Birth year roster

Top names in 1896

The 100 most common names on 1896 birth certificates, for girls and boys, ranked by SSA records.

Mary and John led the 1896 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, 104 are now endangered or extinct; the tag on each shows where it stands today.

Explore the 1890s decade

Girls

#1Mary Endangered13,811
#2Anna Declining5,860
#3Helen Endangered4,392
#4Margaret Endangered4,050
#5Ruth Endangered3,905
#6Ethel Endangered3,502
#7Elizabeth Stable3,471
#8Florence Endangered3,323
#9Marie Endangered3,087
#10Emma Declining2,872
#11Lillian Declining2,702
#12Alice Stable2,651
#13Edna Endangered2,604
#14Clara Stable2,582
#15Bertha Endangered2,565
#16Minnie Endangered2,530
#17Grace Declining2,485
#18Bessie Endangered2,435
#19Annie Rising2,358
#20Rose Stable2,341
#21Mabel Rising2,283
#22Hazel Rising2,226
#23Gertrude Endangered2,221
#24Ida Endangered2,159
#25Pearl Endangered2,101
#26Martha Endangered2,022
#27Esther Stable1,964
#28Frances Endangered1,964
#29Edith Endangered1,932
#30Myrtle Endangered1,928
#31Elsie Rising1,878
#32Eva Declining1,779
#33Gladys Endangered1,757
#34Nellie Rising1,696
#35Sarah Endangered1,691
#36Ella Declining1,683
#37Laura Endangered1,665
#38Agnes Endangered1,654
#39Mildred Endangered1,620
#40Catherine Endangered1,594
#41Irene Endangered1,593
#42Louise Endangered1,531
#43Lillie Stable1,483
#44Julia Stable1,407
#45Carrie Endangered1,388
#46Dorothy Endangered1,366
#47Hattie Rising1,320
#48Lena Stable1,318
#49Mattie Endangered1,288
#50Josephine Rising1,256
#51Alma Rising1,243
#52Cora Stable1,204
#53Jennie Endangered1,178
#54Blanche Endangered1,150
#55Mae Stable1,148
#56Maude Endangered1,104
#57Jessie Endangered1,103
#58Mamie Endangered1,081
#59Lucy Stable1,074
#60Stella Stable1,054
#61Katherine Declining1,047
#62Viola Endangered1,047
#63Ada Rising1,041
#64Lula Endangered1,012
#65Fannie Endangered1,001
#66Ruby Stable994
#67Marion Endangered987
#68Dora Endangered874
#69Maggie Stable871
#70Beatrice Endangered870
#71Nora Stable844
#72Sadie Stable827
#73Ellen Endangered811
#74Rosa Stable808
#75Pauline Endangered756
#76Willie Endangered755
#77Beulah Endangered750
#78Marguerite Endangered725
#79Susie Endangered718
#80Effie Endangered716
#81Vera Stable675
#82May Rising671
#83Daisy Rising661
#84Evelyn Stable646
#85Della Rising642
#86Lucille Stable637
#87Nettie Endangered628
#88Kathryn Endangered625
#89Virginia Endangered621
#90Olive Rising583
#91Lydia Stable580
#92Lottie Rising574
#93Georgia Rising562
#94Leona Stable556
#95Hilda Endangered549
#96Emily Declining527
#97Flora Rising527
#98Nancy Endangered527
#99Katie Endangered516
#100Lizzie Rising508

Boys

#1John Past peak8,138
#2William Declining7,747
#3James Stable5,206
#4George Stable4,286
#5Charles Stable3,639
#6Joseph Declining3,051
#7Frank Endangered2,845
#8Robert Endangered2,719
#9Edward Endangered2,296
#10Henry Stable2,183
#11Harry Endangered2,091
#12Thomas Stable2,088
#13Walter Stable2,017
#14Arthur Rising1,821
#15Albert Endangered1,434
#16Fred Endangered1,393
#17Clarence Endangered1,254
#18Willie Endangered1,092
#19Roy Endangered1,027
#20Paul Endangered964
#21Earl Endangered892
#22Louis Stable871
#23Harold Endangered862
#24Raymond Endangered859
#25Carl Endangered852
#26Richard Endangered834
#27Joe Endangered767
#28David Past peak765
#29Ernest Endangered764
#30Ralph Endangered746
#31Samuel Stable734
#32Charlie Rising714
#33Howard Endangered677
#34Herbert Endangered635
#35Jesse Stable586
#36Elmer Endangered576
#37Andrew Declining566
#38Daniel Declining561
#39Francis Stable551
#40Jack Stable539
#41Oscar Stable539
#42Alfred Endangered527
#43Sam Stable518
#44Will Declining508
#45Eugene Endangered507
#46Lawrence Endangered499
#47Leo Rising497
#48Lee Endangered455
#49Herman Endangered427
#50Ray Endangered426
#51Benjamin Declining416
#52Peter Stable402
#53Michael Past peak399
#54Claude Endangered398
#55Floyd Endangered396
#56Lewis Rising386
#57Frederick Stable381
#58Clyde Stable372
#59Edwin Stable351
#60Leonard Endangered350
#61Martin Stable343
#62Tom Endangered339
#63Chester Endangered329
#64Russell Stable327
#65Lester Endangered318
#66Clifford Endangered311
#67Lloyd Endangered308
#68Edgar Declining306
#69Ben Stable299
#70Harvey Rising292
#71Jim Endangered281
#72Leroy Endangered278
#73Anthony Declining276
#74Luther Endangered265
#75Hugh Stable263
#76Eddie Endangered262
#77Guy Endangered262
#78Stanley Endangered259
#79Homer Endangered258
#80Otto Rising250
#81Ed Declining246
#82Bernard Endangered241
#83Jacob Declining241
#84Theodore Rising241
#85Leslie Endangered237
#86Leon Rising235
#87Alexander Declining232
#88Archie Rising230
#89Jessie Endangered229
#90Everett Stable224
#91Allen Endangered219
#92Philip Endangered218
#93Patrick Declining214
#94Donald Endangered211
#95Horace Endangered204
#96Victor Declining201
#97Cecil Endangered200
#98Milton Endangered194
#99Oliver Stable194
#100Isaac Declining191