Popular Baby Names

Popular Baby Names through history

Popular names come and go, of course, but it seems like more and more parents are naming their children names that we never used even a few years ago, let alone 100 years ago.

At the turn of the last century, baby names were pretty basic. The top 5 names for boys born in 1900-1910 were:

1. John
2. William
3. James
4. George
5. Charles

Top girl's names included:

1. Mary
2. Helen
3. Margaret
4. Anna
5. Ruth

Compare those lists to the 2000-2004 list: Jacob, Michael, Joshua, Matthew, Andrew, Christopher, Joseph, Nicholas, Daniel and William for boys and Emily, Madison, Hannah, Emma, Ashley, Alexis, Samantha, Sarah, Abigail and Olivia for girls. Only two boy’s names and none of the girl’s names stood the test of a century, though many of those names are still popular.

Jennifer, the most popular girl’s name for more than a decade in the 1970s and 1980s had fallen to 38th place in 2004.

This information, by the way, comes from the U.S. Social Security Administration, which has an online database of baby names going back to the 1880s. You can search by year or decade, by state and the popularity of a name over a stretch of years.

Meanings of Popular Baby Names

Most of the names that are favored in the United States right now come from Hebrew, with seven of the top 10 boys names being of Hebrew origin. The top names and their meanings, with origin noted for those that aren’t Hebrew, are: Jacob (supplanter), Michael (Who is like God), Joshua (Jehovah saves), Matthew (God’s gift), Ethan (firm, strong), Andrew (manly, courageous; Greek), Daniel (God is my judge), William (protector; English), Joseph (God will increase) and Christopher (Christ-bearer; Greek).

When it comes to girls names, more variety in origin and meaning is seen, though Hebrew and Latin dominate: Emily (admiring; Latin), Emma (universal; Latin), Madison (son of Matthew; English), Olivia (peace, of the olive tree; Latin), Hannah (grace of God; Hebrew), Abigail (God is joy; Hebrew), Isabella (consecrated to God; Italian), Ashley (from the ash tree; English), Samantha (listener of God; Hebrew) and Elizabeth (consecrated to God; Hebrew).

Other Popular Baby Names

Popular names seem to change every few years, and are often influenced by celebrities and other people in the news. Paris, for instance, has jumped from 508th most-popular name in 2001 to 156 in 2004 as Paris Hilton made news. Trista didn’t break the top 1,000 before “The Bachelorette” made the name famous. It broke the top 500 in 2003 and 2004.

Though neither of the above names is remotely as popular as Elizabeth (or even Melissa, the nation’s 100th most-popular name) it just goes to show that tastes change and inspiration for new names comes from everywhere. (The 100th most-popular male name, in case you were wondering, is Patrick.)

Choosing a Popular Name

It’s pretty easy to find out which names are popular for babies. Ask friends with small children, or friends who are teachers, what the names of some of the kids are. Check out the birth announcements in your local paper. And of course the Internet can give you the most common names of the last 100-plus years, so even if you want a less-popular name, you can find just the thing to suit your new bundle of joy.

Most Popular Baby Names

Source: Social Security Administration (2004)

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