John vs Helen

Side-by-side comparison of John and Helen — popularity rank, total births, peak decade, and historical trends from Social Security Administration data.

Name A

John

Boy name · Rank #21

Full profile →
Name B

Helen

Girl name · Rank #424

Full profile →

Which name is more popular?

Metric John Helen
Current Rank #21 #424
Total Births (all years) 5,174,470 1,023,527
Peak Year 1947 1918
Peak Year Births 88,321 36,148
Peak Decade 1950ss 1920ss
Gender Boy Girl
First Recorded Year 1880 1880

Births by Decade

Decade John Helen
1880ss 89,949 11,496
1890ss 80,664 37,802
1900ss 84,590 69,428
1910ss 376,312 248,154
1920ss 564,051 290,403
1930ss 487,946 140,426
1940ss 711,600 90,742
1950ss 797,917 57,578
1960ss 713,374 29,098
1970ss 402,636 11,475
1980ss 321,161 8,414
1990ss 240,147 8,405
2000ss 161,083 8,847
2010ss 102,763 7,583
2020ss 40,277 3,676

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year John Helen
2014 10,699 802
2015 10,421 767
2016 10,055 816
2017 9,530 763
2018 9,198 745
2019 8,857 743
2020 8,262 721
2021 8,182 704
2022 7,993 749
2023 7,793 776
2024 8,047 726

Data Sources

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, ssa.gov/oact/babynames.
Source: SSA Annual Name Rankings, 1880–2024.

← Compare different names