Name Awesome

Most Popular Baby Names Of 1887

The 100 most-used girls’ and boys’ names among U.S. births in 1887 — 247,386 recorded births in total that year.

18861888 The 1880s as a wholeNames that peaked in 1887

Girls’ names

  1. 1Mary9,8886.8%
  2. 2Anna4,2272.9%
  3. 3Elizabeth2,6811.8%
  4. 4Emma2,6471.8%
  5. 5Margaret2,4191.7%
  6. 6Minnie2,2151.5%
  7. 7Bertha2,0371.4%
  8. 8Clara1,9841.4%
  9. 9Florence1,9641.3%
  10. 10Ida1,9291.3%
  11. 11Ethel1,9071.3%
  12. 12Annie1,8441.3%
  13. 13Bessie1,8381.3%
  14. 14Alice1,8191.2%
  15. 15Grace1,6921.2%
  16. 16Ella1,5211.0%
  17. 17Martha1,5041.0%
  18. 18Mabel1,4941.0%
  19. 19Nellie1,4571.0%
  20. 20Sarah1,4361.0%
  21. 21Helen1,4051.0%
  22. 22Laura1,3640.9%
  23. 23Carrie1,3440.9%
  24. 24Edna1,3390.9%
  25. 25Pearl1,3160.9%
  26. 26Lillian1,3080.9%
  27. 27Cora1,2570.9%
  28. 28Gertrude1,2510.9%
  29. 29Edith1,2430.9%
  30. 30Rose1,2420.9%
  31. 31Maude1,1620.8%
  32. 32Hattie1,1350.8%
  33. 33Eva1,1250.8%
  34. 34Frances1,1050.8%
  35. 35Louise1,0880.7%
  36. 36Myrtle1,0870.7%
  37. 37Lillie1,0720.7%
  38. 38Jennie1,0470.7%
  39. 39Julia1,0430.7%
  40. 40Mattie1,0310.7%
  41. 41Jessie1,0120.7%
  42. 42Lena1,0040.7%
  43. 43Marie9940.7%
  44. 44Catherine9670.7%
  45. 45Ada9100.6%
  46. 46Agnes8960.6%
  47. 47Lula8910.6%
  48. 48Dora8420.6%
  49. 49Elsie8330.6%
  50. 50Josephine8150.6%
  51. 51Lucy8110.6%
  52. 52Fannie7980.5%
  53. 53Katherine7940.5%
  54. 54Blanche7630.5%
  55. 55Maggie7400.5%
  56. 56Nora7350.5%
  57. 57Mamie7160.5%
  58. 58Mae6800.5%
  59. 59Stella6640.5%
  60. 60Rosa6590.5%
  61. 61May6480.4%
  62. 62Ruth6270.4%
  63. 63Alma6230.4%
  64. 64Effie6150.4%
  65. 65Nettie5950.4%
  66. 66Ellen5790.4%
  67. 67Daisy5320.4%
  68. 68Lizzie5250.4%
  69. 69Sallie5250.4%
  70. 70Sadie5190.4%
  71. 71Nancy5110.4%
  72. 72Hazel5040.3%
  73. 73Irene5040.3%
  74. 74Della4960.3%
  75. 75Susie4850.3%
  76. 76Lydia4480.3%
  77. 77Katie4400.3%
  78. 78Etta4370.3%
  79. 79Esther4310.3%
  80. 80Viola4200.3%
  81. 81Lottie4140.3%
  82. 82Flora4080.3%
  83. 83Maud4020.3%
  84. 84Caroline3980.3%
  85. 85Olive3940.3%
  86. 86Addie3930.3%
  87. 87Kathryn3840.3%
  88. 88Willie3790.3%
  89. 89Mildred3730.3%
  90. 90Beulah3550.2%
  91. 91Charlotte3510.2%
  92. 92Georgia3510.2%
  93. 93Amelia3440.2%
  94. 94Harriet3420.2%
  95. 95Nannie3400.2%
  96. 96Amanda3380.2%
  97. 97Ollie3380.2%
  98. 98Emily3350.2%
  99. 99Susan3350.2%
  100. 100Mollie3330.2%

Boys’ names

  1. 1John8,1108.0%
  2. 2William7,4707.4%
  3. 3James4,7674.7%
  4. 4George4,2844.2%
  5. 5Charles4,0314.0%
  6. 6Frank2,8832.8%
  7. 7Joseph2,4562.4%
  8. 8Henry2,2282.2%
  9. 9Thomas2,1512.1%
  10. 10Edward2,1252.1%
  11. 11Robert2,1252.1%
  12. 12Harry2,0572.0%
  13. 13Walter1,7041.7%
  14. 14Arthur1,4891.5%
  15. 15Fred1,4541.4%
  16. 16Albert1,2941.3%
  17. 17Clarence8920.9%
  18. 18Samuel8020.8%
  19. 19Louis7910.8%
  20. 20Roy7260.7%
  21. 21Joe6850.7%
  22. 22David6730.7%
  23. 23Ernest6530.6%
  24. 24Charlie6420.6%
  25. 25Richard6220.6%
  26. 26Jesse6010.6%
  27. 27Willie5900.6%
  28. 28Carl5880.6%
  29. 29Oscar5740.6%
  30. 30Will5610.6%
  31. 31Daniel5560.5%
  32. 32Earl5370.5%
  33. 33Andrew5200.5%
  34. 34Benjamin4730.5%
  35. 35Alfred4680.5%
  36. 36Elmer4670.5%
  37. 37Frederick4640.5%
  38. 38Ralph4630.5%
  39. 39Sam4630.5%
  40. 40Paul4490.4%
  41. 41Herbert4450.4%
  42. 42Howard4290.4%
  43. 43Peter4210.4%
  44. 44Lee4000.4%
  45. 45Herman3940.4%
  46. 46Claude3750.4%
  47. 47Raymond3720.4%
  48. 48Michael3440.3%
  49. 49Lewis3430.3%
  50. 50Jim3390.3%
  51. 51Martin3310.3%
  52. 52Tom3290.3%
  53. 53Eugene3270.3%
  54. 54Francis3270.3%
  55. 55Clyde3200.3%
  56. 56Jacob3170.3%
  57. 57Edwin3100.3%
  58. 58Ben3050.3%
  59. 59Grover2900.3%
  60. 60Lawrence2830.3%
  61. 61Harold2790.3%
  62. 62Ed2750.3%
  63. 63Luther2670.3%
  64. 64Edgar2660.3%
  65. 65Harvey2620.3%
  66. 66Ray2580.3%
  67. 67Otto2530.2%
  68. 68Jack2510.2%
  69. 69Hugh2500.2%
  70. 70Homer2480.2%
  71. 71Guy2380.2%
  72. 72Bert2370.2%
  73. 73Floyd2320.2%
  74. 74Leo2320.2%
  75. 75Charley2210.2%
  76. 76Patrick2180.2%
  77. 77Ira2150.2%
  78. 78Chester2070.2%
  79. 79Leonard2070.2%
  80. 80Oliver2030.2%
  81. 81Allen2020.2%
  82. 82Theodore2010.2%
  83. 83August1940.2%
  84. 84Isaac1940.2%
  85. 85Archie1840.2%
  86. 86Jessie1820.2%
  87. 87Alexander1800.2%
  88. 88Leroy1770.2%
  89. 89Lester1680.2%
  90. 90Leslie1660.2%
  91. 91Clifford1650.2%
  92. 92Stephen1650.2%
  93. 93Julius1640.2%
  94. 94Warren1630.2%
  95. 95Philip1610.2%
  96. 96Horace1600.2%
  97. 97Bernard1590.2%
  98. 98Anthony1530.2%
  99. 99Leon1470.1%
  100. 100Emil1460.1%

Percentages are each name’s share of all 1887 applications for that sex — a useful reminder of how much more concentrated naming used to be. In 1880 the top girls’ name alone accounted for several percent of all girls; today the #1 name is well under one percent.

Counts are based on U.S. births and are tracked separately for girls and boys. Names used fewer than 5 times in a year aren’t published for that year, so totals here are a floor — the shortfall is largest in the sparse early years.