Popular names of 1923, and how old they are now

People born in 1923 turn 103 in 2026. Social Security recorded about 2.3 million births in 1923 under names it lists, and by our estimate about 7,300 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.

6 names on AgeByName had their busiest year ever in 1923: Wallace, Edmund, Irvin, Carmela, Clair and Magdalene.

Top girl names of 1923

Most popular girl names of 1923
#	Name	Born 1923	Alive today	Avg. age, everyone
1	Mary	71,634	360	66
2	Dorothy	39,043	200	72
3	Helen	31,486	160	66
4	Margaret	26,134	130	61
5	Betty	25,989	130	76
6	Ruth	23,637	120	62
7	Virginia	18,325	under 100	66
8	Mildred	15,989	under 100	74
9	Elizabeth	15,459	under 100	44
10	Frances	14,881	under 100	67
11	Doris	14,610	under 100	75
12	Evelyn	13,173	under 100	34
13	Anna	12,865	under 100	39
14	Marie	11,513	under 100	62
15	Alice	11,331	under 100	53
16	Marjorie	10,220	under 100	69
17	Irene	10,054	under 100	61
18	Florence	9,746	under 100	66
19	Jean	9,511	under 100	69
20	Lillian	9,328	under 100	29
21	Martha	8,961	under 100	66
22	Louise	8,882	under 100	69
23	Rose	8,440	under 100	56
24	Catherine	8,437	under 100	54
25	Ruby	8,232	under 100	39
26	Shirley	7,918	under 100	75
27	Lois	7,814	under 100	75
28	Eleanor	7,772	under 100	30
29	Gladys	7,695	under 100	68
30	Josephine	7,560	under 100	39
31	Thelma	7,379	under 100	74
32	Edna	7,299	under 100	70
33	Barbara	7,209	under 100	72
34	Annie	7,095	under 100	54
35	Lucille	6,914	under 100	52
36	Edith	6,836	under 100	57
37	Pauline	6,707	under 100	69
38	Ethel	6,541	under 100	76
39	Grace	6,316	under 100	27
40	Hazel	6,246	under 100	27
41	Norma	5,885	under 100	69
42	June	5,810	under 100	54
43	Bernice	5,809	under 100	70
44	Marion	5,711	under 100	65
45	Phyllis	5,476	under 100	74
46	Beatrice	5,464	under 100	56
47	Esther	5,315	under 100	42
48	Gloria	5,310	under 100	66
49	Clara	5,134	under 100	36
50	Rita	5,095	under 100	67

Top boy names of 1923

Most popular boy names of 1923
#	Name	Born 1923	Alive today	Avg. age, everyone
1	John	57,467	under 100	55
2	Robert	56,111	under 100	58
3	William	52,136	under 100	51
4	James	50,462	under 100	54
5	Charles	28,966	under 100	54
6	George	27,025	under 100	57
7	Joseph	25,561	under 100	45
8	Edward	20,597	under 100	56
9	Richard	18,887	under 100	60
10	Donald	16,433	under 100	64
11	Frank	15,903	under 100	59
12	Thomas	15,886	under 100	53
13	Harold	13,874	under 100	66
14	Paul	13,362	under 100	57
15	Raymond	12,460	under 100	56
16	Walter	12,433	under 100	58
17	Jack	11,190	under 100	34
18	Henry	11,067	under 100	34
19	Arthur	9,924	under 100	54
20	Albert	9,825	under 100	57
21	Kenneth	9,734	under 100	57
22	Harry	9,261	under 100	62
23	Ralph	8,629	under 100	65
24	David	8,230	under 100	52
25	Eugene	7,947	under 100	63
26	Howard	7,156	under 100	65
27	Louis	7,074	under 100	52
28	Carl	6,871	under 100	60
29	Clarence	6,801	under 100	62
30	Willie	6,665	under 100	64
31	Earl	6,339	under 100	64
32	Roy	6,316	under 100	60
33	Fred	6,314	under 100	67
34	Francis	6,087	under 100	57
35	Joe	6,003	under 100	61
36	Lawrence	5,913	under 100	60
37	Leonard	5,486	under 100	60
38	Ernest	5,372	under 100	61
39	Anthony	5,121	under 100	40
40	Herbert	5,071	under 100	65
41	Stanley	5,036	under 100	62
42	Alfred	5,005	under 100	60
43	Warren	4,820	under 100	51
44	Norman	4,706	under 100	64
45	Samuel	4,578	under 100	32
46	Bernard	4,376	under 100	61
47	Daniel	4,264	under 100	42
48	Melvin	4,012	0	59
49	Leo	3,973	0	24
50	Michael	3,915	0	49

About these numbers

“Born” counts the babies of each sex given the name in 1923, 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 1923. “Avg. age, everyone” is the average age of everyone alive with the name, not just the 1923 babies. Records before the late 1930s undercount births, because many people born then never applied for a Social Security card. How we calculate this