The 50 most popular girl names of the last 100 years

Names can be powerful personal expressions of the self, as well as carry tradition and meaning. While there are thousands of names to choose from, some monikers are simply more popular than others.

MooseRoots, a genealogy data site, found the 100 most popular girl names of the last century using 2016 data from the Social Security Administration. Popularity is determined by the total number of occurrences for baby names from 1916-2015 in the U.S.

Also included is the year in which the name was the most popular as well as the ranking of the name in that year. It should be noted that some names reached their popularity peak outside of the last century, but have stood the test of time and still appear on this list.

These names act like a roadmap through female history, paying tribute to icons of the past and giving nods to influential women of the present. Some of most popular names have been given to notable women, including: civil and women's rights activist Dorothy Height, supreme court justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, iconic actress Marilyn Monroe and contemporary comedian Amy Schumer.

Note: Each name is accompanied by an image of a notable female of the same name.

Number of Occurences: 523,880
Most Popular Year: 1975
Rank in Most Popular Year: 3

Number of Occurences: 545,246
Most Popular Year: 1996
Rank in Most Popular Year: 9

Number of Occurences: 546,036
Most Popular Year: 1942
Rank in Most Popular Year: 10

Number of Occurences: 547,960
Most Popular Year: 1938
Rank in Most Popular Year: 16

Number of Occurences: 548,254
Most Popular Year: 1956
Rank in Most Popular Year: 2

Number of Occurences: 559,433
Most Popular Year: 1998
Rank in Most Popular Year: 3

Number of Occurences: 569,735
Most Popular Year: 1970
Rank in Most Popular Year: 14

Number of Occurences: 578,650
Most Popular Year: 1917
Rank in Most Popular Year: 18

Number of Occurences: 581,755
Most Popular Year: 1982
Rank in Most Popular Year: 6

Number of Occurences: 583,340
Most Popular Year: 1991
Rank in Most Popular Year: 25

Number of Occurences: 588,290
Most Popular Year: 1921
Rank in Most Popular Year: 6

Number of Occurences: 592,691
Most Popular Year: 1953
Rank in Most Popular Year: 10

Number of Occurences: 605,611
Most Popular Year: 1961
Rank in Most Popular Year: 11

Number of Occurences: 655,204
Most Popular Year: 1893
Rank in Most Popular Year: 3

Number of Occurences: 655,780
Most Popular Year: 1976
Rank in Most Popular Year: 5

Number of Occurences: 672,203
Most Popular Year: 1899
Rank in Most Popular Year: 2

Number of Occurences: 676,479
Most Popular Year: 1976
Rank in Most Popular Year: 2

Number of Occurences: 676,952
Most Popular Year: 1936
Rank in Most Popular Year: 2

Number of Occurences: 697,829
Most Popular Year: 1949
Rank in Most Popular Year: 9

Number of Occurences: 704,835
Most Popular Year: 1957
Rank in Most Popular Year: 7

Number of Occurences: 720,471
Most Popular Year: 1945
Rank in Most Popular Year: 8

Number of Occurences: 728,673
Most Popular Year: 1974
Rank in Most Popular Year: 10

Number of Occurences: 732,654
Most Popular Year: 1969
Rank in Most Popular Year: 10

Number of Occurences: 735,098
Most Popular Year: 1987
Rank in Most Popular Year: 6

Number of Occurences: 738,780
Most Popular Year: 1955
Rank in Most Popular Year: 2

Number of Occurences: 748,849
Most Popular Year: 1979
Rank in Most Popular Year: 2

Number of Occurences: 770,793
Most Popular Year: 1980
Rank in Most Popular Year: 2

Number of Occurences: 786,569
Most Popular Year: 1919
Rank in Most Popular Year: 2

Number of Occurences: 797,386
Most Popular Year: 2007
Rank in Most Popular Year: 1

Number of Occurences: 805,932
Most Popular Year: 1972
Rank in Most Popular Year: 2

Number of Occurences: 810,812
Most Popular Year: 1941
Rank in Most Popular Year: 4

Number of Occurences: 826,032
Most Popular Year: 1960
Rank in Most Popular Year: 5

Number of Occurences: 830,784
Most Popular Year: 1967
Rank in Most Popular Year: 2

Number of Occurences: 837,521
Most Popular Year: 1992
Rank in Most Popular Year: 1

Number of Occurences: 872,565
Most Popular Year: 1947
Rank in Most Popular Year: 5

Number of Occurences: 963,755
Most Popular Year: 1969
Rank in Most Popular Year: 1

Number of Occurences: 965,414
Most Popular Year: 1927
Rank in Most Popular Year: 2

Number of Occurences: 969,245
Most Popular Year: 1934
Rank in Most Popular Year: 2

Number of Occurences: 977,902
Most Popular Year: 1950
Rank in Most Popular Year: 6

Number of Occurences: 983,705
Most Popular Year: 1965
Rank in Most Popular Year: 3

Number of Occurences: 997,487
Most Popular Year: 1993
Rank in Most Popular Year: 3

Number of Occurences: 1,039,138
Most Popular Year: 1911
Rank in Most Popular Year: 3

Number of Occurences: 1,040,806
Most Popular Year: 1995
Rank in Most Popular Year: 1

Number of Occurences: 1,107,120
Most Popular Year: 1960
Rank in Most Popular Year: 2

Number of Occurences: 1,415,983
Most Popular Year: 1944
Rank in Most Popular Year: 2

Number of Occurences: 1,447,765
Most Popular Year: 1952
Rank in Most Popular Year: 1

Number of Occurences: 1,454,754
Most Popular Year: 1892
Rank in Most Popular Year: 3

Number of Occurences: 1,463,714
Most Popular Year: 1984
Rank in Most Popular Year: 1

Number of Occurences: 1,565,942
Most Popular Year: 1952
Rank in Most Popular Year: 3

Number of Occurences: 3,514,032
Most Popular Year: 1961
Rank in Most Popular Year: 1