The “Roaring '20s” was a defining decade in American history. New styles of dress and dance were embraced with open arms. Many of the traditional moral standards were abolished. Americans experienced unprecedented economic growth during this era, and that economic growth brought about childbirths in record numbers. The previous decade had 15,458,359 births recorded. In the roaring '20s, there were an astounding 23,775,132 births recorded. The number of male births almost doubled from the 1910s. What were some popular 1920s baby names? Let's find out.
1920s Boy Names
- Robert
- John
- James
- William
- Charles
- George
- Joseph
- Richard
- Edward
- Donald
- Thomas
- Frank
- Harold
- Paul
- Raymond
- Walter
- Jack
- Henry
- Kenneth
- Arthur
- Albert
- David
- Harry
- Eugene
- Ralph
- Howard
- Carl
- Willie
- Louis
- Clarence
- Earl
- Roy
- Fred
- Joe
- Francis
- Lawrence
- Herbert
- Leonard
- Ernest
- Alfred
- Anthony
- Stanley
- Norman
- Gerald
- Daniel
- Samuel
- Bernard
- Billy
- Melvin
- Marvin
- Warren
- Michael
- Leroy
- Russell
- Leo
- Andrew
- Edwin
- Elmer
- Peter
- Floyd
- Lloyd
- Ray
- Frederick
- Theodore
- Clifford
- Vernon
- Herman
- Clyde
- Chester
- Philip
- Alvin
- Lester
- Wayne
- Vincent
- Gordon
- Leon
- Lewis
- Charlie
- Glenn
- Calvin
- Martin
- Milton
- Lee
- Jesse
- Dale
- Cecil
- Bill
- Harvey
- Roger
- Victor
- Benjamin
- Ronald
- Wallace
- Sam
- Allen
- Arnold
- Willard
- Gilbert
- Edgar
- Oscar
While those are the most overall popular names for the decade, the individual years within the decades had some very interesting names that made the top ten list for the year but not the decade. Do you want to know what they are?
Other Popular Boy Names From The 1920s
Several names during the decade were popular for a year, but did not rank in the top ten for the decade. Here is a list of those names and the year they were famous.
- 1920: Daniel
- 1921: Frank and Thomas
- 1922: Jebediah
- 1923: Frank
- 1924: Tony
- 1926: Michael
In the early part of the decade, there seemed to be more variety with popular boy names. By the end of the decade, America had adopted some traditional names that are still chosen almost 100 years later. The name “William” is still listed in the top ten most popular boy names from 2010 to the present. That is amazing!
The boy names are revealed. Now, let's take a look at popular girl names from the 1920s. What name do you think will be at number one?
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1920s Girl Names
- Mary
- Dorothy
- Helen
- Betty
- Margaret
- Ruth
- Virginia
- Doris
- Mildred
- Frances
- Elizabeth
- Evelyn
- Anna
- Marie
- Alice
- Jean
- Shirley
- Barbara
- Irene
- Marjorie
- Florence
- Lois
- Martha
- Rose
- Lillian
- Louise
- Catherine
- Ruby
- Eleanor
- Patricia
- Gladys
- Annie
- Josephine
- Thelma
- Edna
- Norma
- Pauline
- Lucille
- Edith
- Gloria
- Ethel
- Phyllis
- Grace
- Hazel
- June
- Bernice
- Marion
- Dolores
- Rita
- Lorraine
- Anne
- Esther
- Beatrice
- Juanita
- Clara
- Jane
- Geraldine
- Sarah
- Emma
- Joan
- Joyce
- Nancy
- Katherine
- Gertrude
- Elsie
- Julia
- Agnes
- Wilma
- Marion
- Bertha
- Eva
- Willie
- Audrey
- Theresa
- Vivian
- Wanda
- Laura
- Charlotte
- Ida
- Elaine
- Anne
- Marilyn
- Kathryn
- Maxine
- Kathleen
- Viola
- Pearl
- Vera
- Bessie
- Myrtle
- Alma
- Beverly
- Violet
- Nellie
- Ella
- Lillie
- Jessie
- Jeanne
- Eileen
- Ellen
Some baby names from the 1920s given to the boys are still given to baby boys in our era. But as for the girls, that is not as much the case.
©Olena Zaskochenko/Shutterstock.com
Those are considered old names in our current generation. There is not one of the most popular girl names from the 20s listed in the top 50 popular names from 2010 to the present year. What are some girl names that hit the top ten for the year but missed the mark on the decade?
Popular Girl Names From The 1920s
- 1920 Elizabeth and Anna
- 1921 Anna
- 1922 Gladis, Elizabeth, and Anna
- 1923 Elizabeth
- 1925 Elizabeth
- 1926 Jean and Maria
- 1927 Maria and Shirley
- 1928 Maria and Patricia
- 1929 Maria, Barbara, and Shirley
Interestingly, a few popular names chosen for the individual years are given to babies today.
Are Popular 1920s Baby Names Still Popular Today?
Roughly 100 years later, are any names that were popular in the 1920s still popular today? Let's take a peek at the top five boy and girl names from the 1920s to see.
For boys, the top five names in the '20s were Robert, John, James, William, and Charles. In 2023, Robert still manages to make the Top 200 with a spot at 144. John is still very popular, making it into the Top 50 at number 40. James and William are both very popular in 2023, ranking at nine and 12 respectively. Finally, Charles sits in the bottom half of the Top 100 at 84. This may change in the coming years now that King Charles has been crowned.
For girls, the top five names in the '20s were Mary, Dorothy, Helen, Betty, and Margaret. Mary is still decently popular at 330, but certainly isn't as popular as it was in the '20s. Dorothy still makes the Top 1,000 at 973. Helen ranks about 100 places higher, at 849. Betty is much less popular than any of these aforementioned names, at 2,179. Margaret is a little more popular than Mary, at 312.
If you want an uncommon name that was popular in the '20s, Robert, Dorothy, Helen, and Betty are all great options!
Top 100 Baby Names by Decade
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Donna Beeler/Shutterstock.com.