The 1882 Baby Name Report

221,533 babies, 2,012 unique names — the risers, fallers, and brand-new arrivals of 1882

👑 #1 girls: Mary (3 years running) 👑 #1 boys: John (3 years running) 277 debuts

Top girls

  1. Mary8,148
  2. Anna3,143
  3. Emma2,303
  4. Elizabeth2,186
  5. Minnie2,004
  6. Margaret1,821
  7. Ida1,673
  8. Alice1,542
  9. Bertha1,508
  10. Annie1,492

Top boys

  1. John9,557
  2. William9,298
  3. James5,892
  4. George5,193
  5. Charles5,091
  6. Frank3,176
  7. Joseph2,670
  8. Thomas2,610
  9. Henry2,579
  10. Robert2,500

Full top-50 rankings for 1882 →

🚀 Fastest risers

  1. Helen #43 → #31 (+12)
  2. Olive #100 → #88 (+12)
  3. Paul #55 → #44 (+11)
  4. Viola #92 → #83 (+9)
  5. Louise #42 → #34 (+8)
  6. Georgia #89 → #81 (+8)
  7. Esther #105 → #97 (+8)
  8. Guy #76 → #68 (+8)
  9. Stephen #89 → #81 (+8)
  10. Lena #50 → #43 (+7)

📉 Biggest fallers

  1. Lulu #76 → #93 (−17)
  2. Ira #57 → #71 (−14)
  3. Caroline #73 → #85 (−12)
  4. Amelia #93 → #102 (−9)
  5. Nancy #59 → #67 (−8)
  6. Alexander #71 → #79 (−8)
  7. Eva #34 → #41 (−7)
  8. Jacob #39 → #46 (−7)
  9. Edgar #51 → #58 (−7)
  10. Della #60 → #66 (−6)

✨ Never recorded before 1882

Verda (14) Cleve (13) Attie (10) Gretchen (10) Hermina (10) Nelly (10) Linus (10) Reinhold (10) Eller (9) Hetty (9)

277 names appeared in SSA records for the first time ever in 1882.

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What were the most popular baby names in 1882?
Mary was the #1 girl name and John the #1 boy name in 1882, out of 221,533 recorded births.
What baby name rose fastest in 1882?
Helen made the biggest jump in 1882, climbing 12 spots to #31.
How many new baby names appeared in 1882?
277 names were recorded by the SSA for the first time ever in 1882.