How it works
This baby shower name game asks which names topped the U.S. lists in each decade, from John and Mary to Noah and Emma, and what 30 well-known names mean. Every question has one right answer.
Read the full guide
Two name games on one page
Names by decade uses the Social Security Administration's tables: the number one boy and girl names of a decade, the decade a name led, and the name in second place. What does the name mean? gives a first name and four meanings. Tap an answer to see whether it is right.
Print it for the room
The score card after the first ten questions shows Print question sheet, a sheet of 15 for the guests. More options on that card holds Print answer key, the host's page with a reason for every answer, and the Round menu, which keeps a sheet to one of the two games. On a phone, Scored round asks 15 questions and marks them at the end.
Tips
- Put the grandparents on different teams for the decade round. They were there for the answers.
Questions and answers
How do you play the baby name game at a baby shower?
Give each guest a printed sheet, or read the questions from one phone. Guests pick one of four answers. The host checks them against the answer key, and the guest with the most right answers wins.
Where do the decade answers come from?
From the Social Security Administration's tables of the top names of each decade, the 1880s to the 2010s, which rank first names from Social Security card applications. They were read on October 2, 2026.
Is there an A to Z game where guests write a word for every letter?
Yes, on a separate page: the baby shower alphabet game prints an A to Z race sheet for baby words. This page is the name game with right answers.
Are the name meanings certain?
Each one is the meaning in that name's entry in the Online Etymology Dictionary. A name whose entry calls the meaning uncertain, or gives two, was left out.