"Vintage and old-fashioned names are one of the biggest baby naming trends of 2025. So let’s go back to the beginning of baby names. Or at least the beginning of the Social Security Administration’s data on American baby names to find some of the most popular names through the decades. This list starts in the 1880s, the first decade with baby name information available. Without too many spoilers, the boy names remained pretty consistent for nearly 100 years (looking at you, John, William, and James), while girls’ names shifted more over the years.
Another notable shift? The variety of popular baby names seems to increase as the decades go on. For example, the top baby girl name from 1925 was Mary, accounting for about 5.6 percent of births that year. In 2024, the most popular girls’ name, Olivia, only accounted for 0.8 percent of baby girl names. In looking at the data, this started to shift around the 1960s (also the decade Mary fell from reigning as the most popular baby name for girls).
If you’re looking for baby name inspiration or are just curious to see which names were popular the decade you were born, keep scrolling for the 20 most popular baby names for boys and girls from every decade.
Most popular names of the 1880s
The top names in the 1880s are extinct baby names today, including Bertha and Minnie. However, some of the 1880s’ most popular names are back in a big way, like the old-fashioned girl names Alice and Clara—both in this year’s top 100 most popular girl names. For boy names, James and Henry are still popular and were the fifth and sixth most popular boy names last year.
Girls
- Mary
- Anna
- Emma
- Elizabeth
- Margaret
- Minnie
- Ida
- Bertha
- Clara
- Alice
Boys
- John
- William
- James
- George
- Charles
- Frank
- Joseph
- Henry
- Robert
- Thomas
Most popular names of the 1890s
Many of the girls’ names on this list are still popular today, save one: Ethel. Ethel fell off the list of the 1000 most popular baby girl names in 1975. The stately boys’ name Edward knocked Thomas out of the top 10 in the 1890s.
Girls
- Mary
- Anna
- Margaret
- Helen
- Elizabeth
- Ruth
- Florence
- Ethel
- Emma
- Marie
Boys
- John
- William
- James
- George
- Charles
- Joseph
- Frank
- Robert
- Edward
- Henry
Most popular names of the 1900s
Not much changed by way of baby names in the 1900s compared to the previous decades. But we saw Dorothy rise to the top 10 this decade, a girl’s name that stayed popular through the 1940s.
Girls
- Mary
- Helen
- Margaret
- Anna
- Ruth
- Elizabeth
- Dorothy
- Marie
- Florence
- Mildred
Boys
- John
- William
- James
- George
- Charles
- Robert
- Joseph
- Frank
- Edward
- Thomas
Most popular names of the 1910s
While the top boy names remained pretty consistent in the 1910s, new additions to the most popular girl names in the 1910s include Frances and Virginia.
Girls
- Mary
- Helen
- Dorothy
- Margaret
- Ruth
- Mildred
- Anna
- Elizabeth
- Frances
- Virginia
Boys
- John
- William
- James
- Robert
- Joseph
- George
- Charles
- Edward
- Frank
- Thomas
Most popular names of the 1920s
Finally, we get some new boys’ names in the mix. Richard and Donald break into the top 10 most popular baby boy names in the 1920s, where they stay for a while. For the girls, Doris is a new favorite name for new baby girls this decade, including one of the most famous namesakes: actress Doris Day, born in 1922.
Girls
- Mary
- Dorothy
- Helen
- Betty
- Margaret
- Ruth
- Virginia
- Doris
- Mildred
- Frances
Boys
- Robert
- John
- James
- William
- Charles
- George
- Joseph
- Richard
- Edward
- Donald
Most popular names of the 1930s
Millennials may start to recognize their grandmothers’ names starting in the 1930s, with names like Nancy, Shirley, and Helen making the top 10.
Girls
- Mary
- Betty
- Barbara
- Shirley
- Patricia
- Dorothy
- Joan
- Margaret
- Nancy
- Helen
Boys
- Robert
- James
- John
- William
- Richard
- Charles
- Donald
- George
- Thomas
- Joseph
Most popular names of the 1940s
The 1940s saw new top names pop up for boys and girls. Dorothy fell down the list to #20, likely influenced by the most famous Dorothy from 1939’s The Wizard of Oz. But S girl names Sharon, Susan, and Sandra popped up. David and Ronald are new to the top 10 for boys, and this is the first decade we see Michael in the top 10, where the name will stay for decades.
Girls
- Mary
- Linda
- Barbara
- Patricia
- Carol
- Sandra
- Nancy
- Sharon
- Judith
- Susan
Boys
- James
- Robert
- John
- William
- Richard
- David
- Charles
- Thomas
- Michael
- Ronald
Most popular names of the 1950s
The new generation of post-WWII babies—AKA the Baby Boomers—started in 1946 and continued through the 1950s (until 1964). So the names below are quintessential Boomer names. While Mary still tops the list of girl names, if using the ‘playground analysis’ (meaning hearing a name versus seeing it spelled), Deborah/Debra was the most popular pick for girls in the 1950s, much like Sophia/Sofia and Isabella/Isabela are today. For boys, Mark joins the top 10 list.
Girls
- Mary
- Linda
- Patricia
- Susan
- Deborah
- Barbara
- Debra
- Karen
- Nancy
- Donna
Boys
- James
- Michael
- Robert
- John
- David
- William
- Richard
- Thomas
- Mark
- Charles
Most popular names of the 1960s
If baby girl names had a headline in the 1960s, it would be ‘Lisa usurps Mary for the throne.’ For the first half of the 1900s, ‘Mary’ was the most popular girl’s name in the United States, often given to the oldest daughter in Christian families honoring the mother of Jesus. Because the name was so common, many Marys also went by their middle name—like Mary Ann, Mary Beth, or Mary Grace—to differentiate. For boys in the ‘60s, Jeffrey was the notable new addition to the top 10 list.
Girls
- Lisa
- Mary
- Susan
- Karen
- Kimberly
- Patricia
- Linda
- Donna
- Michelle
- Cynthia
Boys
- Michael
- David
- John
- James
- Robert
- Mark
- William
- Richard
- Thomas
- Jeffrey
Most popular names of the 1970s
The name Jennifer shot to #1 in the 1970s. In fact, there were over twice as many babies named Jennifer as babies named Amy, the next girls’ name on the list. Other quintessential Gen X names moved up the list, including Heather, Melissa, and Stephanie for girls and Christopher, Jason, Brian, and Matthew as new additions to the top 10 most popular names for boys.
Girls
- Jennifer
- Amy
- Melissa
- Michelle
- Kimberly
- Lisa
- Angela
- Heather
- Stephanie
- Nicole
Boys
- Michael
- Christopher
- Jason
- David
- James
- John
- Robert
- Brian
- William
- Matthew
Most popular names of the 1980s
The 1980s started the next generation, with millennials born between 1981 and 1996. In the 1980s, popular A names Amanda and Ashley replaced Amy and Angela on the top 10 list for girls. Joshua and Daniel are new to the top 10 for boys.
Girls
- Jessica
- Jennifer
- Amanda
- Ashley
- Sarah
- Stephanie
- Melissa
- Nicole
- Elizabeth
- Heather
Boys
- Michael
- Christopher
- Matthew
- Joshua
- David
- James
- Daniel
- Robert
- John
- Joseph
Most popular names of the 1990s
Taylor and Tyler make their debuts on the top 10 list for girls and boys, respectively! Along with popular ‘90s names Brittany and Jacob. Marie became the middle name of the ‘90s, giving this Mary derivative a second life. The ’90s are also when the number and percentage of babies with the same names start falling dramatically. For example, in 1995, Jessica only accounted for 1.45 percent of births, while just 10 years earlier, the same top name (also Jessica) accounted for 2.6 percent of births.
Girls
- Jessica
- Ashley
- Emily
- Sarah
- Samantha
- Amanda
- Brittany
- Elizabeth
- Taylor
- Megan
Boys
- Michael
- Christopher
- Matthew
- Joshua
- Jacob
- Nicholas
- Andrew
- Daniel
- Tyler
- Joseph
Most popular names of the 2000s
YTK names anyone? In the early 2000s, Olivia and Isabella started climbing the charts, where they both remain today. Additionally, pop culture seemed to be having an effect on baby names, with Emma as the most popular name in the U.S. for the years 2003-2006 and 2009, coinciding with the timing of Rachel and Ross’ baby Emma in the popular TV show Friends. (Fictional character Emma Geller-Green was born on April 2, 2002.) For boys, could the 2000s hit Twilight book series have kept Jacob in the top spot for the entire decade?
Girls
- Emily
- Madison
- Emma
- Olivia
- Hannah
- Abigail
- Isabella
- Samantha
- Elizabeth
- Ashley
Boys
- Jacob
- Michael
- Joshua
- Matthew
- Daniel
- Christopher
- Andrew
- Ethan
- Joseph
- William
Most popular names of the 2010s
Names that end in ‘a’ mark over half of the baby girl names in the 2010s. Again, pop culture may have influenced the girls’ names, with Princess Charlotte born in May 2015. Additionally, the hit musical Hamilton arrived in 2015, perhaps pushing Alexander into the top 10 for boys.
Girls
- Emma
- Olivia
- Sophia
- Isabella
- Ava
- Mia
- Abigail
- Emily
- Charlotte
- Madison
Boys
- Noah
- Liam
- Jacob
- William
- Mason
- Ethan
- Michael
- Alexander
- James
- Elijah
Most popular names of the 2020s so far
Today, we’re about halfway through the 2020s and are seeing a lot of the same patterns from the 2010s. But there are some new trends to watch. While Luna fell off the top 10 most popular baby girl names this year, other celestial names like Aurora and Nova continue to climb. For boys, if combining the various spellings of Luca and Jackson, those names would reach the top 10 most popular boy names of the decade so far. The 11th most popular boy name is Theodore, but if including babies named Theo and Teddy, this name would be in the top 10, too. So don’t be surprised if you hear a lot of Lucases, Jacksons, and Theos on the playgrounds in the coming years.
Girls
- Olivia
- Emma
- Charlotte
- Amelia
- Sophia
- Mia
- Isabella
- Ava
- Evelyn
- Harper
Boys
- Liam
- Noah
- Oliver
- Elijah
- James
- William
- Henry
- Lucas
- Benjamin
- Mateo
Kathy Sisson, Senior Editor
Kathy Sisson has been a key contributor in the editorial parenting space for eight years, not only as a full-time editor at The Everymom but previously as a freelance writer for top parenting sites, including Scary Mommy, Motherly, Parent Co., and more. As an editor at The Everymom, she has produced hundreds of articles on a range of parenting topics, reviewed dozens of family-focused products, interviewed leading experts in the children and parenting world, and created viral parenting social media content. A mom of two, she is committed to sharing the honest, helpful, and often humorous stories of motherhood.