What's Your Name? Part 1

Shooby-doo-bop-bah-dah!!

The 2007 list from SSA

If you were a girl born in the first half of the 20th century, there was a good chance you were named Mary. Your best friends might have been Helen, Dorothy, Mildred, Betty, Barbara, and Linda.

If you were a boy born in the second half of the 20th century, there was a good chance you were named Michael. Your best friends might have been David, James, Christopher, Matthew, and Joshua.

According to the "Popular Baby Names" webpages of the Social Security Administration, these names are among the most popular of the 20th century.

Here are lists of the Top Ten boys' and girls' names by decade, based on my limited review of the top 20 names for each year. (Retiring Guy has only so much time for this kind of thing.) Names shown in bold type indicate a new entry.

1900-1909
1. John
2. William
3. James
4. George
5. Charles
6. Robert
7. Joseph
8. Frank
9. Edward
10. Henry

1. Mary
2. Helen
3. Margaret
4. Anna
5. Ruth
6. Elizabeth
7. Marie
8. Florence
9. Ethel
9. Alice

1910-1919
1. John
2. William
3. James
4. Robert
5. Joseph
6. George
7. Charles
8. Edward
9. Frank
10. Thomas

1. Mary
2. Helen
3. Dorothy
4. Margaret
5. Ruth
6. Mildred
7. Elizabeth
8. Anna
9. Frances
10. Marie

1920-1929
1. Robert
2. John
3. William
4. James
5. Charles
6. George
7. Joseph
8. Richard
9. Edward
10. Donald

1. Mary
2. Dorothy
3. Helen
4. Margaret
5. Betty
6. Ruth
7. Virginia
8. Doris
9. Mildred
10. Frances

1930-1939
1. Robert
2. James
3. John
4. William
5. Richard
6. Charles
7. Donald
8. George
9. Thomas
10. Joseph

1. Mary
2. Betty
2. Barbara
4. Patricia
5. Dorothy
6. Shirley
7. Joan
8. Margaret
9. Helen
10. Nancy

1940-1949
1. James
2. Robert
3. John
4. William
5. Richard
6. David
7. Charles
8. Thomas
9. Ronald
10. Michael

1. Mary
2. Barbara
3. Linda
4. Patricia
5. Carol
6. Sandra
7. Nancy
8. Judith
9. Sharon
10. Betty

1950-1959
1. James
2. Michael
3. Robert
4. David
5. John
6. William
7. Richard
8. Thomas
9. Charles
10. Steven

1. Mary
2. Linda
3. Susan
4. Patricia
5. Deborah
6. Barbara
6. Karen
8. Carol
9. Debra
10. Donna

1960-1969
1. Michael
2. David
3. James
4. John
5. Robert
6. Mark
7. William
8. Richard
9. Thomas
10. Jeffrey

1. Lisa
2. Mary
3. Susan
4. Karen
5. Patricia
6. Kimberly
7. Donna
8. Linda
9. Cynthia
10. Michelle

1970-1979
1. Michael
2. Christopher
3. James
3. David
5. Jason
6. John
7. Robert
8. Brian
9. William
10. Matthew

1. Jennifer
2. Amy
3. Melissa
4. Michelle
5. Angela
6. Kimberly
7. Lisa
8. Heather
9. Nicole
10. Jessica

1980-1989
1. Michael
2. Christopher
3. Matthew
4. Joshua
5. David
6. James
7. Daniel
8. Robert
9. John
10. Joseph

1. Jessica
2. Jennifer
3. Amanda
4. Sarah
5. Stephanie
6. Nicole
6. Ashley
8. Elizabeth (previous Top Ten appearance, 1910-1919)
9. Melissa
10. Heather

1990-1999
1. Michael
2. Matthew
3. Christopher
4. Joshua
5. Jacob
6. Andrew
7. Nicholas
8. Daniel
9. Brandon
10. Tyler

1. Ashley
2. Jessica
3. Emily
4. Sarah
5. Samantha
6. Elizabeth
7. Amanda
8. Taylor
9. Brittany
10. Megan

Part 2, coming soon, will include a list of the top names of the 20th century by total points and by number of appearances on the annual Top 20 lists.