Real names from 1880 to the 1930s, the era of Mabel, Clarence, Hazel and Elmer, with how popular each one was. US, Canadian and New Zealand records.
Here are 12 names to start. Change the options and press Generate names for more.
Pick a Country and every first name comes from that country's official birth records. The US list is the US Social Security Administration's, which records every name given to at least five babies of the same sex in a year from 1880 to 2024 (372,009,000 births in total). Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand use their own registries (see how it works). The years in Born in change to match what each country publishes.
Last names come from the 2020 US Census for the US and Canada, and from Great Britain's surname counts (ONS) for the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. Each result shows how common the name really was, so you can tell a classic from a rarity at a glance.
Many names that were popular around 1900 have returned after a century away. Choose a decade from 1880 to the 1930s to find names like these, and check the "1 in X" figure to see how common they were at the time.
| Rank | Name | Babies | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Mary | 161,504 | 55.17 per 1,000 |
| #2 | Helen | 69,428 | 23.72 per 1,000 |
| #3 | Margaret | 57,919 | 19.78 per 1,000 |
| #4 | Anna | 54,918 | 18.76 per 1,000 |
| #5 | Ruth | 51,010 | 17.42 per 1,000 |
| #6 | Elizabeth | 41,708 | 14.25 per 1,000 |
| #7 | Dorothy | 39,112 | 13.36 per 1,000 |
| #8 | Marie | 37,091 | 12.67 per 1,000 |
| Rank | Name | Babies | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | John | 84,590 | 62.31 per 1,000 |
| #2 | William | 69,320 | 51.06 per 1,000 |
| #3 | James | 62,170 | 45.79 per 1,000 |
| #4 | George | 43,589 | 32.11 per 1,000 |
| #5 | Charles | 36,184 | 26.65 per 1,000 |
| #6 | Robert | 35,849 | 26.41 per 1,000 |
| #7 | Joseph | 35,173 | 25.91 per 1,000 |
| #8 | Frank | 29,046 | 21.4 per 1,000 |
Here, a name that was given to babies between 1880 and the 1930s. Some are still common (James, Mary); others have almost vanished.
Yes. Names are free to use for pets, stories, games, products and anything else. Real names come from public government records; fantasy names are generated, so you do not need permission to use them.