Popular baby names from Roaring '20s that could make a comeback, according to '100-year rule'
Smiling baby in carriage, Washington DC, USA, National Photo Company, 1921. (Photo by: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
A theory shared among baby name trend experts suggests that some names spike in popularity every 100 years.
Believers of the "100-year rule" say names that have fallen out of public favor get revived every century or so because many parents take notice of names that are no longer common as they try to find their baby a unique moniker, according to a recent report from Nameberry, an online baby name resource, that discussed the topic.
Nameberry wrote that expecting parents tend to skip over names that were given to their parents or grandparents because they don’t want to choose a name that sounds dated.
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"But names from your great-grandparents’ generations hold appeal," Nameberry’s report explained. "Once there aren’t many people with a specific name anymore, it starts to sound fresh and intriguing."
The 100-year rule doesn’t include classic names that have dominated baby name charts for decades and centuries, such as James, William and Alice, but some names do appear to decline over time, according to name records kept by the Social Security Administration (SSA).
Here’s a look at 10 baby names that were popular for boys and girls each in the U.S. during the Roaring '20s, their meanings and their respective rank during that decade.
Scroll to the bottom to see how these names compare to the top names of 2021 and whether the 100-year rule theory has any truth behind it.
Popular boy names of the 1920s
1. Robert
Robert is an anglicized German name that means "bright frame," according to Nameberry.
The name Robert is technically unisex, but it’s more commonly given to boys. In the 1920s, Robert was the most popular boy name in the U.S. It was reportedly given to 576,373 boys from 1920 to 1929, according to the SSA.
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2. John
John is an anglicized Hebrew name that means "God is gracious," according to Nameberry.
The name has a biblical tie, and it’s reportedly derived from the Hebrew name Yochanan and the Latin-Greek name Iohannes, which are both reported to have the same meaning, according to Nameberry. John is also considered unisex, but it’s a name that’s mainly given to boys.
The name John was reportedly given to 564,060 boys born in the U.S. during the 1920s, according to SSA records.
3. James
James is a gender-neutral anglicized Hebrew name that reportedly means "supplanter," and it’s reportedly a variation of the name Jacob, which has biblical ties, according to Nameberry.
The name James was reportedly given to 515,307 boys born in the U.S. during the 1920s, according to the SSA.
4. William
William is an anglicized German name that reportedly means "resolute protection," according to Nameberry.
The online name dictionary says the name William can be given to boys and girls, but it has notably been the more popular among boys.
The name William was reportedly given to 512,407 boys born in the U.S. during the 1920s, according to SSA records.
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5. Charles
Charles is a French name with Germanic roots, and it reportedly means "man" or "free man," according to Nameberry. The German name Karl is said to be the root that gave way to the name Charles.
The name Charles is predominantly masculine, although it’s considered unisex, according to Nameberry.
The name Charles was reportedly given to 298,033 boys born in the U.S. during the 1920s, according to the SSA.
6. George
George is an anglicized unisex Greek name that reportedly means "farmer," according to Nameberry.
The name has been closely associated with the British royal family for centuries, the online name dictionary reports.
The name George was reportedly given to 261,946 boys born in the U.S. during the 1920s, according to SSA records.
7. Joseph
Joseph is a biblical name that’s reportedly unisex and means "Jehovah increases" in Hebrew, according to Nameberry.
The name Joseph is most common with boys, while the name Josephine (which ranked at No. 33 for the opposite sex in the 1920s) is most common with girls, according to Nameberry and SSA records.
The name Joseph was reportedly given to 243,814 boys born in the U.S. during the 1920s, according to the SSA.
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8. Richard
Richard is a male name of German origin that reportedly means "dominant ruler," according to Nameberry.
The name Richard was reportedly given to 222,606 boys born in the U.S. during the 1920s, according to SSA records.
9. Edward
Edward is a unisex name that means "wealthy guardian" in English, and it’s reportedly derived from the word "rich" and "guard," according to Nameberry. The name has been closely associated with Anglo-Saxon royals and the English upper class.
The name Edward is predominantly assigned to boys. It was reportedly given to 197,352 boys born in the U.S. during the 1920s, according to the SSA.
10. Donald
Donald is a name of Scottish origin that’s derived from the Macdonald clan, and it reportedly means "proud chief," according to Nameberry. The name has been closely associated with Scottish royalty.
The name Donald was reportedly given to 191,820 boys born in the U.S. during the 1920s, according to SSA records.
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Popular girl names of the 1920s
1. Mary
Mary is an anglicized name of Hebrew or Egyptian origin, and it reportedly means "drop of the sea," "bitter" or "beloved," according to Nameberry.
The name has biblical ties, and it makes an appearance in the Christian New Testament, according to Nameberry.
The name Mary was reportedly given to 701,760 girls born in the U.S. from 1920 to 1929, according to the SSA.
2. Dorothy
Dorothy is an anglicized Greek name that’s derived from the name Dorothea, and it reportedly means "gift of God," according to Nameberry.
The name was reportedly given to 368,874 girls born in the U.S. during the 1920s, according to SSA records.
3. Helen
Helen is a Greek name that means "torch" or "shining light," according to Nameberry. It has famously been connected with beauty and the story of the Trojan War.
The name Helen was reportedly given to 290,404 girls born in the U.S. during the 1920s, according to the SSA.
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4. Betty
Betty is a name of Hebrew origin that reportedly means "pledged to God," according to Nameberry.
The name Betty was reportedly given to 283,097 girls born in the U.S. during the 1920s, according to SSA records.
5. Margaret
Margaret is an anglicized name that reportedly means "pearl," according to Nameberry.
The name Margaret was reportedly given to 245,011 girls born in the U.S. during the 1920s, according to the SSA.
6. Ruth
Ruth is a name that reportedly means "compassionate friend" in Hebrew, according to Nameberry.
The name has biblical ties, and it makes an appearance in the Christian Old Testament, according to Nameberry.
The name Ruth was reportedly given to 218,522 girls born in the U.S. during the 1920s, according to SSA records.
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7. Virginia
Virginia is a female name of Latin origin that reportedly means "virginal" or "pure," according to Nameberry.
The name Virginia was reportedly given to 169,555 girls born in the U.S. during the 1920s, according to the SSA.
8. Doris
Doris is a Greek name that reportedly means "gift of the ocean," and it has been considered a name that means "the paragon of grace," according to Nameberry.
"In classical Greek mythology, Doris is the daughter of Oceanus, god of the sea, who gave birth to fifty golden-haired sea nymphs," Nameberry wrote in a name profile.
The name Doris was reportedly given to 151,191 girls born in the U.S. during the 1920s, according to SSA records.
9. Mildred
Mildred is an English name that has "ancient Anglo-Saxon" origin, and it reportedly means "gentle strength," according to Nameberry.
The name Mildred was reportedly given to 147,155 girls born in the U.S. during the 1920s, according to the SSA.
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10. Frances
Frances is an anglicized Latin name that reportedly means "from France" or "free man," according to Nameberry.
Variations of the classic female name include Francis (Latin), Franciscus (Latin) and Francisca (German), according to Nameberry.
The name Frances was reportedly given to 140,390 girls born in the U.S. during the 1920s, according to SSA records.
How are popular baby names from the Roaring '20s faring in the 2020s?
Out of the 20 names the SSA identified as the most common in the 1920s, only two made it onto the government agency’s "Top 10 Baby Names of 2021" list, which is the most up-to-date name list the SSA has.
Both of the names — William and James — are commonly assigned to boys. Liam, a variation of William, also made the list.
None of the girl names from the SSA’s popular names of the 1920s list made it onto the 2021 list.
Name-ranking graphs on Nameberry appear to show that most of the names on the SSA’s 1920s list have fluctuated over time, except for William and James.
Only six of the 20 names are in Nameberry’s top 100 list from 2021. The names are all considered male, including Robert, John, James, William, Charles and Joseph.
Two names that were popular for girls in the 1920s — Doris and Mildred — haven’t made it onto Nameberry’s top 1,000 list in several years.
The SSA reports that in 2021, the top 10 names for boys were Liam, Noah, Oliver, Elijah, James, William, Benjamin, Lucas, Henry and Theodore.
For girls, the top 10 names were Olivia, Emma, Charlotte, Amelia, Ava, Sophia, Isabella, Mia, Evelyn and Harper.