Popular Girl Names of the 20th Century

The Social Security Administration reported that the most popular name for a baby girl in 2009 was Isabella. Might the name Isabella, a name with Hebrew, Italian and Spanish origins, be inspired by the Twilight saga’s Isabella (Bella) Swan? Probably not. In fact, Isabella was growing in popularity before Twilight. It was the 4th most popular name in 2006 before moving into the number 2 spot for 2007 and 20085.  Let’s take a closer look at the popular girl names of the 20th Century.
 
 

During the early part of the century, babies were typically named after family members, so the Top 5 remained pretty consistent.  Read more about Family Baby Names here.


In fact, from 1910-1922, the Top 5 girl names were always, in some order:
Mary
Helen
Dorothy
Margaret
Ruth

For the seven years that followed, Ruth fell from the Top 5, replaced by Betty.

The Popularity of Mary

Mary has held the top spot 46 times. This classic name was the leader from 1910-1946 and again from 1953-1961, falling to second place behind Linda from 1947-1953. And Mary was always spelled M-A-R-Y, not Mari or Maree or Marey, as might be the case today.

Popular Names after 1930

After 1930, the Top 5 became a little less predictable. New female names such as Barbara, Joan, Patricia and Shirley began taking over the ranks.  During the late ‘40s/early ‘50s, Susan and Carol became hugely popular. In 1955 and 1956, both Deborah and Debra were in the Top 5 at the same time!

Popular Girl Names in the 1950's, 60's and 70's

The late 1950s introduced names such as Karen and Donna, but it wasn’t until 1962 that Mary was once and for all ousted from the top spot. Lisa ruled the 1960s, occupying the number 1 position from 1962-1969. Mary spent four years in 2nd place, one year in 3rd, and its final year – 1967 – in 4th. Mary has not reappeared in the Top 5 since.

The 1960s made popular names like Michelle and Kimberly. In 1968, Jennifer was introduced to the Top 5. After moving up to the third most popular in 1969, Jennifer took over the top spot and remained there from 1970-1984, before falling off the list in 1989. While Jennifer ruled the 70s, new names were jockeying for position among the Top 5: Amy, Angela, Melissa and the surprising Heather.

Popular Girl Names of the 1980s

By the mid-80s, the Top 5 had changed completely. Jennifer made her final appearance in 1988, replaced by a new J name. The powerhouse Jessica assumed leadership position from 1985-1990 and again from 1993-1995 with a brief two-year interlude that put Ashley at number 1.

Jessica and Ashley were followed by Amanda, Brittany, Samantha and Sarah (with an h).

Popular Girl Names of the 90's

In 1993, Brittany dropped out of the Top 5 and was replaced by Emily. Emily shot to number 1 in 1996 and remained there through 2007. While Emily reigned supreme, other 90s names came and went, including Alexis, Madison, Hannah, and Abigail.

Popular Girl Names of the 2000's

Standing strong throughout the first decade of 2000, however, are Olivia, Ava and, of course, Isabella. Emily dropped to 3rd place in 2008 and out of the Top 5 completely by 2009. See more popular names for the first decade of the millennium.

The new leader for 2008 – but only for one year – was Emma, who had entered the Top 5 in 2003. The remaining top spots in 2008 belonged to Isabella, Emily, Olivia and Ava, in that order.

The most recent list released by the Social Security Administration for 2009 showed these top 5 girl names:

Isabella
Emma
Olivia
Sophia
Ava 

Check out the entire list of Top 100 baby names of 2009 from the Social Security Administration.

Find out what other names have come during the last century.

What names will make it to the top for 2010? Only time will tell, however check out our Baby Name Predictions for 2010.

Check out the Popular Boy Names of the 20th Century.

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