This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.
Key Takeaways
- Mary was the most popular name for American girls until the 1960s.
- While Jessica was the most popular name in the 1980s and 1990s, American parents now prefer unique or less traditional names for girls.
- None of the top 20 girls’ names from the 1880s appear again in the top 20 by the 2010s.
- By contrast, several boys’ names from the 1880s—like James or William—remain popular decades later.
From Mary to Mia, the most popular names for American girls have shifted dramatically over the last 140 years.
Each decade’s top choice tells a small cultural story—whether it’s the biblical influence that kept Mary at number one for 80 years, the 1970s’ love for Jennifer, or the millennial embrace of Emma and Olivia.
The data for this visualization comes from the United States Social Security Administration.
It ranks the 20 most common girls’ names registered in every decade since the 1880s, highlighting how tastes evolve with fashion, religion, immigration, and pop-culture icons.
As a result, this sample set is restricted to names where the year of birth, sex, and state of birth are on record, and where the given name is at least 2 characters long.
Mary: The Most Popular American Name…Until Now
No girls’ name has enjoyed a run quite like Mary.
In fact, at least three million American girls have had this name in the last century alone.
From the 1880s through the 1950s, Mary comfortably held the top spot—reflecting America’s Christian roots and a tradition-oriented naming culture.
Yet by the 1960s, the name’s ubiquity began to feel old-fashioned.
| Rank | 1880s | 1900s | 1920s | 1940s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mary | Mary | Mary | Mary |
| 2 | Anna | Helen | Dorothy | Linda |
| 3 | Emma | Margaret | Helen | Barbara |
| 4 | Elizabeth | Anna | Betty | Patricia |
| 5 | Margaret | Ruth | Margaret | Carol |
| 6 | Minnie | Elizabeth | Ruth | Sandra |
| 7 | Ida | Dorothy | Virginia | Nancy |
| 8 | Bertha | Marie | Doris | Sharon |
| 9 | Clara | Florence | Mildred | Judith |
| 10 | Alice | Mildred | Frances | Susan |
| 11 | Annie | Alice | Elizabeth | Betty |
| 12 | Florence | Ethel | Evelyn | Carolyn |
| 13 | Bessie | Lillian | Anna | Margaret |
| 14 | Grace | Gladys | Marie | Shirley |
| 15 | Ethel | Edna | Alice | Judy |
| 16 | Sarah | Frances | Jean | Karen |
| 17 | Ella | Rose | Shirley | Donna |
| 18 | Martha | Annie | Barbara | Kathleen |
| 19 | Nellie | Grace | Irene | Joyce |
| 20 | Mabel | Bertha | Marjorie | Dorothy |
Parents looked elsewhere for fresh inspiration, and Mary slipped to 15th place by the ’70s before exiting the top 20 entirely by the ’80s.
The Jennifer and Jessica Era of Names
Television, movies, and music reshaped baby-naming in the late 20th century. Jennifer—possibly boosted by the 1970 film Love Story ruled the 1970s and 1980s.
| Rank | 1950s | 1970s | 1990s | 2010s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mary | Jennifer | Jessica | Emma |
| 2 | Linda | Amy | Ashley | Olivia |
| 3 | Patricia | Melissa | Emily | Sophia |
| 4 | Susan | Michelle | Sarah | Isabella |
| 5 | Deborah | Kimberly | Samantha | Ava |
| 6 | Barbara | Lisa | Amanda | Mia |
| 7 | Debra | Angela | Brittany | Abigail |
| 8 | Karen | Heather | Elizabeth | Emily |
| 9 | Nancy | Stephanie | Taylor | Charlotte |
| 10 | Donna | Nicole | Megan | Madison |
| 11 | Cynthia | Jessica | Hannah | Elizabeth |
| 12 | Sandra | Elizabeth | Kayla | Amelia |
| 13 | Pamela | Rebecca | Lauren | Evelyn |
| 14 | Sharon | Kelly | Stephanie | Ella |
| 15 | Kathleen | Mary | Rachel | Chloe |
| 16 | Carol | Christina | Jennifer | Harper |
| 17 | Diane | Amanda | Nicole | Avery |
| 18 | Brenda | Julie | Alexis | Sofia |
| 19 | Cheryl | Sarah | Victoria | Grace |
| 20 | Janet | Laura | Amber | Victoria |
Jessica then took the baton for the 1990s, propelled in part by pop-culture references from Who Framed Roger Rabbit to the beloved “Jessica” characters of daytime TV.
These rapid shifts show how quickly media trends can ripple through birth certificates nationwide.
Modern Diversity and the Rise of Emma
Today’s top names are more diverse than ever, reflecting a melting-pot society and the ease of discovering unique names online.
Emma, Olivia, Sophia, and Isabella rotate through the top slots in the 2000s and 2010s, none dominating for more than a decade.
Notably, none of the 1880s’ favorites make a comeback, underscoring a permanent break from Victorian-era tastes.
As it happens, girls names seem to have less staying power than names for America’s boys. Names like William and James, popular in the 1880s, are still popular today.
Research has shown that boys’ names are more stable, possibly due to stronger family or generational naming traditions (e.g., naming sons after fathers or grandfathers).
Learn More on the Voronoi App 
If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Ranked: The Most Popular Baby Boy Names in the U.S. (1925-2024) on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.Use This Visualization