Names That Peaked In 1897

These names hit their all-time highest U.S. ranking in 1897 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 1896 Peaked in 1898 Full 1897 top 100 The 1890s as a whole

Name & meaning	Babies 2025 · rank	5-year rank movement	Peak year
Hazel	6,318#21	Up 10 rank positions in five years	1918
Freda	17#6,629	Down 204 rank positions in five years	1918
Percy	154#1,279	Up 782 rank positions in five years	1921
Mary	—Unranked	—	1930
Basil	74#2,022	Up 303 rank positions in five years	1924
Cecil	—Unranked	—	1916
Hobert	—Unranked	—	1922
Jennings	86#1,841	Up 169 rank positions in five years	1926
Early	10#7,813	new	1927
Vernie	—Unranked	—	1916
Mallie	54#3,056	Up 998 rank positions in five years	2022
Raoul	—Unranked	—	1928
Ruth	—Unranked	—	1927
Fae	39#3,793	Up 792 rank positions in five years	1916
Rexford	22#4,672	Down 557 rank positions in five years	1925
Diamond	37#3,199	Down 49 rank positions in five years	1994
Myrle	—Unranked	—	1915
Norton	—Unranked	—	1928
Ellery	8#9,145	Down 892 rank positions in five years	1959
Manley	—Unranked	—	1927
Alice	—Unranked	—	1925
Arno	27#3,955	Up 1,293 rank positions in five years	1915
Oris	—Unranked	—	1915
Izetta	—Unranked	—	1924
Icie	—Unranked	—	1915
Zeta	16#7,127	Down 212 rank positions in five years	2005
Arnett	—Unranked	—	1951
Josephus	—Unranked	—	1923
Fate	—Unranked	—	1919
Gussie	—Unranked	—	1922
Azzie	—Unranked	—	1925
Helmer	—Unranked	—	1917
Georgia	—Unranked	—	1928
Zela	12#8,850	Up 3,269 rank positions in five years	1916
Forest	12#8,529	Down 1,199 rank positions in five years	1994
Alto	—Unranked	—	1919

Page 1 of 1

How this list is built

A name “peaked” in 1897 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.