Name Awesome

Most Popular Baby Names Of 1897

The 100 most-used girls’ and boys’ names among U.S. births in 1897 — 346,941 recorded births in total that year.

18961898 The 1890s as a wholeNames that peaked in 1897

Girls’ names

  1. 1Mary13,4135.7%
  2. 2Anna5,4292.3%
  3. 3Helen4,5191.9%
  4. 4Margaret4,1461.8%
  5. 5Ruth3,8781.7%
  6. 6Elizabeth3,4421.5%
  7. 7Florence3,3691.4%
  8. 8Ethel3,1821.4%
  9. 9Marie3,0781.3%
  10. 10Emma2,6981.2%
  11. 11Lillian2,6831.1%
  12. 12Edna2,5671.1%
  13. 13Bertha2,5021.1%
  14. 14Grace2,4581.0%
  15. 15Clara2,4541.0%
  16. 16Alice2,4311.0%
  17. 17Bessie2,4071.0%
  18. 18Hazel2,3391.0%
  19. 19Rose2,3161.0%
  20. 20Annie2,3071.0%
  21. 21Minnie2,2841.0%
  22. 22Mabel2,2220.9%
  23. 23Gertrude2,1350.9%
  24. 24Ida2,1080.9%
  25. 25Pearl2,0760.9%
  26. 26Martha1,9900.8%
  27. 27Frances1,9750.8%
  28. 28Esther1,9110.8%
  29. 29Myrtle1,8330.8%
  30. 30Edith1,8230.8%
  31. 31Elsie1,7630.8%
  32. 32Gladys1,7370.7%
  33. 33Mildred1,7230.7%
  34. 34Sarah1,7130.7%
  35. 35Eva1,7090.7%
  36. 36Ella1,7080.7%
  37. 37Nellie1,6930.7%
  38. 38Irene1,5870.7%
  39. 39Laura1,5850.7%
  40. 40Agnes1,5790.7%
  41. 41Louise1,5630.7%
  42. 42Catherine1,5110.6%
  43. 43Dorothy1,4720.6%
  44. 44Lillie1,4010.6%
  45. 45Julia1,3800.6%
  46. 46Carrie1,3650.6%
  47. 47Josephine1,2670.5%
  48. 48Hattie1,2510.5%
  49. 49Cora1,2460.5%
  50. 50Lena1,2390.5%
  51. 51Alma1,2130.5%
  52. 52Jessie1,1910.5%
  53. 53Mattie1,1810.5%
  54. 54Mae1,1440.5%
  55. 55Blanche1,0920.5%
  56. 56Jennie1,0740.5%
  57. 57Ruby1,0250.4%
  58. 58Viola1,0170.4%
  59. 59Mamie1,0060.4%
  60. 60Marion9940.4%
  61. 61Lucy9840.4%
  62. 62Maude9840.4%
  63. 63Lula9710.4%
  64. 64Stella9660.4%
  65. 65Katherine9620.4%
  66. 66Ada9560.4%
  67. 67Fannie9560.4%
  68. 68Beatrice9420.4%
  69. 69Dora8620.4%
  70. 70Willie8180.3%
  71. 71Nora8120.3%
  72. 72Pauline7770.3%
  73. 73Vera7760.3%
  74. 74Rosa7700.3%
  75. 75Maggie7600.3%
  76. 76Sadie7570.3%
  77. 77Ellen7330.3%
  78. 78Marguerite7280.3%
  79. 79Effie6980.3%
  80. 80Evelyn6900.3%
  81. 81Beulah6880.3%
  82. 82Lucille6480.3%
  83. 83Lydia6420.3%
  84. 84Virginia6380.3%
  85. 85Susie6260.3%
  86. 86Daisy6240.3%
  87. 87Della6240.3%
  88. 88Emily6190.3%
  89. 89Leona6190.3%
  90. 90Nettie6140.3%
  91. 91May5950.3%
  92. 92Olive5830.2%
  93. 93Kathryn5700.2%
  94. 94Hilda5610.2%
  95. 95Eleanor5590.2%
  96. 96Nancy5530.2%
  97. 97Ann5450.2%
  98. 98Sallie5450.2%
  99. 99Lizzie5430.2%
  100. 100Theresa5330.2%

Boys’ names

  1. 1John7,5506.7%
  2. 2William7,1986.4%
  3. 3James5,1134.5%
  4. 4George4,0783.6%
  5. 5Charles3,3413.0%
  6. 6Joseph2,8272.5%
  7. 7Frank2,7262.4%
  8. 8Robert2,7012.4%
  9. 9Edward2,1211.9%
  10. 10Henry1,9941.8%
  11. 11Thomas1,9801.8%
  12. 12Walter1,8951.7%
  13. 13Harry1,8791.7%
  14. 14Arthur1,6471.5%
  15. 15Albert1,3771.2%
  16. 16Fred1,3011.2%
  17. 17Clarence1,2011.1%
  18. 18Willie1,1511.0%
  19. 19Roy9990.9%
  20. 20Paul9230.8%
  21. 21Harold8600.8%
  22. 22Raymond8370.7%
  23. 23Louis8310.7%
  24. 24Earl8290.7%
  25. 25Carl8280.7%
  26. 26Joe7980.7%
  27. 27Ernest7850.7%
  28. 28Samuel7590.7%
  29. 29David7300.6%
  30. 30Charlie7140.6%
  31. 31Richard7020.6%
  32. 32Ralph6970.6%
  33. 33Howard6340.6%
  34. 34Elmer5870.5%
  35. 35Herbert5650.5%
  36. 36Andrew5550.5%
  37. 37Oscar5430.5%
  38. 38Jesse5290.5%
  39. 39Daniel5200.5%
  40. 40Alfred5130.5%
  41. 41Lawrence5050.4%
  42. 42Jack4970.4%
  43. 43Francis4960.4%
  44. 44Will4910.4%
  45. 45Sam4780.4%
  46. 46Leo4620.4%
  47. 47Lee4530.4%
  48. 48Floyd4510.4%
  49. 49Eugene4470.4%
  50. 50Herman4120.4%
  51. 51Peter3970.4%
  52. 52Ray3970.4%
  53. 53Edwin3800.3%
  54. 54Benjamin3780.3%
  55. 55Lewis3780.3%
  56. 56Frederick3690.3%
  57. 57Michael3680.3%
  58. 58Clyde3590.3%
  59. 59Claude3450.3%
  60. 60Martin3120.3%
  61. 61Leonard3100.3%
  62. 62Lester3100.3%
  63. 63Tom2980.3%
  64. 64Russell2950.3%
  65. 65Ben2910.3%
  66. 66Leroy2910.3%
  67. 67Chester2900.3%
  68. 68Clifford2850.3%
  69. 69Edgar2780.2%
  70. 70Homer2780.2%
  71. 71Luther2710.2%
  72. 72Harvey2680.2%
  73. 73Eddie2630.2%
  74. 74Lloyd2580.2%
  75. 75Jim2520.2%
  76. 76Anthony2490.2%
  77. 77Stanley2400.2%
  78. 78Bernard2340.2%
  79. 79Jessie2340.2%
  80. 80Otto2340.2%
  81. 81Leon2290.2%
  82. 82Allen2260.2%
  83. 83Leslie2220.2%
  84. 84Cecil2160.2%
  85. 85Theodore2150.2%
  86. 86Hugh2130.2%
  87. 87Patrick2100.2%
  88. 88Jacob2040.2%
  89. 89Philip2000.2%
  90. 90Ed1980.2%
  91. 91Norman1970.2%
  92. 92Donald1950.2%
  93. 93Guy1950.2%
  94. 94Stephen1940.2%
  95. 95Archie1900.2%
  96. 96Victor1900.2%
  97. 97Alvin1860.2%
  98. 98Percy1830.2%
  99. 99Ira1800.2%
  100. 100Everett1790.2%

Percentages are each name’s share of all 1897 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.