How Many of Me

Most Popular First Names of the 1880s

The top first names registered in the United States between 1880 and 1889, ranked by total births recorded with the Social Security Administration. The sparkline for each name shows how it trended across the 10 years of the decade.

During this decade, the SSA recorded 749,362 male and 740,771 female births across the top 50 names shown below. Click any name for a full statistical profile.

1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s

How to read this table

Each name is ranked by total birth registrations across all 10 years of the 1880s. The Trend column shows a sparkline of annual births within the decade. Hover over any sparkline to see the exact count for each year.

The Change column compares the first year (1880) to the last year (1889). A positive percentage means the name was gaining popularity by the end of the decade. A negative one means it was on the decline.

Top Male Names

749,362 births across top 50

# Name Births Trend Change
1 John 89,949 -11.5%
2 William 84,881 -18.5%
3 James 54,056 -15.3%
4 George 47,651 -13.6%
5 Charles 46,656 -21.5%
6 Frank 30,967 -8.2%
7 Joseph 26,292 +3.7%
8 Henry 24,139 -6.5%
9 Robert 24,074 +4.1%
10 Thomas 23,750 -11.9%
11 Edward 23,133 -2.7%
12 Harry 22,649 +18.9%
13 Walter 18,185 +9.2%
14 Arthur 16,180 +4.3%
15 Fred 15,602 -1%
16 Albert 14,375 -9.4%
17 Samuel 9,129 -20.9%
18 Clarence 8,760 +34.8%
19 Louis 8,275 +1.1%
20 David 7,569 -12.9%
21 Joe 7,098 -3%
22 Charlie 7,091 -6.2%
23 Richard 7,010 -2.3%
24 Ernest 6,700 +19.7%
25 Roy 6,565 +101.8%
26 Will 6,196 +7.3%
27 Andrew 6,053 -12.9%
28 Jesse 6,003 +1.2%
29 Oscar 5,982 +5.1%
30 Willie 5,906 +48.7%
31 Daniel 5,679 -19.9%
32 Benjamin 5,407 +55.1%
33 Carl 5,227 +89.2%
34 Sam 5,069 +6.3%
35 Alfred 4,837 +0.6%
36 Earl 4,830 +105.4%
37 Peter 4,656 -14.3%
38 Elmer 4,627 +49.3%
39 Frederick 4,603 -6.6%
40 Howard 4,349 +40.9%
41 Lewis 4,341 -19.9%
42 Ralph 4,269 +56.2%
43 Herbert 4,257 +11.3%
44 Paul 4,196 +84.4%
45 Lee 3,945 +15%
46 Tom 3,786 -5%
47 Herman 3,689 +16.7%
48 Martin 3,595 +2.8%
49 Jacob 3,566 -27%
50 Michael 3,558 +6.5%

Top Female Names

740,771 births across top 50

# Name Births Trend Change
1 Mary 91,668 +64.9%
2 Anna 38,159 +94.4%
3 Emma 25,404 +44%
4 Elizabeth 25,006 +57.7%
5 Margaret 21,799 +84.9%
6 Minnie 21,724 +50.3%
7 Ida 18,283 +44.2%
8 Bertha 18,264 +73.7%
9 Clara 17,717 +89.2%
10 Alice 17,142 +51.7%
11 Annie 17,027 +68.8%
12 Florence 16,699 +131.9%
13 Bessie 15,373 +194.3%
14 Grace 15,227 +108.7%
15 Ethel 14,866 +289.1%
16 Sarah 14,715 +34.3%
17 Ella 13,936 +42.5%
18 Martha 13,911 +64.5%
19 Nellie 13,761 +76.1%
20 Mabel 13,096 +141%
21 Laura 12,806 +54.8%
22 Carrie 12,514 +63%
23 Cora 11,954 +30.6%
24 Helen 11,496 +200.2%
25 Maude 11,454 +50.5%
26 Lillian 11,270 +144%
27 Gertrude 11,100 +96.1%
28 Rose 11,064 +121.4%
29 Edna 11,020 +208.7%
30 Pearl 10,903 +179.1%
31 Edith 10,881 +98.3%
32 Jennie 10,220 +57.9%
33 Hattie 10,199 +72.7%
34 Mattie 9,844 +66.6%
35 Julia 9,800 +53.4%
36 Eva 9,800 +123.5%
37 Myrtle 9,769 +121.3%
38 Louise 9,596 +102%
39 Lillie 9,467 +99.2%
40 Jessie 9,187 +88.3%
41 Frances 9,182 +123.3%
42 Catherine 8,915 +74.1%
43 Lula 8,882 +71.8%
44 Lena 8,691 +81.8%
45 Marie 8,490 +204.9%
46 Ada 8,423 +54.1%
47 Josephine 7,732 +92.5%
48 Fannie 7,527 +62.3%
49 Lucy 7,520 +51.4%
50 Dora 7,288 +68.3%
1890s