Most popular baby names of 1906

The top three names for both boys and girls remained remarkably stable between 1905 and 1906, showing America's consistent naming preferences during this period. John, William, and James continued their reign as the top three boys' names, maintaining the exact same positions as the previous year. Similarly, Mary, Helen, and Margaret held firmly to their respective first, second, and third positions for girls, demonstrating the enduring popularity of these classic feminine names.In the girls' top 10 for 1906, we see Dorothy climbing one position to 6th place, while Elizabeth dropped slightly from 6th to 7th. Florence moved down one spot to 10th, allowing Alice to advance to 8th position. The most notable shift was Mildred's rise from 8th in 1905 to 9th in 1906, swapping positions with Marie. Names ending with the feminine '-a' sound remained prevalent among top girls' names, with Anna, Dorothy, and Mildred all featuring this ending style that parents clearly favored during this era.For boys' names in 1906, there was a significant development in the top 10 as Robert moved up from 6th place to 5th, overtaking Charles who dropped to 6th. This marked Robert's continued rise in popularity during the early 1900s. The rest of the boys' top 10 remained stable, with John, William, James, George, Charles, Joseph, Frank, Edward, and Thomas continuing to dominate. Short, strong names with biblical origins maintained their strong presence, reflecting traditional naming values of the time.Looking at broader patterns across both lists, traditional biblical names continued to hold strong positions for boys, while girls' names showed more variety in origins. Names with five or fewer letters (like John, Mary, Ruth, and Jack) appeared frequently in both lists, suggesting parents preferred simpler, classic names. Interestingly, the letter 'M' was particularly popular for girls' names, with Mary, Margaret, Mildred, and Marie all appearing in the top 11. The name data reveals a society that largely valued tradition and continuity in naming practices, with only subtle shifts occurring from year to year.

Top baby names of 1906