Most popular baby names of 1921

The top three baby names in America showed some fascinating shifts from 1920 to 1921. For boys, John and William maintained their respective first and second positions in 1920, but Robert moved up from third to second place in 1921, pushing William down to third. James remained stable in fourth position across both years. For girls, the top three names stayed remarkably consistent, with Mary, Dorothy, and Helen holding firmly to their first, second, and third ranks respectively in both years.

Girls' names in the top 10 for 1921 demonstrated interesting movement patterns. While Mary continued its long-standing dominance at number one, Betty showed notable momentum, climbing from eleventh place in 1920 to eighth place in 1921. Virginia also gained a spot, moving from seventh to sixth. Interestingly, Elizabeth dropped slightly from eighth to tenth, while Frances maintained its ninth position. The letter 'M' proved particularly popular among top girls' names, with Mary, Margaret, Mildred, and Martha all securing spots in the top rankings.

The boys' top 10 in 1921 revealed stability at the very top but some movement within the rankings. The traditional name John maintained its crown as the most popular boy's name, while Robert and William traded positions. Donald showed remarkable popularity growth, jumping from sixteenth place in 1920 to thirteenth in 1921. Richard and Thomas held steady at their tenth and eleventh positions respectively. Short, classic names dominated the top rankings, with six of the top ten names containing just one or two syllables, suggesting parents preferred simple, traditional choices for their sons.

Broader naming patterns reveal interesting cultural preferences of the early 1920s. Traditional biblical and royal names remained tremendously popular for boys, with John, James, William, and Joseph all ranking in the top 10. For girls, names ending with the feminine '-ie' or '-y' sound were trending, as seen in Dorothy, Mary, Betty, and Marjorie. There's also evidence of crossover between genders, with Willie appearing in both the boys' and girls' top 100 lists. The data suggests American parents in the early 1920s favored timeless, classic names with strong historical roots rather than newly invented or trendy options.

Top baby names of 1921