Popular names of 1926, and how old they are now

People born in 1926 turn 100 in 2026. Social Security recorded about 2.3 million births in 1926 under names it lists, and by our estimate about 1% of them are still alive: about 30,000 people.

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

11 names on AgeByName had their busiest year ever in 1926: Floyd, Ray, Earnest, Lyle, Eldon, Loyd, Rhoda, Lenore, Dolly, Corrine and Merrill.

Top girl names of 1926

Most popular girl names of 1926
#	Name	Born 1926	Alive today	Avg. age, everyone
1	Mary	67,832	1,400	66
2	Dorothy	36,618	730	72
3	Betty	32,964	660	76
4	Helen	26,886	540	66
5	Margaret	23,072	460	61
6	Ruth	20,225	400	62
7	Doris	16,295	320	75
8	Virginia	16,161	320	66
9	Mildred	13,547	270	74
10	Frances	13,355	270	67
11	Elizabeth	12,837	260	44
12	Jean	12,168	240	69
13	Evelyn	11,780	230	34
14	Shirley	11,762	230	75
15	Anna	11,698	230	39
16	Barbara	11,079	220	72
17	Alice	10,956	220	53
18	Marie	10,629	210	62
19	Lois	9,816	200	75
20	Gloria	9,198	180	66
21	Irene	9,169	180	61
22	Marjorie	8,640	170	69
23	Patricia	8,586	170	68
24	Martha	8,556	170	66
25	Rose	8,509	170	56
26	Florence	8,178	160	66
27	Louise	7,979	160	69
28	Lillian	7,661	150	29
29	Norma	7,528	150	69
30	Ruby	7,476	150	39
31	Catherine	7,469	150	54
32	Eleanor	7,305	150	30
33	Phyllis	6,921	140	74
34	Annie	6,877	140	54
35	Gladys	6,634	130	68
36	Thelma	6,585	130	74
37	Josephine	6,410	130	39
38	Edna	6,396	130	70
39	Pauline	6,357	130	69
40	June	6,077	120	54
41	Ethel	5,856	120	76
42	Edith	5,786	120	57
43	Lucille	5,760	120	52
44	Joyce	5,704	110	72
45	Bernice	5,443	110	70
46	Grace	5,427	110	27
47	Marion	5,353	110	65
48	Hazel	5,303	110	27
49	Dolores	5,218	100	74
50	Rita	5,015	100	67

Top boy names of 1926

Most popular boy names of 1926
#	Name	Born 1926	Alive today	Avg. age, everyone
1	Robert	61,130	350	58
2	John	56,108	320	55
3	James	53,196	300	54
4	William	51,922	290	51
5	Charles	29,521	170	54
6	George	25,910	150	57
7	Richard	25,143	140	60
8	Joseph	23,756	130	45
9	Donald	20,912	120	64
10	Edward	19,375	110	56
11	Thomas	16,592	under 100	53
12	Frank	14,493	under 100	59
13	Paul	13,653	under 100	57
14	Harold	13,310	under 100	66
15	Raymond	12,809	under 100	56
16	Jack	12,195	under 100	34
17	Walter	11,774	under 100	58
18	Kenneth	10,342	under 100	57
19	Henry	9,994	under 100	34
20	Arthur	9,465	under 100	54
21	Albert	9,146	under 100	57
22	David	9,041	under 100	52
23	Eugene	9,016	under 100	63
24	Ralph	8,455	under 100	65
25	Harry	8,216	under 100	62
26	Carl	6,939	under 100	60
27	Howard	6,836	under 100	65
28	Willie	6,820	under 100	64
29	Clarence	6,537	under 100	62
30	Louis	6,513	under 100	52
31	Fred	6,447	under 100	67
32	Earl	6,441	under 100	64
33	Joe	6,338	under 100	61
34	Roy	6,224	under 100	60
35	Francis	5,789	under 100	57
36	Lawrence	5,582	under 100	60
37	Ernest	5,436	under 100	61
38	Leonard	5,402	under 100	60
39	Norman	5,282	under 100	64
40	Billy	5,180	under 100	61
41	Gerald	5,123	under 100	64
42	Anthony	5,058	under 100	40
43	Stanley	4,966	under 100	62
44	Herbert	4,939	under 100	65
45	Alfred	4,726	under 100	60
46	Daniel	4,516	under 100	42
47	Melvin	4,194	under 100	59
48	Samuel	4,180	under 100	32
49	Bernard	4,172	under 100	61
50	Marvin	4,111	under 100	56

About these numbers

“Born” counts the babies of each sex given the name in 1926, 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 1926. “Avg. age, everyone” is the average age of everyone alive with the name, not just the 1926 babies. Records before the late 1930s undercount births, because many people born then never applied for a Social Security card. How we calculate this