Name Awesome

Most Popular Baby Names Of 1888

The 100 most-used girls’ and boys’ names among U.S. births in 1888 — 299,468 recorded births in total that year.

18871889 The 1880s as a wholeNames that peaked in 1888

Girls’ names

  1. 1Mary11,7546.6%
  2. 2Anna4,9822.8%
  3. 3Elizabeth3,2241.8%
  4. 4Emma3,0871.7%
  5. 5Margaret2,9041.6%
  6. 6Minnie2,6541.5%
  7. 7Bertha2,4501.4%
  8. 8Florence2,4441.4%
  9. 9Ethel2,3741.3%
  10. 10Bessie2,2781.3%
  11. 11Clara2,2301.2%
  12. 12Ida2,2291.2%
  13. 13Alice2,2021.2%
  14. 14Annie2,1881.2%
  15. 15Grace2,0901.2%
  16. 16Helen1,8471.0%
  17. 17Mabel1,8301.0%
  18. 18Ella1,7741.0%
  19. 19Martha1,7691.0%
  20. 20Sarah1,7551.0%
  21. 21Nellie1,7361.0%
  22. 22Edna1,6870.9%
  23. 23Lillian1,6560.9%
  24. 24Carrie1,6470.9%
  25. 25Laura1,6240.9%
  26. 26Pearl1,5910.9%
  27. 27Rose1,5900.9%
  28. 28Gertrude1,4680.8%
  29. 29Edith1,4530.8%
  30. 30Frances1,4520.8%
  31. 31Cora1,4330.8%
  32. 32Maude1,3960.8%
  33. 33Louise1,3340.7%
  34. 34Eva1,3290.7%
  35. 35Myrtle1,3100.7%
  36. 36Hattie1,2980.7%
  37. 37Jennie1,2980.7%
  38. 38Julia1,2920.7%
  39. 39Mattie1,2680.7%
  40. 40Marie1,2580.7%
  41. 41Lillie1,2490.7%
  42. 42Catherine1,2120.7%
  43. 43Jessie1,2000.7%
  44. 44Lula1,1730.7%
  45. 45Lena1,1620.7%
  46. 46Ada1,1160.6%
  47. 47Elsie1,1120.6%
  48. 48Agnes1,0460.6%
  49. 49Josephine1,0010.6%
  50. 50Fannie9910.6%
  51. 51Lucy9640.5%
  52. 52Blanche9420.5%
  53. 53Mamie9170.5%
  54. 54Dora8980.5%
  55. 55Hazel8980.5%
  56. 56Katherine8930.5%
  57. 57Maggie8820.5%
  58. 58Alma8530.5%
  59. 59Ruth8500.5%
  60. 60Mae8360.5%
  61. 61Nora8320.5%
  62. 62Rosa8320.5%
  63. 63May7820.4%
  64. 64Stella7750.4%
  65. 65Effie7440.4%
  66. 66Irene7220.4%
  67. 67Nettie6920.4%
  68. 68Ellen6910.4%
  69. 69Sadie6910.4%
  70. 70Sallie6330.4%
  71. 71Della6210.3%
  72. 72Susie6210.3%
  73. 73Daisy6120.3%
  74. 74Viola5960.3%
  75. 75Lizzie5930.3%
  76. 76Nancy5820.3%
  77. 77Esther5720.3%
  78. 78Flora5410.3%
  79. 79Willie5220.3%
  80. 80Katie5160.3%
  81. 81Lottie5110.3%
  82. 82Etta5000.3%
  83. 83Mildred4990.3%
  84. 84Georgia4770.3%
  85. 85Lydia4720.3%
  86. 86Maud4690.3%
  87. 87Olive4650.3%
  88. 88Charlotte4640.3%
  89. 89Caroline4580.3%
  90. 90Emily4570.3%
  91. 91Addie4550.3%
  92. 92Jane4460.2%
  93. 93Kathryn4460.2%
  94. 94Ruby4450.2%
  95. 95Beulah4260.2%
  96. 96Ollie4110.2%
  97. 97Amanda4040.2%
  98. 98Pauline3930.2%
  99. 99Harriet3890.2%
  100. 100Virginia3850.2%

Boys’ names

  1. 1John9,2477.7%
  2. 2William8,7057.2%
  3. 3James5,5624.6%
  4. 4George4,9124.1%
  5. 5Charles4,5913.8%
  6. 6Frank3,4592.9%
  7. 7Joseph2,9932.5%
  8. 8Robert2,8142.3%
  9. 9Harry2,7592.3%
  10. 10Henry2,5962.1%
  11. 11Edward2,4702.0%
  12. 12Thomas2,4492.0%
  13. 13Walter2,0401.7%
  14. 14Arthur1,7101.4%
  15. 15Fred1,6651.4%
  16. 16Albert1,5691.3%
  17. 17Clarence1,0220.8%
  18. 18Samuel9310.8%
  19. 19Louis8840.7%
  20. 20Roy8560.7%
  21. 21David8010.7%
  22. 22Charlie7960.7%
  23. 23Joe7890.7%
  24. 24Willie7860.7%
  25. 25Benjamin7810.6%
  26. 26Richard7720.6%
  27. 27Ernest7660.6%
  28. 28Will7070.6%
  29. 29Carl6750.6%
  30. 30Earl6750.6%
  31. 31Oscar6470.5%
  32. 32Jesse6370.5%
  33. 33Andrew6150.5%
  34. 34Sam6070.5%
  35. 35Daniel5660.5%
  36. 36Ralph5470.5%
  37. 37Alfred5360.4%
  38. 38Paul5290.4%
  39. 39Elmer5270.4%
  40. 40Howard5130.4%
  41. 41Peter4980.4%
  42. 42Frederick4960.4%
  43. 43Herbert4850.4%
  44. 44Grover4740.4%
  45. 45Raymond4690.4%
  46. 46Michael4660.4%
  47. 47Ben4630.4%
  48. 48Lee4300.4%
  49. 49Tom4160.3%
  50. 50Lewis4120.3%
  51. 51Herman4030.3%
  52. 52Harrison4000.3%
  53. 53Eugene3980.3%
  54. 54Martin3780.3%
  55. 55Claude3740.3%
  56. 56Jim3620.3%
  57. 57Francis3530.3%
  58. 58Jacob3530.3%
  59. 59Leo3530.3%
  60. 60Clyde3440.3%
  61. 61Lawrence3430.3%
  62. 62Harvey3340.3%
  63. 63Ray3310.3%
  64. 64Jack3290.3%
  65. 65Edgar3210.3%
  66. 66Otto3120.3%
  67. 67Floyd3020.2%
  68. 68Ed3010.2%
  69. 69Edwin2980.2%
  70. 70Harold2980.2%
  71. 71Guy2970.2%
  72. 72Chester2880.2%
  73. 73Bert2820.2%
  74. 74Luther2750.2%
  75. 75Allen2600.2%
  76. 76Homer2560.2%
  77. 77Charley2540.2%
  78. 78Jessie2540.2%
  79. 79Hugh2530.2%
  80. 80Theodore2490.2%
  81. 81Patrick2450.2%
  82. 82Alexander2370.2%
  83. 83Leonard2250.2%
  84. 84Ira2220.2%
  85. 85Isaac2210.2%
  86. 86August2130.2%
  87. 87Bernard2070.2%
  88. 88Oliver2060.2%
  89. 89Julius1970.2%
  90. 90Leon1960.2%
  91. 91Philip1960.2%
  92. 92Clifford1940.2%
  93. 93Anthony1930.2%
  94. 94Eddie1930.2%
  95. 95Leroy1920.2%
  96. 96Archie1910.2%
  97. 97Lester1890.2%
  98. 98Stephen1870.2%
  99. 99Leslie1750.1%
  100. 100Lloyd1750.1%

Percentages are each name’s share of all 1888 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.