The 1920s were a prosperous and exciting time when crowds started changing their style of dress and dance.
Use the time period as name inspiration for your babe and instill a sense of fun and creativity within them. The roaring ’20s have gone down in history as some of the best times, and using popular baby names from this decade can bring that sense of individualism and fun to your little one’s life.
Start searching now for the most popular baby names from the roaring ’20s and for your baby boy or girl.
For more, why not have a look at these ’80s names for babies or these old man inspired baby names?
Popular Girl Names Then And Now
Many names that 1920s parents gave their girls gained popularity then and have remained top contenders today.
1.Alice (German Origin) meaning “exalted”
2.Anna (Hebrew Origin) means “gracious”
3.Betty (Hebrew Origin) meaning “oath of God”, this was among the top 1920s girl names thanks to an actress named Betty Blythe
4.Elizabeth (Hebrew Origin) meaning “My God is abundance”
5.Joyce (Latin Origin) “lord”, but also “happy”
6.June (Latin Origin) derived from the Goddess, Juno
7.Marie (French Origin) means “lady of the sea”, now commonly used as a middle name
8.May (French Origin) a good choice in baby names for someone with a sunny disposition
9.Rose (Latin Origin) one of the flower-based baby names for girls
10.Ruby (English Origin) a red gemstone
11.Virginia (Roman Origin) means “pure”
Popular Boy Names Then And Now
Lots of popular names in the 1920s like John, William, James, and George have continued to remain popular for boys today.
12.Charles (German Origin) meaning “free man”
13.Edward (Anglo-Saxon Origin) meaning ” wealthy guardian”, many use the shortened version, Eddie
14.George (Greek Origin) meaning “farmer”, Georgie is a more popular version now
15.Frank (German Origin) one of the names of the region meaning “of the Franks”
16.James (Hebrew Origin) one of the most popular 1920s baby names meaning “supplanter”
17.John (Hebrew Origin) another of the most popular baby names for boys meaning “Yahweh is gracious”
18.Joseph (Hebrew Origin) meaning “God will increase”
19.Oscar (Irish Origin) “friend of deer”
20.Richard (German Origin) one of the names of a “strong ruler”
21.Robert (German Origin) means “bright fame”
22.Roland (German Origin) means “famous throughout the land”
23.Thomas (Greek Origin) one of the best names for a twin boy considering it means “a twin”
24.Wesley (Anglo-Norman Origin) means “a field to the west”
25.William (German Origin) name for “protection”
Unique Girl Names From The ’20s
Not all names popular in the 1920s continued to be used. Many remain unique today and are just waiting for you to bring them back for your girl.
26.Agnes (Greek Origin) baby name for “pure”
27.Barbara (Greek Origin) meaning “strange”
28.Bertha (German Origin) meaning “bright one”
29.Doris (Greek Origin) meaning “sea”, this was one of the most popular names in the late 1920s.
30.Evelyn (English Origin) means “wished for child”, perfect for a female baby name
31.Geraldine (German Origin) meaning “ruler with the spear”
32.Harriet (French Origin) for “estate ruler”
33.Josephine (French Origin) “God will increase”
34.Lois (Greek Origin) means “more desirable”
35.Lorraine (French Origin) “from Lothar’s kingdom”
36.Margaret (Greek Origin) meaning “pearl” , why not use popular nicknames like Maggie, Mags, and Madge for your little Margaret?
37.Marjorie (Scottish Origin) another of the baby names meaning “pearl”
38.Mildred (Anglo-Saxon Origin) meaning “gentle strength”, Millie makes a great nickname.
39.Nellie (Greek Origin) means “shining light”
40.Norma (Latin Origin) meaning “rule”
41.Opal (Sanskrit Origin) “gem”
42.Pearl (English Origin) “a semi-precious jewel”
43.Shirley (English Origin) meaning “bright meadow”
44.Wanda (Polish Origin) meaning “of the Wends”
Unique Boy Names From The ’20s
Names like James, John, and George that have remained largely popular aren’t all that were used in the ’20s. Plenty of names from the 1920s remain unique to their time period, just waiting for you to bring them back for your bundle of joy.
45.Albert (German Origin) means “noble”
46.Carl (German Origin) meaning “free man”
47.Chester (Latin Origin) meaning “fortress”
48.Clarence (Latin Origin) means “bright”
49.Donald (Gaelic Origin) meaning “world ruler”
51.Earl (English Origin) meaning “nobleman”
52.Eugene (Greek Origin) another of the baby names meaning “noble”
53.Harold (English Origin) meaning “army power”
54.Herbert (German Origin) meaning “illustrious warrior”
59.Melvin (Scottish Origin) can mean “friend”, “chief”
60.Ralph (Old Norse Origin) meaning “counsel wolf”
61.Virgil (Latin Origin) meaning “staff bearer”
62.Walter (German Origin) meaning “ruler of the army”
Unisex Names Using 1920s Inspiration
Looking for a unisex name that will fit either gender? Use the 1920s as inspiration.
63.Alex (Greek Origin) popular baby name for either gender meaning “defender of men”
64.Avis (Latin Origin) means “bird”
65.Bobby (German Origin) represents “bright fame”
66.Emil (Latin Origin) means “rival”
67.Frances (Latin Origin) meaning “free one”
68.Frankie (English Origin) meaning “free one”, Frank was a popular name for males but Frankie was used for either gender
69.Ira (Hebrew Origin) meaning “watchful”
70.Jean (Scottish Origin) meaning “the Lord is gracious”, this was one of the popular baby names throughout the ’20s and ’30s
71.Lonnie (American Origin ) means “noble”
72.Marion (Hebrew Origin) one of the names meaning “from the sea”
73.Max (Latin Origin) unisex baby name meaning “the greatest”
74.Ray (English Origin) meaning “roe deer”, predominately a male name, Ray is often used as a nickname for females. Why not use it as a first name for your girl instead? Ray of sunshine comes to mind.
75.Willie (German Origin) meaning “gilded helmet”, this was among the baby names popular for both boys and girls in the ’20s.
Baby Names Inspired By The Roaring ’20s
Use some inspiration from all things roaring ’20s and consider for your babe.
76.Cash (English Origin) depicting currency, a popular slang word in the decade.
77.Charleston (English Origin) meaning “town of King Charles”, one of the 1920s boy names made popular thanks to the dance of the decade.
78.Dancer (English Origin) meaning “one who dances” , women enjoyed dancing during the 20s and many become known as Flappers thanks to their style of dress.
79.Ford (English Origin) can mean “river crossing”, Ford was one of the popular cars being sold at the time due to its affordable pricing.
80.Fox (English Origin) after the animal, based, in this case, on the Fox Trot dance.
81.Harlem (Dutch Origin) meaning “home on a wooded hill”, why not use the name after the Harlem Renaissance?
82.Jake (Hebrew Origin) “supplanter”, once used as a slang term for ‘fine’.
83.Jazz (American Origin) one of the popular music names in the 1920s
84.Kale (Gaelic Origin) means “calm”, it was used as a term for money
85.Lindy (English Origin) baby name for “beautiful”, the Lindy Hop was a popular dance.
86.Mickey (American Origin) often a nickname for Michael, Mickey Mouse came to life in 1928.
87.Otto (German Origin) meaning “wealth”, “prosperity”, consider it after automobiles that became popular in the 20s
88.Pez (Austrian Origin) the candy brand got its start in 1927.
89.Rene (French Origin) meaning “reborn”, use it after the Harlem Renaissance.
Famous Names From the 1920s
Lots of famous names came out of the 1920s that you can consider for your boy or girl.
90.Al – after Capone (English Origin) meaning “noble”, ” – He was an infamous gangster of the times who ran a multi-million dollar operation.
91.Billy – after Billy Miske (English Origin) representing “will”, “desire” – This boxer earned the nickname “St. Paul Thunderbolt.”
92.Calvin – after Calvin Coolidge (Latin Origin) means “bald” – He was the 30th president between 1923 and 1929.
93.Charlie – after Charlie Chaplin (English Origin) meaning “free man” – He was an actor and filmmaker.
94.Dorothy – after Dorothy Parker (Greek Origin) meaning “God’s gift” – Dorothy was a civil rights activist who wrote for The New Yorker.
95.Frank – after Frank Lloyd Wright (German Origin ) meaning “free man -He was a well-known architect.
96.Gloria – after Gloria Swanson (Latin Origin) meaning “immortal glory” – She was a popular actress.
97.Helen – after Helen Keller (Greek Origin) meaning “light” – Helen was a blind and deaf writer who became an activist and advisor for the American Foundation for the Blind.
98.Jack – after William “Jack” Harrison Dempsey (English Origin) meaning “God is gracious” – He was the first boxing heavyweight champion.
99.Louis – after Louis Armstrong (French Origin) means “famous warrior” -He was a popular trumpet player and jazz musician throughout the 1920s and after.
100.Mary – after Mary Pickford (English Origin) meaning “sea of sorrow” – This was one of the top 1920 names. Mary was a popular actress who came to be known as America’s sweetheart.
101.Roy – after Roy O. Disney (Gaelic Origin) means “red” – He started the Walt Disney Company with his brother.
102.Ruth – after Babe Ruth (Hebrew Origin) – meaning “friend” – He rose to fame when he became a batter for the New York Yankees.
103.Scott – after F. Scott Fitzgerald (Scottish Origin) meaning “from Scotland” – He’s the writer of the novel, The Great Gatsby.
104.Simon – after Richard L. Simon (Greek Origin) meaning “he has heard” – The publisher of Simon & Schuster. He and his partner published the first crossword puzzle book in 1924.
105.Walt – after Walt Disney (German Origin) means “army ruler” – Disney got his start in 1923.
has lots of great baby names articles to inspire you. If you liked our suggestions for 20’s baby names then why not take a look at these old English boys’ names, or for something different take a look at these Italian names for boys.
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