The 1918 Baby Name Report

2,171,111 babies, 9,303 unique names — the risers, fallers, and brand-new arrivals of 1918

👑 #1 girls: Mary (39 years running) 👑 #1 boys: John (39 years running) 780 debuts

Top girls

  1. Mary67,365
  2. Helen36,148
  3. Dorothy32,030
  4. Margaret27,139
  5. Ruth25,535
  6. Mildred17,258
  7. Virginia16,421
  8. Frances16,131
  9. Elizabeth15,853
  10. Anna15,666

Top boys

  1. John56,558
  2. William45,291
  3. James42,115
  4. Robert40,619
  5. Charles26,921
  6. George26,318
  7. Joseph26,261
  8. Edward19,489
  9. Frank17,018
  10. Thomas13,910

Full top-50 rankings for 1918 →

🚀 Fastest risers

  1. Pershing #882 → #334 (+548)
  2. Quentin #736 → #243 (+493)
  3. Sibyl #629 → #380 (+249)
  4. Marilyn #523 → #422 (+101)
  5. Diana #551 → #462 (+89)
  6. Kermit #339 → #263 (+76)
  7. Sammie #435 → #359 (+76)
  8. Sybil #373 → #299 (+74)
  9. Lupe #522 → #457 (+65)
  10. Clare #474 → #410 (+64)

📉 Biggest fallers

  1. Gretchen #402 → #523 (−121)
  2. Rowena #429 → #527 (−98)
  3. Lyman #381 → #473 (−92)
  4. Dovie #415 → #488 (−73)
  5. Mona #355 → #423 (−68)
  6. Zella #365 → #424 (−59)
  7. Lura #419 → #477 (−58)
  8. Orpha #451 → #509 (−58)
  9. Meyer #385 → #439 (−54)
  10. Alva #294 → #346 (−52)

✨ Never recorded before 1918

Foch (58) Marne (24) Claretha (12) Ardene (11) Clenard (11) Joao (11) Bethyl (10) Carmeline (10) Lendora (10) Orletta (10)

780 names appeared in SSA records for the first time ever in 1918.

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What were the most popular baby names in 1918?
Mary was the #1 girl name and John the #1 boy name in 1918, out of 2,171,111 recorded births.
What baby name rose fastest in 1918?
Pershing made the biggest jump in 1918, climbing 548 spots to #334.
How many new baby names appeared in 1918?
780 names were recorded by the SSA for the first time ever in 1918.