The 1912 Baby Name Report

988,062 babies, 5,725 unique names — the risers, fallers, and brand-new arrivals of 1912

👑 #1 girls: Mary (33 years running) 👑 #1 boys: John (33 years running) 742 debuts

Top girls

  1. Mary32,304
  2. Helen16,133
  3. Dorothy12,645
  4. Margaret12,536
  5. Ruth11,280
  6. Mildred8,764
  7. Anna8,586
  8. Elizabeth8,527
  9. Frances6,680
  10. Marie6,642

Top boys

  1. John24,588
  2. William19,626
  3. James17,644
  4. Robert12,836
  5. Joseph12,062
  6. George11,734
  7. Charles11,070
  8. Edward7,936
  9. Frank7,912
  10. Thomas6,087

Full top-50 rankings for 1912 →

🚀 Fastest risers

  1. Woodrow #234 → #46 (+188)
  2. Wilson #222 → #131 (+91)
  3. Avis #318 → #238 (+80)
  4. Lily #351 → #291 (+60)
  5. Loren #306 → #249 (+57)
  6. Rosemary #312 → #259 (+53)
  7. Muriel #203 → #156 (+47)
  8. Katharine #326 → #279 (+47)
  9. Jay #229 → #184 (+45)
  10. Dale #203 → #159 (+44)

📉 Biggest fallers

  1. Will #149 → #214 (−65)
  2. Estella #194 → #227 (−33)
  3. Jose #130 → #163 (−33)
  4. Gussie #249 → #282 (−33)
  5. Bill #135 → #168 (−33)
  6. Jessie #79 → #109 (−30)
  7. Angelina #199 → #229 (−30)
  8. Dan #164 → #194 (−30)
  9. Lessie #261 → #290 (−29)
  10. Phillip #160 → #189 (−29)

✨ Never recorded before 1912

Woodroe (25) Bertil (16) Harvard (16) Walfred (15) Sherrill (14) Zygmunt (14) Daryl (13) Geno (13) Thurmon (13) Elynor (12)

742 names appeared in SSA records for the first time ever in 1912.

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What were the most popular baby names in 1912?
Mary was the #1 girl name and John the #1 boy name in 1912, out of 988,062 recorded births.
What baby name rose fastest in 1912?
Woodrow made the biggest jump in 1912, climbing 188 spots to #46.
How many new baby names appeared in 1912?
742 names were recorded by the SSA for the first time ever in 1912.