Most popular baby names of 1885
In 1885, the most popular names for US babies were John for boys (8,756 babies, 8.1% of boys) and Mary for girls (9,128 babies, 6.9% 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 1,097 different boy names and 1,197 different girl names that year.
| Rank | Name | Babies | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John | 8,756 | – |
| 2 | William | 8,044 | – |
| 3 | James | 5,175 | – |
| 4 | George | 4,674 | – |
| 5 | Charles | 4,599 | – |
| 6 | Frank | 3,067 | – |
| 7 | Joseph | 2,540 | – |
| 8 | Henry | 2,406 | ▲ 1 |
| 9 | Robert | 2,322 | ▲ 1 |
| 10 | Thomas | 2,266 | ▼ 2 |
| 11 | Edward | 2,220 | – |
| 12 | Harry | 2,198 | – |
| 13 | Walter | 1,808 | – |
| 14 | Fred | 1,562 | ▲ 1 |
| 15 | Arthur | 1,516 | ▼ 1 |
| 16 | Albert | 1,429 | – |
| 17 | Clarence | 906 | ▲ 1 |
| 18 | Samuel | 888 | ▼ 1 |
| 19 | Louis | 809 | – |
| 20 | Grover | 768 | – |
| 21 | Ernest | 718 | ▲ 4 |
| 22 | David | 712 | ▼ 1 |
| 23 | Charlie | 705 | ▲ 1 |
| 24 | Roy | 691 | ▲ 2 |
| 25 | Joe | 681 | ▼ 3 |
| 26 | Richard | 672 | ▼ 3 |
| 27 | Will | 625 | ▲ 1 |
| 28 | Oscar | 623 | ▲ 2 |
| 29 | Willie | 614 | ▲ 2 |
| 30 | Andrew | 599 | ▼ 1 |
| 31 | Jesse | 556 | ▼ 4 |
| 32 | Daniel | 535 | – |
| 33 | Peter | 516 | ▲ 1 |
| 34 | Carl | 494 | ▲ 2 |
| 35 | Sam | 492 | ▼ 2 |
| 36 | Earl | 481 | ▲ 4 |
| 37 | Frederick | 466 | ▲ 5 |
| 38 | Benjamin | 464 | – |
| 39 | Alfred | 446 | ▼ 2 |
| 40 | Elmer | 443 | ▼ 5 |
| 41 | Howard | 438 | ▲ 3 |
| 42 | Lewis | 437 | ▼ 3 |
| 43 | Paul | 428 | ▲ 2 |
| 44 | Ralph | 422 | ▼ 3 |
| 45 | Herbert | 388 | ▲ 1 |
| 46 | Jim | 370 | ▲ 9 |
| 47 | Michael | 370 | ▲ 4 |
| 48 | Tom | 361 | ▼ 1 |
| 49 | Martin | 357 | – |
| 50 | Lee | 348 | ▼ 7 |
| 51 | Eugene | 345 | ▲ 8 |
| 52 | Claude | 343 | ▲ 2 |
| 53 | Jacob | 343 | ▼ 3 |
| 54 | Ed | 328 | ▲ 6 |
| 55 | Herman | 326 | ▼ 7 |
| 56 | Francis | 319 | ▲ 1 |
| 57 | Clyde | 318 | ▼ 1 |
| 58 | Raymond | 308 | ▲ 4 |
| 59 | Harvey | 304 | ▼ 6 |
| 60 | Edgar | 303 | ▲ 4 |
| 61 | Jack | 295 | ▲ 7 |
| 62 | Ben | 292 | ▼ 10 |
| 63 | Edwin | 289 | ▼ 2 |
| 64 | Lawrence | 288 | ▲ 7 |
| 65 | Charley | 285 | ▼ 2 |
| 66 | Bert | 276 | ▲ 1 |
| 67 | Chester | 273 | ▼ 9 |
| 68 | Guy | 266 | ▲ 4 |
| 69 | Otto | 263 | ▼ 4 |
| 70 | Floyd | 259 | – |
| 71 | Luther | 259 | ▼ 2 |
| 72 | Oliver | 258 | ▲ 2 |
| 73 | Hugh | 257 | – |
| 74 | Ray | 237 | ▲ 3 |
| 75 | Ira | 235 | ▼ 9 |
| 76 | Homer | 228 | ▲ 3 |
| 77 | Patrick | 217 | ▲ 1 |
| 78 | Alexander | 205 | ▼ 2 |
| 79 | Isaac | 204 | ▼ 4 |
| 80 | Leonard | 204 | ▲ 3 |
| 81 | Jessie | 202 | ▲ 9 |
| 82 | Harold | 201 | ▲ 3 |
| 83 | Leo | 199 | ▲ 1 |
| 84 | Theodore | 199 | ▼ 3 |
| 85 | Archie | 196 | ▼ 3 |
| 86 | August | 193 | ▼ 6 |
| 87 | Allen | 184 | – |
| 88 | Sidney | 170 | ▲ 19 |
| 89 | Philip | 163 | ▲ 7 |
| 90 | Leroy | 162 | ▲ 9 |
| 91 | Bernard | 160 | ▲ 17 |
| 92 | Alex | 159 | ▲ 13 |
| 93 | Stephen | 158 | – |
| 94 | Horace | 155 | ▲ 4 |
| 95 | Anthony | 153 | ▼ 7 |
| 96 | Warren | 151 | ▼ 2 |
| 97 | Julius | 150 | ▼ 2 |
| 98 | Cleveland | 147 | ▼ 6 |
| 99 | Leon | 146 | ▲ 4 |
| 100 | Victor | 143 | ▲ 17 |
| Rank | Name | Babies | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mary | 9,128 | – |
| 2 | Anna | 3,994 | – |
| 3 | Emma | 2,728 | – |
| 4 | Elizabeth | 2,582 | – |
| 5 | Margaret | 2,204 | ▲ 1 |
| 6 | Minnie | 2,178 | ▼ 1 |
| 7 | Clara | 1,910 | ▲ 1 |
| 8 | Bertha | 1,860 | ▲ 1 |
| 9 | Ida | 1,854 | ▼ 2 |
| 10 | Annie | 1,703 | – |
| 11 | Alice | 1,681 | – |
| 12 | Florence | 1,667 | – |
| 13 | Bessie | 1,588 | ▲ 2 |
| 14 | Grace | 1,575 | ▼ 1 |
| 15 | Ethel | 1,495 | ▲ 3 |
| 16 | Nellie | 1,432 | ▲ 1 |
| 17 | Martha | 1,425 | ▼ 1 |
| 18 | Sarah | 1,424 | ▼ 4 |
| 19 | Ella | 1,395 | – |
| 20 | Mabel | 1,349 | – |
| 21 | Laura | 1,325 | – |
| 22 | Carrie | 1,283 | – |
| 23 | Cora | 1,253 | – |
| 24 | Maude | 1,222 | – |
| 25 | Rose | 1,164 | ▲ 5 |
| 26 | Pearl | 1,146 | ▼ 1 |
| 27 | Lillian | 1,143 | ▼ 1 |
| 28 | Helen | 1,134 | ▲ 5 |
| 29 | Gertrude | 1,086 | ▼ 1 |
| 30 | Edna | 1,077 | ▲ 6 |
| 31 | Edith | 1,071 | ▼ 4 |
| 32 | Julia | 1,062 | ▲ 5 |
| 33 | Jennie | 1,045 | ▼ 4 |
| 34 | Myrtle | 1,026 | – |
| 35 | Mattie | 1,014 | ▼ 4 |
| 36 | Hattie | 1,008 | ▼ 4 |
| 37 | Lillie | 979 | ▲ 3 |
| 38 | Eva | 971 | – |
| 39 | Louise | 956 | ▼ 4 |
| 40 | Jessie | 952 | ▲ 2 |
| 41 | Lula | 949 | ▼ 2 |
| 42 | Marie | 885 | ▲ 7 |
| 43 | Ada | 876 | ▲ 1 |
| 44 | Lena | 876 | ▼ 3 |
| 45 | Catherine | 846 | ▼ 2 |
| 46 | Frances | 844 | – |
| 47 | Fannie | 783 | ▲ 3 |
| 48 | Josephine | 783 | ▼ 3 |
| 49 | Dora | 776 | ▲ 2 |
| 50 | Katherine | 751 | ▲ 5 |
| 51 | Maggie | 716 | ▼ 3 |
| 52 | Lucy | 711 | ▼ 5 |
| 53 | Blanche | 710 | ▼ 1 |
| 54 | Agnes | 695 | ▼ 1 |
| 55 | Elsie | 685 | ▲ 8 |
| 56 | Nora | 670 | – |
| 57 | Stella | 649 | ▲ 3 |
| 58 | Rosa | 623 | – |
| 59 | Effie | 613 | ▲ 3 |
| 60 | Daisy | 607 | ▼ 6 |
| 61 | May | 607 | – |
| 62 | Mamie | 606 | ▼ 5 |
| 63 | Mae | 578 | ▲ 1 |
| 64 | Ellen | 555 | ▼ 5 |
| 65 | Lizzie | 537 | ▲ 1 |
| 66 | Nettie | 536 | ▲ 1 |
| 67 | Nancy | 527 | ▲ 1 |
| 68 | Alma | 515 | ▲ 2 |
| 69 | Sadie | 514 | ▲ 2 |
| 70 | Ruth | 506 | ▲ 4 |
| 71 | Della | 500 | ▼ 6 |
| 72 | Susie | 477 | ▲ 1 |
| 73 | Sallie | 457 | ▼ 4 |
| 74 | Flora | 445 | ▲ 3 |
| 75 | Maud | 429 | ▼ 3 |
| 76 | Addie | 406 | ▲ 9 |
| 77 | Lydia | 404 | ▲ 3 |
| 78 | Caroline | 399 | – |
| 79 | Mollie | 396 | – |
| 80 | Lottie | 393 | ▼ 4 |
| 81 | Katie | 388 | ▲ 2 |
| 82 | Irene | 376 | ▲ 13 |
| 83 | Etta | 372 | ▼ 8 |
| 84 | Georgia | 371 | ▲ 6 |
| 85 | Lulu | 360 | ▲ 4 |
| 86 | Olive | 349 | ▼ 2 |
| 87 | Emily | 346 | ▼ 6 |
| 88 | Viola | 345 | ▼ 6 |
| 89 | Harriet | 342 | ▲ 2 |
| 90 | Amanda | 339 | ▲ 2 |
| 91 | Jane | 330 | ▲ 7 |
| 92 | Esther | 320 | ▲ 7 |
| 93 | Kathryn | 320 | ▼ 5 |
| 94 | Charlotte | 317 | ▼ 8 |
| 95 | Willie | 312 | ▼ 2 |
| 96 | Beulah | 309 | ▲ 17 |
| 97 | Kate | 309 | ▼ 10 |
| 98 | Ollie | 305 | ▲ 6 |
| 99 | Rebecca | 302 | ▲ 3 |
| 100 | Susan | 302 | ▼ 6 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby name data, 1885. 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.