The 1921 Baby Name Report

2,334,505 babies, 9,728 unique names — the risers, fallers, and brand-new arrivals of 1921

👑 #1 girls: Mary (42 years running) 👑 #1 boys: John (42 years running) 565 debuts

Top girls

  1. Mary73,984
  2. Dorothy39,087
  3. Helen34,822
  4. Margaret28,468
  5. Ruth25,783
  6. Virginia19,032
  7. Mildred17,880
  8. Betty17,638
  9. Frances15,993
  10. Elizabeth15,800

Top boys

  1. John58,215
  2. Robert52,779
  3. William51,862
  4. James49,750
  5. Charles29,242
  6. George27,476
  7. Joseph26,182
  8. Edward20,817
  9. Frank16,705
  10. Richard16,376

Full top-50 rankings for 1921 →

🚀 Fastest risers

  1. Bettye #578 → #460 (+118)
  2. Justine #543 → #432 (+111)
  3. Bobby #468 → #365 (+103)
  4. Maryann #561 → #461 (+100)
  5. Gloria #195 → #102 (+93)
  6. Margarette #586 → #493 (+93)
  7. Myrtis #558 → #470 (+88)
  8. Armando #478 → #393 (+85)
  9. George #556 → #480 (+76)
  10. Delphine #560 → #488 (+72)

📉 Biggest fallers

  1. Cecil #465 → #587 (−122)
  2. Fanny #454 → #544 (−90)
  3. Quentin #312 → #401 (−89)
  4. Vesta #430 → #504 (−74)
  5. Beryl #374 → #447 (−73)
  6. Jeff #410 → #481 (−71)
  7. Vance #412 → #482 (−70)
  8. Lucinda #485 → #549 (−64)
  9. Garnet #422 → #485 (−63)
  10. Hiram #397 → #450 (−53)

✨ Never recorded before 1921

Norberto (14) Marilynne (13) Gwenda (12) Adean (11) Garnelle (11) Lodena (11) Alpharetta (10) Bernace (10) Philomenia (10) Calven (10)

565 names appeared in SSA records for the first time ever in 1921.

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What were the most popular baby names in 1921?
Mary was the #1 girl name and John the #1 boy name in 1921, out of 2,334,505 recorded births.
What baby name rose fastest in 1921?
Bettye made the biggest jump in 1921, climbing 118 spots to #460.
How many new baby names appeared in 1921?
565 names were recorded by the SSA for the first time ever in 1921.