,376 | #10 |
| 11 | Thomas | 15,308 | #11 |
| 12 | Harold | 13,811 | #12 |
| 13 | Donald | 13,776 | #16 |
| 14 | Paul | 13,169 | #14 |
| 15 | Walter | 13,004 | #13 |
| 16 | Raymond | 12,645 | #15 |
| 17 | Henry | 11,411 | #17 |
| 18 | Jack | 10,757 | #20 |
| 19 | Arthur | 10,527 | #18 |
| 20 | Albert | 10,158 | #19 |
| 21 | Harry | 9,731 | #21 |
| 22 | Kenneth | 8,959 | #23 |
| 23 | Ralph | 8,860 | #22 |
| 24 | Warren | 7,798 | #39 |
| 25 | David | 7,765 | #25 |
| 26 | Eugene | 7,717 | #30 |
| 27 | Howard | 7,713 | #24 |
| 28 | Clarence | 7,332 | #26 |
| 29 | Louis | 7,247 | #28 |
| 30 | Carl | 7,077 | #27 |
| 31 | Earl | 6,754 | #31 |
| 32 | Roy | 6,545 | #32 |
| 33 | Fred | 6,496 | #33 |
| 34 | Willie | 6,492 | #29 |
| 35 | Francis | 6,293 | #34 |
| 36 | Joe | 6,204 | #35 |
| 37 | Lawrence | 5,977 | #36 |
| 38 | Ernest | 5,697 | #37 |
| 39 | Leonard | 5,650 | #38 |
| 40 | Anthony | 5,239 | #43 |
| 41 | Stanley | 5,231 | #40 |
| 42 | Herbert | 5,217 | #41 |
| 43 | Alfred | 4,925 | #42 |
| 44 | Samuel | 4,754 | #44 |
| 45 | Bernard | 4,485 | #46 |
| 46 | Norman | 4,479 | #47 |
| 47 | Michael | 4,198 | #50 |
| 48 | Elmer | 4,146 | #45 |
| 49 | Daniel | 4,087 | #52 |
| 50 | Leo | 4,066 | #48 |
| 51 | Andrew | 4,015 | #49 |
| 52 | Russell | 3,946 | #51 |
| 53 | Melvin | 3,887 | #54 |
| 54 | Edwin | 3,750 | #53 |
| 55 | Leroy | 3,749 | #56 |
| 56 | Chester | 3,549 | #55 |
| 57 | Peter | 3,548 | #57 |
| 58 | Lloyd | 3,536 | #58 |
| 59 | Marvin | 3,490 | #62 |
| 60 | Gerald | 3,382 | #64 |
| 61 | Frederick | 3,376 | #60 |
| 62 | Clifford | 3,262 | #59 |
| 63 | Floyd | 3,255 | #61 |
| 64 | Herman | 3,219 | #66 |
| 65 | Theodore | 3,172 | #63 |
| 66 | Lester | 3,076 | #69 |
| 67 | Ray | 3,075 | #67 |
| 68 | Vernon | 3,069 | #65 |
| 69 | Clyde | 3,022 | #68 |
| 70 | Vincent | 2,779 | #73 |
| 71 | Lewis | 2,712 | #72 |
| 72 | Philip | 2,703 | #71 |
| 73 | Alvin | 2,686 | #76 |
| 74 | Leon | 2,616 | #75 |
| 75 | Milton | 2,588 | #74 |
| 76 | Charlie | 2,574 | #70 |
| 77 | Jesse | 2,486 | #79 |
| 78 | Martin | 2,461 | #78 |
| 79 | Cecil | 2,456 | #77 |
| 80 | Glenn | 2,449 | #80 |
| 81 | Wayne | 2,417 | #86 |
| 82 | Benjamin | 2,412 | #83 |
| 83 | Victor | 2,407 | #81 |
| 84 | Gordon | 2,382 | #85 |
| 85 | Sam | 2,367 | #84 |
| 86 | Lee | 2,354 | #82 |
| 87 | Harvey | 2,287 | #87 |
| 88 | Wallace | 2,095 | #93 |
| 89 | Willard | 2,077 | #88 |
| 90 | Edgar | 2,014 | #89 |
| 91 | Arnold | 1,982 | #91 |
| 92 | Oscar | 1,978 | #90 |
| 93 | Dale | 1,956 | #105 |
| 94 | Allen | 1,937 | #94 |
| 95 | Everett | 1,913 | #95 |
| 96 | Claude | 1,887 | #92 |
| 97 | Stephen | 1,868 | #96 |
| 98 | Virgil | 1,830 | #101 |
| 99 | Roger | 1,803 | #103 |
| 100 | Wilbur | 1,755 | #98 |
Open a name to see how many people with it are alive today and how its popularity changed. See the year before, 1920, or the year after, 1922, the top 100 of the whole 1920s, or let the random name generator pick names from the 1920s.