Most Popular Baby Names of 1926

In 1926, Mary was the most popular name for girls, given to 67,832 babies, and Robert topped the boys' list with 61,130. Mary held on to number one for a 47th year in a row, and Robert held on to number one for a third year in a row.

Social Security counted 1,185,401 girls and 1,110,505 boys born in 1926 under names given to at least five babies, spread across 5,622 different girls' names and 4,837 boys' names.

Top 100 names of 1926

Top girls' names, 1926
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1925
1	Mary	67,832	same
2	Dorothy	36,618	same
3	Betty	32,964	same
4	Helen	26,886	same
5	Margaret	23,072	same
6	Ruth	20,225	same
7	Doris	16,295	up 1
8	Virginia	16,161	down 1
9	Mildred	13,547	same
10	Frances	13,355	up 1
11	Elizabeth	12,837	down 1
12	Jean	12,168	up 2
13	Evelyn	11,780	down 1
14	Shirley	11,762	up 3
15	Anna	11,698	down 2
16	Barbara	11,079	up 6
17	Alice	10,956	down 2
18	Marie	10,629	down 2
19	Lois	9,816	down 1
20	Gloria	9,198	same
21	Irene	9,169	down 2
22	Marjorie	8,640	down 1
23	Patricia	8,586	up 5
24	Martha	8,556	down 1
25	Rose	8,509	up 1
26	Florence	8,178	down 2
27	Louise	7,979	same
28	Lillian	7,661	down 3
29	Norma	7,528	up 5
30	Ruby	7,476	same
31	Catherine	7,469	down 2
32	Eleanor	7,305	down 1
33	Phyllis	6,921	up 7
34	Annie	6,877	down 2
35	Gladys	6,634	down 2
36	Thelma	6,585	down 1
37	Josephine	6,410	down 1
38	Edna	6,396	down 1
39	Pauline	6,357	down 1
40	June	6,077	down 1
41	Ethel	5,856	up 2
42	Edith	5,786	same
43	Lucille	5,760	down 2
44	Joyce	5,704	up 15
45	Bernice	5,443	up 1
46	Grace	5,427	down 2
47	Marion	5,353	same
48	Hazel	5,303	down 3
49	Dolores	5,218	up 15
50	Rita	5,015	down 2
51	Joan	4,995	up 15
52	Juanita	4,981	down 3
53	Lorraine	4,891	down 2
54	Geraldine	4,812	same
55	Ann	4,779	down 3
56	Jane	4,641	down 3
57	Nancy	4,566	up 3
58	Beatrice	4,518	down 8
59	Emma	4,480	down 2
60	Audrey	4,477	up 18
61	Clara	4,464	down 6
62	Esther	4,453	down 6
63	Sarah	4,424	down 5
64	Theresa	4,407	up 16
65	Marilyn	4,370	up 18
66	Wanda	4,125	up 6
67	Wilma	4,054	down 5
68	Elaine	4,004	up 5
69	Elsie	3,910	down 6
70	Marian	3,859	down 3
71	Gertrude	3,852	down 1
72	Katherine	3,834	down 11
73	Willie	3,817	down 5
74	Beverly	3,775	up 31
75	Julia	3,688	down 10
76	Bertha	3,583	down 2
77	Agnes	3,533	down 8
78	Charlotte	3,512	down 1
79	Eva	3,494	down 8
80	Vivian	3,430	down 4
81	Laura	3,373	down 6
82	Ida	3,285	same
83	Kathleen	3,277	down 2
84	Vera	3,152	up 2
85	Maxine	3,150	down 6
86	Anne	3,109	down 1
87	Kathryn	3,094	up 1
88	Jeanne	3,063	up 1
89	Bessie	3,054	down 2
90	Donna	3,008	up 20
91	Alma	2,990	up 3
92	Eileen	2,928	up 4
93	Jessie	2,921	up 4
94	Violet	2,903	down 2
95	Rosemary	2,900	up 8
96	Pearl	2,899	down 6
97	Viola	2,876	down 13
98	Ella	2,852	down 5
99	Lillie	2,845	down 8
100	Ellen	2,768	up 1

Top boys' names, 1926
Rank	Name	Babies	vs 1925
1	Robert	61,130	same
2	John	56,108	same
3	James	53,196	up 1
4	William	51,922	down 1
5	Charles	29,521	same
6	George	25,910	same
7	Richard	25,143	up 1
8	Joseph	23,756	down 1
9	Donald	20,912	up 1
10	Edward	19,375	down 1
11	Thomas	16,592	same
12	Frank	14,493	same
13	Paul	13,653	same
14	Harold	13,310	same
15	Raymond	12,809	same
16	Jack	12,195	up 1
17	Walter	11,774	down 1
18	Kenneth	10,342	up 1
19	Henry	9,994	down 1
20	Arthur	9,465	same
21	Albert	9,146	same
22	David	9,041	same
23	Eugene	9,016	up 1
24	Ralph	8,455	up 1
25	Harry	8,216	down 2
26	Carl	6,939	up 2
27	Howard	6,836	down 1
28	Willie	6,820	down 1
29	Clarence	6,537	up 1
30	Louis	6,513	down 1
31	Fred	6,447	up 2
32	Earl	6,441	down 1
33	Joe	6,338	up 1
34	Roy	6,224	down 2
35	Francis	5,789	same
36	Lawrence	5,582	same
37	Ernest	5,436	same
38	Leonard	5,402	same
39	Norman	5,282	up 2
40	Billy	5,180	up 9
41	Gerald	5,123	up 4
42	Anthony	5,058	down 3
43	Stanley	4,966	down 3
44	Herbert	4,939	down 2
45	Alfred	4,726	down 2
46	Daniel	4,516	down 2
47	Melvin	4,194	up 3
48	Samuel	4,180	down 2
49	Bernard	4,172	down 1
50	Marvin	4,111	up 1
51	Leroy	3,808	up 1
52	Russell	3,793	up 1
53	Floyd	3,623	up 5
54	Leo	3,552	same
55	Edwin	3,491	up 2
56	Michael	3,485	down 1
57	Ray	3,409	up 7
58	Peter	3,358	up 2
59	Andrew	3,344	down 3
60	Lloyd	3,278	up 2
61	Elmer	3,233	same
62	Clifford	3,190	down 3
63	Theodore	3,129	same
64	Frederick	3,120	up 1
65	Calvin	3,014	down 18
66	Vernon	2,953	up 1
67	Clyde	2,873	up 1
68	Wayne	2,811	up 6
69	Herman	2,798	same
70	Philip	2,708	up 5
71	Warren	2,701	down 5
72	Alvin	2,693	down 2
73	Leon	2,647	up 3
74	Bill	2,643	up 10
75	Glenn	2,635	up 2
76	Gordon	2,629	down 4
77	Vincent	2,543	down 6
78	Lester	2,539	up 3
79	Chester	2,534	down 6
80	Martin	2,493	up 3
81	Charlie	2,446	down 3
82	Lewis	2,444	down 3
83	Milton	2,418	down 3
84	Dale	2,398	up 2
85	Lee	2,313	down 3
86	Cecil	2,305	up 1
87	Jesse	2,298	down 2
88	Ronald	2,283	up 16
89	Roger	2,260	up 1
90	Harvey	2,128	down 2
91	Gene	2,083	up 21
92	Sam	2,033	down 1
93	Allen	2,021	up 1
94	Victor	2,016	down 5
95	Wallace	2,012	down 3
96	Don	1,966	up 10
97	Jerry	1,934	up 10
98	Benjamin	1,898	down 5
99	Arnold	1,882	down 4
100	Willard	1,810	down 3

Biggest climbers in 1926

The names that gained the most ground within the top 1,000 compared with 1925.

Girls

Marylou: up 236 places, from 824th to 588th
Greta: up 210 places, from 909th to 699th
Benita: up 195 places, from 996th to 801st
Carlene: up 185 places, from 907th to 722nd
Gerry: up 156 places, from 879th to 723rd
Thomas: up 152 places, from 846th to 694th
Caryl: up 152 places, from 954th to 802nd
Elease: up 149 places, from 898th to 749th
Deborah: up 147 places, from 821st to 674th
Eloisa: up 147 places, from 874th to 727th

Boys

Kirby: up 264 places, from 992nd to 728th
Gustav: up 236 places, from 962nd to 726th
Zane: up 165 places, from 765th to 600th
Donn: up 165 places, from 819th to 654th
Richmond: up 161 places, from 980th to 819th
Angus: up 159 places, from 835th to 676th
Jonas: up 149 places, from 790th to 641st
Willian: up 149 places, from 870th to 721st
Werner: up 144 places, from 842nd to 698th
Vernie: up 143 places, from 997th to 854th

New to the top 1,000 in 1926

Girls

Vilma, 672nd (back after dropping out)
Georgene, 751st (back after dropping out)
Janell, 752nd (its first time ever)
Ladonna, 826th (its first time ever)
Delilah, 836th (back after dropping out)
Madalyn, 839th (back after dropping out)
Carroll, 845th (back after dropping out)
Eugene, 855th (back after dropping out)
Beatriz, 862nd (back after dropping out)
Nada, 870th (its first time ever)

Boys

Evans, 778th (back after dropping out)
Cameron, 784th (back after dropping out)
Laurel, 789th (back after dropping out)
Williams, 802nd (back after dropping out)
Robin, 839th (back after dropping out)
Adelbert, 842nd (back after dropping out)
Hunter, 864th (back after dropping out)
Jonnie, 866th (back after dropping out)
Leonardo, 867th (back after dropping out)
Addison, 872nd (back after dropping out)

How spread out were names in 1926?

The ten most popular girls' names went to 22.5% of the girls counted in 1926, and the top ten boys' names to 33% of the boys. In 1906, those shares were 20.6% for girls and 32.4% 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.