Names That Peaked In 1881

These names hit their all-time highest U.S. ranking in 1881 and have never ranked as high since — the sound of that moment, frozen in the data. (The #1 names that year were Mary and John — reigning champions usually peak in a different year than they reign.)

Peaked in 1880 Peaked in 1882 Full 1881 top 100 The 1880s as a whole

Name & meaning	Babies 2025 · rank	5-year rank movement	Peak year
George	2,848#126	Up 6 rank positions in five years	1921
Annie	1,690#182	Up 107 rank positions in five years	1922
Charlie	2,460#145	Up 59 rank positions in five years	1919
Jessie	330#824	Down 105 rank positions in five years	1918
Lillie	420#676	Up 44 rank positions in five years	1919
Edgar	617#486	Down 95 rank positions in five years	2005
Nellie	567#533	Up 309 rank positions in five years	1918
Dan	78#1,962	Down 193 rank positions in five years	1960
Dora	75#2,388	Up 11 rank positions in five years	1921
Andy	524#565	Down 164 rank positions in five years	2005
Fannie	46#3,355	Down 821 rank positions in five years	1918
Lula	100#1,937	Down 213 rank positions in five years	1921
Della	533#563	Up 353 rank positions in five years	1917
Dave	55#2,456	Down 474 rank positions in five years	1959
Ira	301#822	Down 19 rank positions in five years	1947
Lora	58#2,916	Down 429 rank positions in five years	1963
Clark	837#377	Up 10 rank positions in five years	1961
Sallie	33#4,339	Up 1,943 rank positions in five years	1916
Nettie	22#5,662	Up 3,132 rank positions in five years	1918
Helena	841#363	Up 149 rank positions in five years	2025
Irvin	80#1,937	Down 118 rank positions in five years	1923
Ora	40#3,759	Up 379 rank positions in five years	1919
Lucinda	116#1,750	Down 162 rank positions in five years	1957
Hugo	837#378	Up 43 rank positions in five years	2025
Lenora	562#539	Up 575 rank positions in five years	1924
Ina	66#2,627	Up 617 rank positions in five years	1921
Emil	155#1,269	Down 34 rank positions in five years	1917
Luella	349#780	Up 194 rank positions in five years	1918
Polly	79#2,318	Up 683 rank positions in five years	1964
Alta	33#4,266	Up 746 rank positions in five years	1918
Rosetta	48#3,289	Down 115 rank positions in five years	1948
Winnie	646#475	Up 296 rank positions in five years	2025
Rhoda	47#3,337	Up 45 rank positions in five years	1926
Abbie	125#1,652	Up 426 rank positions in five years	2003
Louisa	407#697	Up 28 rank positions in five years	2021
Malinda	59#2,881	Down 114 rank positions in five years	1969
Asa	622#483	Up 23 rank positions in five years	2022
Dolly	113#1,781	Up 946 rank positions in five years	1926
Emery	305#815	Down 76 rank positions in five years	2012
Abram	350#742	Down 189 rank positions in five years	2016
Dollie	13#7,992	Up 1,112 rank positions in five years	1921
Emory	269#883	Down 63 rank positions in five years	1920
Liza	126#1,648	Up 89 rank positions in five years	1973
Nona	12#8,723	Down 1,589 rank positions in five years	1950
Katheryn	45#3,427	Down 117 rank positions in five years	1990
Lucian	670#462	Up 174 rank positions in five years	2025
Hiram	103#1,639	Down 110 rank positions in five years	1920
Hester	5#15,766	new	1918
Louella	146#1,475	Up 1,095 rank positions in five years	1932
Lulu	50#3,194	Down 387 rank positions in five years	1886
Dudley	6#11,013	Down 2,065 rank positions in five years	1931
Kitty	—Unranked	—	1947
Lettie	358#757	Up 708 rank positions in five years	2025
Ambrose	358#735	Up 83 rank positions in five years	2021
Emmie	407#695	Down 76 rank positions in five years	2018
Lucius	189#1,129	Up 95 rank positions in five years	2025
Lemuel	74#2,030	Up 129 rank positions in five years	1921
George	5#15,698	Down 3,103 rank positions in five years	1927
Abner	274#874	Up 102 rank positions in five years	2024
Linnie	14#7,713	Up 5,209 rank positions in five years	1921
Madison	18#5,326	Down 1,552 rank positions in five years	1995
Cathrine	—Unranked	—	1956
Alpha	6#13,294	Down 1,075 rank positions in five years	1916
Art	34#3,381	Up 438 rank positions in five years	1961
Orrin	62#2,278	Up 4 rank positions in five years	1915
Waldo	6#11,902	Up 27 rank positions in five years	1915
Garfield	5#12,647	new	1881
Lyda	5#16,332	Down 7,602 rank positions in five years	1916
Alford	—Unranked	—	1930
Giles	12#6,928	Down 1,829 rank positions in five years	1918
Nella	60#2,852	Down 262 rank positions in five years	1927
Lou	81#1,929	Up 410 rank positions in five years	2025
Christ	34#3,391	Up 1,679 rank positions in five years	1923
Isa	119#1,717	Up 309 rank positions in five years	2025
Otho	—Unranked	—	1915
Newell	—Unranked	—	1916
Vinnie	6#14,816	new	1916
Arvilla	—Unranked	—	1924
Rilla	7#12,908	Down 5,416 rank positions in five years	1914
Louie	35#4,134	Up 2,956 rank positions in five years	1918
Alma	7#9,762	Up 2,362 rank positions in five years	1918
Finis	—Unranked	—	1922
Ole	21#4,819	Down 443 rank positions in five years	1881
Benjamine	—Unranked	—	1919
Soloman	17#5,574	Down 900 rank positions in five years	1999
Almon	—Unranked	—	1918
Sophronia	6#14,707	new	1900
Brown	10#7,760	new	1918
Cicero	5#12,396	Steady	1920
Solon	5#13,623	Down 1,797 rank positions in five years	1916
Lige	—Unranked	—	1915
Elihu	14#6,212	Down 1,126 rank positions in five years	1928
Pink	—Unranked	—	1919
Bee	—Unranked	—	1991
Perley	—Unranked	—	1915
Adda	16#6,837	new	1888
Tobe	—Unranked	—	1916
Mat	—Unranked	—	1917
Loula	13#8,147	new	1884
Asbury	—Unranked	—	1917

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How this list is built

A name “peaked” in 1881 when that year holds its best-ever position in the national rankings — rank, not raw count, because raw counts track how many babies were born and would pile every “peak” into the boom years. To qualify, a name must have reached the top 1,000 at its height and have at least 500 all-time applications. Lists are ordered by that peak rank.

One caveat for 1881: the records begin in 1880, so a name shown peaking here may already have been fading when counting started — its true peak could lie earlier, out of sight.

Ranks come from U.S. births, counted separately for girls and boys. “Unranked” today means fewer than 5 applications in the latest year — uncommon, never invalid.