Most popular baby names of 1882

In 1882, the most popular names for US babies were John for boys (9,557 babies, 8.4% of boys) and Mary for girls (8,148 babies, 7.6% of girls). The rest of the top five were William, James, George and Charles for boys and Anna, Emma, Elizabeth and Minnie for girls. SSA recorded 1,099 different boy names and 1,028 different girl names that year.

Top 100 boy names, 1882
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	John	9,557	–
2	William	9,298	–
3	James	5,892	–
4	George	5,193	–
5	Charles	5,091	–
6	Frank	3,176	–
7	Joseph	2,670	–
8	Thomas	2,610	▲ 1
9	Henry	2,579	▼ 1
10	Robert	2,500	▲ 1
11	Edward	2,477	▼ 1
12	Harry	2,232	–
13	Walter	1,805	–
14	Arthur	1,686	–
15	Fred	1,641	–
16	Albert	1,499	–
17	Samuel	1,003	–
18	Louis	852	▲ 1
19	David	838	▼ 1
20	Clarence	837	▲ 1
21	Charlie	753	▼ 1
22	Richard	746	–
23	Joe	739	–
24	Andrew	673	–
25	Will	666	▲ 1
26	Jesse	660	▲ 1
27	Ernest	642	▼ 2
28	Oscar	625	–
29	Daniel	594	–
30	Sam	555	▲ 2
31	Willie	541	▼ 1
32	Alfred	523	▲ 1
33	Roy	521	▲ 1
34	Benjamin	478	▼ 3
35	Carl	478	▲ 6
36	Peter	461	▲ 1
37	Frederick	457	▼ 1
38	Elmer	441	–
39	Lewis	441	▼ 4
40	Herbert	431	–
41	Lee	427	▲ 3
42	Howard	422	–
43	Ralph	407	▲ 2
44	Paul	397	▲ 11
45	Jim	396	▲ 2
46	Jacob	390	▼ 7
47	Tom	390	▼ 4
48	Martin	387	▼ 2
49	Earl	377	▼ 1
50	Claude	356	▲ 3
51	Herman	348	▲ 1
52	Bert	341	▼ 2
53	Eugene	341	▼ 4
54	Ed	337	▲ 7
55	Ben	334	▲ 1
56	Francis	327	▲ 7
57	Michael	321	▼ 3
58	Edgar	308	▼ 7
59	Edwin	305	▲ 1
60	Chester	300	▼ 1
61	Harvey	300	▼ 3
62	Clyde	293	▲ 6
63	Lawrence	287	▲ 3
64	Luther	284	▲ 1
65	Isaac	278	▼ 1
66	Jack	271	▲ 7
67	Charley	262	▼ 5
68	Guy	253	▲ 8
69	Otto	252	–
70	Patrick	249	▲ 5
71	Ira	244	▼ 14
72	Oliver	244	▼ 5
73	Hugh	239	▼ 3
74	August	234	▲ 7
75	Theodore	232	▲ 4
76	Floyd	231	▲ 2
77	Leonard	231	▼ 5
78	Raymond	230	▼ 4
79	Alexander	225	▼ 8
80	Allen	206	–
81	Stephen	201	▲ 8
82	Archie	195	▲ 19
83	Ray	195	▲ 4
84	Jessie	192	▲ 7
85	Homer	190	▼ 8
86	Warren	183	▼ 2
87	Philip	182	▼ 4
88	Horace	176	▼ 3
89	Alex	172	▲ 20
90	Eddie	169	▲ 24
91	Julius	168	▲ 6
92	Emil	157	▼ 2
93	Marion	157	▼ 11
94	Clifford	155	▲ 18
95	Milton	155	▼ 3
96	Leroy	152	▲ 2
97	Dan	150	▼ 11
98	Rufus	147	▲ 7
99	Leo	146	▲ 4
100	Sidney	146	▼ 1

Top 100 girl names, 1882
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	Mary	8,148	–
2	Anna	3,143	–
3	Emma	2,303	–
4	Elizabeth	2,186	–
5	Minnie	2,004	▲ 1
6	Margaret	1,821	▼ 1
7	Ida	1,673	–
8	Alice	1,542	▲ 2
9	Bertha	1,508	–
10	Annie	1,492	▼ 2
11	Clara	1,490	–
12	Sarah	1,410	–
13	Florence	1,322	▲ 3
14	Martha	1,229	▲ 3
15	Ella	1,206	▼ 2
16	Grace	1,195	▼ 1
17	Laura	1,151	▲ 2
18	Bessie	1,144	▲ 4
19	Nellie	1,138	▼ 5
20	Maude	1,089	▲ 1
21	Cora	1,076	▼ 3
22	Carrie	1,037	▼ 2
23	Mabel	997	–
24	Ethel	989	▲ 1
25	Mattie	966	▲ 4
26	Gertrude	939	▼ 2
27	Jennie	934	▼ 1
28	Rose	886	▲ 3
29	Edith	876	▼ 2
30	Hattie	859	▼ 2
31	Helen	838	▲ 12
32	Lillian	830	–
33	Pearl	824	▲ 5
34	Louise	813	▲ 8
35	Julia	811	▼ 5
36	Lillie	810	▼ 3
37	Jessie	806	▼ 2
38	Myrtle	803	▼ 1
39	Edna	783	–
40	Lula	780	▼ 4
41	Eva	765	▼ 7
42	Catherine	726	▼ 2
43	Lena	697	▲ 7
44	Ada	689	▼ 3
45	Frances	681	–
46	Lucy	673	▼ 2
47	Fannie	650	–
48	Daisy	648	▲ 1
49	Josephine	638	▼ 1
50	Maggie	627	▲ 1
51	Dora	594	▼ 5
52	Katherine	591	–
53	Marie	591	▲ 1
54	Agnes	565	▲ 7
55	Effie	561	▲ 1
56	Blanche	547	▲ 1
57	Rosa	542	▼ 4
58	Nora	539	▼ 3
59	May	510	▼ 1
60	Mamie	508	▲ 6
61	Stella	506	▲ 3
62	Lizzie	495	▲ 5
63	Sallie	487	–
64	Ellen	452	▲ 1
65	Elsie	448	▲ 5
66	Della	447	▼ 6
67	Nancy	439	▼ 8
68	Nettie	439	▼ 6
69	Maud	432	▲ 2
70	Susie	412	▼ 2
71	Mae	406	▲ 4
72	Sadie	391	▼ 3
73	Flora	380	▼ 1
74	Alma	368	▲ 4
75	Etta	352	▼ 1
76	Lydia	342	▲ 1
77	Addie	341	▲ 4
78	Katie	327	▲ 5
79	Susan	326	–
80	Ruth	323	▲ 4
81	Georgia	320	▲ 8
82	Lottie	319	▼ 2
83	Viola	310	▲ 9
84	Mollie	305	▼ 2
85	Caroline	304	▼ 12
86	Nannie	299	▲ 2
87	Kate	293	▼ 1
88	Olive	291	▲ 12
89	Willie	291	▲ 5
90	Harriet	289	▼ 5
91	Amanda	288	▼ 4
92	Eliza	280	▼ 1
93	Lulu	279	▼ 17
94	Virginia	274	▲ 7
95	Emily	272	▼ 5
96	Kathryn	272	▲ 2
97	Esther	266	▲ 8
98	Belle	264	▼ 1
99	Rebecca	259	▼ 3
100	Charlotte	257	▼ 5

Source: US Social Security Administration baby name data, 1882. 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.