Birth year roster

Top names in 1888

The 100 most common names on 1888 birth certificates, for girls and boys, ranked by SSA records.

Mary and John led the 1888 baby-name charts, the top names among late-19th-century births. Mary was the #1 girls’ name for 76 years in all (between 1880 and 1961); John was the #1 boys’ name for 44 years in all (1880–1923). Of the 200 names below, 100 are now endangered or extinct; the tag on each shows where it stands today.

Explore the 1880s decade

Girls

#1Mary Endangered11,754
#2Anna Declining4,982
#3Elizabeth Stable3,224
#4Emma Declining3,087
#5Margaret Endangered2,904
#6Minnie Endangered2,654
#7Bertha Endangered2,450
#8Florence Endangered2,444
#9Ethel Endangered2,374
#10Bessie Endangered2,278
#11Clara Stable2,230
#12Ida Endangered2,229
#13Alice Stable2,202
#14Annie Rising2,188
#15Grace Declining2,090
#16Helen Endangered1,847
#17Mabel Rising1,830
#18Ella Declining1,774
#19Martha Endangered1,769
#20Sarah Endangered1,755
#21Nellie Rising1,736
#22Edna Endangered1,687
#23Lillian Declining1,656
#24Carrie Endangered1,647
#25Laura Endangered1,624
#26Pearl Endangered1,591
#27Rose Stable1,590
#28Gertrude Endangered1,468
#29Edith Endangered1,453
#30Frances Endangered1,452
#31Cora Stable1,433
#32Maude Endangered1,396
#33Louise Endangered1,334
#34Eva Declining1,329
#35Myrtle Endangered1,310
#36Hattie Rising1,298
#37Jennie Endangered1,298
#38Julia Stable1,292
#39Mattie Endangered1,268
#40Marie Endangered1,258
#41Lillie Stable1,249
#42Catherine Endangered1,212
#43Jessie Endangered1,200
#44Lula Endangered1,173
#45Lena Stable1,162
#46Ada Rising1,116
#47Elsie Rising1,112
#48Agnes Endangered1,046
#49Josephine Rising1,001
#50Fannie Endangered991
#51Lucy Stable964
#52Blanche Endangered942
#53Mamie Endangered917
#54Dora Endangered898
#55Hazel Rising898
#56Katherine Declining893
#57Maggie Stable882
#58Alma Rising853
#59Ruth Endangered850
#60Mae Stable836
#61Nora Stable832
#62Rosa Stable832
#63May Rising782
#64Stella Stable775
#65Effie Endangered744
#66Irene Endangered722
#67Nettie Endangered692
#68Ellen Endangered691
#69Sadie Stable691
#70Sallie Endangered633
#71Della Rising621
#72Susie Endangered621
#73Daisy Rising612
#74Viola Endangered596
#75Lizzie Rising593
#76Nancy Endangered582
#77Esther Stable572
#78Flora Rising541
#79Willie Endangered522
#80Katie Endangered516
#81Lottie Rising511
#82Etta Stable500
#83Mildred Endangered499
#84Georgia Rising477
#85Lydia Stable472
#86Maud Declining469
#87Olive Rising465
#88Charlotte Stable464
#89Caroline Declining458
#90Emily Declining457
#91Addie Stable455
#92Jane Stable446
#93Kathryn Endangered446
#94Ruby Stable445
#95Beulah Endangered426
#96Ollie Endangered411
#97Amanda Endangered404
#98Pauline Endangered393
#99Harriet Endangered389
#100Virginia Endangered385

Boys

#1John Past peak9,247
#2William Declining8,705
#3James Stable5,562
#4George Stable4,912
#5Charles Stable4,591
#6Frank Endangered3,459
#7Joseph Declining2,993
#8Robert Endangered2,814
#9Harry Endangered2,759
#10Henry Stable2,596
#11Edward Endangered2,470
#12Thomas Stable2,449
#13Walter Stable2,040
#14Arthur Rising1,710
#15Fred Endangered1,665
#16Albert Endangered1,569
#17Clarence Endangered1,022
#18Samuel Stable931
#19Louis Stable884
#20Roy Endangered856
#21David Past peak801
#22Charlie Rising796
#23Joe Endangered789
#24Willie Endangered786
#25Benjamin Declining781
#26Richard Endangered772
#27Ernest Endangered766
#28Will Declining707
#29Carl Endangered675
#30Earl Endangered675
#31Oscar Stable647
#32Jesse Stable637
#33Andrew Declining615
#34Sam Stable607
#35Daniel Declining566
#36Ralph Endangered547
#37Alfred Endangered536
#38Paul Endangered529
#39Elmer Endangered527
#40Howard Endangered513
#41Peter Stable498
#42Frederick Stable496
#43Herbert Endangered485
#44Grover Endangered474
#45Raymond Endangered469
#46Michael Past peak466
#47Ben Stable463
#48Lee Endangered430
#49Tom Endangered416
#50Lewis Rising412
#51Herman Endangered403
#52Harrison Stable400
#53Eugene Endangered398
#54Martin Stable378
#55Claude Endangered374
#56Jim Endangered362
#57Francis Stable353
#58Jacob Declining353
#59Leo Rising353
#60Clyde Stable344
#61Lawrence Endangered343
#62Harvey Rising334
#63Ray Endangered331
#64Jack Stable329
#65Edgar Declining321
#66Otto Rising312
#67Floyd Endangered302
#68Ed Declining301
#69Edwin Stable298
#70Harold Endangered298
#71Guy Endangered297
#72Chester Endangered288
#73Bert Endangered282
#74Luther Endangered275
#75Allen Endangered260
#76Homer Endangered256
#77Charley Stable254
#78Jessie Endangered254
#79Hugh Stable253
#80Theodore Rising249
#81Patrick Declining245
#82Alexander Declining237
#83Leonard Endangered225
#84Ira Stable222
#85Isaac Declining221
#86August Rising213
#87Bernard Endangered207
#88Oliver Stable206
#89Julius Stable197
#90Leon Rising196
#91Philip Endangered196
#92Clifford Endangered194
#93Anthony Declining193
#94Eddie Endangered193
#95Leroy Endangered192
#96Archie Rising191
#97Lester Endangered189
#98Stephen Endangered187
#99Leslie Endangered175
#100Lloyd Endangered175