The 1885 Baby Name Report

240,854 babies, 2,139 unique names — the risers, fallers, and brand-new arrivals of 1885

👑 #1 girls: Mary (6 years running) 👑 #1 boys: John (6 years running) 172 debuts

Top girls

  1. Mary9,128
  2. Anna3,994
  3. Emma2,728
  4. Elizabeth2,582
  5. Margaret2,204
  6. Minnie2,178
  7. Clara1,910
  8. Bertha1,860
  9. Ida1,854
  10. Annie1,703

Top boys

  1. John8,756
  2. William8,044
  3. James5,175
  4. George4,674
  5. Charles4,599
  6. Frank3,067
  7. Joseph2,540
  8. Henry2,406
  9. Robert2,322
  10. Thomas2,266

Full top-50 rankings for 1885 →

🚀 Fastest risers

  1. Beulah #113 → #96 (+17)
  2. Hazel #122 → #105 (+17)
  3. Irene #95 → #82 (+13)
  4. Amy #123 → #112 (+11)
  5. Addie #85 → #76 (+9)
  6. Jim #55 → #46 (+9)
  7. Jessie #90 → #81 (+9)
  8. Elsie #63 → #55 (+8)
  9. Eugene #59 → #51 (+8)
  10. Marie #49 → #42 (+7)

📉 Biggest fallers

  1. Lela #120 → #139 (−19)
  2. Anne #110 → #125 (−15)
  3. Ora #106 → #120 (−14)
  4. Ben #52 → #62 (−10)
  5. Kate #87 → #97 (−10)
  6. Hannah #103 → #113 (−10)
  7. Chester #58 → #67 (−9)
  8. Ira #66 → #75 (−9)
  9. Etta #75 → #83 (−8)
  10. Charlotte #86 → #94 (−8)

✨ Never recorded before 1885

Clotilde (13) Myrna (11) Medora (10) Eulalie (9) Hildur (9) Imo (9) Ragna (9) Terence (9) Emmy (8) Hildegarde (8)

172 names appeared in SSA records for the first time ever in 1885.

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What were the most popular baby names in 1885?
Mary was the #1 girl name and John the #1 boy name in 1885, out of 240,854 recorded births.
What baby name rose fastest in 1885?
Beulah made the biggest jump in 1885, climbing 17 spots to #96.
How many new baby names appeared in 1885?
172 names were recorded by the SSA for the first time ever in 1885.