Baby Names with the Most Timeless Popularity

Every year, the Social Security Administration tallies the most popular baby names based on how many infants were registered with that name in the past year.

The following names, however, never went out of style. Year after year, they remain in the top ranks for a variety of reasons: The names are usually traditional, whether biblical, royal, or family names.

Stacker looked to the Social Security Administration Baby Names Database to round up the top 50 baby names for each gender with the most timeless popularity.

– Average rank 1900-today: #109.0 – Most popular decade: 1990s (average rank: #15) – Popularity rank in 2019: #191 (1,529 babies born) Rachel is a biblical name for the wife of Jacob. The name was most popular in the 1990s, which should come as no surprise to those who know the fictional character Rachel Green, played by Jennifer Aniston on the hit TV show “Friends.”

Rachel (girl)

– Average rank 1900-today: #102.4 – Most popular decade: 1970s (average rank: #56) – Popularity rank in 2019: #110 (2,582 babies born) The name burst into the American mainstream with the 1936 novel (and subsequent film), “Gone with the Wind,” as one of the leading women is named Melanie Hamilton. By 2007, it was the 80th most popular name for girls in America, according to Behind the Name.

Melanie (girl)

Sean (boy)

– Average rank 1900-today: #75.7 – Most popular decade: 1970s (average rank: #39) – Popularity rank in 2019: #301 (1,120 babies born) According to Behind the Name, Sean was at its most popular in the United States in the 1980s.

– Average rank 1900-today: #97.3 – Most popular decade: 1920s (average rank: #28) – Popularity rank in 2019: #66 (3,707 babies born) The name Ruby derives from the precious stone with the same name.

Ruby (girl)

– Average rank 1900-today: #72.6 – Most popular decade: 1960s (average rank: #6) – Popularity rank in 2019: #223 (1,678 babies born) Marks are meant to make a mark; their name literally means a sign, a boundary, a designation, or an impression.

Mark (boy)

More Baby Name Posts

 Most Popular Baby Names of the Past Decade

Most Popular Gender-Neutral Baby Names

Popular Baby Names in the 21st Century

Instagram