When searching for the perfect name for baby it sometimes helps to look in the past to get inspiration for the future. After all, what is old is new again. Read on to find out what the most popular names were in the 1900's, 1940's, 1950's, 1960's and 1970's.
The 1900's
The 1900s saw the start of Ford Motor Company, the early phase of aviatation and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Approximately 6% of the population of boys were named John and 5% of the girls were named Mary.
The top 5 boys names of the 1900's were John, William, James, George and Joseph. Henry came in at #10 and Carl rounded out the list at #20. The top 5 girls names were Mary, Helen, Margaret, Anna and Ruth. Alice made her debut at #10 and Hazel comes in at #20, and Grace (#18) and Lillian (#13) are other notable names of the time.
See the complete list of all the popular names of the 1900s here.
The 1940's
The 1940's marked the ending of the Depression and the beginning of World War II. The top 5 boy names of the decade were James, Robert, John, William and Richard. Other notable boy names included Charles (#7), Paul (#17) and Joseph (#13).
The top 5 girl names of the 1940's were Mary, Linda, Barbara, Patricia and Carol. Other notable girl names include Susan (#10), Shirley (#13) and Judy (#17).
See the complete list of all the names from the 1940's here.
The 1950's
The 1950's was dominated by television (Benny Hill, Lucille Ball) and icons Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe. The top 5 boy names of the 1950's were Michael, James, Robert, John and David. Kenneth came in at #16 and Stephen rounded out the list at #20.
Mary and Linda maintaned their #1 and #2 spots for the top girl names of the 1950's. Patricia and Susan rose to #3 and #4, and Deborah came in at #5. Donna makes her appearance at #10 and Elizabeth is #20.
See the complete list of all the popular names from the 1950's here.
The 1960's
The 1960's was marked by John F. Kennedy, the Civil Rights Movement, the moon walk and, of course, The Beatles. The top 5 boy names of the 1960's remained unchanged from the 1950's, but was in a different order. Michael remains in first place, followed by David, John, James and Robert. Notable popular names in the 60's includes Timothy (#13,), Jeffrey (#10) and Kevin (#14).
For the girls, Mary dropped down to #2 and was replaced by the new #1: Lisa. The other top names included Karen, Susan and Kimberly. Cynthia grabs the #10 spot and Brenda settles at #20.
See the complist list of all the popular names from the 1960's here.
The 1970's
The 1970's was characterized by President Nixon, the sounds of james Taylor and Simon and Garfunkel and disco dancing.
The top 5 boy names of the 1970's included Michael, Christopher, Jason, David and James. Matthew came in at #10 and Thomas made the #20 spot.
The top 5 girl names of the 1970's included Jennifer, Amy, Melissa, Michelle and Kimberly. Nicole was the 10th most popular name, while Laura was #20.
See the complete list of popular baby names in the 1970's here.
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