Names That Peaked In 1887

These names hit their all-time highest U.S. ranking in 1887 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 1886 Peaked in 1888 Full 1887 top 100 The 1880s as a whole

Name & meaning	Babies 2025 · rank	5-year rank movement	Peak year
Elizabeth	6,760#17	Down 1 rank positions in five years	1990
Nina	946#324	Up 3 rank positions in five years	1980
Claude	40#3,043	Down 276 rank positions in five years	1920
Hugh	360#732	Up 17 rank positions in five years	1916
Luther	122#1,464	Up 45 rank positions in five years	1922
Harley	199#1,083	Down 302 rank positions in five years	1994
Jess	18#5,297	Down 818 rank positions in five years	1915
Pearlie	—Unranked	—	1937
Millard	10#8,031	Up 5,373 rank positions in five years	1922
Barney	5#12,270	Down 29 rank positions in five years	1919
Pansy	—Unranked	—	1916
Anabel	33#4,269	Down 1,552 rank positions in five years	2014
Napoleon	22#4,650	Up 2,253 rank positions in five years	1926
Dee	—Unranked	—	1919
Burl	—Unranked	—	1921
Bess	5#15,303	Down 4,048 rank positions in five years	1889
Evelina	349#778	Up 559 rank positions in five years	2025
Williams	40#3,085	Up 48 rank positions in five years	1950
Wylie	175#1,182	Up 648 rank positions in five years	2025
Edd	—Unranked	—	1919
Sabra	8#11,735	Up 3,065 rank positions in five years	1961
Edson	94#1,735	Up 16 rank positions in five years	2019
Zona	5#17,270	Down 8,324 rank positions in five years	1916
Elmira	11#9,025	Up 2,369 rank positions in five years	1921
Armond	18#5,223	Down 171 rank positions in five years	1924
Delila	45#3,411	Up 331 rank positions in five years	2008
Theo	21#5,893	Down 2,400 rank positions in five years	1924
Eugenie	8#11,245	Up 2,726 rank positions in five years	1920
Magdalen	15#7,356	Up 76 rank positions in five years	1915
Arvid	9#8,319	Down 2,320 rank positions in five years	1916
Ossie	—Unranked	—	1919
Fulton	67#2,153	Down 99 rank positions in five years	2024
Amon	40#3,037	Down 670 rank positions in five years	2023
Thompson	59#2,359	Up 182 rank positions in five years	2018
Arlie	61#2,781	Up 1,144 rank positions in five years	1921
Carlota	41#3,656	Down 252 rank positions in five years	2023
Norval	—Unranked	—	1918
Frederica	—Unranked	—	1960
Frazier	17#5,458	Up 70 rank positions in five years	1919
Dionicio	13#6,546	Down 498 rank positions in five years	1976
Gracia	7#12,347	Down 5,013 rank positions in five years	2003
Gust	—Unranked	—	1923
Vander	139#1,357	Up 964 rank positions in five years	2025
Mathilde	21#5,844	Up 685 rank positions in five years	1894
Lorenz	8#9,383	Down 3,220 rank positions in five years	1918
Iver	66#2,170	Up 989 rank positions in five years	2023
Bernhard	—Unranked	—	1916
Burnett	—Unranked	—	1920
Hassie	7#12,368	new	1919
Louetta	7#12,644	new	1933
Evalena	12#8,522	Down 1,800 rank positions in five years	1921
Jobe	15#5,985	Down 1,051 rank positions in five years	2003
Champ	25#4,153	Down 493 rank positions in five years	2012
Bedford	—Unranked	—	1924
Gilford	—Unranked	—	1922
Zelia	33#4,350	Up 1,966 rank positions in five years	2025
Leontine	—Unranked	—	1918
Eleonore	13#8,000	Down 3,075 rank positions in five years	1923
Anice	—Unranked	—	1920
Orelia	10#9,932	new	1920
Seldon	—Unranked	—	1916
Mora	14#7,769	Down 313 rank positions in five years	2019
Gilman	—Unranked	—	1918
Elsworth	—Unranked	—	1917
Nora	6#11,613	Down 24 rank positions in five years	1920
Vicie	—Unranked	—	1920
Villa	—Unranked	—	1915
Bert	—Unranked	—	1915
Amma	10#9,497	Up 5,763 rank positions in five years	2019
Almer	—Unranked	—	1918
Seaborn	—Unranked	—	1920
Hillery	—Unranked	—	1921

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How this list is built

A name “peaked” in 1887 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.

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.