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Baby Names by Decade — 1880s through 2020s

15 standalone decade pages, one for each decade in the SSA's 145-year record. Each page shows the top 20 boys and girls of that decade, the names most uniquely characteristic of that period, the names that emerged that decade, and which top-20 names have died by 2025. All figures sourced from US Social Security Administration data (1880–2025).

1880s

#1 boy: John #1 girl: Mary
1,742,293 US births tracked  ·  1880s retrospective →
First decade of SSA records. Mary 5.6% of all US girls; John dominates boys. Pre-1936 data is partial — only people who later applied for SSNs are recorded.

1890s

#1 boy: John #1 girl: Mary
2,274,759 US births tracked  ·  1890s retrospective →
Late Victorian. Mary still #1, but volume increases as recordkeeping improves. Helen and Margaret join the top 5.

1900s

#1 boy: John #1 girl: Mary
2,765,274 US births tracked  ·  1900s retrospective →
Edwardian Era. Mary holds #1, John holds #1 — both names already in their fourth decade at the top. Dorothy enters the rising tier.

1910s

#1 boy: John #1 girl: Mary
9,485,110 US births tracked  ·  1910s retrospective →
World War I decade. James dethrones John for boys. Helen and Margaret consolidate at the top of the girls' list.

1920s

#1 boy: Robert #1 girl: Mary
14,700,113 US births tracked  ·  1920s retrospective →
Roaring Twenties. Robert takes boys' #1 (1924), holds for 30 years. Dorothy peaks before fading. Mary still untouchable for girls.

1930s

#1 boy: Robert #1 girl: Mary
14,032,068 US births tracked  ·  1930s retrospective →
Great Depression. Robert continues #1; Betty rises sharply for girls. Shirley emerges with the Shirley Temple effect.

1940s

#1 boy: James #1 girl: Mary
20,601,228 US births tracked  ·  1940s retrospective →
WWII + post-war boom. Linda emerges and surges; James becomes #1 boys (1940), holding through the decade. Mary loses ground for the first time in 60 years.

1950s

#1 boy: James #1 girl: Mary
27,609,410 US births tracked  ·  1950s retrospective →
Mid-century baby boom. Largest single-year birth counts in dataset history (Linda 99,693 in 1947, James 94,763). Michael takes #1 boys (1954) — begins 44-year reign.

1960s

#1 boy: Michael #1 girl: Lisa
24,839,541 US births tracked  ·  1960s retrospective →
Cultural transition. Lisa briefly takes #1 girls (1962-1969). Michael continues to dominate boys. The first generation of names that will later "die" peaks here.

1970s

#1 boy: Michael #1 girl: Jennifer
19,720,697 US births tracked  ·  1970s retrospective →
Jennifer takes #1 girls (1970), holds 15 years — longest post-war girls' #1 reign. Christopher rises. Boys-name diversity expands rapidly.

1980s

#1 boy: Michael #1 girl: Jessica
21,938,757 US births tracked  ·  1980s retrospective →
Jessica enters and ascends. Christopher stays steady #2-#3 boys. Diversity continues expanding — top-10 share starts visible decline.

1990s

#1 boy: Michael #1 girl: Jessica
20,145,902 US births tracked  ·  1990s retrospective →
Jessica peaks. Ashley rises. Michael finally exits #1 (1998). Top-10 share continues falling as parents pick from broader pools.

2000s

#1 boy: Jacob #1 girl: Emily
29,742,133 US births tracked  ·  2000s retrospective →
Emily takes #1 girls (1996-2007). Jacob takes #1 boys (1999), holds 14 years. Madison and Hannah rise. The "Twilight effect" begins on Bella in 2008.

2010s

#1 boy: Noah #1 girl: Emma
26,328,794 US births tracked  ·  2010s retrospective →
Sophia, Olivia, Emma all peak at #1 in this decade. Liam rises from #30 to #1 (2017). Theodore, Mateo, Henry all accelerate. Vintage-revival pattern emerges.

2020s Partial (through 2025)

#1 boy: Liam #1 girl: Olivia
13,705,284 US births tracked  ·  2020s retrospective →
Olivia and Liam dominate. Charlotte and Amelia rise rapidly. The most fragmented top-10 share in 145 years — top-1 girls' name now under 1% of all girl births.

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