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U.S. Baby Girl Names by Decade

For each year, guess the top 20 most popular names for baby girls in the United States.
Click here for the male version
Quiz by Quizmaster
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Last updated: May 8, 2021
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First submittedJuly 25, 2012
Times taken557,337
Average score30.6%
Rating4.32
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2020
2010
2000
1990
1980
1970
1960
1950
1940
1930
Olivia
Isabella
Emily
Jessica
Jennifer
Jennifer
Mary
Linda
Mary
Mary
Emma
Sophia
Hannah
Ashley
Amanda
Lisa
Susan
Mary
Barbara
Betty
Ava
Emma
Madison
Brittany
Jessica
Kimberly
Linda
Patricia
Patricia
Dorothy
Charlotte
Olivia
Ashley
Amanda
Melissa
Michelle
Karen
Barbara
Judith
Helen
Sophia
Ava
Sarah
Samantha
Sarah
Amy
Donna
Susan
Betty
Margaret
Amelia
Emily
Alexis
Sarah
Heather
Angela
Lisa
Nancy
Carol
Barbara
Isabella
Abigail
Samantha
Stephanie
Nicole
Melissa
Patricia
Deborah
Nancy
Patricia
Mia
Madison
Jessica
Jennifer
Amy
Tammy
Debra
Sandra
Linda
Joan
Evelyn
Chloe
Elizabeth
Elizabeth
Elizabeth
Mary
Cynthia
Carol
Shirley
Doris
Harper
Mia
Taylor
Lauren
Michelle
Tracy
Deborah
Kathleen
Sandra
Ruth
Camila
Addison
Lauren
Megan
Kimberly
Julie
Sandra
Sharon
Margaret
Shirley
Gianna
Elizabeth
Alyssa
Emily
Angela
Karen
Barbara
Karen
Dorothy
Virginia
Abigail
Ella
Kayla
Nicole
Stephanie
Laura
Brenda
Donna
Joyce
Dolores
Luna
Natalie
Abigail
Kayla
Tiffany
Christine
Pamela
Brenda
Joan
Jean
Ella
Samantha
Brianna
Amber
Christina
Susan
Nancy
Margaret
Carolyn
Elizabeth
Elizabeth
Alexis
Olivia
Rachel
Lisa
Dawn
Sharon
Diane
Judy
Frances
Sofia
Lily
Emma
Courtney
Rebecca
Stephanie
Cheryl
Pamela
Sharon
Lois
Emily
Grace
Megan
Danielle
Crystal
Elizabeth
Elizabeth
Janet
Helen
Joyce
Avery
Hailey
Grace
Heather
Kelly
Heather
Teresa
Shirley
Janet
Evelyn
Mila
Alyssa
Victoria
Melissa
Erin
Kelly
Lori
Carolyn
Elizabeth
Alice
+30
Level 80
Aug 1, 2013
How is Catherine not on here? I know more Catherine/Katie/Kates than any other name, I think.
+1
Level 17
Jan 3, 2015
Same
+9
Level 55
Mar 18, 2015
I know. I just keep trying it. And it's not even a recent thing either. Catherine is a very common name, and I can't even say how many Katie's, Kaitlyn's, and Kate's I know.
+6
Level 82
Apr 6, 2015
Maybe they did not group together all the many different variants.
+16
Level 75
Aug 2, 2017
Apparently it was difficult to know where to draw the line. Lily got me Lillian, but Laura didn't gave me Lori or Lauren. Margaret did not give me Megan, nor did Elizabeth give me Lisa, and I tried Ellen, Helen, Eleanor, and Isabella, but none gave me Ella. It reminds me of the old riddle, "Elizabeth, Elspeth, Betsy, and Bess all went together to seek a bird's nest. They found a nest with five eggs in, each took one and left four in." How could that be? All were names or nicknames for the same girl.
+2
Level 68
May 27, 2021
I was really annoyed that Hayley didn't count for Hailey.
+3
Level ∞
May 27, 2021
Hayley will work now.
+1
Level 10
Dec 25, 2015
Same!
+8
Level 43
Dec 23, 2016
Yeah, I was surprised at no Kate/Katelyn/etc. And I, too, thought Catherine would appear as well. Interesting list
+1
Level 26
Dec 16, 2020
Same here, Kate really surprised me
+5
Level 76
Jul 13, 2017
No Catherine/Kate etc. in the top twenty in any of the last ten decades? Unbelievable!
+2
Level 89
Oct 2, 2020
Catherine would have been my name if I was a girl.
+1
Level 62
May 28, 2021
I believe Kate/Katie is under Kathleen.
+6
Level 38
Oct 4, 2013
@Quizmaster: Consider counting "Marie" under "Mary.
+2
Level 14
Feb 17, 2014
absolutely loved this! very fun, i got a 31 :)
+8
Level 69
May 1, 2014
How could anyone ever go through 9 months of agony, and call their child Dolores?
+12
Level 48
May 7, 2014
Do you know what Dolores means?
+3
Level 90
Jun 18, 2014
Sorrow. Which is kind of right on point with cedric's question.
+9
Level 82
Apr 6, 2015
It can mean agony or pain so makes perfect sense.
+4
Level 75
Aug 2, 2017
In decades past there was no internet to check the meaning of names - most people named their children something which was either a family name, a biblical name, something from pop culture of the day, or a name they heard and thought it was pretty or interesting. My husband had an uncle named Drexel (born in the 1920s) because his mother read an ad in the newspaper for a company by that name and liked the sound of it. Her cousin liked the name when she heard it and also named her son the same thing.
+6
Level 82
Nov 7, 2017
That's how I ended up with my nephew Halliburton.
+1
Level 83
Dec 19, 2022
I imagine anyone who had studied Latin or another Romance language might have been able to have a stab at the meaning of Dolores, even without the internet.
+4
Level 38
Jul 21, 2015
just having a chuckle because CEDRIC and DOLORES are both names from HARRY POTTER!!!!!
+2
Level 28
Jan 30, 2016
so true
+1
Level 75
Aug 2, 2017
My husband and I both have cousins named Dolores and both are called Dee.
+3
Level 48
May 7, 2014
My name is on there 4 times, my daughter's 10, and my sister's 2.
+3
Level 21
Jan 4, 2021
wait so your daughters name is elizabeth and your name is either patricia barbara dorothy or helen?
+5
Level 48
May 22, 2014
I also was really surprised with no Catherine/Katherine...
+4
Level 26
Apr 5, 2015
Me too. I know more Katherines/Katies/Kates/Kats/Kittys than any other name. But it might not be as popular in the South as it is here in New England.
+1
Level 17
Feb 23, 2023
Oh no, definitely popular in the south as well.
+2
Level 44
Jun 11, 2017
+1
+3
Level 45
Aug 6, 2014
Agh... 34 seconds left, my fingers HURT!
+2
Level 21
Jan 4, 2021
same girl exept I DIDNT GET ALL OF EM >:/
+3
Level 37
Sep 1, 2014
This was a really hard quiz for me. I thought I was doing pretty well, I got 33. To find out the average is 44. I guess I don't have a bank of names in my gag memory. At least I got Florence, Joyce and Irene. But that's only cause I was cycling through names of hurricanes. I am curious to know how others did this quiz. Did you know the info already? Did you just rattle off the names of every girl you ever met? And how is Catherine/Katherine/Katie/Kate not on here at all? I guess multiple spellings split the vote.
+1
Level 47
Jan 8, 2015
Seriously, Gladys.
+2
Level 44
Feb 1, 2015
LMAO I added all my GFs names and even names of their mothers but I forgot my Ex wife's name but tried her mom's name hahahahahahaha
+1
Level 20
Apr 5, 2015
1m35 restantes
+2
Level 49
Apr 5, 2015
If you have Lori, you should give credit for Laurie.
+2
Level 82
Apr 6, 2015
Hayley for Hailey... that's how my niece born in the post-Eminem decade spells it.
+1
Level 80
Aug 31, 2015
Try my quiz for 5-letter names by decade:

http://www.jetpunk.com/user-quizzes/43073/most-popular-five-letter-baby-girl-names-by-decade

+1
Level 80
Aug 31, 2015
How do you do a link?
+7
Level 83
Oct 22, 2015
If you're going to accept things like "Barb" for "Barbara", please could you accept "Sam" and "Jenny" for Samantha and Jennifer?
+5
Level 55
Nov 17, 2015
Why are girls' names so hard?? I've heard of all these names, but can never remember much more than half of them.
+6
Level 28
Nov 7, 2016
The time-pressure mind-blank is a real phenomenon. I missed my own middle name and sirname (which happens to be a first name).
+2
Level 71
Dec 23, 2016
I agree, very difficult and for once the photograph given was no help at all.
+2
Level 38
Dec 23, 2016
surprised there wasn't Leslie I know a ton
+1
Level 44
Jul 11, 2017
of boy Leslies.
+1
Level 43
Apr 3, 2023
I always think of the Gumball or DHMIS character :P
+1
Level 66
Jan 15, 2017
Should be max time.
+2
Level 44
Jun 12, 2017
Max time is 60 minutes. Are you sure?
+1
Level 20
Jan 20, 2017
Dont you mean Girl Baby names by DECADE??
+1
Level 61
Mar 11, 2017
Heh, funny enough all my female relatives were in the "popular" brackets in their generation, except my grandmothers because they have really weird obscure names. But all my aunts, great aunts and older female cousins? Yyyyyep, there they are. Got most of the 1990 ones (my own name's in there) thanks to having remembered being in school with basically all those names at the time.
+1
Level 53
Apr 24, 2017
39% get my name. What has come to this world?!?!
+12
Level 88
May 10, 2021
I tried Sparkleboo, but it didn't give me credit. I must have spelled it wrong. ;)
+1
Level 63
Jun 28, 2017
great quiz, but nowhere near enough time on the clock.
+3
Level 32
Jul 8, 2017
Amy should count for Amelia as well. That's my name, and I've always got Amy.
+1
Level 58
Jan 12, 2021
My name is Amelia too, although I don't go by any nicknames.
+2
Level 44
Jul 11, 2017
Kathleen, but no Katherine? Audrey? Mckayla?
+1
Level 69
Mar 21, 2022
McKayla is pretty uncommon...
+1
Level 32
Jan 16, 2024
I think they mean Makayla
+1
Level 75
Aug 2, 2017
My answer boxes only showed through 1970, and I didn't realize I should have scrolled down to get the decades back to the 1920s. I would have been trying names from my mother's and grandmother's generation had I known. Maybe add the decades covered in the instructions, or am I the only one who is this slow?
+2
Level 35
Aug 30, 2017
Could you accept Hayley for Hailey please? Thank you!
+1
Level 41
Jan 23, 2018
I want my name, Margaret, to come back. If people don’t like the way it is, they could always call her Peg, Peggy, Meg, Marge, Maggie.

I’m in my 50s. Does anybody know any Margaret’s under, say, 30?

+1
Level 46
Apr 18, 2018
I named my daughter Margaret (17). I always wanted a Maggie. And she has a classmate named Maggie
+5
Level 24
Apr 4, 2019
How is Peggy anything close to Margaret
+2
Level 54
May 30, 2021
How is "Dick" anything close to Richard?
+1
Level 67
Nov 24, 2021
Perhaps its proximity to Rick, a shortened version of Richard? My dad hated being called Dick or Rich or even Richard haha. Rick is a nice version of the name.
+1
Level 67
Jan 29, 2022
My neighbor girl (5) is named Margaret. She goes by Margo.
+1
Level 25
Jun 3, 2023
I have a friend who is 14 and goes by maggie, but that's a nickname.
+1
Level 20
Jan 30, 2018
Elizabeth is everywhere!
+1
Level 18
May 14, 2018
Man, I try so hard to get a good score, then realize I'm wasting time trying to get a hard quiz done that isn't even very educational. I'm finally just going to try a different quiz.
+1
Level 68
Jul 4, 2018
I know right! For some reason, baby name quizes are quite addictive, but so hard to remember them all!
+1
Level 68
Aug 23, 2018
Could Eve be accepted for Evelyn?
+2
Level 73
Nov 1, 2018
I still don't believe no variation of Kate never made this list in any decade.
+2
Level 65
Jun 9, 2019
Fun but tough for me, I dont know anyone by any of these names, neither the ones I guessed and the ones I didnt get. (non uk/us) Otherwise it would have a lot more I guess not only friends but random people you have heard of, that are in your school or something

my last and best guess was dolores :D So happy that was a hit and I thought of it haha.

and indeed definately expected some form of Catherine, spend quite a lot of time there c/k short/long with and without h (cat, kat, kate, cathy, katherine katharina, catherine, catherina, etc)

+1
Level 65
Jun 9, 2019

plus lori?? That is the only one in the list have never ever heard of once. I am guessing it comes from lorelai?

+1
Level 67
Jan 29, 2022
I know a Lori. They named their (twin) daughters Laura and Lari!
+1
Level 68
Aug 11, 2019
Can Katelyn be accepted for Kathleen? There are soooo many variations of the name/spelling
+1
Level 72
Aug 30, 2019
Managed to get Mildred, but not Sarah...
+1
Level 84
Sep 9, 2019
I was going through the alphabet and for E managed to get Edna, but not Emily.
+1
Level 30
Jun 15, 2020
Shouldn't Marie be included in Mary?
+1
Level 21
Dec 26, 2020
it should but their both pronounces different like mary is mary but marie its mare E
+1
Level 18
Oct 16, 2020
45% kinda good
+2
Level 70
May 9, 2021
Caroline is a much more common spelling than Carolyn.
+3
Level 84
May 10, 2021
Here (Mid-Atlantic - US) those are two different names, with different pronunciations.
+1
Level 37
Oct 17, 2021
Im a caroline and many people call me carolyn so i dont know about that.
+5
Level 79
May 9, 2021
No Ann, Anne, Anita, Annie. Seems strange to me.
+8
Level 87
May 10, 2021
Henry VIII would have been appalled at the lack of Annes and Catherines. Not even a Jane.
+1
Level 67
Jun 2, 2021
A potentially obvious strategy is to think of actresses
+4
Level 67
Sep 14, 2021
Rachel and Courtney on the list only for the 90's. So no one told you life was gonna be this way, clap clap clap clap.
+1
Level 66
Sep 20, 2021
Isobelle/Isabelle as a type-in for Isabella?
+1
Level 65
Oct 23, 2021
Hello, didn't there used to be another very similar baby girl then boy in us and uk quiz

that did have rose, ethel, mildred, anna where elziabeth gave you all the diminutives

and mary then marie

with no alice, gianna, mila or camila?

This one drops gladys, and in the older one carol gave you carolyn there was also florence, scarlett and a few other differences?

Emma was at the top of the list and there were two grids

the bottom one displayed the earlier years so the more old fashioned names like irene etc (that are coming back) and the top grid held the las 50 years of more and more modern (made up) names...??? It is one thing to add quizzes but do they change them or take them down? Thank you

+2
Level 65
Dec 21, 2021
Hello Quizmaster, I am obsessed with mostly geography, history and language sections also names. You recently updated the US baby girl names by decade quiz. Was the previous one similar but set up in two grids with the older decades on the bottom grid and the the rest on the top? With Ethel, Mildred, Anna Carolyn

for all the Carol names Elizabeth all nicknames including Betty? Rose & other traditional names? can you put it up again and just call it the same names extreme? Please? Thx Victoria

+1
Level 59
Jan 11, 2022
Would Aly be acceptable for Alyssa?
+2
Level 54
May 1, 2022
my name only showed up in 2010 :(
+1
Level 53
May 10, 2022
More common alternate spellings need to be added like Eva/Ava, Laura/Lauren, Terri/Teresa/Theresa, shelly/Michelle.
+2
Level 56
May 20, 2022
could you accept delores for dolores? i understand if not lol
+1
Level 70
Jul 9, 2022
2020 decade, no.s 9 and 10: Evelyn Harper. It seems the world wants a return of Two and a Half Men.
+2
Level 76
Aug 19, 2022
remarkable how "Elizabeth" has consistently stayed in vogue for nearly a century. I blame the Queen
+2
Level 83
Dec 19, 2022
It's been a massively popular name for all of time. I think the Queen's name was a symptom of it, rather than a cause.
+2
Level 38
Sep 21, 2022
Only one Rebecca & in the 80's.

I'm Rebecca born in the 80's.

+1
Level 43
Dec 24, 2022
Did about 30, totally failed in the last 30 years. Did real well with 50s and 40s.

Definitely feel stupid as the 90s I just did top couple.

+1
Level 17
Feb 23, 2023
Surprising that Leah/Lea isn't on here considering how many I know that were all born in the 2000's.
+1
Level 25
Jun 3, 2023
Surprised to see my name, and on the year I was born too!
+1
Level 34
Jun 11, 2023
Same!
+1
Level 21
Jun 11, 2023
Nice quiz!
+1
Level 68
Aug 29, 2023
How about Hanna for Hannah?
+1
Level 67
Sep 25, 2023
Surprised no form of Catherine or Katherine is on here
+1
Level 56
Feb 13, 2024
betty is a form of elizabeth
+1
Level 28
Mar 2, 2024
Crazy that Ann / Anne / Anna isn't captured in any of those decades. It's been around for hundreds of years.
+1
Level 40
Mar 2, 2024
Please accept Delores for Dolores. It is a common variant.