Popular baby names of 1917

In 1917, the most popular baby names in the United States were Mary for girls (64,280 babies) and John for boys (51,852). Social Security records show 2,006,749 babies with a name given to at least five children of the same sex that year, sharing 5,310 girls' names and 4,602 boys' names.

1917 at a glance

The top 10 girls' names went to 23.3% of girls recorded.
The top 10 boys' names went to 30.9% of boys recorded.
New in the girls' top 100: Nancy, Sophie.
New in the boys' top 100: Warren, Allen.

Top 100 girls' and boys' names, 1917

Girls
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1916
1	Mary	64,280	–
2	Helen	34,251	–
3	Dorothy	28,852	–
4	Margaret	25,560	–
5	Ruth	23,568	–
6	Mildred	16,256	–
7	Anna	15,160	–
8	Elizabeth	15,131	–
9	Frances	14,363	–
10	Virginia	14,261	–
11	Evelyn	12,532	–
12	Marie	11,813	–
13	Alice	10,990	–
14	Florence	10,538	–
15	Lillian	9,843	↑1
16	Rose	9,783	↓1
17	Irene	9,163	–
18	Catherine	8,689	↑2
19	Louise	8,584	↓1
20	Edna	8,422	↓1
21	Josephine	8,326	–
22	Martha	8,261	↑2
23	Gladys	8,075	↓1
24	Ethel	7,865	↑1
25	Doris	7,819	↑7
26	Eleanor	7,669	↑1
27	Ruby	7,662	↓4
28	Edith	7,532	–
29	Lucille	7,529	↑1
30	Grace	7,373	↓4
31	Hazel	7,285	–
32	Thelma	7,245	↓3
33	Pauline	6,896	–
34	Betty	6,639	↑10
35	Annie	6,404	↑1
36	Marjorie	6,399	↑1
37	Gertrude	6,300	↓2
38	Esther	6,281	↓4
39	Beatrice	5,839	↓1
40	Jean	5,692	↑5
41	Clara	5,626	↓2
42	Bernice	5,546	–
43	Lois	5,485	–
44	Ann	5,455	↓4
45	Marion	5,371	↑2
46	Emma	5,121	↓5
47	Julia	5,078	↓1
48	Agnes	5,066	↑2
49	Katherine	4,956	↑2
50	Elsie	4,939	↓2
51	Bertha	4,881	↓2
52	Sarah	4,766	–
53	Anne	4,603	–
54	Eva	4,286	↑1
55	Jane	4,258	↑7
56	Ida	4,247	↓2
57	Pearl	4,232	–
58	Myrtle	4,046	–
59	Viola	4,040	–
60	Kathryn	3,984	–
61	Bessie	3,927	↓5
62	Stella	3,872	↑1
63	Rita	3,870	↑4
64	Nellie	3,808	↓3
65	Laura	3,807	↓1
66	Vera	3,714	–
67	Barbara	3,535	↑7
68	Mabel	3,499	↓3
69	Sylvia	3,469	–
70	Jessie	3,465	↓2
71	Alma	3,407	↓1
72	Willie	3,381	↑1
73	June	3,370	↑13
74	Marian	3,267	↓2
75	Minnie	3,262	↓4
76	Charlotte	3,229	↑4
77	Genevieve	3,192	↓1
78	Marguerite	3,161	–
79	Vivian	3,119	↓2
80	Leona	3,115	↓5
81	Jennie	3,109	↓2
82	Wilma	3,071	–
83	Ella	3,054	↓2
84	Violet	3,026	↓1
85	Lena	3,004	–
86	Lillie	2,931	↑2
87	Juanita	2,929	↑3
88	Lucy	2,929	↓4
89	Geraldine	2,897	↑5
90	Ellen	2,855	↓3
91	Blanche	2,836	↓2
92	Phyllis	2,696	↑3
93	Maxine	2,647	↑3
94	Mattie	2,572	↓1
95	Opal	2,541	↓4
96	Mae	2,507	↓4
97	Theresa	2,490	↑1
98	Nancy	2,411	new
99	Velma	2,411	–
100	Sophie	2,382	new

Boys
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1916
1	John	51,852	–
2	William	42,422	–
3	James	37,337	–
4	Robert	35,220	–
5	Joseph	24,761	–
6	George	24,196	↑1
7	Charles	24,143	↓1
8	Edward	17,501	–
9	Frank	15,768	–
10	Thomas	12,611	–
11	Walter	12,582	–
12	Harold	11,194	↑1
13	Paul	11,156	↓1
14	Richard	10,914	↑1
15	Henry	10,696	↓1
16	Raymond	9,956	–
17	Arthur	9,282	↑1
18	Albert	9,157	↓1
19	Harry	8,856	–
20	Donald	8,729	–
21	Ralph	7,391	–
22	Jack	6,875	↑4
23	Louis	6,771	↓1
24	Carl	6,699	↓1
25	Clarence	6,587	↓1
26	Howard	6,410	↓1
27	Kenneth	6,141	–
28	David	6,099	–
29	Fred	5,986	–
30	Francis	5,801	↑1
31	Willie	5,751	↓1
32	Earl	5,632	–
33	Roy	5,586	–
34	Stanley	5,186	–
35	Joe	5,142	–
36	Lawrence	5,094	↑2
37	Ernest	5,055	↓1
38	Anthony	5,027	↓1
39	Eugene	4,873	–
40	Herbert	4,745	–
41	Leonard	4,694	↑1
42	Samuel	4,490	↓1
43	Alfred	4,424	–
44	Michael	4,288	–
45	Elmer	3,812	–
46	Norman	3,788	↑2
47	Leo	3,779	–
48	Andrew	3,752	↓2
49	Bernard	3,711	–
50	Peter	3,464	–
51	Frederick	3,455	↑1
52	Russell	3,436	↓1
53	Lloyd	3,417	↑5
54	Daniel	3,360	↑1
55	Edwin	3,346	↓2
56	Chester	3,338	↓2
57	Melvin	3,155	–
58	Herman	2,974	↓2
59	Clifford	2,969	↑2
60	Leroy	2,951	↑3
61	Lester	2,854	↓2
62	Floyd	2,820	↓2
63	Theodore	2,809	↑2
64	Clyde	2,719	↓2
65	Vincent	2,636	↑2
66	Philip	2,544	↑4
67	Charlie	2,536	↑1
68	Marvin	2,517	↓2
69	Gerald	2,486	↑7
70	Lewis	2,477	↑1
71	Vernon	2,463	↑4
72	Sam	2,454	↑2
73	Woodrow	2,428	↓9
74	Ray	2,426	↓1
75	Milton	2,394	↓3
76	Benjamin	2,386	↑3
77	Martin	2,336	↑4
78	Victor	2,207	–
79	Jesse	2,200	↓2
80	Willard	2,188	↓11
81	Alvin	2,142	↑1
82	Leon	2,102	↑3
83	Cecil	2,101	↓3
84	Gordon	2,019	↑6
85	Lee	2,004	↓2
86	Glenn	1,997	↓2
87	Oscar	1,961	↓1
88	Edgar	1,920	–
89	Stephen	1,892	↓2
90	Harvey	1,808	↑2
91	Arnold	1,781	↓2
92	Wilbur	1,749	↑2
93	Warren	1,743	new
94	Everett	1,734	↓3
95	Sidney	1,727	–
96	Wayne	1,715	↑2
97	Alexander	1,664	↑2
98	Claude	1,625	↓5
99	Morris	1,624	↓2
100	Allen	1,592	new

Every name given in 1917

All 9,912 names Social Security recorded for 1917, with their rank and count. Type to filter.

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