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Ranked: Most Popular Baby Boy Names of the Century vs. 2024
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Key Takeaways
- James is the most popular name for baby boys in the last 100 years, and still ranks 5th in 2024.
- Many popular names like William, Michael, and John have remarkable staying power.
- The only exception in the top 10 is Richard (7th in the last century, but ranked 232 in 2024.)
If you’re a new parent, figuring out your child’s name can feel like a minefield.
Honoring traditions and family legacy can clash with modern trends, all under the responsibility of assigning an identity.
As it happens though, names aren’t as unique and diverse as people think they are—especially for American men.
This graphic ranks the most popular baby boy names in the U.S., both in the last 100 years (1925–2024), and for just 2024 to show how popularity has changed.
Ranks and figures are based on Social Security card application data as of March 2025. The 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.
The Most Popular Name for American Boys in the Last 100 Years
James is the most popular name for baby boys in the last 100 years, and still ranks 5th in 2024.
| 100-Year Rank |
Name | # of babies (1925–2024) |
Rank in 2024 | Rank Difference (100-Yr vs. 2024) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James | 4,545,686 | 5 | -4 |
| 2 | Michael | 4,354,983 | 18 | -16 |
| 3 | John | 4,254,027 | 21 | -18 |
| 4 | Robert | 4,248,470 | 90 | -86 |
| 5 | David | 3,562,294 | 31 | -26 |
| 6 | William | 3,400,779 | 10 | -4 |
| 7 | Richard | 2,387,091 | 232 | -225 |
| 8 | Joseph | 2,263,825 | 32 | -24 |
| 9 | Thomas | 2,115,411 | 39 | -30 |
| 10 | Christopher | 2,059,450 | 61 | -51 |
William is the other name that’s kept its popularity, 6th overall to 10th in 2024.
However, others like Robert (#90) and Richard (#232) have plummeted, despite being in the all-time top 10.
What Data About Naming Trends Tells Us About America
Interestingly, many top century-spanning names—James, John, David, Joseph—are biblical, mirroring American religiosity.
The science of baby name trends isn’t an exact one. There are some clues to explain certain trends—for example popular culture starting a trend, like Khaleesi, a title from Game of Thrones.
And names tend to peak and hold popularity before declining. The diversity of the population is also something to consider: different cultures have different popular names, which would diversify the ranking lists.
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What does this same list look like for the other half of the population? Check out, Ranked: The Most Popular Names for American Girls in the Last Century for a similar breakdown.