The 1896 Baby Name Report

357,484 babies, 2,839 unique names — the risers, fallers, and brand-new arrivals of 1896

👑 #1 girls: Mary (17 years running) 👑 #1 boys: John (17 years running) 132 debuts

Top girls

  1. Mary13,811
  2. Anna5,860
  3. Helen4,392
  4. Margaret4,050
  5. Ruth3,905
  6. Ethel3,502
  7. Elizabeth3,471
  8. Florence3,323
  9. Marie3,087
  10. Emma2,872

Top boys

  1. John8,138
  2. William7,747
  3. James5,206
  4. George4,286
  5. Charles3,639
  6. Joseph3,051
  7. Frank2,845
  8. Robert2,719
  9. Edward2,296
  10. Henry2,183

Full top-50 rankings for 1896 →

🚀 Fastest risers

  1. Doris #193 → #152 (+41)
  2. Thelma #205 → #168 (+37)
  3. Kathleen #196 → #169 (+27)
  4. Lois #144 → #123 (+21)
  5. Sylvia #157 → #140 (+17)
  6. Teresa #209 → #192 (+17)
  7. Lucille #101 → #86 (+15)
  8. Madeline #174 → #159 (+15)
  9. Velma #189 → #174 (+15)
  10. Fern #200 → #186 (+14)

📉 Biggest fallers

  1. Belle #155 → #176 (−21)
  2. Allie #166 → #185 (−19)
  3. Leah #192 → #211 (−19)
  4. Susan #120 → #138 (−18)
  5. Isabelle #190 → #208 (−18)
  6. Norma #181 → #198 (−17)
  7. Tillie #185 → #202 (−17)
  8. Mayme #187 → #204 (−17)
  9. Sara #127 → #143 (−16)
  10. Lulu #165 → #181 (−16)

✨ Never recorded before 1896

Lotus (11) Hazen (11) Swannie (10) Silver (10) Elina (9) Annamae (8) Casimira (8) Cathleen (8) Rayford (8) Virgel (8)

132 names appeared in SSA records for the first time ever in 1896.

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What were the most popular baby names in 1896?
Mary was the #1 girl name and John the #1 boy name in 1896, out of 357,484 recorded births.
What baby name rose fastest in 1896?
Doris made the biggest jump in 1896, climbing 41 spots to #152.
How many new baby names appeared in 1896?
132 names were recorded by the SSA for the first time ever in 1896.