Most popular baby names of 1884

In 1884, the most popular names for US babies were John for boys (9,388 babies, 8.2% of boys) and Mary for girls (9,217 babies, 7.1% 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 1,125 different boy names and 1,172 different girl names that year.

Top 100 boy names, 1884
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	John	9,388	–
2	William	8,897	–
3	James	5,693	–
4	George	4,961	▲ 1
5	Charles	4,802	▼ 1
6	Frank	3,218	–
7	Joseph	2,707	–
8	Thomas	2,572	▲ 2
9	Henry	2,474	▼ 1
10	Robert	2,468	▼ 1
11	Edward	2,439	–
12	Harry	2,323	–
13	Walter	1,902	–
14	Arthur	1,690	–
15	Fred	1,638	–
16	Albert	1,435	–
17	Samuel	945	–
18	Clarence	889	–
19	Louis	886	–
20	Grover	802	▲ 84
21	David	761	▼ 1
22	Joe	759	▲ 4
23	Richard	749	▼ 2
24	Charlie	746	▼ 2
25	Ernest	690	▼ 2
26	Roy	680	▲ 4
27	Jesse	670	▲ 1
28	Will	650	▲ 1
29	Andrew	616	▼ 5
30	Oscar	615	▼ 3
31	Willie	578	▲ 3
32	Daniel	573	▼ 7
33	Sam	533	–
34	Peter	524	▲ 2
35	Elmer	523	▲ 5
36	Carl	521	▼ 4
37	Alfred	520	▼ 2
38	Benjamin	509	▼ 7
39	Lewis	476	▼ 1
40	Earl	464	▲ 2
41	Ralph	464	▲ 4
42	Frederick	454	▼ 5
43	Lee	435	–
44	Howard	432	▼ 5
45	Paul	422	▲ 3
46	Herbert	421	▼ 5
47	Tom	394	▼ 3
48	Herman	385	▼ 1
49	Martin	385	▼ 3
50	Jacob	381	▼ 1
51	Michael	373	▲ 4
52	Ben	367	▲ 4
53	Harvey	358	–
54	Claude	353	–
55	Jim	346	▼ 3
56	Clyde	345	▼ 6
57	Francis	340	▲ 3
58	Chester	338	▲ 1
59	Eugene	321	▼ 8
60	Ed	314	▲ 4
61	Edwin	308	▼ 4
62	Raymond	299	▲ 6
63	Charley	290	–
64	Edgar	290	▼ 6
65	Otto	288	▲ 1
66	Ira	284	▲ 1
67	Bert	280	▼ 5
68	Jack	274	▼ 3
69	Luther	273	–
70	Floyd	263	▲ 3
71	Lawrence	262	▼ 10
72	Guy	260	▼ 1
73	Hugh	246	▲ 1
74	Oliver	245	▼ 2
75	Isaac	243	▼ 5
76	Alexander	236	▲ 4
77	Ray	232	▲ 1
78	Patrick	222	▼ 3
79	Homer	216	▼ 3
80	August	213	▼ 3
81	Theodore	211	–
82	Archie	206	▲ 2
83	Leonard	206	▼ 4
84	Leo	192	▲ 11
85	Harold	191	▲ 32
86	Marion	184	▲ 1
87	Allen	182	▼ 5
88	Anthony	179	▲ 4
89	Eddie	179	▲ 16
90	Jessie	177	▼ 1
91	Emil	175	▲ 8
92	Cleveland	174	▲ 188
93	Stephen	165	▲ 5
94	Warren	164	▼ 3
95	Julius	162	▼ 7
96	Philip	161	▼ 11
97	Dave	159	▲ 4
98	Horace	154	▼ 15
99	Leroy	154	▼ 5
100	Dan	151	▲ 9

Top 100 girl names, 1884
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	Mary	9,217	–
2	Anna	3,860	–
3	Emma	2,587	–
4	Elizabeth	2,549	–
5	Minnie	2,243	–
6	Margaret	2,142	–
7	Ida	1,882	▲ 1
8	Clara	1,852	▲ 2
9	Bertha	1,789	▼ 2
10	Annie	1,739	▼ 1
11	Alice	1,732	–
12	Florence	1,570	▲ 2
13	Grace	1,525	–
14	Sarah	1,518	▼ 2
15	Bessie	1,451	▲ 3
16	Martha	1,443	▼ 1
17	Nellie	1,417	–
18	Ethel	1,386	▲ 2
19	Ella	1,374	▼ 3
20	Mabel	1,270	▲ 3
21	Laura	1,246	▼ 2
22	Carrie	1,245	▼ 1
23	Cora	1,244	▲ 1
24	Maude	1,225	▼ 2
25	Pearl	1,138	▲ 4
26	Lillian	1,109	–
27	Edith	1,104	▲ 4
28	Gertrude	1,063	▼ 3
29	Jennie	1,063	▼ 2
30	Rose	1,060	▲ 3
31	Mattie	1,007	▼ 1
32	Hattie	993	▼ 4
33	Helen	986	▲ 2
34	Myrtle	979	▲ 3
35	Louise	962	▲ 3
36	Edna	957	▲ 5
37	Julia	935	▼ 3
38	Eva	929	▼ 6
39	Lula	916	▲ 4
40	Lillie	911	▼ 1
41	Lena	906	▲ 1
42	Jessie	888	▼ 2
43	Catherine	874	▼ 7
44	Ada	854	–
45	Josephine	800	▲ 1
46	Frances	789	▼ 1
47	Lucy	787	▲ 1
48	Maggie	749	▲ 1
49	Marie	746	▲ 4
50	Fannie	738	▼ 3
51	Dora	720	–
52	Blanche	711	▲ 2
53	Agnes	703	▼ 1
54	Daisy	685	▼ 4
55	Katherine	671	▲ 1
56	Nora	648	▼ 1
57	Mamie	609	▲ 1
58	Rosa	607	▲ 3
59	Ellen	597	▲ 3
60	Stella	584	▼ 1
61	May	564	▼ 4
62	Effie	558	▼ 2
63	Elsie	549	▲ 2
64	Mae	542	▲ 6
65	Della	541	▲ 1
66	Lizzie	523	▼ 3
67	Nettie	522	▼ 3
68	Nancy	520	▲ 3
69	Sallie	494	▲ 3
70	Alma	480	▲ 9
71	Sadie	466	▼ 2
72	Maud	461	▼ 4
73	Susie	455	▼ 6
74	Ruth	442	–
75	Etta	423	▲ 5
76	Lottie	397	–
77	Flora	393	▼ 4
78	Caroline	380	▲ 8
79	Mollie	374	▲ 10
80	Lydia	369	▼ 5
81	Emily	364	–
82	Viola	362	▲ 1
83	Katie	360	▼ 5
84	Olive	360	▲ 7
85	Addie	356	▼ 8
86	Charlotte	344	▲ 6
87	Kate	344	▲ 3
88	Kathryn	344	▲ 5
89	Lulu	344	▼ 1
90	Georgia	341	▼ 6
91	Harriet	339	▼ 9
92	Amanda	337	▲ 2
93	Willie	332	▲ 3
94	Susan	326	▼ 9
95	Irene	324	▲ 5
96	Amelia	315	▲ 1
97	Nannie	314	▼ 10
98	Jane	295	▲ 4
99	Esther	291	–
100	Belle	286	▼ 2

Source: US Social Security Administration baby name data, 1884. 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.