Popular Given Names
US, 1801-1999

The tables below provide links to text files of GINAP (version 1) standardized given names. The file lines consist of a name, a comma, and then the count of occurrences in the sample. Names, separated by sex, are listed in descending order of popularity. For the Census samples, all standardized names that had at least 10 occurrences are listed. For the Social Security samples, all names listed in source (top 1000 names, actually a few more because of final ties in occurrences) are given after standardization.

• The source for the US Census of 1850, 1880, and 1920 data is

  Ruggles, Steven, and Matthew Sobek et. al., Integrated Public Use Microdata Series: Version 2.0 (Minneapolis: Historical Census Projects, University of Minnesota, 1997).

• The source for the Social Security data is:

  Shackleford, Michael W., A.S.A., "Name Distributions in the Social Security Area," Social Security Administration, Office of the Chief Actuary, Actuarial Note Number 139, originally published June 1998 (updated Oct. 2000).

• For other name data, see AGNAMES web site.

• For an analysis of this and other name data from the perspective of communications industry development and public policy, see:

  Galbi, Douglas A., A New Account of Personalization and Effective Communication, draft paper, available from Think! – Galbi’s Telecommunications Policy Page.