Most Popular Baby Names of 1891
Top 100 girl and boy names, Social Security records
Mary and John were the most popular baby names of 1891 in the US: 11,704 girls were named Mary and 7,680 boys were named John, about 1 in 16 girls and 1 in 13 boys born that year. It was Mary's 12th year in a row at #1 for girls (since 1880), and it was John's 12th year in a row at #1 for boys (since 1880).
Social Security records list 185,482 girls and 101,191 boys born in 1891, with 1,533 different girl names and 1,126 boy names. A name is listed for a year only when at least 5 babies of one sex got it.
What Changed From 1890
- Helen joined the girls' top 10; the boys' top 10 had the same names as in 1890.
- Biggest climbers in the girls' top 100: Ruth (#46 to #19), Dorothy (#93 to #76) and Gladys (#82 to #70).
- Biggest climbers in the boys' top 100: Theodore (#89 to #76), Bernard (#98 to #85) and Charley (#93 to #82).
- 2 girl names and 3 boy names left the top 100, among them Charlotte (#98 to #101) and Isaac (#92 to #101).
- 112 names appeared in the records for the first time.
Top 100 Baby Names of 1891
Ranked by the babies given each name; the last column is the name's rank in 1890, among names of the same sex. Tied names share a rank.
Top 100 Girl Names of 1891
| # | Name | Babies | In 1890 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mary | 11,704 | #1 |
| 2 | Anna | 5,099 | #2 |
| 3 | Margaret | 3,065 | #4 |
| 4 | Elizabeth | 3,059 | #3 |
| 5 | Emma | 2,884 | #5 |
| 6 | Florence | 2,716 | #6 |
| 7 | Ethel | 2,689 | #7 |
| 8 | Minnie | 2,428 | #8 |
| 9 | Helen | 2,417 | #12 |
| 10 | Bertha | 2,372 | #10 |
| 11 | Clara | 2,360 | #9 |
| 12 | Bessie | 2,323 | #11 |
| 13 | Annie | 2,096 | #15 |
| 14 | Grace | 2,088 | #13 |
| 15 | Mabel | 2,029 | #17 |
| 16 | Alice | 2,015 | #14 |
| 17 | Ida | 2,002 | #16 |
| 18 | Edna | 1,963 | #18 |
| 19 | Ruth | 1,857 | #46 |
| 20 | Lillian | 1,812 | #19 |
| 21 | Martha | 1,744 | #22 |
| 22 | Rose | 1,696 | #25 |
| 23 | Ella | 1,685 | #23 |
| 24 | Sarah | 1,669 | #21 |
| 25 | Nellie | 1,647 | #20 |
| 26 | Gertrude | 1,645 | #26 |
| 27 | Pearl | 1,605 | #24 |
| 28 | Marie | 1,596 | #28 |
| 29 | Edith | 1,509 | #30 |
| 29 | Laura | 1,509 | #27 |
| 31 | Myrtle | 1,458 | #34 |
| 32 | Hazel | 1,447 | #37 |
| 33 | Eva | 1,412 | #32 |
| 34 | Frances | 1,397 | #33 |
| 35 | Cora | 1,343 | #36 |
| 36 | Carrie | 1,342 | #29 |
| 37 | Louise | 1,333 | #31 |
| 38 | Elsie | 1,303 | #45 |
| 39 | Lillie | 1,247 | #35 |
| 40 | Jennie | 1,238 | #41 |
| 41 | Catherine | 1,219 | #44 |
| 41 | Hattie | 1,219 | #38 |
| 43 | Julia | 1,200 | #40 |
| 44 | Maude | 1,188 | #39 |
| 45 | Lena | 1,174 | #47 |
| 46 | Mattie | 1,165 | #42 |
| 47 | Agnes | 1,125 | #50 |
| 48 | Jessie | 1,119 | #43 |
| 49 | Josephine | 1,031 | #49 |
| 50 | Lula | 1,010 | #48 |
| 51 | Ada | 975 | #51 |
| 52 | Irene | 950 | #60 |
| 53 | Lucy | 944 | #53 |
| 54 | Mae | 933 | #58 |
| 55 | Alma | 929 | #57 |
| 56 | Blanche | 917 | #55 |
| 57 | Fannie | 916 | #52 |
| 58 | Dora | 870 | #62 |
| 59 | Stella | 867 | #56 |
| 60 | Maggie | 841 | #61 |
| 61 | Mamie | 830 | #54 |
| 62 | Katherine | 803 | #59 |
| 63 | Nora | 801 | #63 |
| 64 | Mildred | 761 | #71 |
| 65 | Rosa | 729 | #64 |
| 66 | Esther | 710 | #75 |
| 67 | Effie | 704 | #66 |
| 68 | May | 696 | #65 |
| 69 | Ellen | 675 | #70 |
| 70 | Gladys | 633 | #82 |
| 71 | Nettie | 620 | #67 |
| 72 | Sadie | 617 | #69 |
| 73 | Viola | 609 | #68 |
| 74 | Della | 607 | #72 |
| 75 | Sallie | 569 | #80 |
| 76 | Dorothy | 566 | #93 |
| 76 | Susie | 566 | #73 |
| 78 | Willie | 562 | #77 |
| 79 | Daisy | 557 | #76 |
| 80 | Ruby | 554 | #81 |
| 81 | Beulah | 526 | #79 |
| 82 | Lizzie | 525 | #74 |
| 83 | Nancy | 523 | #84 |
| 84 | Marguerite | 511 | #96 |
| 85 | Olive | 509 | #89 |
| 86 | Lydia | 507 | #78 |
| 87 | Kathryn | 504 | #91 |
| 88 | Lottie | 501 | #88 |
| 89 | Flora | 497 | #85 |
| 90 | Katie | 494 | #86 |
| 91 | Beatrice | 485 | #98 |
| 92 | Addie | 467 | #92 |
| 93 | Pauline | 455 | #90 |
| 94 | Etta | 452 | #95 |
| 95 | Emily | 444 | #86 |
| 95 | Georgia | 444 | #83 |
| 97 | Virginia | 439 | #100 |
| 98 | Vera | 426 | #103 |
| 99 | Marion | 413 | #106 |
| 100 | Caroline | 402 | #94 |
Top 100 Boy Names of 1891
| # | Name | Babies | In 1890 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John | 7,680 | #1 |
| 2 | William | 6,763 | #2 |
| 3 | James | 4,516 | #3 |
| 4 | George | 3,931 | #4 |
| 5 | Charles | 3,640 | #5 |
| 6 | Frank | 2,652 | #6 |
| 7 | Joseph | 2,572 | #7 |
| 8 | Robert | 2,240 | #8 |
| 9 | Harry | 2,132 | #10 |
| 10 | Henry | 2,049 | #9 |
| 11 | Edward | 1,989 | #11 |
| 12 | Thomas | 1,982 | #12 |
| 13 | Walter | 1,668 | #13 |
| 14 | Arthur | 1,514 | #14 |
| 15 | Fred | 1,362 | #15 |
| 16 | Albert | 1,207 | #16 |
| 17 | Clarence | 1,007 | #17 |
| 18 | Roy | 838 | #18 |
| 19 | Louis | 786 | #19 |
| 20 | Samuel | 753 | #20 |
| 21 | Willie | 739 | #23 |
| 22 | Ernest | 715 | #22 |
| 23 | Charlie | 707 | #21 |
| 24 | Carl | 675 | #27 |
| 25 | Earl | 674 | #24 |
| 26 | David | 673 | #26 |
| 27 | Richard | 609 | #25 |
| 28 | Ralph | 587 | #32 |
| 29 | Joe | 584 | #28 |
| 30 | Raymond | 575 | #36 |
| 31 | Paul | 564 | #31 |
| 32 | Oscar | 551 | #29 |
| 33 | Andrew | 521 | #34 |
| 34 | Will | 520 | #30 |
| 35 | Jesse | 519 | #33 |
| 36 | Elmer | 508 | #38 |
| 37 | Daniel | 505 | #39 |
| 38 | Herbert | 501 | #42 |
| 39 | Alfred | 499 | #35 |
| 40 | Howard | 485 | #40 |
| 41 | Benjamin | 461 | #37 |
| 42 | Harold | 419 | #46 |
| 43 | Sam | 418 | #41 |
| 44 | Frederick | 412 | #43 |
| 45 | Peter | 396 | #43 |
| 46 | Lawrence | 389 | #52 |
| 47 | Herman | 383 | #50 |
| 48 | Eugene | 362 | #46 |
| 49 | Ray | 360 | #56 |
| 50 | Lewis | 357 | #51 |
| 51 | Leo | 353 | #49 |
| 52 | Lee | 342 | #43 |
| 53 | Floyd | 336 | #60 |
| 54 | Francis | 333 | #54 |
| 54 | Michael | 333 | #48 |
| 56 | Martin | 331 | #57 |
| 57 | Claude | 327 | #57 |
| 57 | Clyde | 327 | #64 |
| 57 | Edwin | 327 | #63 |
| 60 | Tom | 318 | #57 |
| 61 | Ben | 302 | #54 |
| 62 | Jack | 290 | #53 |
| 63 | Jim | 288 | #62 |
| 64 | Edgar | 277 | #61 |
| 65 | Harvey | 274 | #65 |
| 65 | Otto | 274 | #68 |
| 67 | Guy | 262 | #72 |
| 68 | Chester | 252 | #69 |
| 69 | Jacob | 238 | #66 |
| 70 | Ed | 237 | #70 |
| 71 | Luther | 236 | #71 |
| 72 | Leonard | 235 | #67 |
| 73 | Hugh | 233 | #80 |
| 74 | Homer | 230 | #77 |
| 75 | Jessie | 227 | #73 |
| 76 | Theodore | 224 | #89 |
| 77 | Oliver | 212 | #81 |
| 77 | Patrick | 212 | #75 |
| 79 | Archie | 201 | #79 |
| 80 | Philip | 198 | #88 |
| 81 | Clifford | 196 | #83 |
| 82 | Charley | 193 | #93 |
| 83 | Lester | 191 | #76 |
| 84 | Leroy | 190 | #74 |
| 85 | Bernard | 187 | #98 |
| 86 | August | 186 | #84 |
| 86 | Russell | 186 | #94 |
| 88 | Lloyd | 185 | #94 |
| 89 | Bert | 181 | #97 |
| 90 | Eddie | 179 | #86 |
| 90 | Ira | 179 | #82 |
| 92 | Stanley | 178 | #77 |
| 93 | Everett | 174 | #102 |
| 94 | Allen | 173 | #90 |
| 95 | Alexander | 172 | #85 |
| 96 | Anthony | 170 | #90 |
| 97 | Horace | 165 | #103 |
| 98 | Leslie | 164 | #96 |
| 99 | Grover | 163 | #99 |
| 99 | Norman | 163 | #107 |
Open a name to see how many people with it are alive today and how its popularity changed. See the year before, 1890, or the year after, 1892, the top 100 of the whole 1890s, or let the random name generator pick names from the 1890s.