The Most Popular Baby Name of Every Year Since 1925

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The most popular baby name of every year since 1925

If you've ever resented your parents because your classmates called you "John P." as opposed to "John" or "Anna W." instead of "Anna," consider that they may have just been looking out for your best interest. Part of the psychology that goes into naming a child is a phenomenon known as the "playground effect," the way in which parents consider how their child's name would influence his or her popularity amongst peers. Because of the vicious social warzones schools can be, many parents shy away from unique names and those who do choose abnormal spellings typically regret it down the line, as was revealed by a survey of 3,000 parents.

As such, it makes sense that over time, the majority of American parents have gone for the same select few names year in and year out. Since 1925 through 2024 there have only been seven male names and 11 female names that have taken the top spot annually for their respective national ranks. Of those 18, 17 have sustained their reign at the top for multiple years, indicating that when a new name amasses a great deal of popularity, society clings to it for quite some time.

Using data from the Social Security Administration, Stacker found the three most popular male and female names in the United States from every year since 1925. The top names for every year are ranked according to the total number of babies born with that name in that year.

Read on to see if your name was amongst the most popular for the past 100 years.

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1925

#1 boys' name: Robert
#2 boys' name: John
#3 boys' name: William

#1 girls' name: Mary
#2 girls' name: Dorothy
#3 girls' name: Betty

1926

#1 boys' name: Robert
#2 boys' name: John
#3 boys' name: James

#1 girls' name: Mary
#2 girls' name: Dorothy
#3 girls' name: Betty

1927

#1 boys' name: Robert
#2 boys' name: John
#3 boys' name: James

#1 girls' name: Mary
#2 girls' name: Dorothy
#3 girls' name: Betty

1928

#1 boys' name: Robert
#2 boys' name: John
#3 boys' name: James

#1 girls' name: Mary
#2 girls' name: Betty
#3 girls' name: Dorothy

1929

#1 boys' name: Robert
#2 boys' name: James
#3 boys' name: John

#1 girls' name: Mary
#2 girls' name: Betty
#3 girls' name: Dorothy

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1930

#1 boys' name: Robert
#2 boys' name: James
#3 boys' name: John

#1 girls' name: Mary
#2 girls' name: Betty
#3 girls' name: Dorothy

1931

#1 boys' name: Robert
#2 boys' name: James
#3 boys' name: John

#1 girls' name: Mary
#2 girls' name: Betty
#3 girls' name: Dorothy

1932

#1 boys' name: Robert
#2 boys' name: James
#3 boys' name: John

#1 girls' name: Mary
#2 girls' name: Betty
#3 girls' name: Barbara

1933

#1 boys' name: Robert
#2 boys' name: James
#3 boys' name: John

#1 girls' name: Mary
#2 girls' name: Betty
#3 girls' name: Barbara

1934

#1 boys' name: Robert
#2 boys' name: James
#3 boys' name: John

#1 girls' name: Mary
#2 girls' name: Betty
#3 girls' name: Barbara

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1935

#1 boys' name: Robert
#2 boys' name: James
#3 boys' name: John

#1 girls' name: Mary
#2 girls' name: Shirley
#3 girls' name: Barbara

1936

#1 boys' name: Robert
#2 boys' name: James
#3 boys' name: John

#1 girls' name: Mary
#2 girls' name: Shirley
#3 girls' name: Barbara

1937

#1 boys' name: Robert
#2 boys' name: James
#3 boys' name: John

#1 girls' name: Mary
#2 girls' name: Barbara
#3 girls' name: Patricia

1938

#1 boys' name: Robert
#2 boys' name: James
#3 boys' name: John

#1 girls' name: Mary
#2 girls' name: Barbara
#3 girls' name: Patricia

1939

#1 boys' name: Robert
#2 boys' name: James
#3 boys' name: John

#1 girls' name: Mary
#2 girls' name: Barbara
#3 girls' name: Patricia

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1940

#1 boys' name: James
#2 boys' name: Robert
#3 boys' name: John

#1 girls' name: Mary
#2 girls' name: Barbara
#3 girls' name: Patricia

1941

#1 boys' name: James
#2 boys' name: Robert
#3 boys' name: John

#1 girls' name: Mary
#2 girls' name: Barbara
#3 girls' name: Patricia

1942

#1 boys' name: James
#2 boys' name: Robert
#3 boys' name: John

#1 girls' name: Mary
#2 girls' name: Barbara
#3 girls' name: Patricia

1943

#1 boys' name: James
#2 boys' name: Robert
#3 boys' name: John

#1 girls' name: Mary
#2 girls' name: Barbara
#3 girls' name: Patricia

1944

#1 boys' name: James
#2 boys' name: Robert
#3 boys' name: John

#1 girls' name: Mary
#2 girls' name: Barbara
#3 girls' name: Linda

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1945

#1 boys' name: James
#2 boys' name: Robert
#3 boys' name: John

#1 girls' name: Mary
#2 girls' name: Linda
#3 girls' name: Barbara

1946

#1 boys' name: James
#2 boys' name: Robert
#3 boys' name: John

#1 girls' name: Mary
#2 girls' name: Linda
#3 girls' name: Patricia