What a difference 100 years makes…
Would you be surprised to learn what the top boys’ and girls’ names were in America in the 1920’s? I was curious, too, so I went on the Social Security Website to do some research, and according to the Social Security Administration, in the 1920’s the following names were in the “top ten” in popularity for boys and girls:
(in order from #1 to #10, from top to bottom):
Top 10 Girls names in 1920
Top 10 Boys names in 1920
The boys’ names are such great classics, and as you can see, most have never really gone out of style, and a couple of them are still in our top 5 and 10 today! In fact, in 2020, William was the 4th most popular boy’s name, and James was the 6th!
The girls’ names didn’t fare quite as well, as none of the 1920’s girls’ names appear in our top 10 today, although I’m sure many of us know girls and women with these lovely classic names! In fact, my niece is named Mary, I had a Great Aunt Ruth, and my mother-in-law’s name is Frances! Names certainly do come and go in popularity through the years, don’t they?
And back then, just like now, the names of movie stars influenced parents in naming their babies. While the name Mary has always been popular, it became especially so in the 1920’s due to the astounding popularity of silent screen star Mary Pickford. The name Charles, another popular boy’s name in the 1920’s, was influenced at the time by Charlie Chaplin, another extremely popular silent screen star.
We have all of the above names on our website, so even though the 1920’s names didn’t all make it into the current list of top 10 names in America in 2020 doesn’t mean they didn’t make it into our list of over 10,000 name poems!
Thank you for reading my blog about names from the 1920’s. Have fun perusing our website, looking up the names of your family, friends and loved ones – and in the rare event we don’t have the name you’re looking for, I am happy to write it for you at no extra charge!
If you enjoy reading about the popularity and meanings of names, check out my in-depth article “What’s in a Name?”
What’s in a name?
Here is a short excerpt:
“We believe all children are gifts to our world, and their beautiful, deeply thought-out names deserve to be memorialized in poetry, meant to not only capture the wonderful feelings the gift giver has for the recipient, but also the wonderful characteristics and attributes of the recipient.“
As King Solomon aptly stated, “A good name is rather to be chosen than riches.”
Click here to read the full article.
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