Steve Roud created the Roud Folk Song Index which, as explained at Wikipedia, has “references to nearly 25,000 songs collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world.” Roud combines the Broadside Index (printed sources before 1900), all printed sources in the Child Ballads compiled by Francis James Child, and a field-recording index. More than 5000 of the titles are listed on Wikipedia. The entire database is searchable online at the Vaughn Williams Memorial Library .
This page is a ranked of the 100 highest-ranked titles in Dave’s Music Database. Only the song titles and earliest known dates of songs’ publications are listed here.
Click here to see other lists from publications and/or organizations.
1. “Over the Rainbow” (1939)
2. “St. Louis Blues” (1914)
3. “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” (1911)
4. “The House of the Rising Sun” (1933)
5. “After the Ball” (1892)
6. “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” (1908)
7. “Over There” (1917)
8. “A-Tisket, A-Tasket” (1938)
9. “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” (1949)
10. “When the Saints Go Marching In” (1896)
11. “Give My Regards to Broadway” (1904)
12. “Silent Night” (1818)
13. “The Star-Spangled Banner” (1814)
14. “Bill Bailey, Won’t You Please Come Home” (1902)
15. “Happy Birthday to You” (1893)
16. “The Old Folks at Home (Swanee River)” (1851)
17. “Shine on, Harvest Moon” (1908)
18. “You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want to Do It)” (1913)
19. “All the Things You Are” (1939)
20. “Sixteen Tons” (1955)
21. “This Land Is Your Land” (1944)
22. “Jingle Bells” (1857)
23. “Amazing Grace” (1772)
24. “The Prisoner’s Song” (1925)
25. “Listen to the Mocking Bird (aka “The Mocking Bird”)” (1855)
26. “Turkey in the Straw” (1820)
27. “It’s a Long, Long Way to Tipperary” (1912)
28. “A Hot Time in the Old Town” (1896)
29. “Oh Susanna” (1846)
30. “Goodnight Irene” (1933)
31. “Home on the Range” (1873)
32. “When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again” (1863)
33. “Down by the Old Mill Stream” (1910)
34. “Dixie” (1859)
35. “Yankee Doodle” (1754)
36. “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” (1934)
37. “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” (1832)
38. “You Are My Sunshine” (1940)
39. “The Yellow Rose of Texas” (1853)
40. “Joy to the World” (1719)
41. “Darktown Strutters’ Ball” (1917)
42. “Camptown Races (Gwine to Run All Night)” (1850)
43. “O Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles)” (1905)
44. “Auld Lang Syne” (1799)
45. “It Ain’t Gonna Rain No Mo’” (1923)
46. “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” (1855)
47. “The Little Drummer Boy” (1958)
48. “Wabash Cannonball” (1882)
49. “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” (1706)
50. “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” (1806)
51. “Tom Dooley” (1940)
52. “Clementine” (1863)
53. “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” (1873)
54. “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” (1894)
55. “O Holy Night (Minuit, Chrétiens)” (1847)
56. “On the Banks of the Wabash” (1897)
57. “The Arkansaw Traveler” (1863)
58. “The First Noel” (1823)
59. “Hello Central, Give Me Heaven” (1901)
60. “Ave Maria” (1825)
61. “Away in a Manger” (1882)
62. “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean” (1881)
63. “O Little Town of Bethlehem” (1868)
64. “The Man on the Flying Trapeze” (1867)
65. “She’ll Be Comin’ ‘Round the Mountain” (1899)
66. “Wildwood Flower” (1928)
67. “Jimmy Crack Corn (The Blue Tail Fly)” (1846)
68. “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear” (1850)
69. “The Battle Cry of Freedom” (1862)
70. “We Three Kings of Orient Are” (1857)
71. “Baa Baa Black Sheep” (1744)
72. “Greensleeves” (1580)
73. “Rock of Ages” (1763)
74. “Buffalo Gals (Buffalo Girls Will You Come Out Tonight)” (1844)
75. “London Bridge Is Falling Down” (1744)
76. “I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen” (1875)
77. “On Top of Old Smoky” (1841)
78. “Danny Boy” (1913)
79. “God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman” (1760)
80. “Drill, Ye Terriers, Drill” (1888)
81. “Shenandoah” (1837)
82. “O Where, O Where Has My Little Dog Gone” (1864)
83. “Grandfather's Clock” (1876)
84. “Rock-a-Bye Baby” (1884)
85. “The Twelve Days of Christmas” (1951)
86. “Alphabet Song (The ABC Song)” (1761)
87. “Skip to My Lou” (1832)
88. “Beautiful Dreamer” (1864)
89. “Pop Goes the Weasel” (1853)
90. “Michael Row the Boat Ashore” (1867)
91. “Hail Columbia (The President’s March)” (1789)
92. “Row Row Row Your Boat” (1852)
93. “Mary Had a Little Lamb” (1830)
94. “Froggie Went a Courtin'“ (1700)
95. “Polly Wolly Doodle (All the Day)” (1843)
96. “Goodbye Dolly Gray” (1897)
97. “Among My Souvenirs” (1928)
98. “In the Sweet By-and-By” (1868)
99. “What Shall We Do with a Drunken Sailor?” (1740)
100. “Lorena” (1857)
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First posted 2/16/2025. | 
