What was the most popular boys' name in each decade?
John was the top boys' name from the 1880s to the 1910s, given to about 8% of boys in the 1880s. Robert, James and Michael followed; Michael led for four decades. Since then the top name has had a far smaller share: Jacob, Noah, and Liam so far in the 2020s, at about 1% of boys. The bars show each top name's share of boys born in the decade, so decades compare fairly; the 2020s cover 2020 to 2025. Social Security leaves out any name given to fewer than 5 babies in a year.
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Source and date
- Data as of
- Published
The data
| Decade and top name | Percent of boys born in the decade given the name |
|---|---|
| 1880s: John | 8.21 |
| 1890s: John | 7.07 |
| 1900s: John | 6.23 |
| 1910s: John | 5.64 |
| 1920s: Robert | 5.23 |
| 1930s: Robert | 5.59 |
| 1940s: James | 5.35 |
| 1950s: James | 4.17 |
| 1960s: Michael | 4.32 |
| 1970s: Michael | 4.28 |
| 1980s: Michael | 3.6 |
| 1990s: Michael | 2.37 |
| 2000s: Jacob | 1.37 |
| 2010s: Noah | 0.98 |
| 2020–25: Liam | 1.2 |