Most Popular Baby Names of 1896
Top 100 girl and boy names, Social Security records
Mary and John were the most popular baby names of 1896 in the US: 13,811 girls were named Mary and 8,138 boys were named John, about 1 in 17 girls and 1 in 15 boys born that year. It was Mary's 17th year in a row at #1 for girls (since 1880), and it was John's 17th year in a row at #1 for boys (since 1880).
Social Security records list 237,918 girls and 119,565 boys born in 1896, with 1,824 different girl names and 1,265 boy names. A name is listed for a year only when at least 5 babies of one sex got it.
What Changed From 1895
- The girls' top 10 had the same names as in 1895; the boys' top 10 had the same names as in 1895.
- Biggest climbers in the girls' top 100: Lucille (#101 to #86), Dorothy (#57 to #46) and Hilda (#104 to #95).
- Biggest climbers in the boys' top 100: Anthony (#86 to #73), Theodore (#93 to #82) and Alexander (#97 to #87).
- 3 girl names and 2 boy names left the top 100, among them Sallie (#92 to #101) and Ira (#94 to #101).
- 132 names appeared in the records for the first time.
Top 100 Baby Names of 1896
Ranked by the babies given each name; the last column is the name's rank in 1895, among names of the same sex. Tied names share a rank.
Top 100 Girl Names of 1896
| # | Name | Babies | In 1895 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mary | 13,811 | #1 |
| 2 | Anna | 5,860 | #2 |
| 3 | Helen | 4,392 | #3 |
| 4 | Margaret | 4,050 | #4 |
| 5 | Ruth | 3,905 | #6 |
| 6 | Ethel | 3,502 | #8 |
| 7 | Elizabeth | 3,471 | #5 |
| 8 | Florence | 3,323 | #7 |
| 9 | Marie | 3,087 | #9 |
| 10 | Emma | 2,872 | #10 |
| 11 | Lillian | 2,702 | #16 |
| 12 | Alice | 2,651 | #17 |
| 13 | Edna | 2,604 | #14 |
| 14 | Clara | 2,582 | #12 |
| 15 | Bertha | 2,565 | #11 |
| 16 | Minnie | 2,530 | #13 |
| 17 | Grace | 2,485 | #18 |
| 18 | Bessie | 2,435 | #15 |
| 19 | Annie | 2,358 | #19 |
| 20 | Rose | 2,341 | #21 |
| 21 | Mabel | 2,283 | #20 |
| 22 | Hazel | 2,226 | #22 |
| 23 | Gertrude | 2,221 | #24 |
| 24 | Ida | 2,159 | #23 |
| 25 | Pearl | 2,101 | #26 |
| 26 | Martha | 2,022 | #25 |
| 27 | Esther | 1,964 | #31 |
| 27 | Frances | 1,964 | #29 |
| 29 | Edith | 1,932 | #27 |
| 30 | Myrtle | 1,928 | #28 |
| 31 | Elsie | 1,878 | #32 |
| 32 | Eva | 1,779 | #34 |
| 33 | Gladys | 1,757 | #41 |
| 34 | Nellie | 1,696 | #29 |
| 35 | Sarah | 1,691 | #33 |
| 36 | Ella | 1,683 | #35 |
| 37 | Laura | 1,665 | #36 |
| 38 | Agnes | 1,654 | #40 |
| 39 | Mildred | 1,620 | #39 |
| 40 | Catherine | 1,594 | #38 |
| 41 | Irene | 1,593 | #43 |
| 42 | Louise | 1,531 | #37 |
| 43 | Lillie | 1,483 | #44 |
| 44 | Julia | 1,407 | #45 |
| 45 | Carrie | 1,388 | #42 |
| 46 | Dorothy | 1,366 | #57 |
| 47 | Hattie | 1,320 | #46 |
| 48 | Lena | 1,318 | #50 |
| 49 | Mattie | 1,288 | #51 |
| 50 | Josephine | 1,256 | #47 |
| 51 | Alma | 1,243 | #55 |
| 52 | Cora | 1,204 | #49 |
| 53 | Jennie | 1,178 | #53 |
| 54 | Blanche | 1,150 | #54 |
| 55 | Mae | 1,148 | #52 |
| 56 | Maude | 1,104 | #56 |
| 57 | Jessie | 1,103 | #48 |
| 58 | Mamie | 1,081 | #59 |
| 59 | Lucy | 1,074 | #61 |
| 60 | Stella | 1,054 | #60 |
| 61 | Katherine | 1,047 | #65 |
| 61 | Viola | 1,047 | #63 |
| 63 | Ada | 1,041 | #58 |
| 64 | Lula | 1,012 | #64 |
| 65 | Fannie | 1,001 | #62 |
| 66 | Ruby | 994 | #66 |
| 67 | Marion | 987 | #69 |
| 68 | Dora | 874 | #68 |
| 69 | Maggie | 871 | #67 |
| 70 | Beatrice | 870 | #73 |
| 71 | Nora | 844 | #70 |
| 72 | Sadie | 827 | #72 |
| 73 | Ellen | 811 | #75 |
| 74 | Rosa | 808 | #71 |
| 75 | Pauline | 756 | #76 |
| 76 | Willie | 755 | #78 |
| 77 | Beulah | 750 | #74 |
| 78 | Marguerite | 725 | #81 |
| 79 | Susie | 718 | #83 |
| 80 | Effie | 716 | #79 |
| 81 | Vera | 675 | #77 |
| 82 | May | 671 | #80 |
| 83 | Daisy | 661 | #84 |
| 84 | Evelyn | 646 | #87 |
| 85 | Della | 642 | #86 |
| 86 | Lucille | 637 | #101 |
| 87 | Nettie | 628 | #82 |
| 88 | Kathryn | 625 | #90 |
| 89 | Virginia | 621 | #88 |
| 90 | Olive | 583 | #91 |
| 91 | Lydia | 580 | #85 |
| 92 | Lottie | 574 | #95 |
| 93 | Georgia | 562 | #94 |
| 94 | Leona | 556 | #102 |
| 95 | Hilda | 549 | #104 |
| 96 | Emily | 527 | #89 |
| 96 | Flora | 527 | #96 |
| 96 | Nancy | 527 | #93 |
| 99 | Katie | 516 | #100 |
| 100 | Lizzie | 508 | #99 |
Top 100 Boy Names of 1896
| # | Name | Babies | In 1895 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John | 8,138 | #1 |
| 2 | William | 7,747 | #2 |
| 3 | James | 5,206 | #3 |
| 4 | George | 4,286 | #4 |
| 5 | Charles | 3,639 | #5 |
| 6 | Joseph | 3,051 | #7 |
| 7 | Frank | 2,845 | #6 |
| 8 | Robert | 2,719 | #8 |
| 9 | Edward | 2,296 | #10 |
| 10 | Henry | 2,183 | #9 |
| 11 | Harry | 2,091 | #12 |
| 12 | Thomas | 2,088 | #11 |
| 13 | Walter | 2,017 | #13 |
| 14 | Arthur | 1,821 | #14 |
| 15 | Albert | 1,434 | #16 |
| 16 | Fred | 1,393 | #15 |
| 17 | Clarence | 1,254 | #17 |
| 18 | Willie | 1,092 | #18 |
| 19 | Roy | 1,027 | #19 |
| 20 | Paul | 964 | #20 |
| 21 | Earl | 892 | #22 |
| 22 | Louis | 871 | #21 |
| 23 | Harold | 862 | #29 |
| 24 | Raymond | 859 | #26 |
| 25 | Carl | 852 | #22 |
| 26 | Richard | 834 | #31 |
| 27 | Joe | 767 | #28 |
| 28 | David | 765 | #32 |
| 29 | Ernest | 764 | #24 |
| 30 | Ralph | 746 | #30 |
| 31 | Samuel | 734 | #25 |
| 32 | Charlie | 714 | #27 |
| 33 | Howard | 677 | #33 |
| 34 | Herbert | 635 | #36 |
| 35 | Jesse | 586 | #35 |
| 36 | Elmer | 576 | #34 |
| 37 | Andrew | 566 | #37 |
| 38 | Daniel | 561 | #40 |
| 39 | Francis | 551 | #45 |
| 40 | Jack | 539 | #46 |
| 40 | Oscar | 539 | #39 |
| 42 | Alfred | 527 | #38 |
| 43 | Sam | 518 | #43 |
| 44 | Will | 508 | #44 |
| 45 | Eugene | 507 | #50 |
| 46 | Lawrence | 499 | #41 |
| 47 | Leo | 497 | #41 |
| 48 | Lee | 455 | #47 |
| 49 | Herman | 427 | #49 |
| 50 | Ray | 426 | #56 |
| 51 | Benjamin | 416 | #48 |
| 52 | Peter | 402 | #53 |
| 53 | Michael | 399 | #52 |
| 54 | Claude | 398 | #55 |
| 55 | Floyd | 396 | #51 |
| 56 | Lewis | 386 | #57 |
| 57 | Frederick | 381 | #54 |
| 58 | Clyde | 372 | #59 |
| 59 | Edwin | 351 | #60 |
| 60 | Leonard | 350 | #61 |
| 61 | Martin | 343 | #65 |
| 62 | Tom | 339 | #62 |
| 63 | Chester | 329 | #57 |
| 64 | Russell | 327 | #66 |
| 65 | Lester | 318 | #68 |
| 66 | Clifford | 311 | #72 |
| 67 | Lloyd | 308 | #75 |
| 68 | Edgar | 306 | #64 |
| 69 | Ben | 299 | #63 |
| 70 | Harvey | 292 | #70 |
| 71 | Jim | 281 | #71 |
| 72 | Leroy | 278 | #78 |
| 73 | Anthony | 276 | #86 |
| 74 | Luther | 265 | #73 |
| 75 | Hugh | 263 | #80 |
| 76 | Eddie | 262 | #85 |
| 76 | Guy | 262 | #76 |
| 78 | Stanley | 259 | #82 |
| 79 | Homer | 258 | #67 |
| 80 | Otto | 250 | #69 |
| 81 | Ed | 246 | #84 |
| 82 | Bernard | 241 | #77 |
| 82 | Jacob | 241 | #74 |
| 82 | Theodore | 241 | #93 |
| 85 | Leslie | 237 | #81 |
| 86 | Leon | 235 | #87 |
| 87 | Alexander | 232 | #97 |
| 88 | Archie | 230 | #89 |
| 89 | Jessie | 229 | #79 |
| 90 | Everett | 224 | #94 |
| 91 | Allen | 219 | #98 |
| 92 | Philip | 218 | #90 |
| 93 | Patrick | 214 | #82 |
| 94 | Donald | 211 | #96 |
| 95 | Horace | 204 | #90 |
| 96 | Victor | 201 | #98 |
| 97 | Cecil | 200 | #100 |
| 98 | Milton | 194 | #102 |
| 98 | Oliver | 194 | #88 |
| 100 | Isaac | 191 | #107 |
Open a name to see how many people with it are alive today and how its popularity changed. See the year before, 1895, or the year after, 1897, the top 100 of the whole 1890s, or let the random name generator pick names from the 1890s.