1925 boy names can feel 100 years young. For every classic William or slightly heavy Herbert, there’s a long list of choices that could wear beautifully right now – if only we took the time to discover them.
Conventional wisdom holds that it takes about one hundred years for a name to cycle from peak popularity to complete obscurity and back again. Except it’s rarely that neat. Instead, some names spend decades in the Top 100. Others never quite reach the mainstream, and even at their most popular, seem relatively uncommon.
This list looks at a specific moment in time – the popularity data from the year 1925, as reported by the US Social Security Administration. As data goes, the pre-World War II information isn’t all that reliable. (The Social Security act was passed in 1935, meaning data only reflects those who applied after that time – and records names as Americans reported them.) Not until the 1980s were babies routinely assigned their numbers at birth.
So the 1925 names? They’re not a perfect record. But it’s still a solid portrait of the names Americans answered to one hundred years ago. And it’s a delight to find so many potentially wearable names waiting in the list from way back when.
Let’s look at the very most popular picks from that year, as well as the overlooked 1925 boy names that could make great discoveries in 2025 and beyond.
Table of Contents
TOP 100 BOY NAMES FROM 1925
- Robert
- John
- William
- James
- Charles
- George
- Joseph
- Richard
- Edward
- Donald
- Thomas
- Frank
- Paul
- Harold
- Raymond
- Walter
- Jack
- Henry
- Kenneth
- Arthur
- Albert
- David
- Harry
- Eugene
- Ralph
- Howard
- Willie
- Carl
- Louis
- Clarence
- Earl
- Roy
- Fred
- Joe
- Francis
- Lawrence
- Ernest
- Leonard
- Anthony
- Stanley
- Norman
- Herbert
- Alfred
- Daniel
- Gerald
- Samuel
- Calvin
- Bernard
- Billy
- Melvin
- Marvin
- Leroy
- Russell
- Leo
- Michael
- Andrew
- Edwin
- Floyd
- Clifford
- Peter
- Elmer
- Lloyd
- Theodore
- Ray
- Frederick
- Warren
- Vernon
- Clyde
- Herman
- Alvin
- Vincent
- Gordon
- Chester
- Wayne
- Philip
- Leon
- Glenn
- Charlie
- Lewis
- Milton
- Lester
- Lee
- Martin
- Bill
- Jesse
- Dale
- Cecil
- Harvey
- Victor
- Roger
- Sam
- Wallace
- Benjamin
- Allen
- Arnold
- Edgar
- Willard
- Roland
- Oscar
- Johnnie
OVERLOOKED 1925 BOY NAMES
ABE (#577 in 1925; unranked as of 2023)
A short form of Biblical heavy hitter Abraham, Abe is brief and bright. It substitutes for Jack or maybe Max, a little more surprising than Gus, less novel than Ace. Because Abraham remains fairly popular, it’s possible Abe is heard more often than this number suggests – but it’s still a surprising choice among 2025 boy names.
BOOKER (#468 in 1925; unranked as of 2023)
An occupational surname for a scholar or a book binder, Booker sounds smart but also high-energy. Booker T. Washington makes this a nineteenth century civil rights hero name. A character in the Jump Street universe brought it alive for another generation. It ought to fit right in with Carter and Brooks and so many similar surnames now, but for the moment? Booker is quietly rising, but still outside the current US Top 1000.
CAREY (#823 in 1925; unranked as of 2023)
Spell it Cary, and it still ranks just inside the US Top 1000 for 1925 boy names. Irish surname Carey comes from a word meaning black, probably given to someone with dark hair. Cary is another possible spelling. Hollywood icon Cary Grant makes it forever dashing and debonair.
COSMO (#959 in 1925; unranked as of 2023)
The ties to nature and space; that bright O ending; the fact that Scarlett Johansson used it for her son. All signs point to a comeback for Cosmo. And yet, it’s just. not. happening. That makes it a great possibility for a son born now.
COY (#382 in 1925; unranked as of 2023)
As a surname, Coy was probably first given to someone reserved. It comes from the Old French word coi, ultimately derived from the same root as our word quiet. It can suggest shyness, but the sound reads a little different. Southern, maybe, thanks to famous and fictional figures with the name. It’s fresher than Roy, less expected than Crew, but with some of the best qualities of both.
DEMPSEY (#874 in 1925; unranked as of 2023)
This name appears on my list of 1885 choices, too. In other words? Dempsey had a long run around the turn of the twentieth century. Dempsey means proud. It sounds like a prizefighter, thanks to 1920s boxer Jack Dempsey. With a mix of swagger and current style, Dempsey has so much potential, but remains quite uncommon.
LINUS (#919 in 1925; unranked as of 2023)
A name from Greek myth, a choice associated with an early pope, and the sweet child philosopher of the Peanuts gang, Linus is a name that ought to be more common now. I thought Matt Damon’s character in Oceans 11 might give it a boost, but it’s yet to catch on. It fits with Lucas and Silas.
LOWELL (#196 in 1925; unranked as of 2023)
Originally a French surname meaning “little wolf,” Lowell feels polished and preppy, but also surprising down-to-earth. It shares the bright Lo with Logan, the -el ending of favorites like Gabriel. It’s just plain fun to say, a little longer than Cole, but not as big as Montgomery.
NOBLE (#474 in 1925; unranked as of 2023)
At first, Noble feels like a modern word name. It shares some of the boldness of Maverick or Legend – a lot to live up to. And yet, Noble is also a quiet virtue. It can suggest “distinguished,” like old school European nobility. But it can also fit with names like Promise, Merit, or Boone – choices that point to universal goodness.
OREN (#538 in 1925; unranked as of 2023)
Delve into Oren, Orrin, and Oran and things get tangled quickly. On paper, Oren is a Hebrew name meaning pine tree. It was also used steadily from the 1880s into the early 1950s. That makes it one of those 1925 boy names that never quite broke into the mainstream. It fits with our love of nature-adjacent names now – a little more subtle than Rowan – with the appeal of antiques like Otis.
THADDEUS (#390 in 1925; #903 as of 2023)
Names like Thaddeus, Theron, and Theon ought to appeal to parents who love Theodore. Thaddeus fits with lots of ancient choices in vogue now. And yet, it’s never been all that popular, and has slowly moved the fringes of the most popular boy names. It could be a great choice now, a familiar(ish) name that your son will never have to share.
WALTON (#648 in 1925; unranked as of 2023)
A fresh update for Walter, this name still carries the wholesome appeal of Depression-area television series The Waltons, nearly fifty years after the series’ original run. Walker has been a style star in recent years, but shift the sounds just a little, and Walton is more like Wesley or Clayton – traditional(ish) and quite appealing today.
Abe is so cool! It doesn’t work with our surname, but he’s charming. I know a baby Able (also fantastic), but Abe is awesome.