The 1890s Baby Name Report

3,362,511 babies, 4,509 unique names — the risers, fallers, and brand-new arrivals of the 1890s

1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899
👑 #1 girls: Mary 👑 #1 boys: John 1,253 debuts

Top girls

  1. Mary131,138
  2. Anna55,261
  3. Margaret37,937
  4. Helen37,802
  5. Elizabeth33,879
  6. Ruth32,867
  7. Florence32,345
  8. Ethel31,453
  9. Emma28,652
  10. Marie25,853

Top boys

  1. John80,664
  2. William72,244
  3. James50,723
  4. George43,358
  5. Charles36,848
  6. Joseph29,000
  7. Frank28,718
  8. Robert26,147
  9. Edward22,033
  10. Henry21,664

Full top-50 rankings for the 1890s →

🚀 Fastest risers

  1. Dewey #1,093 → #94 (+999)
  2. Thelma #784 → #169 (+615)
  3. Doris #378 → #171 (+207)
  4. Wilma #454 → #263 (+191)
  5. Opal #375 → #208 (+167)
  6. Kenneth #283 → #126 (+157)
  7. Velma #338 → #184 (+154)
  8. Muriel #413 → #270 (+143)
  9. Kathleen #324 → #193 (+131)
  10. Veronica #353 → #231 (+122)

📉 Biggest fallers

  1. Louisa #151 → #242 (−91)
  2. Lou #157 → #241 (−84)
  3. Bettie #162 → #227 (−65)
  4. Lulu #95 → #157 (−62)
  5. Grover #56 → #114 (−58)
  6. Delia #141 → #199 (−58)
  7. Maud #74 → #130 (−56)
  8. Mathilda #179 → #235 (−56)
  9. Belle #107 → #162 (−55)
  10. Eliza #104 → #156 (−52)

✨ Never recorded before the 1890s

Mckinley (478) Melba (216) Maurine (192) Hobert (189) Jennings (159) Madelyn (156) Manila (145) Bethel (141) Carmella (107) Corbett (106)

1,253 names appeared in SSA records for the first time ever in the 1890s.

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What were the most popular baby names in the 1890s?
Mary was the #1 girl name and John the #1 boy name in the 1890s, out of 3,362,511 recorded births.
What baby name rose fastest in the 1890s?
Dewey made the biggest jump in the 1890s, climbing 999 spots to #94.
How many new baby names appeared in the 1890s?
1,253 names were recorded by the SSA for the first time ever in the 1890s.