Most popular baby names of 1881
In 1881, the most popular names for US babies were John for boys (8,768 babies, 8.7% of boys) and Mary for girls (6,919 babies, 7.5% of girls). The rest of the top five were William, James, George and Charles for boys and Anna, Emma, Elizabeth and Margaret for girls. SSA recorded 996 different boy names and 938 different girl names that year.
| Rank | Name | Babies | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John | 8,768 | – |
| 2 | William | 8,524 | – |
| 3 | James | 5,441 | – |
| 4 | George | 4,664 | ▲ 1 |
| 5 | Charles | 4,636 | ▼ 1 |
| 6 | Frank | 2,834 | – |
| 7 | Joseph | 2,456 | – |
| 8 | Henry | 2,339 | ▲ 1 |
| 9 | Thomas | 2,282 | ▼ 1 |
| 10 | Edward | 2,177 | ▲ 1 |
| 11 | Robert | 2,140 | ▼ 1 |
| 12 | Harry | 2,002 | – |
| 13 | Walter | 1,670 | – |
| 14 | Arthur | 1,575 | – |
| 15 | Fred | 1,418 | – |
| 16 | Albert | 1,319 | – |
| 17 | Samuel | 919 | – |
| 18 | David | 750 | – |
| 19 | Louis | 746 | – |
| 20 | Charlie | 668 | ▲ 1 |
| 21 | Clarence | 668 | ▲ 1 |
| 22 | Richard | 641 | ▲ 1 |
| 23 | Joe | 639 | ▼ 3 |
| 24 | Andrew | 588 | – |
| 25 | Ernest | 571 | ▲ 1 |
| 26 | Will | 550 | ▲ 1 |
| 27 | Jesse | 536 | ▲ 1 |
| 28 | Oscar | 530 | ▲ 1 |
| 29 | Daniel | 527 | ▼ 4 |
| 30 | Willie | 498 | ▲ 4 |
| 31 | Benjamin | 481 | ▲ 1 |
| 32 | Sam | 481 | ▲ 4 |
| 33 | Alfred | 466 | ▲ 2 |
| 34 | Roy | 440 | ▲ 3 |
| 35 | Lewis | 439 | ▼ 5 |
| 36 | Frederick | 433 | ▼ 3 |
| 37 | Peter | 428 | ▼ 6 |
| 38 | Elmer | 388 | ▲ 3 |
| 39 | Jacob | 381 | – |
| 40 | Herbert | 369 | ▼ 2 |
| 41 | Carl | 359 | ▲ 1 |
| 42 | Howard | 359 | ▲ 2 |
| 43 | Tom | 349 | ▼ 3 |
| 44 | Lee | 342 | ▼ 1 |
| 45 | Ralph | 329 | ▲ 9 |
| 46 | Martin | 327 | ▼ 1 |
| 47 | Jim | 323 | ▲ 2 |
| 48 | Earl | 314 | ▲ 4 |
| 49 | Eugene | 314 | ▲ 4 |
| 50 | Bert | 312 | ▼ 3 |
| 51 | Edgar | 312 | ▲ 10 |
| 52 | Herman | 304 | ▼ 4 |
| 53 | Claude | 302 | ▲ 3 |
| 54 | Michael | 298 | ▼ 8 |
| 55 | Paul | 291 | ▲ 5 |
| 56 | Ben | 289 | ▲ 2 |
| 57 | Ira | 286 | ▲ 9 |
| 58 | Harvey | 282 | ▼ 7 |
| 59 | Chester | 274 | ▲ 26 |
| 60 | Edwin | 274 | ▼ 3 |
| 61 | Ed | 272 | ▼ 6 |
| 62 | Charley | 266 | ▼ 3 |
| 63 | Francis | 259 | ▼ 13 |
| 64 | Isaac | 258 | ▼ 2 |
| 65 | Luther | 249 | ▼ 1 |
| 66 | Lawrence | 244 | ▼ 1 |
| 67 | Oliver | 238 | ▲ 2 |
| 68 | Clyde | 232 | ▲ 4 |
| 69 | Otto | 221 | ▼ 6 |
| 70 | Hugh | 219 | ▲ 1 |
| 71 | Alexander | 209 | ▲ 2 |
| 72 | Leonard | 206 | ▲ 6 |
| 73 | Jack | 197 | ▲ 4 |
| 74 | Raymond | 195 | ▲ 13 |
| 75 | Patrick | 188 | ▼ 8 |
| 76 | Guy | 186 | ▼ 8 |
| 77 | Homer | 181 | ▼ 1 |
| 78 | Floyd | 178 | ▼ 3 |
| 79 | Theodore | 178 | ▼ 9 |
| 80 | Allen | 172 | ▲ 2 |
| 81 | August | 172 | ▼ 7 |
| 82 | Marion | 162 | ▼ 2 |
| 83 | Philip | 156 | ▼ 2 |
| 84 | Warren | 156 | ▲ 5 |
| 85 | Horace | 152 | ▼ 6 |
| 86 | Dan | 148 | ▲ 12 |
| 87 | Ray | 148 | ▲ 8 |
| 88 | Garfield | 147 | ▲ 23 |
| 89 | Stephen | 147 | ▼ 5 |
| 90 | Emil | 145 | ▲ 23 |
| 91 | Jessie | 143 | ▼ 1 |
| 92 | Milton | 143 | ▼ 1 |
| 93 | Willis | 142 | ▼ 7 |
| 94 | Calvin | 138 | ▲ 6 |
| 95 | Dave | 135 | ▲ 7 |
| 96 | Bernard | 130 | ▲ 1 |
| 97 | Julius | 129 | ▼ 3 |
| 98 | Leroy | 129 | ▲ 10 |
| 99 | Sidney | 129 | ▼ 3 |
| 100 | Anthony | 128 | ▲ 3 |
| Rank | Name | Babies | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mary | 6,919 | – |
| 2 | Anna | 2,698 | – |
| 3 | Emma | 2,034 | – |
| 4 | Elizabeth | 1,852 | – |
| 5 | Margaret | 1,658 | ▲ 1 |
| 6 | Minnie | 1,653 | ▼ 1 |
| 7 | Ida | 1,439 | – |
| 8 | Annie | 1,326 | ▲ 3 |
| 9 | Bertha | 1,324 | – |
| 10 | Alice | 1,308 | ▼ 2 |
| 11 | Clara | 1,242 | ▲ 1 |
| 12 | Sarah | 1,226 | ▼ 2 |
| 13 | Ella | 1,148 | – |
| 14 | Nellie | 1,096 | ▲ 4 |
| 15 | Grace | 1,089 | ▲ 4 |
| 16 | Florence | 1,046 | ▼ 2 |
| 17 | Martha | 1,044 | ▼ 1 |
| 18 | Cora | 969 | ▼ 3 |
| 19 | Laura | 962 | ▼ 2 |
| 20 | Carrie | 958 | – |
| 21 | Maude | 923 | – |
| 22 | Bessie | 903 | ▲ 1 |
| 23 | Mabel | 893 | ▼ 1 |
| 24 | Gertrude | 791 | ▲ 1 |
| 25 | Ethel | 788 | ▲ 13 |
| 26 | Jennie | 784 | ▼ 2 |
| 27 | Edith | 778 | ▲ 1 |
| 28 | Hattie | 775 | ▼ 1 |
| 29 | Mattie | 754 | – |
| 30 | Julia | 737 | ▼ 4 |
| 31 | Rose | 734 | ▼ 1 |
| 32 | Lillian | 723 | – |
| 33 | Lillie | 678 | ▲ 1 |
| 34 | Eva | 661 | ▲ 7 |
| 35 | Jessie | 661 | ▲ 1 |
| 36 | Lula | 655 | ▲ 3 |
| 37 | Myrtle | 643 | ▲ 3 |
| 38 | Pearl | 641 | ▲ 9 |
| 39 | Edna | 637 | ▲ 6 |
| 40 | Catherine | 635 | ▼ 9 |
| 41 | Ada | 628 | ▼ 8 |
| 42 | Louise | 617 | ▼ 5 |
| 43 | Helen | 612 | ▼ 8 |
| 44 | Lucy | 611 | – |
| 45 | Frances | 586 | ▼ 3 |
| 46 | Dora | 585 | ▲ 5 |
| 47 | Fannie | 565 | ▲ 2 |
| 48 | Josephine | 563 | ▲ 2 |
| 49 | Daisy | 562 | ▼ 1 |
| 50 | Lena | 555 | ▼ 7 |
| 51 | Maggie | 532 | ▼ 5 |
| 52 | Katherine | 504 | ▲ 1 |
| 53 | Rosa | 500 | ▼ 1 |
| 54 | Marie | 499 | ▲ 1 |
| 55 | Nora | 498 | ▲ 1 |
| 56 | Effie | 463 | ▲ 7 |
| 57 | Blanche | 456 | ▲ 2 |
| 58 | May | 451 | ▼ 1 |
| 59 | Nancy | 429 | ▲ 3 |
| 60 | Della | 428 | ▲ 6 |
| 61 | Agnes | 424 | ▼ 7 |
| 62 | Nettie | 419 | ▲ 3 |
| 63 | Sallie | 416 | ▲ 1 |
| 64 | Stella | 416 | ▼ 4 |
| 65 | Ellen | 413 | ▼ 4 |
| 66 | Mamie | 412 | ▼ 8 |
| 67 | Lizzie | 396 | – |
| 68 | Susie | 367 | ▲ 1 |
| 69 | Sadie | 366 | ▲ 5 |
| 70 | Elsie | 344 | ▲ 8 |
| 71 | Maud | 328 | ▼ 1 |
| 72 | Flora | 317 | ▼ 4 |
| 73 | Caroline | 316 | ▲ 2 |
| 74 | Etta | 316 | ▼ 2 |
| 75 | Mae | 314 | ▼ 4 |
| 76 | Lulu | 313 | ▲ 10 |
| 77 | Lydia | 299 | – |
| 78 | Alma | 293 | ▲ 4 |
| 79 | Susan | 292 | ▲ 1 |
| 80 | Lottie | 289 | ▲ 8 |
| 81 | Addie | 287 | ▲ 2 |
| 82 | Mollie | 281 | ▼ 1 |
| 83 | Katie | 279 | ▼ 7 |
| 84 | Ruth | 275 | ▲ 9 |
| 85 | Harriet | 270 | ▼ 12 |
| 86 | Kate | 267 | ▼ 7 |
| 87 | Amanda | 263 | ▲ 2 |
| 88 | Nannie | 258 | ▼ 1 |
| 89 | Georgia | 256 | ▼ 5 |
| 90 | Emily | 244 | ▲ 10 |
| 91 | Eliza | 238 | ▼ 6 |
| 92 | Viola | 237 | ▲ 2 |
| 93 | Amelia | 235 | ▲ 3 |
| 94 | Willie | 229 | ▲ 11 |
| 95 | Charlotte | 227 | ▼ 4 |
| 96 | Rebecca | 226 | ▼ 4 |
| 97 | Belle | 219 | ▼ 7 |
| 98 | Kathryn | 218 | ▲ 5 |
| 99 | Jane | 216 | ▼ 1 |
| 100 | Olive | 211 | ▼ 5 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby name data, 1881. Counts are Social Security card applications for US births; SSA leaves out names given to fewer than 5 babies in a year. Updated 2026-10-05. How these numbers are made.