Common names are not the same as popular names: Common names are those most often found among the total population or for a certain period of time, as opposed to those popular for babies born in any one year. These are the 100 most common names for males in the US in the past century, with James at the top of the list, followed by John, Robert, Michael, and William.
Along with James and William, other common boy names that remain in the US Top 50 include Alexander, Benjamin, David, Gabriel, Henry, Jacob, Noah, and Samuel. The common names for boys that have fallen the farthest in popularity include Ralph, Willie, Gerald, and Billy.
Some popular names for boys today, such as Number one Liam, don't yet make it onto the list of the century's most common male names. Over time, older names such as Gary and Eugene will pass away, to be replaced by names such as Aiden and Jackson given to so many baby boys today.
