Most Popular Baby Names of 1886
Top 100 girl and boy names, Social Security records
Mary and John were the most popular baby names of 1886 in the US: 9,889 girls were named Mary and 9,026 boys were named John, about 1 in 15 girls and 1 in 12 boys born that year. It was Mary's 7th year in a row at #1 for girls (since 1880), and it was John's 7th year in a row at #1 for boys (since 1880).
Social Security records list 144,533 girls and 110,783 boys born in 1886, with 1,281 different girl names and 1,110 boy names. A name is listed for a year only when at least 5 babies of one sex got it.
What Changed From 1885
- Florence joined the girls' top 10; the boys' top 10 had the same names as in 1885.
- Biggest climbers in the girls' top 100: Hazel (#105 to #81), Viola (#88 to #77) and Frances (#46 to #38).
- Biggest climbers in the boys' top 100: Norman (#116 to #96), Eddie (#101 to #86) and Theodore (#83 to #69).
- 3 girl names and 4 boy names left the top 100, among them Susan (#99 to #102) and Victor (#100 to #105).
- 159 names appeared in the records for the first time.
Top 100 Baby Names of 1886
Ranked by the babies given each name; the last column is the name's rank in 1885, among names of the same sex. Tied names share a rank.
Top 100 Girl Names of 1886
| # | Name | Babies | In 1885 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mary | 9,889 | #1 |
| 2 | Anna | 4,283 | #2 |
| 3 | Emma | 2,764 | #3 |
| 4 | Elizabeth | 2,680 | #4 |
| 5 | Minnie | 2,372 | #6 |
| 6 | Margaret | 2,275 | #5 |
| 7 | Ida | 2,049 | #9 |
| 8 | Bertha | 2,001 | #8 |
| 9 | Clara | 1,916 | #7 |
| 10 | Florence | 1,860 | #12 |
| 11 | Alice | 1,811 | #11 |
| 12 | Bessie | 1,791 | #13 |
| 13 | Annie | 1,765 | #10 |
| 14 | Grace | 1,723 | #14 |
| 15 | Ethel | 1,699 | #15 |
| 16 | Sarah | 1,569 | #18 |
| 17 | Nellie | 1,492 | #16 |
| 18 | Martha | 1,491 | #17 |
| 19 | Ella | 1,464 | #19 |
| 20 | Mabel | 1,422 | #20 |
| 21 | Carrie | 1,396 | #22 |
| 22 | Laura | 1,372 | #21 |
| 23 | Edna | 1,314 | #30 |
| 24 | Lillian | 1,282 | #27 |
| 25 | Helen | 1,267 | #28 |
| 26 | Rose | 1,261 | #25 |
| 27 | Gertrude | 1,249 | #29 |
| 28 | Cora | 1,231 | #23 |
| 29 | Pearl | 1,204 | #26 |
| 30 | Maude | 1,189 | #24 |
| 31 | Edith | 1,184 | #31 |
| 32 | Eva | 1,155 | #38 |
| 33 | Hattie | 1,139 | #36 |
| 34 | Jennie | 1,100 | #33 |
| 35 | Myrtle | 1,094 | #34 |
| 36 | Julia | 1,061 | #32 |
| 36 | Louise | 1,061 | #39 |
| 38 | Frances | 1,059 | #46 |
| 39 | Mattie | 1,044 | #35 |
| 40 | Lula | 1,040 | #41 |
| 41 | Jessie | 1,003 | #40 |
| 42 | Lillie | 995 | #37 |
| 43 | Lena | 992 | #43 |
| 44 | Marie | 988 | #42 |
| 45 | Catherine | 916 | #45 |
| 46 | Ada | 915 | #43 |
| 47 | Josephine | 844 | #47 |
| 48 | Fannie | 837 | #47 |
| 49 | Dora | 827 | #49 |
| 50 | Lucy | 817 | #52 |
| 51 | Blanche | 787 | #53 |
| 52 | Agnes | 779 | #54 |
| 53 | Maggie | 756 | #51 |
| 54 | Katherine | 744 | #50 |
| 55 | Mamie | 712 | #62 |
| 56 | Nora | 708 | #56 |
| 57 | Stella | 702 | #57 |
| 58 | Elsie | 698 | #55 |
| 59 | Rosa | 673 | #58 |
| 60 | Effie | 672 | #59 |
| 61 | Mae | 641 | #63 |
| 62 | Alma | 603 | #68 |
| 63 | Daisy | 602 | #60 |
| 63 | May | 602 | #60 |
| 65 | Nettie | 591 | #66 |
| 66 | Ruth | 581 | #70 |
| 67 | Della | 565 | #71 |
| 68 | Sadie | 562 | #69 |
| 69 | Susie | 559 | #72 |
| 70 | Ellen | 551 | #64 |
| 71 | Lizzie | 512 | #65 |
| 72 | Nancy | 492 | #67 |
| 73 | Sallie | 490 | #73 |
| 74 | Maud | 478 | #75 |
| 75 | Lottie | 450 | #80 |
| 76 | Flora | 443 | #74 |
| 77 | Viola | 440 | #88 |
| 78 | Irene | 437 | #82 |
| 79 | Etta | 433 | #83 |
| 80 | Katie | 431 | #81 |
| 81 | Hazel | 429 | #105 |
| 82 | Mollie | 421 | #79 |
| 83 | Addie | 417 | #76 |
| 84 | Olive | 404 | #86 |
| 85 | Esther | 396 | #92 |
| 86 | Georgia | 395 | #84 |
| 87 | Lydia | 392 | #77 |
| 88 | Willie | 388 | #95 |
| 89 | Kathryn | 383 | #92 |
| 90 | Lulu | 376 | #85 |
| 91 | Amanda | 370 | #90 |
| 91 | Caroline | 370 | #78 |
| 93 | Emily | 369 | #87 |
| 94 | Charlotte | 368 | #94 |
| 95 | Rebecca | 355 | #99 |
| 96 | Virginia | 353 | #103 |
| 97 | Nannie | 347 | #104 |
| 98 | Beulah | 345 | #96 |
| 99 | Harriet | 341 | #89 |
| 100 | Kate | 335 | #96 |
Top 100 Boy Names of 1886
| # | Name | Babies | In 1885 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John | 9,026 | #1 |
| 2 | William | 8,252 | #2 |
| 3 | James | 5,355 | #3 |
| 4 | George | 4,671 | #4 |
| 5 | Charles | 4,533 | #5 |
| 6 | Frank | 3,127 | #6 |
| 7 | Joseph | 2,594 | #7 |
| 8 | Robert | 2,443 | #9 |
| 9 | Henry | 2,404 | #8 |
| 10 | Thomas | 2,337 | #10 |
| 11 | Edward | 2,312 | #11 |
| 12 | Harry | 2,257 | #12 |
| 13 | Walter | 1,880 | #13 |
| 14 | Arthur | 1,656 | #15 |
| 15 | Fred | 1,599 | #14 |
| 16 | Albert | 1,488 | #16 |
| 17 | Clarence | 995 | #17 |
| 18 | Samuel | 870 | #18 |
| 19 | Louis | 846 | #19 |
| 20 | Roy | 767 | #24 |
| 21 | Joe | 759 | #25 |
| 22 | Charlie | 723 | #23 |
| 23 | Richard | 720 | #26 |
| 24 | David | 674 | #22 |
| 25 | Ernest | 668 | #21 |
| 26 | Oscar | 645 | #28 |
| 27 | Will | 642 | #27 |
| 28 | Willie | 641 | #29 |
| 29 | Andrew | 614 | #30 |
| 29 | Jesse | 614 | #31 |
| 31 | Earl | 570 | #36 |
| 32 | Carl | 556 | #34 |
| 33 | Daniel | 555 | #32 |
| 34 | Sam | 519 | #35 |
| 35 | Elmer | 485 | #40 |
| 36 | Alfred | 480 | #39 |
| 37 | Howard | 467 | #41 |
| 38 | Paul | 466 | #43 |
| 39 | Benjamin | 463 | #38 |
| 40 | Frederick | 461 | #37 |
| 41 | Ralph | 440 | #44 |
| 42 | Peter | 437 | #33 |
| 43 | Lewis | 431 | #42 |
| 44 | Herman | 418 | #55 |
| 45 | Grover | 407 | #20 |
| 46 | Herbert | 400 | #45 |
| 47 | Lee | 399 | #50 |
| 48 | Claude | 391 | #52 |
| 49 | Jim | 389 | #46 |
| 50 | Tom | 383 | #48 |
| 51 | Eugene | 362 | #51 |
| 52 | Raymond | 353 | #58 |
| 53 | Michael | 348 | #46 |
| 54 | Jacob | 346 | #52 |
| 55 | Francis | 344 | #56 |
| 56 | Ben | 335 | #62 |
| 57 | Lawrence | 331 | #64 |
| 58 | Martin | 329 | #49 |
| 59 | Edwin | 313 | #63 |
| 60 | Harvey | 310 | #59 |
| 61 | Edgar | 309 | #60 |
| 62 | Clyde | 307 | #57 |
| 63 | Ed | 303 | #54 |
| 64 | Jack | 299 | #61 |
| 65 | Chester | 287 | #67 |
| 66 | Floyd | 275 | #70 |
| 67 | Ray | 271 | #74 |
| 68 | Otto | 270 | #69 |
| 69 | Theodore | 258 | #83 |
| 70 | Guy | 255 | #68 |
| 71 | Luther | 253 | #70 |
| 72 | Patrick | 249 | #77 |
| 73 | Leo | 240 | #83 |
| 74 | Leonard | 236 | #79 |
| 75 | Oliver | 230 | #72 |
| 76 | Bert | 228 | #66 |
| 77 | Hugh | 227 | #73 |
| 78 | Harold | 224 | #82 |
| 78 | Homer | 224 | #76 |
| 78 | Isaac | 224 | #79 |
| 81 | Charley | 214 | #65 |
| 82 | Allen | 211 | #87 |
| 83 | Alexander | 206 | #78 |
| 84 | August | 203 | #86 |
| 85 | Ira | 198 | #75 |
| 86 | Eddie | 197 | #101 |
| 87 | Philip | 187 | #89 |
| 88 | Marion | 182 | #101 |
| 89 | Jessie | 181 | #81 |
| 89 | Stephen | 181 | #93 |
| 91 | Bernard | 180 | #91 |
| 92 | Archie | 175 | #85 |
| 93 | Anthony | 174 | #95 |
| 94 | Julius | 173 | #97 |
| 95 | Clifford | 172 | #104 |
| 96 | Alex | 161 | #92 |
| 96 | Norman | 161 | #116 |
| 98 | Lester | 160 | #101 |
| 99 | Horace | 156 | #94 |
| 100 | Leroy | 155 | #90 |
| 100 | Sidney | 155 | #88 |
Open a name to see how many people with it are alive today and how its popularity changed. See the year before, 1885, or the year after, 1887, the top 100 of the whole 1880s, or let the random name generator pick names from the 1880s.