Skip to main contentSkip to footer
You won't believe the most popular baby name the year you were born
Subscribe
You won't believe the most popular baby name the year you were born
Happy Baby© Getty Images

You won't believe the most popular baby name the year you were born

From Mary to Olivia, Robert to Noah – these names topped the charts over the last 100 years

Tess Hill
News and Features Writer
April 29, 2025
Share this:

Choosing a name for your child is getting harder and harder. Parents are expected to think not just about the initials and nicknames, but the Instagram handles, future personal brands, and whether the name will age well in a group chat. 

Just ask Kylie Kelce's take on deciding on a name for her fourth daughter while living in the public eye.

Jason Kelce and Kylie Kelce attend Chris Stapleton's Performance Live From The Fillmore New Orleans© Getty Images for SiriusXM, Getty Images
Jason and Kylie Kelce one month before the birth of their daughter Finnley

"I totally respect your opinion on the names of our children," she said on her podcast, Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce. "You’re allowed to have your own opinion, but I actually don’t care what it is. And I mean that in the most, like, loving and respectful way."

Kylie and her husband Jason Kelce understand the difficulty of choosing a baby name. They share four daughters - Wyatt (5), Elliotte (4), Bennett (2), and Finnley. Finnley, who Kylie says will go by Finn, was born on March 30. 

Whether you're about to welcome a new arrival, mentally bookmarking names for a someday baby, or just curious about what was trending when your parents filled out your birth certificate, this list of the top baby names from 1925 to 2025 is a time capsule of American naming culture. 

Let's dive in! Does your name make the cut?

Pregnant woman searching for baby names online© Getty Images
Pregnant woman searching for baby names online

1920s

The golden age of Mary and Robert. Names were classic, religious, and rooted in tradition. Picture flapper dresses, jazz, and a whole lot of Johns and Dorothys on the playground

Women in the 1920s© Getty Images
Women showing off their garters in the 1920s

1925

Girls

  1. Mary
  2. Betty
  3. Dorothy

Boys

  1. Robert
  2. John
  3. William

1926

Girls

  1. Mary
  2. Dorothy
  3. Betty

Boys

  1. Robert
  2. John
  3. James

1927

Girls

  1. Mary
  2. Dorothy
  3. Betty

Boys

  1. Robert
  2. John
  3. James

1928

Girls

  1. Mary
  2. Betty
  3. Barbara

Boys

  1. Robert
  2. John
  3. James

1929

Girls

  1. Mary
  2. Betty
  3. Barbara

Boys

  1. Robert
  2. John
  3. James

1930s

Still traditional, but here comes Barbara and Betty, giving the baby name charts a little Hollywood flair. Think Depression-era grit, but with glam movie star dreams.

Betty Boop Balloon© Getty Images
Betty Boop as a balloon!

1930

Girls

  1. Mary
  2. Betty
  3. Barbara

Boys

  1. Robert
  2. John
  3. James

1931

Girls

  1. Mary
  2. Betty
  3. Barbara

Boys

  1. Robert
  2. John
  3. James

1932

Girls

  1. Betty
  2. Mary
  3. Barbara

Boys

  1. Robert
  2. John
  3. James

1933

Girls

  1. Betty
  2. Mary
  3. Barbara

Boys

  1. Robert
  2. John
  3. James

1934

Girls

  1. Betty
  2. Mary
  3. Barbara

Boys

  1. Robert
  2. John
  3. James

1935

Girls

  1. Mary
  2. Barbara
  3. Shirley

Boys

  1. Robert
  2. John
  3. James

1936

Girls

  1. Mary
  2. Shirley
  3. Barbara

Boys

  1. Robert
  2. John
  3. James

1937

Girls

  1. Mary
  2. Barbara
  3. Patricia

Boys

  1. Robert
  2. John
  3. James

1938

Girls

  1. Mary
  2. Barbara
  3. Patricia

Boys

  1. Robert
  2. John
  3. James

1939

Girls

  1. Mary
  2. Barbara
  3. Patricia

Boys

  1. Robert
  2. John
  3. James

1940s

War-time babies meant Linda and James started rising. Simple, strong, and all-American names that would carry through the post-war boom.

1940s kids© Getty Images
A rare moment of relaxation in the 1940s.

1940

Girls

  1. Mary
  2. Barbara
  3. Patricia

Boys

  1. Robert
  2. John
  3. James

1941

Girls

  1. Mary
  2. Barbara
  3. Patricia

Boys

  1. Robert
  2. John
  3. James

1942

Girls

  1. Mary
  2. Barbara
  3. Patricia

Boys

  1. Robert
  2. John
  3. James

1943

Girls

  1. Mary
  2. Barbara
  3. Patricia

Boys

  1. Robert
  2. John
  3. James

1944

Girls

  1. Mary
  2. Barbara
  3. Linda

Boys

  1. Robert
  2. John
  3. James

1945

Girls

  1. Mary
  2. Linda
  3. Barbara

Boys

  1. Robert
  2. John
  3. James

1946

Girls

  1. Mary
  2. Linda
  3. Patricia

Boys

  1. James
  2. Robert
  3. John

1947

Girls

  1. Linda
  2. Mary
  3. Barbara

Boys

  1. James
  2. Robert
  3. John

1948

Girls

  1. Linda
  2. Mary
  3. Barbara

Boys

  1. James
  2. Robert
  3. John

1949

Girls

  1. Linda
  2. Mary
  3. Barbara

Boys

  1. James
  2. Robert
  3. John

1950s

It's Linda mania! Suburbia's sweetheart name took over for most of the decade, while Michael started his ascent to GOAT status for the boys.

1960s kids© Getty Images
Kids using old school cameras

1950

Girls

  1. Linda
  2. Mary
  3. Barbara

Boys

  1. James
  2. Robert
  3. John

1951

Girls

  1. Linda
  2. Mary
  3. Barbara

Boys

  1. James
  2. Robert
  3. John

1952

Girls

  1. Linda
  2. Mary
  3. Barbara

Boys

  1. James
  2. Robert
  3. John

1953

Girls

  1. Mary
  2. Linda
  3. Deborah

Boys

  1. Robert
  2. James
  3. Michael

1954

Girls

  1. Mary
  2. Linda
  3. Deborah

Boys

  1. Robert
  2. James
  3. Michael

1955

Girls

  1. Mary
  2. Linda
  3. Deborah

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. David
  3. James

1956

Girls

  1. Mary
  2. Debra
  3. Linda

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. David
  3. James

1957

Girls

  1. Mary
  2. Linda
  3. Susan

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. James
  3. David

1958

Girls

  1. Mary
  2. Linda
  3. Susan

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. James
  3. David

1959

Girls

  1. Mary
  2. Linda
  3. Susan

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. James
  3. David

1960s

Lisa, Karen, and Kimberly dominated this decade for girls. Cheerleader-core names, if you will. Michael and David continued to top the list for the boys.

1950s cheerleaser© Getty Images
Give me an L, give me an I, give me an N, give me a D, give me an A! What's that spell? LINDA

1960

Girls

  1. Mary
  2. Linda
  3. Susan

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. James
  3. David

1961

Girls

  1. Mary
  2. Lisa
  3. Susan

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. James
  3. John

1962

Girls

  1. Lisa
  2. Mary
  3. Susan

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. David
  3. John

1963

Girls

  1. Lisa
  2. Mary
  3. Susan

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. John
  3. David

1964

Girls

  1. Lisa
  2. Mary
  3. Susan

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. John
  3. David

1965

Girls

  1. Lisa
  2. Mary
  3. Karen

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. John
  3. David

1966

Girls

  1. Lisa
  2. Mary
  3. Kimberly

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. John
  3. David

1967

Girls

  1. Lisa
  2. Kimberly
  3. Michelle

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. David
  3. James

1968

Girls

  1. Lisa
  2. Michelle
  3. Kimberly

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. David
  3. John

1969

Girls

  1. Lisa
  2. Michelle
  3. Jennifer

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. David
  3. James

1970s

Say hello to Jennifer, Amy, and Heather. If you were born in the '70s, you almost definitely had another Jennifer in your homeroom. Jason and Christopher joined Michael in the top 3 for boys.

Jennifer Aniston in black blazer and pants© Getty
A very classy Jennifer.

1970

Girls

  1. Jennifer
  2. Lisa
  3. Kimberly

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. David
  3. James

1971

Girls

  1. Jennifer
  2. Lisa
  3. Kimberly

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. David
  3. James

1972

Girls

  1. Jennifer
  2. Michelle
  3. Lisa

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. Christopher
  3. James

1973

Girls

  1. Jennifer
  2. Amy
  3. Michelle

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. Christopher
  3. Jason

1974

Girls

  1. Jennifer
  2. Amy
  3. Michelle

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. Jason
  3. Christopher

1975

Girls

  1. Jennifer
  2. Amy
  3. Heather

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. Jason
  3. Christopher

1976

Girls

  1. Jennifer
  2. Amy
  3. Melissa

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. Jason
  3. Christopher

1977

Girls

  1. Jennifer
  2. Melissa
  3. Amy

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. Jason
  3. Christopher

1978

Girls

  1. Jennifer
  2. Melissa
  3. Jessica

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. Jason
  3. Christopher

1979

Girls

  1. Jennifer
  2. Melissa
  3. Amanda

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. Jason
  3. Christopher

1980s

The era of Jessica and Ashley. These were the mall queens of their time. Meanwhile, Matthew joins the classic boy-name trifecta of Michael and Christopher.

Jessica Biel © @nikki_makeup
Jessica Biel was born in 1982.

1980

Girls

  1. Jennifer
  2. Jessica
  3. Amanda

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. Jason
  3. Christopher

1981

Girls

  1. Jennifer
  2. Jessica
  3. Amanda

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. Christopher
  3. Matthew

1982

Girls

  1. Jennifer
  2. Jessica
  3. Amanda

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. Christopher
  3. Matthew

1983

Girls

  1. Jennifer
  2. Jessica
  3. Amanda

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. Christopher
  3. Matthew

1984

Girls

  1. Jennifer
  2. Jessica
  3. Ashley

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. Christopher
  3. Matthew

1985

Girls

  1. Jessica
  2. Ashley
  3. Jennifer

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. Christopher
  3. Matthew

1986

Girls

  1. Jessica
  2. Ashley
  3. Amanda

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. Christopher
  3. Matthew

1987

Girls

  1. Jessica
  2. Ashley
  3. Amanda

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. Christopher
  3. Matthew

1988

Girls

  1. Jessica
  2. Ashley
  3. Amanda

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. Christopher
  3. Matthew

1989

Girls

  1. Jessica
  2. Ashley
  3. Brittany

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. Christopher
  3. Matthew

1990s

Enter Brittany, Amanda, and Emily. For boys, Jacob starts to rise. Spoiler alert: he's about to have a moment.

The singer shared a joyful dance video following her divorce© Getty Images
Britney Spears took Brittany to a whole new level.

1990

Girls

  1. Jessica
  2. Ashley
  3. Brittany

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. Christopher
  3. Matthew

1991

Girls

  1. Jessica
  2. Ashley
  3. Brittany

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. Christopher
  3. Matthew

1992

Girls

  1. Jessica
  2. Ashley
  3. Amanda

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. Christopher
  3. Matthew

1993

Girls

  1. Jessica
  2. Ashley
  3. Sarah

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. Christopher
  3. Matthew

1994

Girls

  1. Jessica
  2. Ashley
  3. Emily

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. Christopher
  3. Matthew

1995

Girls

  1. Jessica
  2. Ashley
  3. Emily

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. Christopher
  3. Matthew

1996

Girls

  1. Emily
  2. Jessica
  3. Ashley

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. Matthew
  3. Jacob

1997

Girls

  1. Emily
  2. Jessica
  3. Ashley

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. Matthew
  3. Jacob

1998

Girls

  1. Emily
  2. Hannah
  3. Ashley

Boys

  1. Michael
  2. Jacob
  3. Mathew

1999

Girls

  1. Emily
  2. Jessica
  3. Alexis

Boys

  1. Jacob
  2. Michael
  3. Matthew

2000s

Emily and Emma battle it out for girl name dominance. Jacob is officially the most popular name of the decade for boys. Thanks…Twilight?

Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner attend the UK premiere of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 in 2011© Getty
Team Edward or Team Jacob?

2000

Girls

  1. Emily
  2. Jessica
  3. Alexis

Boys

  1. Jacob
  2. Andrew
  3. Joseph

2001

Girls

  1. Emily
  2. Madison
  3. Hannah

Boys

  1. Jacob
  2. Michael
  3. Matthew

2002

Girls

  1. Emily
  2. Madison
  3. Hannah

Boys

  1. Jacob
  2. Michael
  3. Matthew

2003

Girls

  1. Emily
  2. Emma
  3. Madison

Boys

  1. Jacob
  2. Michael
  3. Joshua

2004

Girls

  1. Emily
  2. Emma
  3. Madison

Boys

  1. Jacob
  2. Michael
  3. Joshua

2005

Girls

  1. Emily
  2. Emma
  3. Madison

Boys

  1. Jacob
  2. Michael
  3. Joshua

2006

Girls

  1. Emily
  2. Emma
  3. Madison

Boys

  1. Jacob
  2. Michael
  3. Joshua

2007

Girls

  1. Emily
  2. Emma
  3. Isabella

Boys

  1. Jacob
  2. Michael
  3. Ethan

2008

Girls

  1. Emma
  2. Isabella
  3. Emily

Boys

  1. Jacob
  2. Ethan
  3. Michael

2009

Girls

  1. Emma
  2. Isabella
  3. Olivia

Boys

  1. Jacob
  2. Ethan
  3. Michael

2010s

The age of Sophia, Isabella, and Olivia. It's soft, lyrical, and very Instagrammable. Liam and Noah take the top spots for boys, ushering in a new modern classic era.

sofia richie holding baby daughter eloise© Instagram
Sofia Richie and her daughter Eloise.

2010

Girls

  1. Isabella
  2. Sophia
  3. Emma

Boys

  1. Jacob
  2. Ethan
  3. Michael

2011

Girls

  1. Isabella
  2. Sophia
  3. Emma

Boys

  1. Jacob
  2. Ethan
  3. William

2012

Girls

  1. Sophia
  2. Emma
  3. Isabella

Boys

  1. Jacob
  2. Mason
  3. Ethan

2013

Girls

  1. Sophia
  2. Emma
  3. Olivia

Boys

  1. Noah
  2. Liam
  3. Jacob

2014

Girls

  1. Sophia
  2. Emma
  3. Olivia

Boys

  1. Noah
  2. Liam
  3. Mason

2015

Girls

  1. Sophia
  2. Emma
  3. Olivia

Boys

  1. Liam
  2. Noah
  3. Mason

2016

Girls

  1. Emma
  2. Olivia
  3. Ava

Boys

  1. Noah
  2. Liam
  3. William

2017

Girls

  1. Emma
  2. Olivia
  3. Ava

Boys

  1. Liam
  2. Noah
  3. William

2018

Girls

  1. Emma
  2. Olivia
  3. Ava

Boys

  1. Liam
  2. Noah
  3. William

2019

Girls

  1. Olivia
  2. Emma
  3. Ava

Boys

  1. Liam
  2. Noah
  3. Oliver

2020s

Olivia is still holding on strong, but Amelia is inching up. Noah, Liam, and Oliver dominate the boy names. Short, but give way to the soft boy trend.

Noah Centineo wearing a grey blazer and black round neck T-shirt © Getty
Noah Centineo, the heartthrob of the 2020s.

2020

Girls

  1. Olivia
  2. Emma
  3. Ava

Boys

  1. Liam
  2. Noah
  3. Oliver

2021

Girls

  1. Olivia
  2. Emma
  3. Charlotte

Boys

  1. Liam
  2. Noah
  3. Oliver

2022

Girls

  1. Olivia
  2. Emma
  3. Charlotte

Boys

  1. Liam
  2. Noah
  3. Oliver

2023

Girls

  1. Olivia
  2. Emma
  3. Charlotte

Boys

  1. Liam
  2. Noah
  3. Oliver

2024

Girls

  1. Olivia
  2. Amelia
  3. Emma

Boys

  1. Noah
  2. Liam
  3. Oliver

Transform your routine with expert advice from our beauty and wellness team!

By entering your details, you are agreeing to HELLO! Magazine User Data Protection Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information please click here.

Other Topics

More Parenting

See more

Read More