How popular is the baby name Mason in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Mason.

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Popularity of the baby name Mason


Posts that mention the name Mason

Baby names that rose the fastest in the U.S. data, 1881 to today (absolute increase)

hot air balloons

Having déjà vu?

A couple of months ago, we looked at a long, year-by-year list of the top baby name rises. A month after that, we saw the corresponding list of top drops.

On that second post, Frank B. left a comment in which he asked about absolute rises and drops — because the lists only covered relative movement within the data. So I thought two more posts were in order: top raw-number rises, and top raw-number drops.

We’ll start with the rises again. Just keep in mind that the SSA numbers don’t become very accurate until the mid-to-late 20th century, so many of the numbers below don’t quite reflect reality.

Here’s the format: Girl names are on the left, boy names are on the right, and the numbers represent single-year rises in usage. From 1880 to 1881, for instance, the usage of the girl name Ethel increased by 155 babies and the usage of the boy name Chester increased by 106 babies.

1880s

  • 1881: Ethel, +155; Chester, +106
  • 1882: Mary, +1,229; John, +788
  • 1883: Bertha, +173; Grover, +71
  • 1884: Mary, +1,205; Grover, +675
  • 1885: Helen, +148; Willie, +36
  • 1886: Mary, +762; John, +270
  • 1887: Ethel, +208; Harold, +55
  • 1888: Mary, +1,866; William, +1,235
  • 1889: Ruth, +223; Russell, +52

1890s

  • 1890: Mary, +430; Charlie, +112
  • 1891: Ruth, +662; Theodore & Herbert, +34 (tie)
  • 1892: Mary, +1,471; John, +1,358
  • 1893: Esther, +558; Claude, +41
  • 1894: Marie, +437; John, +189
  • 1895: Anna, +385; James, +225
  • 1896: Helen, +369; William, +470
  • 1897: Thelma, +159; Dewey, +95
  • 1898: Mary, +994; Dewey, +957
  • 1899: Mildred, +188; Kenneth, +24

1900s

  • 1900: Mary, +3536; John, +2,840
  • 1901: Retha, +25; Theodore, +21
  • 1902: Mary, +1,350; John, +1,009
  • 1903: Dorothy, +371; Jack, +88
  • 1904: Mary, +687; John, +499
  • 1905: Mary, +1,105; Charles, +201
  • 1906: Alice, +581; Robert, +225
  • 1907: Mary, +1,211; James, +799
  • 1908: Mary, +1,085; William, +622
  • 1909: Helen, +813; James, +582

1910s

  • 1910: Mary, +3,589; John, +1,860
  • 1911: Dorothy, +1,551; John, +1,995
  • 1912: Mary, +7,910; John, +11,140
  • 1913: Mary, +4,342; John, +4,738
  • 1914: Mary, +8,705; John, +8,621
  • 1915: Mary, +12,842; John, +9,634
  • 1916: Mary, +3,246; Robert, +3,004
  • 1917: Mary, +2,847; Robert, +3,474
  • 1918: Dorothy, +3,179; Robert, +5,409
  • 1919: Betty, +1,304; Willie, +409

1920s

  • 1920: Mary, +5,141; Robert, +7,656
  • 1921: Betty, +3,618; Robert, +4,096
  • 1922: Betty, +3,259; Richard, +1,165
  • 1923: Betty, +5,097; Robert, +2,300
  • 1924: Betty, +4,605; Robert, +4,685
  • 1925: Gloria, +2,835; Richard, +2,034
  • 1926: Barbara, +1,917; Richard, +1,864
  • 1927: Mary, +2,787; Donald, +2,935
  • 1928: Dolores, +2,843; Herbert, +3,049
  • 1929: Joan, +3,806; Donald, +1,456

1930s

  • 1930: Joan, +3,812; Richard, +2,602
  • 1931: Joan, +3,633; Ronald, +1,086
  • 1932: Barbara, +4,514; Ronald, +4,411
  • 1933: Carol, +1,650; Franklin, +2,603
  • 1934: Shirley, +8,523; James, +3,124
  • 1935: Shirley, +19,514; David, +1,664
  • 1936: Carol, +2,785; Robert, +1,968
  • 1937: Barbara, +3,230; David, +3,493
  • 1938: Judith, +4,729; James, +2,526
  • 1939: Judith, +5,748; David, +2,366

(From the SSA: “Note that many people born before 1937 never applied for a Social Security card, so their names are not included in our data.”)

1940s

  • 1940: Linda, +7,657; John, +3,739
  • 1941: Linda, +5,355; James, +4,262
  • 1942: Linda, +7,882; James, +10,450
  • 1943: Linda, +6,831; James, +3,072
  • 1944: Cheryl, +5,092; Gary, +2,192
  • 1945: Linda, +3,065; Michael, +3,179
  • 1946: Linda, +11,239; Robert, +14,194
  • 1947: Linda, +46,978; David, +11,381
  • 1948: Deborah, +5,409; Mark, +2,503
  • 1949: Deborah, +7,953; Michael, +7,417

1950s

  • 1950: Deborah, +9,877; Michael, +5,220
  • 1951: Deborah, +12,954; Michael, +7,531
  • 1952: Debra, +9,782; David, +7,043
  • 1953: Debra, +10,015; Michael, +5,172
  • 1954: Debra, +9,029; Mark, +6,899
  • 1955: Debra, +4,653; David, +6,653
  • 1956: Karen, +6,843; Mark, +6,596
  • 1957: Cindy, +10,268; Mark, +4,020
  • 1958: Tammy, +5,618; Timothy, +4,011
  • 1959: Donna, +9,517; Mark, +4,260

1960s

  • 1960: Lisa, +8,013; Jeffrey, +2,564
  • 1961: Lisa, +8,983; Todd, +4,005
  • 1962: Lisa, +3,394; Scott, +6,790
  • 1963: Lisa, +9,951; Paul, +2,884
  • 1964: Dawn, +4,196; John, +3,900
  • 1965: Lisa, +5,990; Rodney, +5,013
  • 1966: Michelle, +10,937; Christopher, +3,228
  • 1967: Melissa, +4,114; Matthew, +2,778
  • 1968: Jennifer, +8,612; Matthew, +2,253
  • 1969: Jennifer, +6,858; Jason, +9,346

1970s

  • 1970: Jennifer, +12,455; Jason, +10,788
  • 1971: Jennifer, +10,626; Jason, +6,897
  • 1972: Jennifer, +6,820; Christopher, +3,954
  • 1973: Heather, +3,032; Jason, +9,236
  • 1974: Heather, +3,836; Jason, +8,082
  • 1975: Amanda, +5,177; Joshua, +2,968
  • 1976: Jamie, +8,306; Jeremy, +4,940
  • 1977: Jessica, +6,467; Joshua, +5,205
  • 1978: Crystal, +2,865; Nicholas, +10,274
  • 1979: Amanda, +11,406; Joshua, +5,921

1980s

  • 1980: Tiffany, +6,614; Justin, +9,355
  • 1981: Jessica, +8,602; Brandon, +6,048
  • 1982: Ashley, +5,971; Christopher, +8,995
  • 1983: Ashley, +18,435; Kyle, +4,161
  • 1984: Ashley, +5,478; Joshua, +3,551
  • 1985: Ashley, +8,242; Andrew, +4,252
  • 1986: Whitney, +5,699; Andrew, +3,682
  • 1987: Kayla, +5,917; Justin, +4,874
  • 1988: Brittany, +4,594; Justin, +3,545
  • 1989: Brittany, +10,969; Ethan, +3,162

1990s

  • 1990: Taylor, +3,188; Jordan, +5,257
  • 1991: Shelby, +6,703; Dylan, +5,349
  • 1992: Taylor, +4,696; Dylan, +5,298
  • 1993: Taylor, +6,318; Austin, +6,125
  • 1994: Alexis, +2,208; Austin, +5,616
  • 1995: Madison, +3,516; Austin, +2,714
  • 1996: Madison, +3,632; Noah, +3,360
  • 1997: Hannah, +1,993; Jacob, +2,237
  • 1998: Emma, +2,700; Noah, +4,137
  • 1999: Grace, +3,460; Seth, +1,718

2000s

  • 2000: Trinity, +2,803; Ethan, +3,783
  • 2001: Isabella, +2,587; Logan, +2,973
  • 2002: Isabella, +3,334; Ethan, +4,143
  • 2003: Emma, +6,170; Aidan, +3,108
  • 2004: Ava, +2,364; Aiden, +1,472
  • 2005: Ava, +4,959; Landon, +2,070
  • 2006: Addison, +4,595; Aiden, +2,492
  • 2007: Addison, +4,328; Jayden, +5,596
  • 2008: Peyton, +1,954; Aiden, +2,472
  • 2009: Isabella, +3,667; Liam, +2,582

2010s

2020s

Some of these names I’ve written about already, and others I plan to write about in the future. If you can give explanations for any of those others right now, though, feel free! Just leave a comment…

Update, 4/22: Here are the corresponding drops…

Source: SSA

Image: Adapted from Turkey-2036 by Dennis Jarvis under CC BY-SA 2.0.

[Latest update: May 2025]

Popular baby names in New Zealand, 2018

Flag of New Zealand
Flag of New Zealand

According to New Zealand’s Department of Internal Affairs, the most popular baby names in the country in 2018 were Charlotte and Oliver.

Here are New Zealand’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2018:

Girl Names
1. Charlotte, 233 baby girls
2. Isla, 229
3. Olivia, 211
4. Amelia, 205
5. Harper, 193
6. Ella, 192
7. Isabella, 191
8. Emily, 186
9. Mia, 180 (tie)
10. Ava, 180 (tie)

Boy Names
1. Oliver, 293 baby boys
2. Jack, 273
3. Noah, 243
4. Leo, 221
5. Hunter, 207 (tie)
6. George, 207 (tie)
7. William, 204
8. Lucas, 202
9. James, 198
10. Mason, 196

In the girls’ top 10, Ella and Isabella replaced Mila (now 13th) and Sophie (now 17th).

In the boys’ top 10, Leo replaced Arlo (now 18th).

Baby names that were rejected last year include Heaven-Princezz-Star, Majestee-Honours, and Royale-Bubz.

New Zealand also released a set of Maori baby name rankings (topped by Mia and Nikau), but this kicked off a debate about the classification of Maori names, as many of the names listed (e.g., Mia, Nina, Aria, Ari) have other potential derivations.

In 2017, NZ’s top two names were same.

Sources: Top Baby Names in New Zealand, List of declined baby names for 2018 – NZ Govt

Image: Adapted from Flag of New Zealand (public domain)

Popular baby names in Tennessee, 2018

Flag of Tennessee
Flag of Tennessee

According to Tennessee’s Office of Vital Records, the most popular baby names in the state in 2018 were Emma and William.

Here are Tennessee’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2018:

Girl names

  1. Emma
  2. Ava
  3. Olivia
  4. Harper
  5. Amelia
  6. Charlotte
  7. Isabella
  8. Elizabeth
  9. Evelyn
  10. Abigail

Boy names

  1. William
  2. James
  3. Liam
  4. Elijah
  5. Noah
  6. Jackson
  7. Mason
  8. Grayson
  9. John
  10. Oliver

In the girls’ top 10, Evelyn replaced Ella.

In the boys’ top 10, Oliver replaced Samuel.

In 2017, the top two names were Ava and William. In fact, William has been the top boy name in Tennessee for 12 years straight.

(These rankings are based on provisional data.)

Source: Emma is Back as Tennessee’s Top Baby Girl Name in 2018; William Still Biggest for Boys

Image: Adapted from Flag of Tennessee (public domain)

Popular baby names in Rhode Island, 2018

Flag of Rhode Island
Flag of Rhode Island

According to Rhode Island’s Department of Health, the most popular baby names in the state in 2018 were Olivia and Liam.

Here are Rhode Island’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2018:

Girl Names
1. Olivia, 60 baby girls
2. Sophia, 53
3. Isabella, 52
4. Amelia, 51 (tie)
4. Mia, 51 (tie)
6. Emma, 48
7. Charlotte, 44
8. Ava, 34 (tie)
8. Avery, 34 (tie)
10. Abigail, 32 (tie)
10. Grace, 32 (tie)

Boy Names
1. Liam, 66 baby boys
2. Noah, 58
3. Benjamin, 47 (tie)
3. Oliver, 47 (tie)
5. Alexander, 45
6. Logan, 44
7. Jacob, 41
8. Julian, 39
9. Ethan, 38 (tie)
9. John, 38 (tie)

In the girls’ top 10, Avery and Grace replaced Aria (now tied for 12th).

In the boys’ top 10, lots changed: Oliver, Alexander, Jacob, Ethan and John replaced Lucas (now tied for 11th), Michael (tied for 12th), Mason (22nd), Matthew (tied for 33rd), and Joseph (tied for 33rd).

(These rankings are based on provisional data covering the year up to late December.)

In 2017, the top names were Emma and Liam.

Source: Top 50 R.I. baby names of 2018

Image: Adapted from Flag of Rhode Island (public domain)