These Were The Most Popular Baby Names 100 Years Ago

The most popular baby names in the U.S. tend to remain the same from one year to the next, but interesting trends emerge over longer periods of time.

On May 12, the Social Security Administration released the official list of the most popular baby names of 2016. Names like Emma, Noah and Liam continue to dominate the charts, with only a few notable changes from the 2015 list. 

In light of this news, we decided to look back at the most popular names 100 years ago to see how parents’ choices of the past compare to today’s trends. While some names remain popular (you’ve got your Johns, Williams and Elizabeths), others have rather fallen into obscurity these days (shout-out to Gladys, Edna and Ralph).

Without further ado, here are the 25 most popular baby names for boys and girls in 1917:

Girls

  1. Mary 
  2. Helen
  3. Dorothy 
  4. Margaret
  5. Ruth
  6. Mildred
  7. Anna 
  8. Elizabeth
  9. Frances
  10. Virginia
  11. Evelyn
  12. Marie
  13. Alice
  14. Florence
  15. Lillian
  16. Rose
  17. Irene
  18. Catherine
  19. Louise
  20. Edna
  21. Josephine
  22. Martha
  23. Gladys
  24. Ethel
  25. Doris 

Boys

  1. John
  2. William
  3. James
  4. Robert
  5. Joseph
  6. George
  7. Charles
  8. Edward
  9. Frank
  10. Thomas
  11. Walter
  12. Harold
  13. Paul
  14. Richard
  15. Henry
  16. Raymond
  17. Arthur
  18. Albert
  19. Harry
  20. Donald
  21. Ralph
  22. Jack
  23. Louis 
  24. Carl
  25. Clarence

— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.