Most Popular Baby Names of 1889
Top 100 girl and boy names, Social Security records
Mary and John were the most popular baby names of 1889 in the US: 11,648 girls were named Mary and 8,548 boys were named John, about 1 in 15 girls and 1 in 13 boys born that year. It was Mary's 10th year in a row at #1 for girls (since 1880), and it was John's 10th year in a row at #1 for boys (since 1880).
Social Security records list 178,366 girls and 110,580 boys born in 1889, with 1,478 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 1888
- Clara joined the girls' top 10; Edward joined the boys' top 10.
- Biggest climbers in the girls' top 100: Gladys (#117 to #96), Ruby (#94 to #78) and Mildred (#83 to #69).
- Biggest climbers in the boys' top 100: Russell (#114 to #89), Lester (#97 to #82) and Warren (#112 to #98).
- 3 girl names and 4 boy names left the top 100, among them Virginia (#100 to #101) and Stephen (#98 to #101).
- 144 names appeared in the records for the first time.
Top 100 Baby Names of 1889
Ranked by the babies given each name; the last column is the name's rank in 1888, among names of the same sex. Tied names share a rank.
Top 100 Girl Names of 1889
| # | Name | Babies | In 1888 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mary | 11,648 | #1 |
| 2 | Anna | 5,062 | #2 |
| 3 | Elizabeth | 3,058 | #3 |
| 4 | Margaret | 2,917 | #5 |
| 5 | Emma | 2,884 | #4 |
| 6 | Minnie | 2,624 | #6 |
| 7 | Florence | 2,465 | #8 |
| 8 | Ethel | 2,463 | #9 |
| 9 | Bessie | 2,343 | #10 |
| 10 | Clara | 2,319 | #11 |
| 11 | Bertha | 2,293 | #7 |
| 12 | Alice | 2,145 | #13 |
| 13 | Annie | 2,123 | #14 |
| 14 | Ida | 2,122 | #12 |
| 15 | Grace | 2,049 | #15 |
| 16 | Mabel | 1,947 | #17 |
| 17 | Helen | 1,909 | #16 |
| 18 | Edna | 1,815 | #22 |
| 19 | Nellie | 1,752 | #21 |
| 20 | Sarah | 1,730 | #20 |
| 21 | Martha | 1,711 | #19 |
| 22 | Ella | 1,647 | #18 |
| 23 | Lillian | 1,640 | #23 |
| 24 | Pearl | 1,588 | #26 |
| 25 | Laura | 1,567 | #25 |
| 26 | Rose | 1,550 | #27 |
| 27 | Carrie | 1,547 | #24 |
| 28 | Gertrude | 1,543 | #28 |
| 29 | Edith | 1,523 | #29 |
| 30 | Marie | 1,436 | #40 |
| 31 | Eva | 1,372 | #34 |
| 32 | Cora | 1,365 | #31 |
| 33 | Myrtle | 1,361 | #35 |
| 34 | Frances | 1,351 | #30 |
| 35 | Hattie | 1,328 | #36 |
| 36 | Maude | 1,293 | #32 |
| 37 | Lillie | 1,289 | #41 |
| 38 | Louise | 1,283 | #33 |
| 39 | Jennie | 1,252 | #36 |
| 40 | Julia | 1,201 | #38 |
| 41 | Elsie | 1,199 | #47 |
| 42 | Catherine | 1,198 | #42 |
| 43 | Jessie | 1,196 | #43 |
| 44 | Mattie | 1,173 | #39 |
| 45 | Lena | 1,096 | #45 |
| 46 | Ruth | 1,073 | #59 |
| 47 | Lula | 1,067 | #44 |
| 48 | Hazel | 1,056 | #54 |
| 49 | Josephine | 1,047 | #49 |
| 50 | Agnes | 1,033 | #48 |
| 51 | Ada | 1,005 | #46 |
| 52 | Blanche | 972 | #52 |
| 53 | Fannie | 909 | #50 |
| 54 | Lucy | 893 | #51 |
| 55 | Stella | 891 | #64 |
| 56 | Katherine | 889 | #56 |
| 57 | Mae | 883 | #60 |
| 57 | Mamie | 883 | #53 |
| 59 | Dora | 882 | #54 |
| 60 | Nora | 831 | #61 |
| 61 | Maggie | 825 | #57 |
| 62 | Alma | 819 | #58 |
| 63 | Irene | 737 | #66 |
| 64 | May | 723 | #63 |
| 65 | Effie | 711 | #65 |
| 66 | Rosa | 707 | #61 |
| 67 | Sadie | 664 | #68 |
| 68 | Ellen | 653 | #68 |
| 69 | Mildred | 625 | #83 |
| 70 | Nettie | 622 | #67 |
| 71 | Susie | 607 | #71 |
| 72 | Della | 606 | #71 |
| 73 | Daisy | 583 | #73 |
| 74 | Lizzie | 570 | #75 |
| 75 | Esther | 553 | #77 |
| 76 | Viola | 536 | #74 |
| 77 | Sallie | 525 | #70 |
| 78 | Ruby | 522 | #94 |
| 79 | Flora | 516 | #78 |
| 80 | Katie | 502 | #80 |
| 81 | Beulah | 498 | #95 |
| 81 | Lottie | 498 | #81 |
| 83 | Lydia | 496 | #85 |
| 84 | Caroline | 491 | #89 |
| 85 | Willie | 488 | #79 |
| 86 | Nancy | 470 | #76 |
| 87 | Etta | 465 | #82 |
| 88 | Olive | 464 | #87 |
| 89 | Charlotte | 455 | #88 |
| 90 | Addie | 448 | #91 |
| 91 | Georgia | 445 | #84 |
| 92 | Maud | 432 | #86 |
| 93 | Emily | 429 | #90 |
| 94 | Kathryn | 415 | #92 |
| 94 | Pauline | 415 | #98 |
| 96 | Gladys | 414 | #117 |
| 97 | Amanda | 413 | #97 |
| 98 | Mollie | 402 | #102 |
| 99 | Harriet | 397 | #99 |
| 100 | Nannie | 396 | #103 |
Top 100 Boy Names of 1889
| # | Name | Babies | In 1888 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John | 8,548 | #1 |
| 2 | William | 7,772 | #2 |
| 3 | James | 5,020 | #3 |
| 4 | George | 4,430 | #4 |
| 5 | Charles | 4,199 | #5 |
| 6 | Frank | 2,975 | #6 |
| 7 | Joseph | 2,729 | #7 |
| 8 | Harry | 2,559 | #9 |
| 9 | Robert | 2,513 | #8 |
| 10 | Edward | 2,299 | #11 |
| 11 | Henry | 2,286 | #10 |
| 12 | Thomas | 2,233 | #12 |
| 13 | Walter | 1,916 | #13 |
| 14 | Arthur | 1,668 | #14 |
| 15 | Fred | 1,554 | #15 |
| 16 | Albert | 1,353 | #16 |
| 17 | Clarence | 984 | #17 |
| 18 | Roy | 888 | #20 |
| 19 | Louis | 837 | #19 |
| 20 | Samuel | 810 | #18 |
| 21 | Benjamin | 760 | #25 |
| 22 | David | 757 | #21 |
| 23 | Ernest | 736 | #27 |
| 24 | Richard | 711 | #26 |
| 25 | Joe | 709 | #23 |
| 26 | Willie | 708 | #24 |
| 27 | Carl | 704 | #29 |
| 28 | Earl | 688 | #29 |
| 29 | Charlie | 685 | #22 |
| 30 | Will | 631 | #28 |
| 31 | Jesse | 576 | #32 |
| 32 | Oscar | 572 | #31 |
| 33 | Andrew | 561 | #33 |
| 34 | Elmer | 557 | #39 |
| 35 | Paul | 555 | #38 |
| 36 | Daniel | 515 | #35 |
| 37 | Raymond | 511 | #45 |
| 38 | Howard | 503 | #40 |
| 39 | Ralph | 495 | #36 |
| 40 | Sam | 486 | #34 |
| 41 | Alfred | 472 | #37 |
| 41 | Herbert | 472 | #43 |
| 43 | Ben | 453 | #47 |
| 44 | Frederick | 451 | #42 |
| 45 | Peter | 425 | #41 |
| 46 | Lee | 415 | #48 |
| 47 | Lewis | 414 | #50 |
| 48 | Herman | 405 | #51 |
| 49 | Claude | 386 | #55 |
| 50 | Tom | 379 | #49 |
| 51 | Michael | 377 | #46 |
| 52 | Eugene | 369 | #53 |
| 53 | Martin | 367 | #54 |
| 54 | Ray | 355 | #63 |
| 55 | Francis | 346 | #57 |
| 56 | Lawrence | 342 | #61 |
| 57 | Harold | 340 | #69 |
| 58 | Jim | 328 | #56 |
| 59 | Leo | 325 | #57 |
| 60 | Edgar | 322 | #65 |
| 60 | Jack | 322 | #64 |
| 62 | Clyde | 318 | #60 |
| 63 | Floyd | 313 | #67 |
| 64 | Harvey | 311 | #62 |
| 65 | Otto | 309 | #66 |
| 66 | Edwin | 306 | #69 |
| 67 | Jacob | 295 | #57 |
| 68 | Harrison | 288 | #52 |
| 69 | Chester | 274 | #72 |
| 70 | Guy | 271 | #71 |
| 71 | Ed | 270 | #68 |
| 71 | Luther | 270 | #74 |
| 73 | Homer | 255 | #76 |
| 74 | Patrick | 236 | #81 |
| 75 | Bert | 231 | #73 |
| 75 | Theodore | 231 | #80 |
| 77 | Leonard | 229 | #83 |
| 78 | Hugh | 225 | #79 |
| 79 | Allen | 222 | #75 |
| 80 | Anthony | 219 | #93 |
| 81 | Bernard | 215 | #87 |
| 82 | Lester | 213 | #97 |
| 83 | Grover | 210 | #44 |
| 83 | Oliver | 210 | #88 |
| 85 | Ira | 207 | #84 |
| 85 | Jessie | 207 | #77 |
| 87 | Clifford | 202 | #92 |
| 88 | Charley | 199 | #77 |
| 89 | Russell | 198 | #114 |
| 90 | Archie | 195 | #96 |
| 91 | Isaac | 188 | #85 |
| 92 | Leroy | 186 | #95 |
| 93 | Alexander | 185 | #82 |
| 94 | Leon | 184 | #90 |
| 95 | Philip | 183 | #90 |
| 96 | August | 171 | #86 |
| 96 | Milton | 171 | #103 |
| 98 | Lloyd | 167 | #99 |
| 98 | Warren | 167 | #112 |
| 100 | Horace | 166 | #103 |
Open a name to see how many people with it are alive today and how its popularity changed. See the year before, 1888, or the year after, 1890, the top 100 of the whole 1880s, or let the random name generator pick names from the 1880s.