The 1886 Baby Name Report

255,316 babies, 2,225 unique names — the risers, fallers, and brand-new arrivals of 1886

👑 #1 girls: Mary (7 years running) 👑 #1 boys: John (7 years running) 159 debuts

Top girls

  1. Mary9,889
  2. Anna4,283
  3. Emma2,764
  4. Elizabeth2,680
  5. Minnie2,372
  6. Margaret2,275
  7. Ida2,049
  8. Bertha2,001
  9. Clara1,916
  10. Florence1,860

Top boys

  1. John9,026
  2. William8,252
  3. James5,355
  4. George4,671
  5. Charles4,533
  6. Frank3,127
  7. Joseph2,594
  8. Robert2,443
  9. Henry2,404
  10. Thomas2,337

Full top-50 rankings for 1886 →

🚀 Fastest risers

  1. Hazel #105 → #81 (+24)
  2. Lela #139 → #123 (+16)
  3. Theodore #84 → #69 (+15)
  4. Marion #126 → #113 (+13)
  5. Viola #88 → #77 (+11)
  6. Herman #55 → #44 (+11)
  7. Nina #130 → #119 (+11)
  8. Ora #120 → #110 (+10)
  9. Leo #83 → #73 (+10)
  10. Henrietta #117 → #108 (+9)

📉 Biggest fallers

  1. Grover #20 → #45 (−25)
  2. Charley #65 → #81 (−16)
  3. Caroline #78 → #92 (−14)
  4. Jane #91 → #105 (−14)
  5. Amy #112 → #126 (−14)
  6. Lydia #77 → #87 (−10)
  7. Harriet #89 → #99 (−10)
  8. Bert #66 → #76 (−10)
  9. Ira #75 → #85 (−10)
  10. Leona #115 → #125 (−10)

✨ Never recorded before 1886

Manuelita (10) Terrence (10) Ima (9) Bartley (9) Shedrick (9) Clytie (8) Hertha (8) Melanie (8) Metha (8) Sigrid (8)

159 names appeared in SSA records for the first time ever in 1886.

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What were the most popular baby names in 1886?
Mary was the #1 girl name and John the #1 boy name in 1886, out of 255,316 recorded births.
What baby name rose fastest in 1886?
Hazel made the biggest jump in 1886, climbing 24 spots to #81.
How many new baby names appeared in 1886?
159 names were recorded by the SSA for the first time ever in 1886.