Most popular baby names of 1905

The top three names for both boys and girls remained remarkably stable from 1904 to 1905, showing the enduring popularity of traditional names during this period. For girls, Mary, Helen, and Margaret maintained their dominance, though there was a minor shift as Anna, previously ranked third in 1904, dropped to fourth place in 1905, allowing Margaret to rise one position into the top three. For boys, the trio of John, William, and James held their exact positions from the previous year, demonstrating their unwavering popularity in American culture at the start of the 20th century.

The top 10 girls' names in 1905 reveal interesting movement beyond the stable top positions. Dorothy made a notable climb from tenth place in 1904 to seventh in 1905, showing growing appeal. Marie also experienced a shift, dropping from seventh to ninth, while Alice jumped into the top 10 at position ten. Elizabeth, Ruth, Mildred, and Florence maintained their relative positions with minor fluctuations. Traditional and biblical names continued to dominate girls' naming patterns, with shorter, melodic names like Ruth and Marie balancing longer classics like Elizabeth and Margaret.

For boys, the top 10 rankings showed some significant changes despite the stable top three. Most notably, Robert climbed from fifth position to sixth, while Charles dropped from sixth to fifth—essentially swapping places. Thomas moved up one rank to enter the top 10 at position ten, displacing Henry who fell to eleventh place. The continued dominance of classic biblical and royal names like John, William, James, and Robert demonstrates the enduring American preference for traditional masculine naming patterns during this era. Names with strong consonant sounds and one or two syllables clearly dominated the boys' list.

Overall naming patterns across both genders reveal a strong preference for traditional, often biblical or royal names in early 20th century America. Girls' names showed greater variety in endings, with popular choices featuring both consonant endings (like Ruth, Elizabeth) and vowel endings (Mary, Anna). For boys, short, strong-sounding names dominated, with many top names consisting of just one syllable (John, James, Frank) or ending with consonants. Interestingly, the letter 'M' appears frequently among top girls' names (Mary, Margaret, Marie, Mildred), while 'J' makes multiple appearances in boys' names (John, James, Joseph). This period shows remarkable stability in naming conventions, suggesting parents in the early 1900s valued tradition and familiarity when naming their children.

Top baby names of 1905