Most Popular Baby Names of 1898
Top 100 girl and boy names, Social Security records
Mary and John were the most popular baby names of 1898 in the US: 14,406 girls were named Mary and 8,159 boys were named John, about 1 in 18 girls and 1 in 15 boys born that year. It was Mary's 19th year in a row at #1 for girls (since 1880), and it was John's 19th year in a row at #1 for boys (since 1880).
Social Security records list 258,769 girls and 122,685 boys born in 1898, with 1,974 different girl names and 1,288 boy names. A name is listed for a year only when at least 5 babies of one sex got it.
What Changed From 1897
- Lillian joined the girls' top 10; Thomas joined the boys' top 10.
- Biggest climbers in the girls' top 100: Thelma (#117 to #99), Georgia (#101 to #92) and Beatrice (#68 to #60).
- Biggest climbers in the boys' top 100: Dewey (#111 to #19), Milton (#106 to #91) and Anthony (#76 to #65).
- 4 girl names and 3 boy names left the top 100, among them Ann (#97 to #101) and Allen (#82 to #103).
- 163 names appeared in the records for the first time.
Top 100 Baby Names of 1898
Ranked by the babies given each name; the last column is the name's rank in 1897, among names of the same sex. Tied names share a rank.
Top 100 Girl Names of 1898
| # | Name | Babies | In 1897 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mary | 14,406 | #1 |
| 2 | Anna | 5,773 | #2 |
| 3 | Helen | 5,230 | #3 |
| 4 | Margaret | 4,696 | #4 |
| 5 | Ruth | 4,249 | #5 |
| 6 | Florence | 3,790 | #7 |
| 7 | Elizabeth | 3,659 | #6 |
| 8 | Ethel | 3,531 | #8 |
| 9 | Marie | 3,435 | #9 |
| 10 | Lillian | 3,061 | #11 |
| 11 | Alice | 2,846 | #16 |
| 12 | Edna | 2,813 | #12 |
| 13 | Emma | 2,788 | #10 |
| 14 | Clara | 2,731 | #15 |
| 15 | Grace | 2,726 | #14 |
| 16 | Bessie | 2,647 | #17 |
| 17 | Bertha | 2,642 | #13 |
| 18 | Annie | 2,470 | #20 |
| 19 | Hazel | 2,439 | #18 |
| 20 | Rose | 2,436 | #19 |
| 21 | Minnie | 2,409 | #21 |
| 22 | Frances | 2,379 | #27 |
| 23 | Mabel | 2,331 | #22 |
| 24 | Gertrude | 2,302 | #23 |
| 25 | Martha | 2,184 | #26 |
| 26 | Pearl | 2,158 | #25 |
| 27 | Gladys | 2,136 | #32 |
| 28 | Mildred | 2,101 | #33 |
| 29 | Ida | 2,090 | #24 |
| 29 | Myrtle | 2,090 | #29 |
| 31 | Esther | 2,047 | #28 |
| 32 | Edith | 1,981 | #30 |
| 33 | Elsie | 1,919 | #31 |
| 34 | Irene | 1,902 | #38 |
| 35 | Eva | 1,823 | #35 |
| 36 | Nellie | 1,810 | #37 |
| 37 | Sarah | 1,800 | #34 |
| 38 | Laura | 1,768 | #39 |
| 39 | Ella | 1,715 | #36 |
| 40 | Agnes | 1,708 | #40 |
| 41 | Catherine | 1,705 | #42 |
| 42 | Louise | 1,693 | #41 |
| 43 | Dorothy | 1,671 | #43 |
| 44 | Lillie | 1,522 | #44 |
| 45 | Julia | 1,462 | #45 |
| 46 | Josephine | 1,425 | #47 |
| 47 | Carrie | 1,371 | #46 |
| 48 | Hattie | 1,328 | #48 |
| 49 | Lena | 1,320 | #50 |
| 50 | Mattie | 1,314 | #53 |
| 51 | Cora | 1,304 | #49 |
| 52 | Alma | 1,299 | #51 |
| 53 | Viola | 1,272 | #58 |
| 54 | Blanche | 1,269 | #55 |
| 55 | Jessie | 1,244 | #52 |
| 56 | Mae | 1,239 | #54 |
| 57 | Jennie | 1,194 | #56 |
| 58 | Ruby | 1,191 | #57 |
| 59 | Lucy | 1,144 | #61 |
| 60 | Beatrice | 1,122 | #68 |
| 61 | Fannie | 1,085 | #66 |
| 61 | Marion | 1,085 | #60 |
| 63 | Mamie | 1,084 | #59 |
| 64 | Lula | 1,069 | #63 |
| 65 | Stella | 1,062 | #64 |
| 66 | Ada | 1,022 | #66 |
| 67 | Maude | 1,009 | #61 |
| 68 | Dora | 929 | #69 |
| 69 | Katherine | 914 | #65 |
| 70 | Pauline | 900 | #72 |
| 71 | Willie | 878 | #70 |
| 72 | Maggie | 876 | #75 |
| 72 | Vera | 876 | #73 |
| 74 | Nora | 868 | #71 |
| 75 | Rosa | 841 | #74 |
| 76 | Evelyn | 836 | #80 |
| 77 | Sadie | 808 | #76 |
| 78 | Virginia | 801 | #84 |
| 79 | Marguerite | 800 | #78 |
| 80 | Lucille | 795 | #82 |
| 81 | Ellen | 786 | #77 |
| 82 | Beulah | 783 | #81 |
| 83 | Effie | 714 | #79 |
| 84 | Daisy | 712 | #86 |
| 85 | Susie | 702 | #85 |
| 86 | May | 696 | #91 |
| 87 | Nettie | 678 | #90 |
| 88 | Lydia | 677 | #83 |
| 89 | Kathryn | 671 | #93 |
| 90 | Leona | 665 | #88 |
| 91 | Della | 656 | #86 |
| 92 | Georgia | 654 | #101 |
| 93 | Olive | 644 | #92 |
| 94 | Emily | 628 | #88 |
| 95 | Eleanor | 620 | #95 |
| 96 | Bernice | 619 | #103 |
| 97 | Hilda | 610 | #94 |
| 98 | Flora | 607 | #106 |
| 99 | Thelma | 605 | #117 |
| 100 | Sallie | 598 | #97 |
Top 100 Boy Names of 1898
| # | Name | Babies | In 1897 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John | 8,159 | #1 |
| 2 | William | 7,400 | #2 |
| 3 | James | 5,321 | #3 |
| 4 | George | 4,853 | #4 |
| 5 | Charles | 3,557 | #5 |
| 6 | Joseph | 3,171 | #6 |
| 7 | Robert | 2,932 | #8 |
| 8 | Frank | 2,925 | #7 |
| 9 | Edward | 2,337 | #9 |
| 10 | Thomas | 2,161 | #11 |
| 11 | Henry | 2,145 | #10 |
| 12 | Harry | 2,129 | #13 |
| 13 | Walter | 2,002 | #12 |
| 14 | Arthur | 1,619 | #14 |
| 15 | Fred | 1,447 | #16 |
| 16 | Albert | 1,417 | #15 |
| 17 | Clarence | 1,326 | #17 |
| 18 | Willie | 1,134 | #18 |
| 19 | Dewey | 1,115 | #111 |
| 20 | Roy | 1,049 | #19 |
| 21 | Paul | 991 | #20 |
| 22 | Harold | 963 | #21 |
| 23 | Raymond | 929 | #22 |
| 24 | Carl | 919 | #25 |
| 25 | Earl | 883 | #24 |
| 26 | Richard | 871 | #31 |
| 27 | Louis | 861 | #23 |
| 28 | Ernest | 839 | #27 |
| 29 | Joe | 827 | #26 |
| 30 | David | 815 | #29 |
| 31 | Ralph | 803 | #32 |
| 32 | Samuel | 749 | #28 |
| 33 | Charlie | 728 | #30 |
| 34 | Herbert | 716 | #35 |
| 35 | Howard | 706 | #33 |
| 36 | Alfred | 645 | #40 |
| 37 | Jack | 633 | #42 |
| 38 | Andrew | 611 | #36 |
| 39 | Leo | 588 | #46 |
| 40 | Elmer | 583 | #34 |
| 41 | Oscar | 546 | #37 |
| 42 | Sam | 543 | #45 |
| 43 | Francis | 541 | #43 |
| 44 | Lawrence | 533 | #41 |
| 45 | Daniel | 523 | #39 |
| 46 | Lee | 498 | #47 |
| 47 | Jesse | 476 | #38 |
| 48 | Will | 475 | #44 |
| 49 | Eugene | 473 | #49 |
| 50 | Herman | 467 | #50 |
| 51 | Floyd | 434 | #48 |
| 51 | Michael | 434 | #57 |
| 53 | Leonard | 421 | #61 |
| 54 | Peter | 409 | #51 |
| 55 | Benjamin | 405 | #54 |
| 56 | Ray | 394 | #51 |
| 57 | Edwin | 391 | #53 |
| 58 | Clyde | 383 | #58 |
| 59 | Claude | 371 | #59 |
| 60 | Frederick | 368 | #56 |
| 61 | Russell | 359 | #64 |
| 62 | Lewis | 352 | #54 |
| 63 | Martin | 339 | #60 |
| 64 | Tom | 337 | #63 |
| 65 | Anthony | 325 | #76 |
| 66 | Chester | 321 | #67 |
| 67 | Clifford | 317 | #68 |
| 68 | Leroy | 315 | #65 |
| 69 | Ben | 310 | #65 |
| 70 | Lester | 298 | #61 |
| 71 | Stanley | 295 | #77 |
| 72 | Edgar | 285 | #69 |
| 73 | Bernard | 284 | #78 |
| 73 | Harvey | 284 | #72 |
| 75 | Theodore | 281 | #85 |
| 76 | Luther | 275 | #71 |
| 77 | Jim | 269 | #75 |
| 78 | Jessie | 267 | #78 |
| 79 | Lloyd | 265 | #74 |
| 80 | Otto | 259 | #78 |
| 81 | Eddie | 256 | #73 |
| 81 | Jacob | 256 | #88 |
| 83 | Leon | 251 | #81 |
| 84 | Hugh | 250 | #86 |
| 85 | Homer | 246 | #69 |
| 86 | Philip | 244 | #89 |
| 87 | Cecil | 243 | #84 |
| 88 | Donald | 238 | #92 |
| 89 | Ed | 228 | #90 |
| 89 | Leslie | 228 | #83 |
| 91 | Milton | 225 | #106 |
| 92 | Archie | 222 | #95 |
| 93 | Patrick | 219 | #87 |
| 94 | Guy | 215 | #92 |
| 95 | Everett | 212 | #100 |
| 96 | Norman | 207 | #91 |
| 97 | Victor | 205 | #95 |
| 98 | Ira | 195 | #99 |
| 98 | Stephen | 195 | #94 |
| 100 | Kenneth | 191 | #105 |
Open a name to see how many people with it are alive today and how its popularity changed. See the year before, 1897, or the year after, 1899, the top 100 of the whole 1890s, or let the random name generator pick names from the 1890s.