All time

The names given most often since 1880

Mary and James lead the whole record. Totals are summed across every year the Social Security Administration publishes, 1880 to 2025.

Girls, 1880 to 2025

#NameBabiesShare
1Mary4,141,4812.26%
2Elizabeth1,688,7570.92%
3Patricia1,573,6230.86%
4Jennifer1,471,7030.80%
5Linda1,455,1430.79%
6Barbara1,436,6950.78%
7Margaret1,264,7740.69%
8Susan1,123,4810.61%
9Dorothy1,112,2310.61%
10Sarah1,098,4980.60%
11Jessica1,050,7290.57%
12Helen1,024,2020.56%
13Nancy1,004,4480.55%
14Betty1,001,2380.55%
15Karen987,9890.54%
16Lisa967,2290.53%
17Anna914,8590.50%
18Emily896,4870.49%
19Sandra875,5310.48%
20Ashley859,8570.47%
21Kimberly846,3930.46%
22Ruth836,1220.46%
23Donna831,6410.45%
24Carol816,9280.45%
25Michelle816,5100.45%
26Laura801,8110.44%
27Amanda790,6380.43%
28Emma776,4390.42%
29Melissa760,1280.41%
30Rebecca755,9920.41%
31Stephanie745,1480.41%
32Deborah742,8200.41%
33Sharon723,0240.39%
34Kathleen713,6450.39%
35Cynthia711,4530.39%
36Amy701,6310.38%
37Shirley686,3830.37%
38Angela673,2570.37%
39Catherine667,7890.36%
40Virginia652,9590.36%
41Katherine650,9260.36%
42Evelyn639,7560.35%
43Brenda608,4780.33%
44Frances595,6970.32%
45Pamela595,0760.32%
46Nicole594,5000.32%
47Samantha592,8470.32%
48Alice588,1470.32%
49Christine586,4650.32%
50Rachel573,9570.31%

Boys, 1880 to 2025

#NameBabiesShare
1James5,250,6382.79%
2John5,182,6332.75%
3Robert4,849,7302.57%
4Michael4,426,7532.35%
5William4,199,6962.23%
6David3,676,6541.95%
7Joseph2,669,4901.42%
8Richard2,577,5521.37%
9Charles2,434,6591.29%
10Thomas2,358,5761.25%
11Christopher2,069,5961.10%
12Daniel1,982,8121.05%
13Matthew1,654,0750.88%
14Anthony1,488,0420.79%
15George1,487,2970.79%
16Donald1,414,8240.75%
17Paul1,398,2930.74%
18Mark1,362,1760.72%
19Andrew1,329,4540.71%
20Edward1,303,5940.69%
21Steven1,293,1240.69%
22Kenneth1,283,9740.68%
23Joshua1,248,9290.66%
24Kevin1,184,5070.63%
25Brian1,173,7350.62%
26Timothy1,084,1920.58%
27Ronald1,082,2470.57%
28Jason1,052,0300.56%
29Jacob988,2270.52%
30Jeffrey979,6010.52%
31Ryan964,1230.51%
32Nicholas926,0470.49%
33Frank915,9780.49%
34Gary902,1520.48%
35Eric888,8910.47%
36Jonathan870,8660.46%
37Stephen864,7390.46%
38Benjamin826,8300.44%
39Samuel820,1960.44%
40Larry807,5880.43%
41Justin790,4690.42%
42Raymond779,7940.41%
43Scott774,9970.41%
44Brandon770,5090.41%
45Henry768,9450.41%
46Jack756,9430.40%
47Alexander736,1230.39%
48Gregory711,8930.38%
49Patrick686,5900.36%
50Walter631,1720.33%

Names with fewer than five births in a year are not in the public file, and the earliest decades undercount; the share column is a name's part of all recorded names for that sex. How we use it.

Get the free Name Kit

Five printables made in your browser: a name print for the wall, a nursery sign, a tracing sheet, a shortlist sheet and twelve sibling names with the reason for each. Yours in a moment, for one email.

Make the kit

The book is in the works

A printed picture book where your child earns every letter of their own name, page by page. See the preview pages and hear when it is ready.

Preview the book