The history of baby names is littered with former stars that burned brightly for a decade or two, only to fade from view.

　　It’s hard to believe, from this vantage point, that Gladys or Edna ever made the Top 20, that names such as Harold or Larry were ever popular enough to dominate an entire decade.

　　It’s difficult to see Irene and Albert as the Isabella and Alexander of their day, to view Tammy or Tiffany as the height of cool.

　　Many of these once-hot names are lovely, even classic.  They’re just not as stylish as they once were (although some, especially from the earlier decades, are on their way back in).

　　We looked at the Top 25 baby names for each decade of the 20th century to pick out choices that were hot back them, and are not today.  Included here are Old People Names like Bertha and Clarence, Baby Boomer names such as Karen and Gary, today’s mom and dad names such as Jennifer and Jason, and names like Taylor and Tyler that are beginning to be heard much more often on babysitters than on babies.

　　Our choices, with their ranking for the decade when they were most popular:

　　1900s

　　girls

　　Mary, #1Helen, #2Margaret, #3Anna, #4Ruth, #5Dorothy, #7Marie, #8Florence, #9Mildred, #10Gladys, #14Bertha, #20

　　boys

　　George, #4Robert, #6Frank, #8Willie, #14Clarence, #17

　　1910s

　　girls

　　Frances, #9Virginia, #10Irene, #17Edna, #19Gladys. #21

　　boys

　　Walter, #11Harold, #12Paul, #14Raymond, #16Albert, #17Arthur, #18

　　1920s

　　girls

　　Betty, #4Doris, #8Jean, #16Shirley, #17Lois, #22

　　boys

　　Kenneth, #19

　　1930s

　　girls

　　Barbara, #3Shirley, #4Joan, #7Joyce, #12Marilyn, #16Beverly, #20

　　boys

　　Jack, #18Billy, #20Gerald, #21

　　1940s

　　girls

　　Linda, #2Carol, #5Sandra, #6Nancy, #7Sharon, #8Judith, #9

　　boys

　　Ronald, #10Donald, #12Gary, #14Jerry, #19

　　1950s

　　girls

　　Patricia, #3Susan, #4Deborah, #5 and Debra, #7Karen, #8Donna, #10

　　boys

　　Richard, #7Mark, #9Larry, #18Steven, #11 and Stephen, #20

　　1960s

　　girls

　　Lisa, #1Kimberly, #5Michelle, #9Cynthia, #10Tammy, #13Lori, #15Brenda, #19

　　boys

　　Michael, #1Jeffrey, #10Timothy, #13Kevin, #14Scott, #15

　　1970s

　　girls

　　Jennifer, #1Amy, #2Melissa, #3Angela, #7Heather, #8

　　boys

　　Jason, #3Brian, #8Eric, #14

　　1980s

　　Jessica, #1Amanda, #3Stephanie, #6Nicole, #8Tiffany, #11Amber, #13

　　boys

　　Joshua, #4Justin, #12Ryan, #14

　　1990s

　　girls

　　Ashley, #2Brittany, #7Taylor, #9Megan, #10Kayla, #12

　　boys

　　Andrew, #7Tyler, #9Brandon, #11Austin, #22

　　Illustration from the hilarious Awkward Family Photos.