Name Awesome

Most Popular Baby Names Of 1896

The 100 most-used girls’ and boys’ names among U.S. births in 1896 — 357,468 recorded births in total that year.

18951897 The 1890s as a wholeNames that peaked in 1896

Girls’ names

  1. 1Mary13,8115.8%
  2. 2Anna5,8602.5%
  3. 3Helen4,3921.8%
  4. 4Margaret4,0501.7%
  5. 5Ruth3,9051.6%
  6. 6Ethel3,5021.5%
  7. 7Elizabeth3,4711.5%
  8. 8Florence3,3231.4%
  9. 9Marie3,0871.3%
  10. 10Emma2,8721.2%
  11. 11Lillian2,7021.1%
  12. 12Alice2,6511.1%
  13. 13Edna2,6041.1%
  14. 14Clara2,5821.1%
  15. 15Bertha2,5651.1%
  16. 16Minnie2,5301.1%
  17. 17Grace2,4851.0%
  18. 18Bessie2,4351.0%
  19. 19Annie2,3581.0%
  20. 20Rose2,3411.0%
  21. 21Mabel2,2831.0%
  22. 22Hazel2,2260.9%
  23. 23Gertrude2,2210.9%
  24. 24Ida2,1590.9%
  25. 25Pearl2,1010.9%
  26. 26Martha2,0220.8%
  27. 27Esther1,9640.8%
  28. 28Frances1,9640.8%
  29. 29Edith1,9320.8%
  30. 30Myrtle1,9280.8%
  31. 31Elsie1,8780.8%
  32. 32Eva1,7790.7%
  33. 33Gladys1,7570.7%
  34. 34Nellie1,6960.7%
  35. 35Sarah1,6910.7%
  36. 36Ella1,6830.7%
  37. 37Laura1,6650.7%
  38. 38Agnes1,6540.7%
  39. 39Mildred1,6200.7%
  40. 40Catherine1,5940.7%
  41. 41Irene1,5930.7%
  42. 42Louise1,5310.6%
  43. 43Lillie1,4830.6%
  44. 44Julia1,4070.6%
  45. 45Carrie1,3880.6%
  46. 46Dorothy1,3660.6%
  47. 47Hattie1,3200.6%
  48. 48Lena1,3180.6%
  49. 49Mattie1,2880.5%
  50. 50Josephine1,2560.5%
  51. 51Alma1,2430.5%
  52. 52Cora1,2040.5%
  53. 53Jennie1,1780.5%
  54. 54Blanche1,1500.5%
  55. 55Mae1,1480.5%
  56. 56Maude1,1040.5%
  57. 57Jessie1,1030.5%
  58. 58Mamie1,0810.5%
  59. 59Lucy1,0740.5%
  60. 60Stella1,0540.4%
  61. 61Katherine1,0470.4%
  62. 62Viola1,0470.4%
  63. 63Ada1,0410.4%
  64. 64Lula1,0120.4%
  65. 65Fannie1,0010.4%
  66. 66Ruby9940.4%
  67. 67Marion9870.4%
  68. 68Dora8740.4%
  69. 69Maggie8710.4%
  70. 70Beatrice8700.4%
  71. 71Nora8440.4%
  72. 72Sadie8270.3%
  73. 73Ellen8110.3%
  74. 74Rosa8080.3%
  75. 75Pauline7560.3%
  76. 76Willie7550.3%
  77. 77Beulah7500.3%
  78. 78Marguerite7250.3%
  79. 79Susie7180.3%
  80. 80Effie7160.3%
  81. 81Vera6750.3%
  82. 82May6710.3%
  83. 83Daisy6610.3%
  84. 84Evelyn6460.3%
  85. 85Della6420.3%
  86. 86Lucille6370.3%
  87. 87Nettie6280.3%
  88. 88Kathryn6250.3%
  89. 89Virginia6210.3%
  90. 90Olive5830.2%
  91. 91Lydia5800.2%
  92. 92Lottie5740.2%
  93. 93Georgia5620.2%
  94. 94Leona5560.2%
  95. 95Hilda5490.2%
  96. 96Emily5270.2%
  97. 97Flora5270.2%
  98. 98Nancy5270.2%
  99. 99Katie5160.2%
  100. 100Lizzie5080.2%

Boys’ names

  1. 1John8,1386.8%
  2. 2William7,7476.5%
  3. 3James5,2064.4%
  4. 4George4,2863.6%
  5. 5Charles3,6393.0%
  6. 6Joseph3,0512.6%
  7. 7Frank2,8452.4%
  8. 8Robert2,7192.3%
  9. 9Edward2,2961.9%
  10. 10Henry2,1831.8%
  11. 11Harry2,0911.7%
  12. 12Thomas2,0881.7%
  13. 13Walter2,0171.7%
  14. 14Arthur1,8211.5%
  15. 15Albert1,4341.2%
  16. 16Fred1,3931.2%
  17. 17Clarence1,2541.0%
  18. 18Willie1,0920.9%
  19. 19Roy1,0270.9%
  20. 20Paul9640.8%
  21. 21Earl8920.7%
  22. 22Louis8710.7%
  23. 23Harold8620.7%
  24. 24Raymond8590.7%
  25. 25Carl8520.7%
  26. 26Richard8340.7%
  27. 27Joe7670.6%
  28. 28David7650.6%
  29. 29Ernest7640.6%
  30. 30Ralph7460.6%
  31. 31Samuel7340.6%
  32. 32Charlie7140.6%
  33. 33Howard6770.6%
  34. 34Herbert6350.5%
  35. 35Jesse5860.5%
  36. 36Elmer5760.5%
  37. 37Andrew5660.5%
  38. 38Daniel5610.5%
  39. 39Francis5510.5%
  40. 40Jack5390.5%
  41. 41Oscar5390.5%
  42. 42Alfred5270.4%
  43. 43Sam5180.4%
  44. 44Will5080.4%
  45. 45Eugene5070.4%
  46. 46Lawrence4990.4%
  47. 47Leo4970.4%
  48. 48Lee4550.4%
  49. 49Herman4270.4%
  50. 50Ray4260.4%
  51. 51Benjamin4160.3%
  52. 52Peter4020.3%
  53. 53Michael3990.3%
  54. 54Claude3980.3%
  55. 55Floyd3960.3%
  56. 56Lewis3860.3%
  57. 57Frederick3810.3%
  58. 58Clyde3720.3%
  59. 59Edwin3510.3%
  60. 60Leonard3500.3%
  61. 61Martin3430.3%
  62. 62Tom3390.3%
  63. 63Chester3290.3%
  64. 64Russell3270.3%
  65. 65Lester3180.3%
  66. 66Clifford3110.3%
  67. 67Lloyd3080.3%
  68. 68Edgar3060.3%
  69. 69Ben2990.3%
  70. 70Harvey2920.2%
  71. 71Jim2810.2%
  72. 72Leroy2780.2%
  73. 73Anthony2760.2%
  74. 74Luther2650.2%
  75. 75Hugh2630.2%
  76. 76Eddie2620.2%
  77. 77Guy2620.2%
  78. 78Stanley2590.2%
  79. 79Homer2580.2%
  80. 80Otto2500.2%
  81. 81Ed2460.2%
  82. 82Bernard2410.2%
  83. 83Jacob2410.2%
  84. 84Theodore2410.2%
  85. 85Leslie2370.2%
  86. 86Leon2350.2%
  87. 87Alexander2320.2%
  88. 88Archie2300.2%
  89. 89Jessie2290.2%
  90. 90Everett2240.2%
  91. 91Allen2190.2%
  92. 92Philip2180.2%
  93. 93Patrick2140.2%
  94. 94Donald2110.2%
  95. 95Horace2040.2%
  96. 96Victor2010.2%
  97. 97Cecil2000.2%
  98. 98Milton1940.2%
  99. 99Oliver1940.2%
  100. 100Isaac1910.2%

Percentages are each name’s share of all 1896 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.