US baby names · 1926

Most popular baby names of 1926

In 1926, Social Security card applications recorded 1,185,401 girls and 1,110,505 boys born in the US under names given to at least five babies of the same sex. That covers 5,622 distinct girls’ names and 4,837 boys’ names.

The most common names were Mary (67,832 girls) and Robert (61,130 boys). The ten most common girls’ names together account for 23% of recorded girls, and the top ten boys’ names for 33% of boys. Compared with 1925, 37,397 fewer babies were recorded in total.

Against the top 100 of 1925, 4 girls’ names and 4 boys’ names in 1926 are newcomers (girls: Beverly, Donna, Rosemary; boys: Ronald, Gene, Don). Of these names, 17 of the 100 girls’ names and 19 of the 100 boys’ names are still in the top 100 in 2025.

Ranks follow SSA’s order: most births first, with ties listed alphabetically. Each sparkline shows the name’s full history from 1880 to 2025, so you can see whether a 1926 favourite was rising, at its peak or already fading.

SSA names.zip · Social Security card applications · retrieved 2026-10-05

← 1925 1927 →

Top 100 girls’ names, 1926

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

Top 100 boys’ names, 1926

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