Most popular baby names of 1914

The top three names for both boys and girls remained remarkably stable from 1913 to 1914. John, William, and James continued their reign as the most popular boys' names, while Mary, Helen, and Dorothy maintained their positions as the top three girls' names. This consistency suggests enduring preferences among American parents during this period, with traditional favorites holding strong appeal. The top 10 girls' names in 1914 showed some interesting movement within the rankings. While the top three remained steady, Margaret and Ruth held firmly at positions 4 and 5. Anna rose one spot from 7th to 6th place, while Mildred dropped from 6th to 7th. Elizabeth, Frances, and Marie rounded out the top 10, maintaining their exact positions from the previous year. The continued popularity of names like Mary and Helen reflects the strong preference for traditional, classic feminine names during this era. Among the top 10 boys' names in 1914, we see a slight shuffle in positions while the same names remained popular. Edward and Frank maintained their 8th and 9th positions respectively, while Walter fell from 11th to 10th place, replacing Thomas who dropped out of the top 10. The enduring popularity of short, strong names like John, James, and Robert demonstrates parents' preference for traditional masculine names with religious or royal associations. These names represented stability during a period of global uncertainty as World War I began. Looking at broader naming patterns, biblical and royal names dominated the boys' list, with John, James, Joseph, and William all having strong historical and religious significance. For girls, names ending with the feminine '-a' sound (Anna, Dorothy) or '-ie' sound (Marie) were particularly popular. Traditional English names held strong positions across both genders, with very few exotic or unusual names breaking into the top rankings. Name length also shows an interesting pattern – shorter names (John, James, Mary) generally ranked higher than longer names, suggesting parents' preference for simplicity and tradition during this period.

Top baby names of 1914