Most Popular Baby Names of 1914

In 1914, Mary was the most popular name for girls, given to 45,346 babies, and John topped the boys' list with 37,947. Mary held on to number one for a 35th year in a row, and John held on to number one for a 35th year in a row.

Social Security counted 761,581 girls and 654,762 boys born in 1914 under names given to at least five babies, spread across 4,206 different girls' names and 3,759 boys' names.

Top 100 names of 1914

Top girls' names, 1914
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1913
1	Mary	45,346	same
2	Helen	23,221	same
3	Dorothy	18,782	same
4	Margaret	17,763	same
5	Ruth	15,839	same
6	Anna	11,865	up 1
7	Mildred	11,649	down 1
8	Elizabeth	11,367	same
9	Frances	9,677	same
10	Marie	8,829	same
11	Evelyn	8,506	up 1
12	Alice	8,198	down 1
13	Florence	7,886	same
14	Virginia	7,601	up 1
15	Rose	7,574	down 1
16	Lillian	7,354	same
17	Louise	6,648	same
18	Catherine	6,613	up 4
19	Edna	6,289	down 1
20	Gladys	6,227	down 1
21	Ethel	6,204	down 1
22	Irene	6,197	down 1
23	Josephine	5,896	up 1
24	Ruby	5,625	down 1
25	Grace	5,594	same
26	Thelma	5,496	same
27	Martha	5,432	up 1
28	Eleanor	5,374	up 6
29	Hazel	5,324	down 2
30	Lucille	5,320	up 1
31	Edith	5,209	down 2
32	Gertrude	4,938	up 1
33	Annie	4,800	down 3
34	Pauline	4,698	up 1
35	Esther	4,654	down 3
36	Doris	4,429	up 8
37	Clara	4,240	down 1
38	Beatrice	4,232	down 1
39	Emma	3,972	down 1
40	Ann	3,888	up 6
41	Bertha	3,859	down 2
42	Julia	3,814	same
43	Bernice	3,730	up 2
44	Agnes	3,721	down 3
45	Marjorie	3,713	up 3
46	Elsie	3,683	down 6
47	Sarah	3,679	down 4
48	Katherine	3,652	up 6
49	Ida	3,561	same
50	Marion	3,550	up 1
51	Lois	3,432	up 8
52	Eva	3,401	down 2
53	Anne	3,365	up 4
54	Jean	3,281	up 6
55	Bessie	3,260	down 8
56	Pearl	3,223	down 1
57	Viola	3,203	down 5
58	Mabel	3,131	down 2
59	Laura	3,059	up 3
60	Myrtle	3,049	down 7
61	Nellie	2,952	down 3
62	Betty	2,933	up 5
63	Kathryn	2,901	up 3
64	Jessie	2,860	down 3
65	Stella	2,771	up 4
66	Willie	2,759	down 1
67	Minnie	2,718	down 4
68	Vera	2,683	same
69	Alma	2,648	down 5
70	Sylvia	2,565	up 2
71	Jane	2,340	up 10
72	Ella	2,308	down 2
73	Lucy	2,298	up 4
74	Lillie	2,287	down 3
75	Lena	2,259	down 2
76	Genevieve	2,254	up 8
77	Jennie	2,225	up 3
78	Mattie	2,193	down 3
79	Leona	2,174	down 5
80	Blanche	2,164	down 4
81	Vivian	2,080	up 2
82	Barbara	2,061	up 12
83	Violet	2,061	down 1
84	Marguerite	2,050	down 6
85	Mae	2,049	down 6
86	Ellen	2,039	up 2
87	Rita	2,010	up 29
88	Charlotte	2,007	down 1
89	Opal	1,893	down 3
90	Marian	1,862	up 3
91	Carrie	1,798	down 1
92	Velma	1,795	down 3
93	Theresa	1,794	up 4
94	Juanita	1,792	up 1
95	Wilma	1,788	down 3
96	Beulah	1,775	down 11
97	Hattie	1,678	down 1
98	Emily	1,650	up 1
99	Fannie	1,617	down 8
100	Sophie	1,584	up 13

Top boys' names, 1914
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1913
1	John	37,947	same
2	William	29,753	same
3	James	26,262	same
4	Robert	21,188	same
5	Joseph	18,829	same
6	George	17,602	same
7	Charles	16,937	same
8	Edward	12,319	same
9	Frank	12,002	same
10	Walter	8,962	up 1
11	Thomas	8,850	down 1
12	Henry	8,110	same
13	Paul	7,733	up 1
14	Harold	7,563	down 1
15	Albert	6,942	up 1
16	Raymond	6,821	up 2
17	Richard	6,669	up 2
18	Arthur	6,641	down 1
19	Harry	6,588	down 4
20	Louis	5,495	same
21	Ralph	5,009	up 1
22	Clarence	4,909	down 1
23	Donald	4,835	up 2
24	Carl	4,807	down 1
25	Willie	4,709	down 1
26	Howard	4,490	same
27	Jack	4,485	up 1
28	Fred	4,441	down 1
29	David	4,251	same
30	Kenneth	4,178	up 3
31	Francis	3,901	down 1
32	Roy	3,852	same
33	Earl	3,842	down 2
34	Joe	3,712	up 3
35	Lawrence	3,703	same
36	Samuel	3,703	same
37	Anthony	3,695	up 1
38	Ernest	3,632	down 4
39	Stanley	3,559	up 2
40	Michael	3,362	same
41	Alfred	3,347	up 1
42	Herbert	3,253	down 3
43	Eugene	3,211	same
44	Andrew	2,965	up 3
45	Leonard	2,923	up 1
46	Elmer	2,878	down 1
47	Leo	2,655	up 1
48	Peter	2,624	up 3
49	Russell	2,568	up 1
50	Bernard	2,436	up 2
51	Herman	2,430	up 2
52	Frederick	2,415	down 3
53	Edwin	2,386	up 2
54	Norman	2,335	up 3
55	Daniel	2,325	down 1
56	Chester	2,289	same
57	Lester	2,164	up 2
58	Floyd	2,090	same
59	Melvin	2,064	up 2
60	Leroy	2,004	up 3
61	Vincent	1,962	up 5
62	Clifford	1,960	up 6
63	Clyde	1,954	up 1
64	Theodore	1,929	down 4
65	Charlie	1,906	down 3
66	Lloyd	1,884	up 1
67	Sam	1,880	down 2
68	Philip	1,870	up 1
69	Milton	1,834	up 2
70	Benjamin	1,823	same
71	Woodrow	1,785	down 27
72	Lewis	1,767	same
73	Martin	1,676	up 2
74	Ray	1,657	down 1
75	Marvin	1,627	up 2
76	Victor	1,559	up 4
77	Oscar	1,553	down 1
78	Alvin	1,532	up 4
79	Cecil	1,530	down 5
80	Stephen	1,486	up 6
81	Gerald	1,468	up 3
82	Jesse	1,457	down 3
83	Vernon	1,455	same
84	Lee	1,451	down 6
85	Leon	1,414	down 4
86	Morris	1,365	up 3
87	Edgar	1,361	same
88	Gordon	1,355	up 6
89	Sidney	1,337	up 1
90	Everett	1,336	up 7
91	Glenn	1,327	down 6
92	Willard	1,302	up 7
93	Claude	1,284	down 5
94	Maurice	1,256	up 1
95	Harvey	1,250	down 2
96	Wilbur	1,248	down 5
97	Arnold	1,174	down 5
98	Alexander	1,169	same
99	Max	1,159	up 2
100	Irving	1,156	up 4

Biggest climbers in 1914

The names that gained the most ground within the top 1,000 compared with 1913.

Girls

Versie: up 281 places, from 851st to 570th
Palma: up 260 places, from 959th to 699th
Rozella: up 213 places, from 999th to 786th
Joann: up 209 places, from 971st to 762nd
Marianna: up 198 places, from 939th to 741st
Pearline: up 191 places, from 802nd to 611th
Neta: up 181 places, from 996th to 815th
Adaline: up 175 places, from 881st to 706th
Magdalen: up 174 places, from 907th to 733rd
Euna: up 173 places, from 953rd to 780th

Boys

Rene: up 278 places, from 801st to 523rd
Carter: up 271 places, from 780th to 509th
Shelby: up 238 places, from 775th to 537th
Ivy: up 229 places, from 957th to 728th
Cleve: up 228 places, from 901st to 673rd
Teddy: up 226 places, from 787th to 561st
Garnett: up 223 places, from 810th to 587th
Garrett: up 216 places, from 863rd to 647th
Murphy: up 206 places, from 945th to 739th
Felton: up 203 places, from 883rd to 680th

New to the top 1,000 in 1914

Girls

Kathlyn, 559th (its first time ever)
Rilla, 776th (back after dropping out)
Juliana, 793rd (back after dropping out)
Rossie, 801st (back after dropping out)
Earlene, 805th (back after dropping out)
Cordie, 818th (back after dropping out)
Ardith, 857th (its first time ever)
Cleora, 866th (back after dropping out)
Arleen, 878th (back after dropping out)
Venita, 887th (its first time ever)

Boys

Sammy, 742nd (back after dropping out)
Williams, 794th (back after dropping out)
Tillman, 800th (back after dropping out)
Enrico, 804th (back after dropping out)
Lawerence, 808th (back after dropping out)
Kyle, 829th (back after dropping out)
Lorenza, 831st (back after dropping out)
Newman, 834th (back after dropping out)
Beryl, 838th (back after dropping out)
Furman, 844th (back after dropping out)

How spread out were names in 1914?

The ten most popular girls' names went to 22.9% of the girls counted in 1914, and the top ten boys' names to 30.8% of the boys. In 1894, those shares were 20.2% for girls and 35.9% for boys.

Source: Social Security Administration, national baby name data, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.