Most Popular Baby Names of 1888
Top 100 girl and boy names, Social Security records
Mary and John were the most popular baby names of 1888 in the US: 11,754 girls were named Mary and 9,247 boys were named John, about 1 in 15 girls and 1 in 13 boys born that year. It was Mary's 9th year in a row at #1 for girls (since 1880), and it was John's 9th year in a row at #1 for boys (since 1880).
Social Security records list 178,622 girls and 120,852 boys born in 1888, with 1,474 different girl names and 1,176 boy names. A name is listed for a year only when at least 5 babies of one sex got it.
What Changed From 1887
- Ethel and Bessie joined the girls' top 10; Harry joined the boys' top 10.
- Biggest climbers in the girls' top 100: Hazel (#72 to #54), Jane (#107 to #92) and Ruby (#105 to #94).
- Biggest climbers in the boys' top 100: Harrison (#129 to #52), Leo (#73 to #57) and Grover (#59 to #44).
- 4 girl names and 3 boy names left the top 100, among them Mollie (#100 to #102) and Horace (#96 to #103).
- 201 names appeared in the records for the first time.
Top 100 Baby Names of 1888
Ranked by the babies given each name; the last column is the name's rank in 1887, among names of the same sex. Tied names share a rank.
Top 100 Girl Names of 1888
| # | Name | Babies | In 1887 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mary | 11,754 | #1 |
| 2 | Anna | 4,982 | #2 |
| 3 | Elizabeth | 3,224 | #3 |
| 4 | Emma | 3,087 | #4 |
| 5 | Margaret | 2,904 | #5 |
| 6 | Minnie | 2,654 | #6 |
| 7 | Bertha | 2,450 | #7 |
| 8 | Florence | 2,444 | #9 |
| 9 | Ethel | 2,374 | #11 |
| 10 | Bessie | 2,278 | #13 |
| 11 | Clara | 2,230 | #8 |
| 12 | Ida | 2,229 | #10 |
| 13 | Alice | 2,202 | #14 |
| 14 | Annie | 2,188 | #12 |
| 15 | Grace | 2,090 | #15 |
| 16 | Helen | 1,847 | #21 |
| 17 | Mabel | 1,830 | #18 |
| 18 | Ella | 1,774 | #16 |
| 19 | Martha | 1,769 | #17 |
| 20 | Sarah | 1,755 | #20 |
| 21 | Nellie | 1,736 | #19 |
| 22 | Edna | 1,687 | #24 |
| 23 | Lillian | 1,656 | #26 |
| 24 | Carrie | 1,647 | #23 |
| 25 | Laura | 1,624 | #22 |
| 26 | Pearl | 1,591 | #25 |
| 27 | Rose | 1,590 | #30 |
| 28 | Gertrude | 1,468 | #28 |
| 29 | Edith | 1,453 | #29 |
| 30 | Frances | 1,452 | #34 |
| 31 | Cora | 1,433 | #27 |
| 32 | Maude | 1,396 | #31 |
| 33 | Louise | 1,334 | #35 |
| 34 | Eva | 1,329 | #33 |
| 35 | Myrtle | 1,310 | #36 |
| 36 | Hattie | 1,298 | #32 |
| 36 | Jennie | 1,298 | #38 |
| 38 | Julia | 1,292 | #39 |
| 39 | Mattie | 1,268 | #40 |
| 40 | Marie | 1,258 | #43 |
| 41 | Lillie | 1,249 | #37 |
| 42 | Catherine | 1,212 | #44 |
| 43 | Jessie | 1,200 | #41 |
| 44 | Lula | 1,173 | #47 |
| 45 | Lena | 1,162 | #42 |
| 46 | Ada | 1,116 | #45 |
| 47 | Elsie | 1,112 | #49 |
| 48 | Agnes | 1,046 | #46 |
| 49 | Josephine | 1,001 | #50 |
| 50 | Fannie | 991 | #52 |
| 51 | Lucy | 964 | #51 |
| 52 | Blanche | 942 | #54 |
| 53 | Mamie | 917 | #57 |
| 54 | Dora | 898 | #48 |
| 54 | Hazel | 898 | #72 |
| 56 | Katherine | 893 | #53 |
| 57 | Maggie | 882 | #55 |
| 58 | Alma | 853 | #63 |
| 59 | Ruth | 850 | #62 |
| 60 | Mae | 836 | #58 |
| 61 | Nora | 832 | #56 |
| 61 | Rosa | 832 | #60 |
| 63 | May | 782 | #61 |
| 64 | Stella | 775 | #59 |
| 65 | Effie | 744 | #64 |
| 66 | Irene | 722 | #72 |
| 67 | Nettie | 692 | #65 |
| 68 | Ellen | 691 | #66 |
| 68 | Sadie | 691 | #70 |
| 70 | Sallie | 633 | #68 |
| 71 | Della | 621 | #74 |
| 71 | Susie | 621 | #75 |
| 73 | Daisy | 612 | #67 |
| 74 | Viola | 596 | #80 |
| 75 | Lizzie | 593 | #68 |
| 76 | Nancy | 582 | #71 |
| 77 | Esther | 572 | #79 |
| 78 | Flora | 541 | #82 |
| 79 | Willie | 522 | #88 |
| 80 | Katie | 516 | #77 |
| 81 | Lottie | 511 | #81 |
| 82 | Etta | 500 | #78 |
| 83 | Mildred | 499 | #89 |
| 84 | Georgia | 477 | #91 |
| 85 | Lydia | 472 | #76 |
| 86 | Maud | 469 | #83 |
| 87 | Olive | 465 | #85 |
| 88 | Charlotte | 464 | #91 |
| 89 | Caroline | 458 | #84 |
| 90 | Emily | 457 | #98 |
| 91 | Addie | 455 | #86 |
| 92 | Jane | 446 | #107 |
| 92 | Kathryn | 446 | #87 |
| 94 | Ruby | 445 | #105 |
| 95 | Beulah | 426 | #90 |
| 96 | Ollie | 411 | #96 |
| 97 | Amanda | 404 | #96 |
| 98 | Pauline | 393 | #104 |
| 99 | Harriet | 389 | #94 |
| 100 | Virginia | 385 | #101 |
Top 100 Boy Names of 1888
| # | Name | Babies | In 1887 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John | 9,247 | #1 |
| 2 | William | 8,705 | #2 |
| 3 | James | 5,562 | #3 |
| 4 | George | 4,912 | #4 |
| 5 | Charles | 4,591 | #5 |
| 6 | Frank | 3,459 | #6 |
| 7 | Joseph | 2,993 | #7 |
| 8 | Robert | 2,814 | #10 |
| 9 | Harry | 2,759 | #12 |
| 10 | Henry | 2,596 | #8 |
| 11 | Edward | 2,470 | #10 |
| 12 | Thomas | 2,449 | #9 |
| 13 | Walter | 2,040 | #13 |
| 14 | Arthur | 1,710 | #14 |
| 15 | Fred | 1,665 | #15 |
| 16 | Albert | 1,569 | #16 |
| 17 | Clarence | 1,022 | #17 |
| 18 | Samuel | 931 | #18 |
| 19 | Louis | 884 | #19 |
| 20 | Roy | 856 | #20 |
| 21 | David | 801 | #22 |
| 22 | Charlie | 796 | #24 |
| 23 | Joe | 789 | #21 |
| 24 | Willie | 786 | #27 |
| 25 | Benjamin | 781 | #34 |
| 26 | Richard | 772 | #25 |
| 27 | Ernest | 766 | #23 |
| 28 | Will | 707 | #30 |
| 29 | Carl | 675 | #28 |
| 29 | Earl | 675 | #32 |
| 31 | Oscar | 647 | #29 |
| 32 | Jesse | 637 | #26 |
| 33 | Andrew | 615 | #33 |
| 34 | Sam | 607 | #38 |
| 35 | Daniel | 566 | #31 |
| 36 | Ralph | 547 | #38 |
| 37 | Alfred | 536 | #35 |
| 38 | Paul | 529 | #40 |
| 39 | Elmer | 527 | #36 |
| 40 | Howard | 513 | #42 |
| 41 | Peter | 498 | #43 |
| 42 | Frederick | 496 | #37 |
| 43 | Herbert | 485 | #41 |
| 44 | Grover | 474 | #59 |
| 45 | Raymond | 469 | #47 |
| 46 | Michael | 466 | #48 |
| 47 | Ben | 463 | #58 |
| 48 | Lee | 430 | #44 |
| 49 | Tom | 416 | #52 |
| 50 | Lewis | 412 | #49 |
| 51 | Herman | 403 | #45 |
| 52 | Harrison | 400 | #129 |
| 53 | Eugene | 398 | #53 |
| 54 | Martin | 378 | #51 |
| 55 | Claude | 374 | #46 |
| 56 | Jim | 362 | #50 |
| 57 | Francis | 353 | #53 |
| 57 | Jacob | 353 | #56 |
| 57 | Leo | 353 | #73 |
| 60 | Clyde | 344 | #55 |
| 61 | Lawrence | 343 | #60 |
| 62 | Harvey | 334 | #65 |
| 63 | Ray | 331 | #66 |
| 64 | Jack | 329 | #68 |
| 65 | Edgar | 321 | #64 |
| 66 | Otto | 312 | #67 |
| 67 | Floyd | 302 | #73 |
| 68 | Ed | 301 | #62 |
| 69 | Edwin | 298 | #57 |
| 69 | Harold | 298 | #61 |
| 71 | Guy | 297 | #71 |
| 72 | Chester | 288 | #78 |
| 73 | Bert | 282 | #72 |
| 74 | Luther | 275 | #63 |
| 75 | Allen | 260 | #81 |
| 76 | Homer | 256 | #70 |
| 77 | Charley | 254 | #75 |
| 77 | Jessie | 254 | #86 |
| 79 | Hugh | 253 | #69 |
| 80 | Theodore | 249 | #82 |
| 81 | Patrick | 245 | #76 |
| 82 | Alexander | 237 | #87 |
| 83 | Leonard | 225 | #78 |
| 84 | Ira | 222 | #77 |
| 85 | Isaac | 221 | #83 |
| 86 | August | 213 | #83 |
| 87 | Bernard | 207 | #97 |
| 88 | Oliver | 206 | #80 |
| 89 | Julius | 197 | #93 |
| 90 | Leon | 196 | #99 |
| 90 | Philip | 196 | #95 |
| 92 | Clifford | 194 | #91 |
| 93 | Anthony | 193 | #98 |
| 93 | Eddie | 193 | #106 |
| 95 | Leroy | 192 | #88 |
| 96 | Archie | 191 | #85 |
| 97 | Lester | 189 | #89 |
| 98 | Stephen | 187 | #91 |
| 99 | Leslie | 175 | #90 |
| 99 | Lloyd | 175 | #108 |
Open a name to see how many people with it are alive today and how its popularity changed. See the year before, 1887, or the year after, 1889, the top 100 of the whole 1880s, or let the random name generator pick names from the 1880s.