The 1881 Baby Name Report

192,688 babies, 1,829 unique names — the risers, fallers, and brand-new arrivals of 1881

👑 #1 girls: Mary (2 years running) 👑 #1 boys: John (2 years running) 278 debuts

Top girls

  1. Mary6,919
  2. Anna2,698
  3. Emma2,034
  4. Elizabeth1,852
  5. Margaret1,658
  6. Minnie1,653
  7. Ida1,439
  8. Annie1,326
  9. Bertha1,324
  10. Alice1,308

Top boys

  1. John8,768
  2. William8,524
  3. James5,441
  4. George4,664
  5. Charles4,636
  6. Frank2,834
  7. Joseph2,456
  8. Henry2,339
  9. Thomas2,282
  10. Edward2,177

Full top-50 rankings for 1881 →

🚀 Fastest risers

  1. Chester #85 → #59 (+26)
  2. Ethel #38 → #25 (+13)
  3. Willie #105 → #94 (+11)
  4. Lulu #86 → #76 (+10)
  5. Edgar #61 → #51 (+10)
  6. Emily #100 → #90 (+10)
  7. Pearl #47 → #38 (+9)
  8. Ralph #54 → #45 (+9)
  9. Ira #66 → #57 (+9)
  10. Ruth #93 → #84 (+9)

📉 Biggest fallers

  1. Francis #50 → #63 (−13)
  2. Harriet #73 → #85 (−12)
  3. Catherine #31 → #40 (−9)
  4. Theodore #70 → #79 (−9)
  5. Ada #33 → #41 (−8)
  6. Helen #35 → #43 (−8)
  7. Mamie #58 → #66 (−8)
  8. Michael #46 → #54 (−8)
  9. Patrick #67 → #75 (−8)
  10. Guy #68 → #76 (−8)

✨ Never recorded before 1881

Adell (14) Celeste (14) Brown (14) Newell (14) Carter (12) Audrey (11) Zadie (11) Lucas (11) Aura (10) Elta (10)

278 names appeared in SSA records for the first time ever in 1881.

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What were the most popular baby names in 1881?
Mary was the #1 girl name and John the #1 boy name in 1881, out of 192,688 recorded births.
What baby name rose fastest in 1881?
Chester made the biggest jump in 1881, climbing 26 spots to #59.
How many new baby names appeared in 1881?
278 names were recorded by the SSA for the first time ever in 1881.