Timeless baby names that never went out of style
Names used steadily in every decade for a hundred years, never a craze and never forgotten. By our rule, 20 names qualify; the best known are Vincent, Marshall, Nina, Victor, Ruben and Clayton.
How this list is made
Used for at least 300 babies per million of the same sex in every decade since the 1920s, with the busiest decade no more than four times the quietest, and still given to at least 200 babies a year. Counts are from Social Security records; "per million" means babies given the name per million babies of the same sex recorded that year, which keeps old and new years comparable.
The names
| Name | For | Quietest decade (per million) | Busiest decade | Babies 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vincent | Boys | 1,611 | 2,571 | 3,267 |
| Marshall | Boys | 371 | 730 | 977 |
| Nina | Girls | 470 | 947 | 946 |
| Victor | Boys | 1,017 | 2,107 | 1,664 |
| Ruben | Boys | 369 | 869 | 632 |
| Clayton | Boys | 459 | 1,123 | 1,130 |
| Manuel | Boys | 574 | 1,421 | 860 |
| Julia | Girls | 1,472 | 3,847 | 2,172 |
| Elizabeth | Girls | 4,305 | 11,662 | 6,760 |
| Calvin | Boys | 807 | 2,234 | 2,710 |
| Carmen | Girls | 450 | 1,257 | 798 |
| Maria | Girls | 1,655 | 4,949 | 2,887 |
| Samuel | Boys | 2,304 | 6,954 | 8,334 |
| Anthony | Boys | 3,766 | 11,456 | 5,967 |
| Miriam | Girls | 417 | 1,293 | 1,262 |
| Wesley | Boys | 846 | 2,693 | 5,578 |
| Oscar | Boys | 516 | 1,680 | 1,620 |
| Cecilia | Girls | 360 | 1,313 | 2,506 |
| Lydia | Girls | 492 | 1,870 | 2,692 |
| Martin | Boys | 641 | 2,535 | 1,009 |