Most popular baby names of 1887
In 1887, the most popular names for US babies were John for boys (8,110 babies, 8.0% of boys) and Mary for girls (9,888 babies, 6.8% of girls). The rest of the top five were William, James, George and Charles for boys and Anna, Elizabeth, Emma and Margaret for girls. SSA recorded 1,067 different boy names and 1,306 different girl names that year.
| Rank | Name | Babies | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John | 8,110 | – |
| 2 | William | 7,470 | – |
| 3 | James | 4,768 | – |
| 4 | George | 4,284 | – |
| 5 | Charles | 4,031 | – |
| 6 | Frank | 2,883 | – |
| 7 | Joseph | 2,456 | – |
| 8 | Henry | 2,228 | ▲ 1 |
| 9 | Thomas | 2,151 | ▲ 1 |
| 10 | Edward | 2,125 | ▲ 1 |
| 11 | Robert | 2,125 | ▼ 3 |
| 12 | Harry | 2,057 | – |
| 13 | Walter | 1,704 | – |
| 14 | Arthur | 1,489 | – |
| 15 | Fred | 1,454 | – |
| 16 | Albert | 1,294 | – |
| 17 | Clarence | 892 | – |
| 18 | Samuel | 802 | – |
| 19 | Louis | 791 | – |
| 20 | Roy | 726 | – |
| 21 | Joe | 685 | – |
| 22 | David | 673 | ▲ 2 |
| 23 | Ernest | 653 | ▲ 2 |
| 24 | Charlie | 642 | ▼ 2 |
| 25 | Richard | 622 | ▼ 2 |
| 26 | Jesse | 601 | ▲ 4 |
| 27 | Willie | 590 | ▲ 1 |
| 28 | Carl | 588 | ▲ 4 |
| 29 | Oscar | 574 | ▼ 3 |
| 30 | Will | 561 | ▼ 3 |
| 31 | Daniel | 556 | ▲ 2 |
| 32 | Earl | 537 | ▼ 1 |
| 33 | Andrew | 520 | ▼ 4 |
| 34 | Benjamin | 473 | ▲ 5 |
| 35 | Alfred | 468 | ▲ 1 |
| 36 | Elmer | 467 | ▼ 1 |
| 37 | Frederick | 464 | ▲ 3 |
| 38 | Ralph | 463 | ▲ 3 |
| 39 | Sam | 463 | ▼ 5 |
| 40 | Paul | 449 | ▼ 2 |
| 41 | Herbert | 445 | ▲ 5 |
| 42 | Howard | 429 | ▼ 5 |
| 43 | Peter | 421 | ▼ 1 |
| 44 | Lee | 400 | ▲ 3 |
| 45 | Herman | 394 | ▼ 1 |
| 46 | Claude | 375 | ▲ 2 |
| 47 | Raymond | 372 | ▲ 5 |
| 48 | Michael | 344 | ▲ 5 |
| 49 | Lewis | 343 | ▼ 6 |
| 50 | Jim | 339 | ▼ 1 |
| 51 | Martin | 331 | ▲ 7 |
| 52 | Tom | 329 | ▼ 2 |
| 53 | Eugene | 327 | ▼ 2 |
| 54 | Francis | 327 | ▲ 1 |
| 55 | Clyde | 320 | ▲ 7 |
| 56 | Jacob | 317 | ▼ 2 |
| 57 | Edwin | 310 | ▲ 2 |
| 58 | Ben | 305 | ▼ 2 |
| 59 | Grover | 290 | ▼ 14 |
| 60 | Lawrence | 283 | ▼ 3 |
| 61 | Harold | 279 | ▲ 17 |
| 62 | Ed | 275 | ▲ 1 |
| 63 | Luther | 267 | ▲ 8 |
| 64 | Edgar | 266 | ▼ 3 |
| 65 | Harvey | 262 | ▼ 5 |
| 66 | Ray | 258 | ▲ 1 |
| 67 | Otto | 253 | ▲ 1 |
| 68 | Jack | 251 | ▼ 4 |
| 69 | Hugh | 250 | ▲ 8 |
| 70 | Homer | 248 | ▲ 9 |
| 71 | Guy | 238 | ▼ 1 |
| 72 | Bert | 237 | ▲ 4 |
| 73 | Floyd | 232 | ▼ 7 |
| 74 | Leo | 232 | ▼ 1 |
| 75 | Charley | 221 | ▲ 6 |
| 76 | Patrick | 218 | ▼ 4 |
| 77 | Ira | 215 | ▲ 8 |
| 78 | Chester | 207 | ▼ 13 |
| 79 | Leonard | 207 | ▼ 5 |
| 80 | Oliver | 203 | ▼ 5 |
| 81 | Allen | 202 | ▲ 1 |
| 82 | Theodore | 201 | ▼ 13 |
| 83 | August | 194 | ▲ 1 |
| 84 | Isaac | 194 | ▼ 4 |
| 85 | Archie | 184 | ▲ 7 |
| 86 | Jessie | 182 | ▲ 3 |
| 87 | Alexander | 180 | ▼ 4 |
| 88 | Leroy | 177 | ▲ 12 |
| 89 | Lester | 168 | ▲ 9 |
| 90 | Leslie | 166 | ▲ 24 |
| 91 | Clifford | 165 | ▲ 4 |
| 92 | Stephen | 165 | ▼ 2 |
| 93 | Julius | 164 | ▲ 1 |
| 94 | Warren | 163 | ▲ 14 |
| 95 | Philip | 161 | ▼ 8 |
| 96 | Horace | 160 | ▲ 3 |
| 97 | Bernard | 159 | ▼ 6 |
| 98 | Anthony | 153 | ▼ 5 |
| 99 | Leon | 147 | ▲ 10 |
| 100 | Emil | 146 | ▲ 16 |
| Rank | Name | Babies | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mary | 9,888 | – |
| 2 | Anna | 4,227 | – |
| 3 | Elizabeth | 2,681 | ▲ 1 |
| 4 | Emma | 2,647 | ▼ 1 |
| 5 | Margaret | 2,419 | ▲ 1 |
| 6 | Minnie | 2,215 | ▼ 1 |
| 7 | Bertha | 2,037 | ▲ 1 |
| 8 | Clara | 1,984 | ▲ 1 |
| 9 | Florence | 1,964 | ▲ 1 |
| 10 | Ida | 1,929 | ▼ 3 |
| 11 | Ethel | 1,907 | ▲ 4 |
| 12 | Annie | 1,844 | ▲ 1 |
| 13 | Bessie | 1,838 | ▼ 1 |
| 14 | Alice | 1,819 | ▼ 3 |
| 15 | Grace | 1,692 | ▼ 1 |
| 16 | Ella | 1,521 | ▲ 3 |
| 17 | Martha | 1,504 | ▲ 1 |
| 18 | Mabel | 1,494 | ▲ 2 |
| 19 | Nellie | 1,457 | ▼ 2 |
| 20 | Sarah | 1,436 | ▼ 4 |
| 21 | Helen | 1,405 | ▲ 4 |
| 22 | Laura | 1,364 | – |
| 23 | Carrie | 1,344 | ▼ 2 |
| 24 | Edna | 1,339 | ▼ 1 |
| 25 | Pearl | 1,316 | ▲ 4 |
| 26 | Lillian | 1,308 | ▼ 2 |
| 27 | Cora | 1,257 | ▲ 1 |
| 28 | Gertrude | 1,251 | ▼ 1 |
| 29 | Edith | 1,243 | ▲ 2 |
| 30 | Rose | 1,242 | ▼ 4 |
| 31 | Maude | 1,162 | ▼ 1 |
| 32 | Hattie | 1,135 | ▲ 1 |
| 33 | Eva | 1,125 | ▼ 1 |
| 34 | Frances | 1,105 | ▲ 4 |
| 35 | Louise | 1,088 | ▲ 2 |
| 36 | Myrtle | 1,087 | ▼ 1 |
| 37 | Lillie | 1,072 | ▲ 5 |
| 38 | Jennie | 1,047 | ▼ 4 |
| 39 | Julia | 1,043 | ▼ 3 |
| 40 | Mattie | 1,031 | ▼ 1 |
| 41 | Jessie | 1,012 | – |
| 42 | Lena | 1,004 | ▲ 1 |
| 43 | Marie | 994 | ▲ 1 |
| 44 | Catherine | 967 | ▲ 1 |
| 45 | Ada | 910 | ▲ 1 |
| 46 | Agnes | 896 | ▲ 6 |
| 47 | Lula | 891 | ▼ 7 |
| 48 | Dora | 842 | ▲ 1 |
| 49 | Elsie | 833 | ▲ 9 |
| 50 | Josephine | 815 | ▼ 3 |
| 51 | Lucy | 811 | ▼ 1 |
| 52 | Fannie | 798 | ▼ 4 |
| 53 | Katherine | 794 | ▲ 1 |
| 54 | Blanche | 763 | ▼ 3 |
| 55 | Maggie | 740 | ▼ 2 |
| 56 | Nora | 735 | – |
| 57 | Mamie | 716 | ▼ 2 |
| 58 | Mae | 680 | ▲ 3 |
| 59 | Stella | 664 | ▼ 2 |
| 60 | Rosa | 659 | ▼ 1 |
| 61 | May | 648 | ▲ 3 |
| 62 | Ruth | 627 | ▲ 4 |
| 63 | Alma | 623 | ▼ 1 |
| 64 | Effie | 615 | ▼ 4 |
| 65 | Nettie | 595 | – |
| 66 | Ellen | 579 | ▲ 4 |
| 67 | Daisy | 532 | ▼ 4 |
| 68 | Lizzie | 525 | ▲ 3 |
| 69 | Sallie | 525 | ▲ 4 |
| 70 | Sadie | 519 | ▼ 2 |
| 71 | Nancy | 511 | ▲ 1 |
| 72 | Hazel | 504 | ▲ 9 |
| 73 | Irene | 504 | ▲ 5 |
| 74 | Della | 496 | ▼ 7 |
| 75 | Susie | 485 | ▼ 6 |
| 76 | Lydia | 448 | ▲ 11 |
| 77 | Katie | 440 | ▲ 3 |
| 78 | Etta | 437 | ▲ 1 |
| 79 | Esther | 431 | ▲ 6 |
| 80 | Viola | 420 | ▼ 3 |
| 81 | Lottie | 414 | ▼ 6 |
| 82 | Flora | 408 | ▼ 6 |
| 83 | Maud | 402 | ▼ 9 |
| 84 | Caroline | 398 | ▲ 8 |
| 85 | Olive | 394 | ▼ 1 |
| 86 | Addie | 393 | ▼ 3 |
| 87 | Kathryn | 384 | ▲ 2 |
| 88 | Willie | 379 | – |
| 89 | Mildred | 373 | ▲ 18 |
| 90 | Beulah | 355 | ▲ 8 |
| 91 | Charlotte | 351 | ▲ 3 |
| 92 | Georgia | 351 | ▼ 6 |
| 93 | Amelia | 344 | ▲ 8 |
| 94 | Harriet | 342 | ▲ 5 |
| 95 | Nannie | 340 | ▲ 2 |
| 96 | Amanda | 338 | ▼ 5 |
| 97 | Ollie | 338 | ▲ 6 |
| 98 | Emily | 335 | ▼ 5 |
| 99 | Susan | 335 | ▲ 3 |
| 100 | Mollie | 333 | ▼ 18 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby name data, 1887. 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.