Decade dossier

1880s baby names

The names that defined the 1880s: John and Mary led the decade, but the full roster tells a richer story.

A 1880s classroom probably included Mary, Anna, John, William. Some became durable classics; others now read like timestamps.

Girls

#1Mary91,668
#2Anna38,159
#3Emma25,404
#4Elizabeth25,006
#5Margaret21,799
#6Minnie21,724
#7Ida18,283
#8Bertha18,263
#9Clara17,717
#10Alice17,142
#11Annie17,027
#12Florence16,699
#13Bessie15,373
#14Grace15,227
#15Ethel14,866
#16Sarah14,715
#17Ella13,936
#18Martha13,911
#19Nellie13,761
#20Mabel13,096
#21Laura12,806
#22Carrie12,514
#23Cora11,954
#24Helen11,496
#25Maude11,454

Boys

#1John89,949
#2William84,881
#3James54,055
#4George47,651
#5Charles46,656
#6Frank30,967
#7Joseph26,292
#8Henry24,139
#9Robert24,074
#10Thomas23,750
#11Edward23,133
#12Harry22,649
#13Walter18,185
#14Arthur16,180
#15Fred15,602
#16Albert14,375
#17Samuel9,129
#18Clarence8,760
#19Louis8,275
#20David7,569
#21Joe7,098
#22Charlie7,091
#23Richard7,010
#24Ernest6,700
#25Roy6,565