1 / 100
#50 Girl: Dolores
Rank in the 1920s: #50
Average annual births in the 1920s: 5,198.6
Rank in 2016: #3,226
Births in 2016: 50
Vintage baby names that rocked the 1920s
Though many refer to it as the Roaring Twenties, growing up in this decade wasn't totally glamorous. Often called the Greatest Generation, babies born in the early 20s were born after World War I and grew up during the Great Depression. But, they weren't old enough to fight during World War II. Then followed the Silent Generation, a more cautious group born at the end of the 20s. Men born around this time would be young adults when it came time for the Korean and Vietnam Wars. While their parents enjoyed the height of American consumerism, the children of this time faced unique hardships.
Still, many common names from the 1920s remain popular picks for new parents today, likely because of the "100-year rule." This rule refers to the trend of parents embracing names from the previous century, likely due to both nostalgia and the desire to bestow a unique name. The 2020s are no exception—according to a March 2025 report from The Everymom, names like Eleanor, Hazel, and Charlotte have been making a comeback for girls this year, while Henry, Jack, and Leo are becoming more popular for boys.
To find other popular '20s names that might inspire today's parents, Stacker used data from the Social Security Administration to organize the 50 most common male and female names of babies from this generation, plus how each of those names ranks in the year 2016. Many of these names have remained popular for over 90 years.
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2 / 100
#50 Boy: Marvin
Rank in the 1920s: #50
Average annual births in the 1920s: 3,958.9
Rank in 2016: #544
Births in 2016: 529
3 / 100
#49 Girl: Gloria
Rank in the 1920s: #49
Average annual births in the 1920s: 6,285.4
Rank in 2016: #550
Births in 2016: 563
4 / 100
#49 Boy: Melvin
Rank in the 1920s: #49
Average annual births in the 1920s: 4,057.6
Rank in 2016: #738
Births in 2016: 328
5 / 100
#48 Girl: Lorraine
Rank in the 1920s: #48
Average annual births in the 1920s: 4,993.8
Rank in 2016: #1,557
Births in 2016: 143
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6 / 100
#48 Boy: Billy
Rank in the 1920s: #48
Average annual births in the 1920s: 4,209.9
Rank in 2016: #865
Births in 2016: 258
7 / 100
#47 Girl: Rita
Rank in the 1920s: #47
Average annual births in the 1920s: 5,058.6
Rank in 2016: #1,185
Births in 2016: 209
8 / 100
#47 Boy: Bernard
Rank in the 1920s: #47
Average annual births in the 1920s: 4,240.8
Rank in 2016: #1,163
Births in 2016: 163
9 / 100
#46 Girl: Marion
Rank in the 1920s: #46
Average annual births in the 1920s: 5,517.7
Rank in 2016: #1,449
Births in 2016: 158
10 / 100
#46 Boy: Samuel
Rank in the 1920s: #46
Average annual births in the 1920s: 4,336.7
Rank in 2016: #21
Births in 2016: 10,492
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11 / 100
#45 Girl: Bernice
Rank in the 1920s: #45
Average annual births in the 1920s: 5,583.8
Rank in 2016: #3,089
Births in 2016: 53
12 / 100
#45 Boy: Daniel
Rank in the 1920s: #45
Average annual births in the 1920s: 4,342.
Rank in 2016: #13
Births in 2016: 12,839
13 / 100
#44 Girl: Hazel
Rank in the 1920s: #44
Average annual births in the 1920s: 5,898.4
Rank in 2016: #52
Births in 2016: 4,634
14 / 100
#44 Boy: Gerald
Rank in the 1920s: #44
Average annual births in the 1920s: 4,452.5
Rank in 2016: #812
Births in 2016: 283
15 / 100
#43 Girl: June
Rank in the 1920s: #43
Average annual births in the 1920s: 5,648.1
Rank in 2016: #268
Births in 2016: 1,180
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16 / 100
#43 Boy: Norman
Rank in the 1920s: #43
Average annual births in the 1920s: 4,935.7
Rank in 2016: #1,085
Births in 2016: 180
17 / 100
#42 Girl: Grace
Rank in the 1920s: #42
Average annual births in the 1920s: 6,006.1
Rank in 2016: #19
Births in 2016: 7,531
18 / 100
#42 Boy: Stanley
Rank in the 1920s: #42
Average annual births in the 1920s: 4,945.5
Rank in 2016: #682
Births in 2016: 364
19 / 100
#41 Girl: Patricia
Rank in the 1920s: #41
Average annual births in the 1920s: 7,473.7
Rank in 2016: #745
Births in 2016: 380
20 / 100
#41 Boy: Anthony
Rank in the 1920s: #41
Average annual births in the 1920s: 5,005.5
Rank in 2016: #30
Births in 2016: 9,815
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21 / 100
#40 Girl: Phyllis
Rank in the 1920s: #40
Average annual births in the 1920s: 6,186.7
Rank in 2016: #6,104
Births in 2016: 21
22 / 100
#40 Boy: Alfred
Rank in the 1920s: #40
Average annual births in the 1920s: 5,015.8
Rank in 2016: #844
Births in 2016: 263
23 / 100
#39 Girl: Edith
Rank in the 1920s: #39
Average annual births in the 1920s: 6,298.8
Rank in 2016: #488
Births in 2016: 631
24 / 100
#39 Boy: Ernest
Rank in the 1920s: #39
Average annual births in the 1920s: 5,365.2
Rank in 2016: #976
Births in 2016: 208
25 / 100
#38 Girl: Ethel
Rank in the 1920s: #38
Average annual births in the 1920s: 6,280.
Rank in 2016: #5,300
Births in 2016: 25
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26 / 100
#38 Boy: Leonard
Rank in the 1920s: #38
Average annual births in the 1920s: 5,379.8
Rank in 2016: #600
Births in 2016: 446
27 / 100
#37 Girl: Lucille
Rank in the 1920s: #37
Average annual births in the 1920s: 6,387.9
Rank in 2016: #284
Births in 2016: 1,122
28 / 100
#37 Boy: Herbert
Rank in the 1920s: #37
Average annual births in the 1920s: 5,652.6
Rank in 2016: #1,853
Births in 2016: 80
29 / 100
#36 Girl: Pauline
Rank in the 1920s: #36
Average annual births in the 1920s: 6,407.1
Rank in 2016: #2,801
Births in 2016: 61
30 / 100
#36 Boy: Lawrence
Rank in the 1920s: #36
Average annual births in the 1920s: 5,686.2
Rank in 2016: #493
Births in 2016: 612
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31 / 100
#35 Girl: Norma
Rank in the 1920s: #35
Average annual births in the 1920s: 6,523.8
Rank in 2016: #2,223
Births in 2016: 86
32 / 100
#35 Boy: Francis
Rank in the 1920s: #35
Average annual births in the 1920s: 5,909.2
Rank in 2016: #480
Births in 2016: 636
33 / 100
#34 Girl: Edna
Rank in the 1920s: #34
Average annual births in the 1920s: 6,862.7
Rank in 2016: #2,334
Births in 2016: 80
34 / 100
#34 Boy: Joe
Rank in the 1920s: #34
Average annual births in the 1920s: 6,267.1
Rank in 2016: #618
Births in 2016: 431
35 / 100
#33 Girl: Thelma
Rank in the 1920s: #33
Average annual births in the 1920s: 6,876.9
Rank in 2016: #4,496
Births in 2016: 32
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36 / 100
#33 Boy: Fred
Rank in the 1920s: #33
Average annual births in the 1920s: 6,274.
Rank in 2016: #1,539
Births in 2016: 107
37 / 100
#32 Girl: Josephine
Rank in the 1920s: #32
Average annual births in the 1920s: 6,921.7
Rank in 2016: #114
Births in 2016: 2,766
38 / 100
#32 Boy: Roy
Rank in the 1920s: #32
Average annual births in the 1920s: 6,325.8
Rank in 2016: #539
Births in 2016: 536
39 / 100
#31 Girl: Annie
Rank in the 1920s: #31
Average annual births in the 1920s: 6,946.3
Rank in 2016: #287
Births in 2016: 1,113
40 / 100
#31 Boy: Earl
Rank in the 1920s: #31
Average annual births in the 1920s: 6,360.2
Rank in 2016: #1,527
Births in 2016: 109
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41 / 100
#30 Girl: Gladys
Rank in the 1920s: #30
Average annual births in the 1920s: 7,256.1
Rank in 2016: #2,514
Births in 2016: 71
42 / 100
#30 Boy: Clarence
Rank in the 1920s: #30
Average annual births in the 1920s: 6,657.7
Rank in 2016: #1,207
Births in 2016: 155
43 / 100
#29 Girl: Eleanor
Rank in the 1920s: #29
Average annual births in the 1920s: 7,475.7
Rank in 2016: #41
Births in 2016: 5,100
44 / 100
#29 Boy: Louis
Rank in the 1920s: #29
Average annual births in the 1920s: 6,768.9
Rank in 2016: #289
Births in 2016: 1,239
45 / 100
#28 Girl: Ruby
Rank in the 1920s: #28
Average annual births in the 1920s: 7,673.4
Rank in 2016: #71
Births in 2016: 3,796
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46 / 100
#28 Boy: Willie
Rank in the 1920s: #28
Average annual births in the 1920s: 6,798.9
Rank in 2016: #799
Births in 2016: 290
47 / 100
#27 Girl: Catherine
Rank in the 1920s: #27
Average annual births in the 1920s: 7,888.1
Rank in 2016: #195
Births in 2016: 1,660
48 / 100
#27 Boy: Carl
Rank in the 1920s: #27
Average annual births in the 1920s: 6,985.
Rank in 2016: #604
Births in 2016: 442
49 / 100
#26 Girl: Lillian
Rank in the 1920s: #26
Average annual births in the 1920s: 8,315.2
Rank in 2016: #28
Births in 2016: 6,333
50 / 100
#26 Boy: Howard
Rank in the 1920s: #26
Average annual births in the 1920s: 7,034.7
Rank in 2016: #900
Births in 2016: 239
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51 / 100
#25 Girl: Louise
Rank in the 1920s: #25
Average annual births in the 1920s: 8,289.5
Rank in 2016: #897
Births in 2016: 309
52 / 100
#25 Boy: Ralph
Rank in the 1920s: #25
Average annual births in the 1920s: 8,446.4
Rank in 2016: #992
Births in 2016: 204
53 / 100
#24 Girl: Lois
Rank in the 1920s: #24
Average annual births in the 1920s: 8,813.
Rank in 2016: #1,753
Births in 2016: 118
54 / 100
#24 Boy: Eugene
Rank in the 1920s: #24
Average annual births in the 1920s: 8,475.2
Rank in 2016: #788
Births in 2016: 298
55 / 100
#23 Girl: Barbara
Rank in the 1920s: #23
Average annual births in the 1920s: 9,721.2
Rank in 2016: #856
Births in 2016: 326
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56 / 100
#23 Boy: Harry
Rank in the 1920s: #23
Average annual births in the 1920s: 8,618.
Rank in 2016: #679
Births in 2016: 372
57 / 100
#22 Girl: Shirley
Rank in the 1920s: #22
Average annual births in the 1920s: 9,859.9
Rank in 2016: #1,388
Births in 2016: 168
58 / 100
#22 Boy: David
Rank in the 1920s: #22
Average annual births in the 1920s: 8,875.1
Rank in 2016: #19
Births in 2016: 11,028
59 / 100
#21 Girl: Rose
Rank in the 1920s: #21
Average annual births in the 1920s: 8,530.7
Rank in 2016: #154
Births in 2016: 2,016
60 / 100
#21 Boy: Albert
Rank in the 1920s: #21
Average annual births in the 1920s: 9,442.6
Rank in 2016: #474
Births in 2016: 642
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61 / 100
#20 Girl: Florence
Rank in the 1920s: #20
Average annual births in the 1920s: 8,829.5
Rank in 2016: #1,053
Births in 2016: 246
62 / 100
#20 Boy: Arthur
Rank in the 1920s: #20
Average annual births in the 1920s: 9,711.5
Rank in 2016: #273
Births in 2016: 1,333
63 / 100
#19 Girl: Martha
Rank in the 1920s: #19
Average annual births in the 1920s: 8,678.4
Rank in 2016: #727
Births in 2016: 389
64 / 100
#19 Boy: Kenneth
Rank in the 1920s: #19
Average annual births in the 1920s: 9,949.1
Rank in 2016: #208
Births in 2016: 1,901
65 / 100
#18 Girl: Marjorie
Rank in the 1920s: #18
Average annual births in the 1920s: 9,122.1
Rank in 2016: #925
Births in 2016: 295
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66 / 100
#18 Boy: Henry
Rank in the 1920s: #18
Average annual births in the 1920s: 10,455.3
Rank in 2016: #22
Births in 2016: 10,323
67 / 100
#17 Girl: Irene
Rank in the 1920s: #17
Average annual births in the 1920s: 9,283.3
Rank in 2016: #656
Births in 2016: 444
68 / 100
#17 Boy: Jack
Rank in the 1920s: #17
Average annual births in the 1920s: 11,598.6
Rank in 2016: #38
Births in 2016: 8,367
69 / 100
#16 Girl: Jean
Rank in the 1920s: #16
Average annual births in the 1920s: 10,599.6
Rank in 2016: #2,444
Births in 2016: 75
70 / 100
#16 Boy: Walter
Rank in the 1920s: #16
Average annual births in the 1920s: 11,981.2
Rank in 2016: #302
Births in 2016: 1,163
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71 / 100
#15 Girl: Marie
Rank in the 1920s: #15
Average annual births in the 1920s: 11,056.5
Rank in 2016: #583
Births in 2016: 526
72 / 100
#15 Boy: Raymond
Rank in the 1920s: #15
Average annual births in the 1920s: 12,421.2
Rank in 2016: #284
Births in 2016: 1,264
73 / 100
#14 Girl: Alice
Rank in the 1920s: #14
Average annual births in the 1920s: 11,052.2
Rank in 2016: #76
Births in 2016: 3,669
74 / 100
#14 Boy: Paul
Rank in the 1920s: #14
Average annual births in the 1920s: 13,238.5
Rank in 2016: #206
Births in 2016: 1,921
75 / 100
#13 Girl: Anna
Rank in the 1920s: #13
Average annual births in the 1920s: 12,389.1
Rank in 2016: #51
Births in 2016: 4,749
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76 / 100
#13 Boy: Harold
Rank in the 1920s: #13
Average annual births in the 1920s: 13,359.5
Rank in 2016: #803
Births in 2016: 285
77 / 100
#12 Girl: Evelyn
Rank in the 1920s: #12
Average annual births in the 1920s: 12,416.2
Rank in 2016: #12
Births in 2016: 10,060
78 / 100
#12 Boy: Frank
Rank in the 1920s: #12
Average annual births in the 1920s: 15,182.7
Rank in 2016: #353
Births in 2016: 951
79 / 100
#11 Girl: Elizabeth
Rank in the 1920s: #11
Average annual births in the 1920s: 13,967.3
Rank in 2016: #13
Births in 2016: 9,493
80 / 100
#11 Boy: Thomas
Rank in the 1920s: #11
Average annual births in the 1920s: 16,110.9
Rank in 2016: #48
Births in 2016: 7,309
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81 / 100
#10 Girl: Frances
Rank in the 1920s: #10
Average annual births in the 1920s: 14,038.7
Rank in 2016: #446
Births in 2016: 716
82 / 100
#10 Boy: Donald
Rank in the 1920s: #10
Average annual births in the 1920s: 19,182.
Rank in 2016: #488
Births in 2016: 621
83 / 100
#9 Girl: Mildred
Rank in the 1920s: #9
Average annual births in the 1920s: 14,715.2
Rank in 2016: #2,388
Births in 2016: 78
84 / 100
#9 Boy: Edward
Rank in the 1920s: #9
Average annual births in the 1920s: 19,735.5
Rank in 2016: #163
Births in 2016: 2,491
85 / 100
#8 Girl: Doris
Rank in the 1920s: #8
Average annual births in the 1920s: 15,118.7
Rank in 2016: #1,759
Births in 2016: 117
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86 / 100
#8 Boy: Richard
Rank in the 1920s: #8
Average annual births in the 1920s: 22,260.4
Rank in 2016: #160
Births in 2016: 2,499
87 / 100
#7 Girl: Virginia
Rank in the 1920s: #7
Average annual births in the 1920s: 16,955.1
Rank in 2016: #517
Births in 2016: 599
88 / 100
#7 Boy: Joseph
Rank in the 1920s: #7
Average annual births in the 1920s: 24,380.9
Rank in 2016: #20
Births in 2016: 10,823
89 / 100
#6 Girl: Ruth
Rank in the 1920s: #6
Average annual births in the 1920s: 21,850.8
Rank in 2016: #299
Births in 2016: 1,081
90 / 100
#6 Boy: George
Rank in the 1920s: #6
Average annual births in the 1920s: 26,195.2
Rank in 2016: #125
Births in 2016: 3,288
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91 / 100
#5 Girl: Betty
Rank in the 1920s: #5
Average annual births in the 1920s: 28,308.7
Rank in 2016: #1,337
Births in 2016: 176
92 / 100
#5 Boy: Charles
Rank in the 1920s: #5
Average annual births in the 1920s: 29,803.
Rank in 2016: #51
Births in 2016: 7,050
93 / 100
#4 Girl: Margaret
Rank in the 1920s: #4
Average annual births in the 1920s: 24,500.6
Rank in 2016: #139
Births in 2016: 2,202
94 / 100
#4 Boy: William
Rank in the 1920s: #4
Average annual births in the 1920s: 51,239.4
Rank in 2016: #3
Births in 2016: 15,668
95 / 100
#3 Girl: Helen
Rank in the 1920s: #3
Average annual births in the 1920s: 29,039.7
Rank in 2016: #408
Births in 2016: 813
96 / 100
#3 Boy: James
Rank in the 1920s: #3
Average annual births in the 1920s: 51,530.4
Rank in 2016: #5
Births in 2016: 14,776
97 / 100
#2 Girl: Dorothy
Rank in the 1920s: #2
Average annual births in the 1920s: 36,886.5
Rank in 2016: #652
Births in 2016: 448
98 / 100
#2 Boy: John
Rank in the 1920s: #2
Average annual births in the 1920s: 56,406.6
Rank in 2016: #28
Births in 2016: 9,952
99 / 100
#1 Girl: Mary
Rank in the 1920s: #1
Average annual births in the 1920s: 70,173.9
Rank in 2016: #127
Births in 2016: 2,487
100 / 100
#1 Boy: Robert
Rank in the 1920s: #1
Average annual births in the 1920s: 57,635.5
Rank in 2016: #62
Births in 2016: 5,953
