Most Popular Baby Names of 1881
Top 100 girl and boy names, Social Security records
Mary and John were the most popular baby names of 1881 in the US: 6,919 girls were named Mary and 8,768 boys were named John, about 1 in 13 girls and 1 in 11 boys born that year. It was Mary's 2nd year in a row at #1 for girls (since 1880), and it was John's 2nd year in a row at #1 for boys (since 1880).
Social Security records list 91,953 girls and 100,735 boys born in 1881, with 938 different girl names and 995 boy names. A name is listed for a year only when at least 5 babies of one sex got it.
What Changed From 1880
- Annie joined the girls' top 10; Edward joined the boys' top 10.
- Biggest climbers in the girls' top 100: Ethel (#38 to #25), Willie (#105 to #94) and Lulu (#86 to #76).
- Biggest climbers in the boys' top 100: Chester (#85 to #59), Emil (#113 to #90) and Garfield (#110 to #88).
- 3 girl names and 6 boy names left the top 100, among them Virginia (#99 to #101) and Archie (#83 to #101).
- 278 names appeared in the records for the first time.
Top 100 Baby Names of 1881
Ranked by the babies given each name; the last column is the name's rank in 1880, among names of the same sex. Tied names share a rank.
Top 100 Girl Names of 1881
| # | Name | Babies | In 1880 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mary | 6,919 | #1 |
| 2 | Anna | 2,698 | #2 |
| 3 | Emma | 2,034 | #3 |
| 4 | Elizabeth | 1,852 | #4 |
| 5 | Margaret | 1,658 | #6 |
| 6 | Minnie | 1,653 | #5 |
| 7 | Ida | 1,439 | #7 |
| 8 | Annie | 1,326 | #11 |
| 9 | Bertha | 1,324 | #9 |
| 10 | Alice | 1,308 | #8 |
| 11 | Clara | 1,242 | #12 |
| 12 | Sarah | 1,226 | #10 |
| 13 | Ella | 1,148 | #13 |
| 14 | Nellie | 1,096 | #18 |
| 15 | Grace | 1,089 | #19 |
| 16 | Florence | 1,046 | #14 |
| 17 | Martha | 1,044 | #16 |
| 18 | Cora | 969 | #15 |
| 19 | Laura | 962 | #17 |
| 20 | Carrie | 958 | #20 |
| 21 | Maude | 923 | #21 |
| 22 | Bessie | 903 | #23 |
| 23 | Mabel | 893 | #22 |
| 24 | Gertrude | 791 | #25 |
| 25 | Ethel | 788 | #38 |
| 26 | Jennie | 784 | #24 |
| 27 | Edith | 778 | #28 |
| 28 | Hattie | 775 | #27 |
| 29 | Mattie | 754 | #29 |
| 30 | Julia | 737 | #26 |
| 31 | Rose | 734 | #30 |
| 32 | Lillian | 723 | #32 |
| 33 | Lillie | 678 | #34 |
| 34 | Eva | 661 | #41 |
| 34 | Jessie | 661 | #36 |
| 36 | Lula | 655 | #39 |
| 37 | Myrtle | 643 | #40 |
| 38 | Pearl | 641 | #47 |
| 39 | Edna | 637 | #45 |
| 40 | Catherine | 635 | #31 |
| 41 | Ada | 628 | #33 |
| 42 | Louise | 617 | #36 |
| 43 | Helen | 612 | #35 |
| 44 | Lucy | 611 | #44 |
| 45 | Frances | 586 | #42 |
| 46 | Dora | 585 | #51 |
| 47 | Fannie | 565 | #49 |
| 48 | Josephine | 563 | #50 |
| 49 | Daisy | 562 | #48 |
| 50 | Lena | 555 | #43 |
| 51 | Maggie | 532 | #46 |
| 52 | Katherine | 504 | #53 |
| 53 | Rosa | 500 | #52 |
| 54 | Marie | 499 | #55 |
| 55 | Nora | 498 | #55 |
| 56 | Effie | 463 | #63 |
| 57 | Blanche | 456 | #59 |
| 58 | May | 451 | #57 |
| 59 | Nancy | 429 | #62 |
| 60 | Della | 428 | #66 |
| 61 | Agnes | 424 | #54 |
| 62 | Nettie | 419 | #65 |
| 63 | Sallie | 416 | #64 |
| 63 | Stella | 416 | #60 |
| 65 | Ellen | 413 | #61 |
| 66 | Mamie | 412 | #58 |
| 67 | Lizzie | 396 | #67 |
| 68 | Susie | 367 | #69 |
| 69 | Sadie | 366 | #74 |
| 70 | Elsie | 344 | #78 |
| 71 | Maud | 328 | #70 |
| 72 | Flora | 317 | #68 |
| 73 | Caroline | 316 | #75 |
| 73 | Etta | 316 | #72 |
| 75 | Mae | 314 | #71 |
| 76 | Lulu | 313 | #86 |
| 77 | Lydia | 299 | #77 |
| 78 | Alma | 293 | #82 |
| 79 | Susan | 292 | #80 |
| 80 | Lottie | 289 | #88 |
| 81 | Addie | 287 | #83 |
| 82 | Mollie | 281 | #81 |
| 83 | Katie | 279 | #76 |
| 84 | Ruth | 275 | #93 |
| 85 | Harriet | 270 | #73 |
| 86 | Kate | 267 | #79 |
| 87 | Amanda | 263 | #89 |
| 88 | Nannie | 258 | #87 |
| 89 | Georgia | 256 | #84 |
| 90 | Emily | 244 | #100 |
| 91 | Eliza | 238 | #85 |
| 92 | Viola | 237 | #94 |
| 93 | Amelia | 235 | #96 |
| 94 | Willie | 229 | #105 |
| 95 | Charlotte | 227 | #91 |
| 96 | Rebecca | 226 | #92 |
| 97 | Belle | 219 | #90 |
| 98 | Kathryn | 218 | #102 |
| 99 | Jane | 216 | #98 |
| 100 | Olive | 211 | #95 |
Top 100 Boy Names of 1881
| # | Name | Babies | In 1880 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John | 8,768 | #1 |
| 2 | William | 8,524 | #2 |
| 3 | James | 5,441 | #3 |
| 4 | George | 4,664 | #5 |
| 5 | Charles | 4,636 | #4 |
| 6 | Frank | 2,834 | #6 |
| 7 | Joseph | 2,456 | #7 |
| 8 | Henry | 2,339 | #9 |
| 9 | Thomas | 2,282 | #8 |
| 10 | Edward | 2,177 | #11 |
| 11 | Robert | 2,140 | #10 |
| 12 | Harry | 2,002 | #12 |
| 13 | Walter | 1,670 | #13 |
| 14 | Arthur | 1,575 | #14 |
| 15 | Fred | 1,418 | #15 |
| 16 | Albert | 1,319 | #16 |
| 17 | Samuel | 919 | #17 |
| 18 | David | 750 | #18 |
| 19 | Louis | 746 | #19 |
| 20 | Charlie | 668 | #21 |
| 20 | Clarence | 668 | #21 |
| 22 | Richard | 641 | #23 |
| 23 | Joe | 639 | #20 |
| 24 | Andrew | 588 | #24 |
| 25 | Ernest | 571 | #26 |
| 26 | Will | 550 | #27 |
| 27 | Jesse | 536 | #28 |
| 28 | Oscar | 530 | #29 |
| 29 | Daniel | 527 | #25 |
| 30 | Willie | 498 | #34 |
| 31 | Benjamin | 481 | #32 |
| 31 | Sam | 481 | #36 |
| 33 | Alfred | 466 | #35 |
| 34 | Roy | 440 | #37 |
| 35 | Lewis | 439 | #30 |
| 36 | Frederick | 433 | #33 |
| 37 | Peter | 428 | #31 |
| 38 | Elmer | 388 | #41 |
| 39 | Jacob | 381 | #39 |
| 40 | Herbert | 369 | #38 |
| 41 | Carl | 359 | #42 |
| 41 | Howard | 359 | #44 |
| 43 | Tom | 349 | #40 |
| 44 | Lee | 342 | #43 |
| 45 | Ralph | 329 | #54 |
| 46 | Martin | 327 | #44 |
| 47 | Jim | 323 | #49 |
| 48 | Earl | 314 | #52 |
| 48 | Eugene | 314 | #53 |
| 50 | Bert | 312 | #47 |
| 50 | Edgar | 312 | #61 |
| 52 | Herman | 304 | #48 |
| 53 | Claude | 302 | #56 |
| 54 | Michael | 298 | #46 |
| 55 | Paul | 291 | #60 |
| 56 | Ben | 289 | #58 |
| 57 | Ira | 286 | #66 |
| 58 | Harvey | 282 | #50 |
| 59 | Chester | 274 | #85 |
| 59 | Edwin | 274 | #56 |
| 61 | Ed | 272 | #55 |
| 62 | Charley | 266 | #58 |
| 63 | Francis | 259 | #50 |
| 64 | Isaac | 258 | #62 |
| 65 | Luther | 249 | #64 |
| 66 | Lawrence | 244 | #65 |
| 67 | Oliver | 238 | #69 |
| 68 | Clyde | 232 | #72 |
| 69 | Otto | 221 | #63 |
| 70 | Hugh | 219 | #71 |
| 71 | Alexander | 209 | #73 |
| 72 | Leonard | 206 | #78 |
| 73 | Jack | 197 | #77 |
| 74 | Raymond | 195 | #87 |
| 75 | Patrick | 188 | #67 |
| 76 | Guy | 186 | #68 |
| 77 | Homer | 181 | #76 |
| 78 | Floyd | 178 | #75 |
| 78 | Theodore | 178 | #70 |
| 80 | Allen | 172 | #82 |
| 80 | August | 172 | #74 |
| 82 | Marion | 162 | #80 |
| 83 | Philip | 156 | #81 |
| 83 | Warren | 156 | #89 |
| 85 | Horace | 152 | #79 |
| 86 | Dan | 148 | #97 |
| 86 | Ray | 148 | #95 |
| 88 | Garfield | 147 | #110 |
| 88 | Stephen | 147 | #84 |
| 90 | Emil | 145 | #113 |
| 91 | Jessie | 143 | #90 |
| 91 | Milton | 143 | #91 |
| 93 | Willis | 142 | #86 |
| 94 | Calvin | 138 | #100 |
| 95 | Dave | 135 | #102 |
| 96 | Bernard | 130 | #97 |
| 97 | Julius | 129 | #94 |
| 97 | Leroy | 129 | #108 |
| 97 | Sidney | 129 | #95 |
| 100 | Anthony | 128 | #103 |
Open a name to see how many people with it are alive today and how its popularity changed. See the year before, 1880, or the year after, 1882, the top 100 of the whole 1880s, or let the random name generator pick names from the 1880s.