Most Popular Baby Names in 1925

In this article we'll look at what the most popular baby names were for the year 1925. These names are taken directly from the Social Security card applications for births that occurred in the United States.

The table below shows the top 250 most popular baby names in 1925, with a total count for the number of births registered with that given name.

You can also use the links below to research more about the most popular baby names.

Top 1000 most popular boy names: 1-250 | 251-500 | 501-750 | 751-1000

Top 1000 most popular girl names: 1-250 | 251-500 | 501-750 | 751-1000

Boys Girls
Rank Name Count Name Count
1 Robert 60,897 Mary 70,586
2 John 57,200 Dorothy 38,570
3 William 53,307 Betty 32,814
4 James 52,683 Helen 29,173
5 Charles 29,581 Margaret 24,463
6 George 26,560 Ruth 22,247
7 Joseph 24,616 Virginia 17,491
8 Richard 23,269 Doris 16,076
9 Edward 20,089 Mildred 14,453
10 Donald 19,192 Elizabeth 13,936
11 Thomas 16,689 Frances 13,824
12 Frank 15,328 Evelyn 12,504
13 Paul 14,176 Anna 12,251
14 Harold 13,597 Jean 11,598
15 Raymond 12,444 Alice 11,575
16 Walter 12,131 Marie 10,929
17 Jack 12,010 Shirley 10,513
18 Henry 10,615 Lois 9,573
19 Kenneth 10,146 Irene 9,441
20 Arthur 9,986 Gloria 9,381
21 Albert 9,513 Marjorie 9,307
22 David 8,917 Barbara 9,156
23 Harry 8,610 Martha 8,764
24 Eugene 8,516 Florence 8,585
25 Ralph 8,467 Lillian 8,352
26 Howard 7,169 Rose 8,280
27 Willie 7,124 Louise 8,275
28 Carl 7,060 Patricia 8,095
29 Louis 6,799 Catherine 7,867
30 Clarence 6,669 Ruby 7,843
31 Earl 6,435 Eleanor 7,724
32 Roy 6,376 Annie 7,350
33 Fred 6,202 Gladys 7,231
34 Joe 6,106 Norma 6,941
35 Francis 5,978 Thelma 6,823
36 Lawrence 5,633 Josephine 6,809
37 Ernest 5,493 Edna 6,782
38 Leonard 5,466 Pauline 6,729
39 Anthony 5,040 June 6,649
40 Stanley 5,030 Phyllis 6,485
41 Norman 4,975 Lucille 6,397
42 Herbert 4,924 Edith 6,275
43 Alfred 4,796 Ethel 6,174
44 Daniel 4,550 Grace 5,984
45 Gerald 4,508 Hazel 5,779
46 Samuel 4,405 Bernice 5,728
47 Calvin 4,301 Marion 5,576
48 Bernard 4,259 Rita 5,323
49 Billy 4,207 Juanita 5,233
50 Melvin 4,147 Beatrice 4,992
51 Marvin 4,091 Lorraine 4,983
52 Leroy 3,883 Ann 4,936
53 Russell 3,803 Jane 4,881
54 Leo 3,775 Geraldine 4,838
55 Michael 3,761 Clara 4,776
56 Andrew 3,617 Esther 4,726
57 Edwin 3,558 Emma 4,714
58 Floyd 3,526 Sarah 4,686
59 Clifford 3,425 Joyce 4,364
60 Peter 3,373 Nancy 4,325
61 Elmer 3,356 Katherine 4,240
62 Lloyd 3,324 Wilma 4,175
63 Theodore 3,226 Elsie 4,146
64 Ray 3,219 Dolores 4,145
65 Frederick 3,089 Julia 4,047
66 Warren 2,944 Joan 4,030
67 Vernon 2,912 Marian 3,979
68 Clyde 2,906 Willie 3,946
69 Herman 2,890 Agnes 3,911
70 Alvin 2,778 Gertrude 3,892
71 Vincent 2,772 Eva 3,855
72 Gordon 2,747 Wanda 3,803
73 Chester 2,719 Elaine 3,776
74 Wayne 2,713 Bertha 3,772
75 Philip 2,676 Laura 3,589
76 Leon 2,637 Vivian 3,576
77 Glenn 2,611 Charlotte 3,551
78 Charlie 2,578 Audrey 3,543
79 Lewis 2,577 Maxine 3,538
80 Milton 2,566 Theresa 3,516
81 Lester 2,559 Kathleen 3,503
82 Lee 2,537 Ida 3,489
83 Martin 2,417 Marilyn 3,419
84 Bill 2,381 Viola 3,336
85 Jesse 2,373 Anne 3,320
86 Dale 2,301 Vera 3,280
87 Cecil 2,299 Bessie 3,266
88 Harvey 2,190 Kathryn 3,263
89 Victor 2,119 Jeanne 3,225
90 Roger 2,099 Pearl 3,213
91 Sam 2,092 Lillie 3,119
92 Wallace 2,076 Violet 3,031
93 Benjamin 2,069 Ella 3,006
94 Allen 2,034 Alma 2,997
95 Arnold 1,972 Myrtle 2,980
96 Edgar 1,809 Eileen 2,963
97 Willard 1,795 Jessie 2,951
98 Roland 1,785 Nellie 2,937
99 Oscar 1,756 Margie 2,868
100 Johnnie 1,744 Mattie 2,816
101 Eddie 1,732 Ellen 2,794
102 Claude 1,696 Lucy 2,765
103 Douglas 1,677 Rosemary 2,755
104 Ronald 1,674 Minnie 2,739
105 Gilbert 1,656 Beverly 2,668
106 Don 1,653 Sylvia 2,537
107 Jerry 1,624 Bonnie 2,532
108 Everett 1,617 Leona 2,515
109 Marion 1,617 Geneva 2,470
110 Wilbur 1,597 Donna 2,429
111 Maurice 1,586 Janet 2,429
112 Gene 1,579 Georgia 2,411
113 Jerome 1,563 Genevieve 2,404
114 Manuel 1,554 Stella 2,402
115 Homer 1,545 Maria 2,360
116 Junior 1,545 Mae 2,332
117 Glen 1,537 Peggy 2,321
118 Curtis 1,520 Mabel 2,293
119 Leslie 1,518 Carol 2,286
120 Virgil 1,503 Arlene 2,274
121 Jimmie 1,485 Jennie 2,264
122 Stephen 1,481 Loretta 2,255
123 Jessie 1,467 Christine 2,254
124 Hubert 1,461 Lena 2,235
125 Jose 1,450 Rosa 2,230
126 Morris 1,400 Muriel 2,215
127 Hugh 1,386 Carolyn 2,189
128 Max 1,386 Velma 2,177
129 Bob 1,369 Opal 2,108
130 Bruce 1,354 Eunice 2,097
131 Sidney 1,345 Harriet 2,068
132 Luther 1,333 Marguerite 2,061
133 Nicholas 1,332 Sara 2,032
134 Franklin 1,295 Carrie 2,024
135 Wesley 1,265 Jacqueline 1,991
136 Rudolph 1,242 Dora 1,945
137 Alexander 1,224 Jeanette 1,920
138 Tom 1,217 Blanche 1,894
139 Willis 1,198 Inez 1,890
140 Dean 1,195 Alberta 1,843
141 Irving 1,174 Billie 1,827
142 Johnny 1,167 Hilda 1,824
143 Patrick 1,153 Beulah 1,777
144 Steve 1,145 Naomi 1,768
145 Horace 1,140 Emily 1,767
146 Keith 1,138 Anita 1,764
147 Jim 1,123 Roberta 1,759
148 Earnest 1,103 Hattie 1,738
149 Bobby 1,086 Lula 1,707
150 Julius 1,086 Cora 1,680
151 Oliver 1,049 Fannie 1,656
152 Edmund 1,042 Constance 1,654
153 Ben 1,040 Verna 1,613
154 Lyle 1,012 Miriam 1,600
155 Salvatore 1,000 Bette 1,592
156 Billie 989 Rosie 1,516
157 Guy 978 Janice 1,510
158 Tony 977 Madeline 1,506
159 Otis 958 Claire 1,503
160 Phillip 942 Mamie 1,503
161 Orville 940 Ada 1,500
162 Clayton 932 Erma 1,490
163 Archie 917 Delores 1,486
164 Mike 908 Lola 1,469
165 Alex 902 Rachel 1,439
166 Jacob 901 Mable 1,408
167 Delbert 898 Marcella 1,407
168 Angelo 897 Flora 1,404
169 Bennie 897 Daisy 1,400
170 Duane 896 Laverne 1,335
171 Clifton 892 Nora 1,317
172 Clinton 861 Susie 1,311
173 Leland 858 Sally 1,310
174 Matthew 840 Imogene 1,249
175 Merle 836 Lila 1,248
176 Marshall 830 Estelle 1,240
177 Dennis 826 Irma 1,231
178 Nathaniel 810 Winifred 1,221
179 Alan 804 Maggie 1,215
180 Wilbert 804 Eloise 1,212
181 Dewey 798 Rebecca 1,204
182 Jay 789 Bettie 1,204
183 Ira 788 Eula 1,203
184 Dan 772 Nina 1,197
185 Ivan 756 Caroline 1,193
186 Nelson 738 Olga 1,173
187 Ervin 737 Antoinette 1,172
188 Wilfred 737 Lorene 1,151
189 Carroll 731 Johnnie 1,127
190 Larry 724 Sophie 1,102
191 Emil 722 Rosalie 1,092
192 Jesus 722 Regina 1,077
193 Allan 719 Henrietta 1,059
194 Juan 719 Sadie 1,051
195 Julian 716 Jeannette 1,050
196 Lowell 709 Victoria 1,046
197 Alton 708 Angelina 1,028
198 Irvin 708 Della 1,028
199 Jimmy 708 Adeline 1,022
200 Lonnie 707 Ernestine 1,022
201 Tommy 706 Faye 1,011
202 Antonio 697 Katie 1,003
203 Nick 691 Fern 976
204 Sylvester 690 Olive 975
205 Wendell 682 Yvonne 964
206 Isaac 678 Teresa 955
207 Rufus 676 Lydia 954
208 Elbert 673 Iris 947
209 Ted 670 Carmen 939
210 Seymour 668 Melba 938
211 Mark 651 Essie 925
212 Forrest 648 Isabel 900
213 Freddie 647 Lucile 900
214 Pete 647 Nettie 897
215 Aaron 644 Dorothea 891
216 Loren 637 Amelia 889
217 Felix 621 Freda 889
218 Malcolm 618 Gwendolyn 889
219 Nathan 615 Susan 862
220 Ellis 613 Lottie 851
221 Norbert 609 May 849
222 Burton 597 Annette 838
223 Eldon 595 Ora 833
224 Myron 593 Priscilla 830
225 Karl 589 Veronica 826
226 Murray 587 Ollie 824
227 Owen 582 Angeline 821
228 Emmett 579 Lela 818
229 Elwood 571 Cleo 812
230 Mack 570 Jewel 812
231 Perry 569 Jewell 810
232 Johnie 565 Reba 792
233 Dick 563 Sallie 791
234 Neil 563 Nadine 789
235 Ross 559 Effie 780
236 Gerard 555 Joy 772
237 Loyd 554 Goldie 764
238 Rex 553 Luella 761
239 Laurence 552 Addie 760
240 Fredrick 549 Leola 757
241 Dominic 544 Darlene 742
242 Percy 544 Janie 741
243 Otto 540 Adele 738
244 Dominick 538 Ina 737
245 Bert 536 Etta 732
246 Grady 533 Iva 732
247 Irwin 526 Cecelia 721
248 Darrell 523 Isabelle 709
249 Troy 517 Natalie 708
250 Grover 517 Patsy 706

What's in a (Popular) Name?

How do we know which baby names are hot each year? It's simple! The Social Security Administration collects data as parents register their newborns for a Social Security card. So, instead of waiting for the 10-year census, we get an annual update on the trending names!

Popular Baby Names vs. Popular First Names: Any Differences?

If you're wondering why the most popular baby names and the most popular first names aren't the same, remember: first names include everyone, not just babies. With 16.5% of the population over 65, names popular in their generation, like 'Bert' or 'Iva', still top the charts. As the birth rate declines, we won't see baby names like 'Robert' or 'Mary' topping the overall popular names list until the Baby Boomer generation decreases significantly.

What Factors Influence Baby Name Popularity?

Ever wondered how a name like 'James' or 'Doris' hits the charts? It's not an exact science, but here are some cool factors:

Celebrity Influence

Americans adore their stars! A favorite celeb can influence baby names, so if you see more little 'Williams' or 'Dorothys' running around, you might have a Hollywood A-lister to thank!

Character-Inspired Names

Bookworms and movie buffs often name their kids after beloved characters. If 'Charles' or 'Virginia' sound familiar, check out the latest bestseller or box-office hit!

Following the Trend

We humans are trend-followers. So, if a friend's baby 'George' or 'Mildred' has a cute ring to it, don't be surprised if it catches on!

The Power of Recall

Names heard repeatedly stick in our minds. So if 'Donald' or 'Helen' are on repeat, you'll likely see them in the baby name charts.

Family Tradition

Some names like 'Joseph' or 'Anna' stand the test of time, thanks to the tradition of naming babies after older relatives.

Religion and Politics

Religious texts and political figures inspire many parents. Evergreen choices like 'Richard' or 'Ruth' show the lasting impact of religion and politics on baby names.

So, while we can't always predict why a name like 'Edward' or 'Rose' becomes popular, these factors give us some fun insights into the ever-changing landscape of baby names!

Historical Data for Baby Names

If you're interested to see how the trends and popularity of baby names have changed, you can use the links below to view the historical data by decade.

Most popular first names, 1880-present | since 1950 | since 1960 | since 1970 | since 1980 | since 1990 | since 2000 | since 2010

Most popular boy names, 1880-present | since 1950 | since 1960 | since 1970 | since 1980 | since 1990 | since 2000 | since 2010

Most popular girl names, 1880-present | since 1950 | since 1960 | since 1970 | since 1980 | since 1990 | since 2000 | since 2010

Data Source(s)

All of the data on this page is sourced from the Social Security Administration (SSA) and excludes any names with fewer than 5 occurrences in any geographic area.