Popular names of 1922, and how old they are now

People born in 1922 turn 104 in 2026. Social Security recorded about 2.3 million births in 1922 under names it lists, and by our estimate about 4,200 of them are still alive.

The year's top names were Mary for girls and John for boys. Babies born that year belong to the Greatest Generation.

12 names on AgeByName had their busiest year ever in 1922: Virginia, Annie, Edwin, Muriel, Mable, Marcella, Luther, Wilbert, Rufus, Murray, Amos and Carmella.

Top girl names of 1922

Most popular girl names of 1922
#	Name	Born 1922	Alive today	Avg. age, everyone
1	Mary	72,177	210	66
2	Dorothy	37,716	110	72
3	Helen	32,510	under 100	66
4	Margaret	26,862	under 100	61
5	Ruth	23,633	under 100	62
6	Betty	20,895	under 100	76
7	Virginia	19,144	under 100	66
8	Mildred	16,412	under 100	74
9	Elizabeth	15,244	under 100	44
10	Frances	15,054	under 100	67
11	Doris	13,798	under 100	75
12	Anna	13,408	under 100	39
13	Evelyn	13,320	under 100	34
14	Marie	11,912	under 100	62
15	Alice	11,277	under 100	53
16	Marjorie	10,385	under 100	69
17	Irene	10,173	under 100	61
18	Florence	10,036	under 100	66
19	Lillian	9,430	under 100	29
20	Jean	9,109	under 100	69
21	Martha	9,021	under 100	66
22	Louise	8,886	under 100	69
23	Rose	8,791	under 100	56
24	Catherine	8,537	under 100	54
25	Gladys	8,042	under 100	68
26	Ruby	8,003	under 100	39
27	Josephine	7,864	under 100	39
28	Eleanor	7,852	under 100	30
29	Edna	7,622	under 100	70
30	Annie	7,476	under 100	54
31	Thelma	7,254	under 100	74
32	Ethel	7,246	under 100	76
33	Lucille	7,151	under 100	52
34	Edith	7,136	under 100	57
35	Lois	6,946	under 100	75
36	Pauline	6,811	under 100	69
37	Hazel	6,757	under 100	27
38	Grace	6,743	under 100	27
39	Shirley	6,407	under 100	75
40	Barbara	6,272	under 100	72
41	Bernice	5,912	under 100	70
42	Marion	5,667	under 100	65
43	Beatrice	5,476	under 100	56
44	Esther	5,474	under 100	42
45	June	5,382	under 100	54
46	Norma	5,238	under 100	69
47	Clara	5,126	under 100	36
48	Gertrude	5,082	under 100	76
49	Ann	5,054	under 100	65
50	Emma	5,013	under 100	20

Top boy names of 1922

Most popular boy names of 1922
#	Name	Born 1922	Alive today	Avg. age, everyone
1	John	57,280	under 100	55
2	Robert	53,796	under 100	58
3	William	51,111	under 100	51
4	James	49,802	under 100	54
5	Charles	28,839	under 100	54
6	George	27,350	under 100	57
7	Joseph	25,699	under 100	45
8	Edward	20,419	under 100	56
9	Richard	17,537	under 100	60
10	Frank	16,013	under 100	59
11	Thomas	15,261	under 100	53
12	Donald	14,913	under 100	64
13	Harold	13,593	under 100	66
14	Paul	12,922	under 100	57
15	Walter	12,631	under 100	58
16	Raymond	12,129	under 100	56
17	Henry	11,207	under 100	34
18	Jack	10,847	under 100	34
19	Arthur	10,114	under 100	54
20	Albert	9,896	under 100	57
21	Kenneth	9,258	under 100	57
22	Harry	9,077	under 100	62
23	Ralph	8,484	under 100	65
24	David	7,865	under 100	52
25	Eugene	7,849	under 100	63
26	Howard	7,296	0	65
27	Louis	7,095	0	52
28	Willie	6,903	0	64
29	Clarence	6,861	0	62
30	Carl	6,690	0	60
31	Earl	6,461	0	64
32	Roy	6,458	0	60
33	Fred	6,245	0	67
34	Francis	6,147	0	57
35	Joe	6,089	0	61
36	Lawrence	5,786	0	60
37	Ernest	5,503	0	61
38	Leonard	5,407	0	60
39	Anthony	5,091	0	40
40	Herbert	5,047	0	65
41	Stanley	5,045	0	62
42	Alfred	4,833	0	60
43	Samuel	4,600	0	32
44	Norman	4,527	0	64
45	Warren	4,484	0	51
46	Bernard	4,409	0	61
47	Daniel	4,285	0	42
48	Michael	3,990	0	49
49	Russell	3,965	0	55
50	Melvin	3,908	0	59

About these numbers

“Born” counts the babies of each sex given the name in 1922, from Social Security's records. “Alive today” estimates how many of them are still living, using SSA's cohort life tables for people born in 1922. “Avg. age, everyone” is the average age of everyone alive with the name, not just the 1922 babies. Records before the late 1930s undercount births, because many people born then never applied for a Social Security card. How we calculate this