Most popular baby names of 1890
In 1890, the most popular names for US babies were John for boys (8,502 babies, 7.7% of boys) and Mary for girls (12,078 babies, 6.3% of girls). The rest of the top five were William, James, George and Charles for boys and Anna, Elizabeth, Margaret and Emma for girls. SSA recorded 1,161 different boy names and 1,534 different girl names that year.
| Rank | Name | Babies | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John | 8,502 | – |
| 2 | William | 7,494 | – |
| 3 | James | 5,097 | – |
| 4 | George | 4,458 | – |
| 5 | Charles | 4,061 | – |
| 6 | Frank | 3,078 | – |
| 7 | Joseph | 2,670 | – |
| 8 | Robert | 2,541 | ▲ 1 |
| 9 | Henry | 2,349 | ▲ 2 |
| 10 | Harry | 2,345 | ▼ 2 |
| 11 | Edward | 2,282 | ▼ 1 |
| 12 | Thomas | 2,200 | – |
| 13 | Walter | 1,905 | – |
| 14 | Arthur | 1,610 | – |
| 15 | Fred | 1,506 | – |
| 16 | Albert | 1,417 | – |
| 17 | Clarence | 1,018 | – |
| 18 | Roy | 941 | – |
| 19 | Louis | 860 | – |
| 20 | Samuel | 815 | – |
| 21 | Charlie | 797 | ▲ 8 |
| 22 | Ernest | 774 | ▲ 1 |
| 23 | Willie | 758 | ▲ 3 |
| 24 | Earl | 744 | ▲ 4 |
| 25 | Richard | 743 | ▼ 1 |
| 26 | David | 731 | ▼ 4 |
| 27 | Carl | 693 | – |
| 28 | Joe | 682 | ▼ 3 |
| 29 | Oscar | 628 | ▲ 3 |
| 30 | Will | 613 | – |
| 31 | Paul | 607 | ▲ 4 |
| 32 | Ralph | 587 | ▲ 7 |
| 33 | Jesse | 576 | ▼ 2 |
| 34 | Andrew | 575 | ▼ 1 |
| 35 | Alfred | 549 | ▲ 6 |
| 36 | Raymond | 546 | ▲ 1 |
| 37 | Benjamin | 537 | ▼ 16 |
| 38 | Elmer | 528 | ▼ 4 |
| 39 | Daniel | 505 | ▼ 3 |
| 40 | Howard | 501 | ▼ 2 |
| 41 | Sam | 489 | ▼ 1 |
| 42 | Herbert | 467 | – |
| 43 | Frederick | 410 | ▲ 1 |
| 44 | Lee | 410 | ▲ 2 |
| 45 | Peter | 410 | – |
| 46 | Eugene | 408 | ▲ 6 |
| 47 | Harold | 408 | ▲ 10 |
| 48 | Michael | 394 | ▲ 3 |
| 49 | Leo | 393 | ▲ 10 |
| 50 | Herman | 382 | ▼ 2 |
| 51 | Lewis | 375 | ▼ 4 |
| 52 | Lawrence | 372 | ▲ 4 |
| 53 | Jack | 368 | ▲ 8 |
| 54 | Ben | 363 | ▼ 11 |
| 55 | Francis | 363 | – |
| 56 | Ray | 349 | ▼ 2 |
| 57 | Claude | 347 | ▼ 8 |
| 58 | Martin | 347 | ▼ 5 |
| 59 | Tom | 347 | ▼ 9 |
| 60 | Floyd | 341 | ▲ 3 |
| 61 | Edgar | 338 | ▼ 1 |
| 62 | Jim | 336 | ▼ 4 |
| 63 | Edwin | 323 | ▲ 3 |
| 64 | Clyde | 317 | ▼ 2 |
| 65 | Harvey | 296 | ▼ 1 |
| 66 | Jacob | 290 | ▲ 1 |
| 67 | Leonard | 275 | ▲ 10 |
| 68 | Otto | 267 | ▼ 3 |
| 69 | Chester | 263 | – |
| 70 | Ed | 262 | ▲ 1 |
| 71 | Luther | 253 | ▲ 1 |
| 72 | Guy | 249 | ▼ 2 |
| 73 | Jessie | 241 | ▲ 13 |
| 74 | Leroy | 236 | ▲ 18 |
| 75 | Patrick | 227 | ▼ 1 |
| 76 | Lester | 226 | ▲ 6 |
| 77 | Homer | 223 | ▼ 4 |
| 78 | Stanley | 223 | ▲ 30 |
| 79 | Archie | 221 | ▲ 11 |
| 80 | Hugh | 219 | ▼ 2 |
| 81 | Oliver | 218 | ▲ 3 |
| 82 | Ira | 209 | ▲ 3 |
| 83 | Clifford | 207 | ▲ 4 |
| 84 | August | 206 | ▲ 12 |
| 85 | Alexander | 202 | ▲ 8 |
| 86 | Eddie | 197 | ▲ 19 |
| 87 | Leon | 197 | ▲ 7 |
| 88 | Philip | 192 | ▲ 7 |
| 89 | Theodore | 190 | ▼ 13 |
| 90 | Allen | 189 | ▼ 11 |
| 91 | Anthony | 189 | ▼ 11 |
| 92 | Isaac | 187 | ▼ 1 |
| 93 | Charley | 183 | ▼ 5 |
| 94 | Lloyd | 182 | ▲ 4 |
| 95 | Russell | 182 | ▼ 6 |
| 96 | Leslie | 181 | ▲ 10 |
| 97 | Bert | 180 | ▼ 22 |
| 98 | Bernard | 178 | ▼ 17 |
| 99 | Grover | 177 | ▼ 16 |
| 100 | Sidney | 176 | ▲ 11 |
| Rank | Name | Babies | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mary | 12,078 | – |
| 2 | Anna | 5,233 | – |
| 3 | Elizabeth | 3,112 | – |
| 4 | Margaret | 3,100 | – |
| 5 | Emma | 2,980 | – |
| 6 | Florence | 2,744 | ▲ 1 |
| 7 | Ethel | 2,718 | ▲ 1 |
| 8 | Minnie | 2,650 | ▼ 2 |
| 9 | Clara | 2,496 | ▲ 1 |
| 10 | Bertha | 2,388 | ▲ 1 |
| 11 | Bessie | 2,370 | ▼ 2 |
| 12 | Helen | 2,312 | ▲ 5 |
| 13 | Grace | 2,278 | ▲ 2 |
| 14 | Alice | 2,271 | ▼ 2 |
| 15 | Annie | 2,220 | ▼ 2 |
| 16 | Ida | 2,178 | ▼ 2 |
| 17 | Mabel | 2,058 | ▼ 1 |
| 18 | Edna | 1,973 | – |
| 19 | Lillian | 1,862 | ▲ 4 |
| 20 | Nellie | 1,821 | ▼ 1 |
| 21 | Sarah | 1,786 | ▼ 1 |
| 22 | Martha | 1,784 | ▼ 1 |
| 23 | Ella | 1,758 | ▼ 1 |
| 24 | Pearl | 1,741 | – |
| 25 | Rose | 1,725 | ▲ 1 |
| 26 | Gertrude | 1,713 | ▲ 2 |
| 27 | Laura | 1,634 | ▼ 2 |
| 28 | Marie | 1,563 | ▲ 2 |
| 29 | Carrie | 1,510 | ▼ 2 |
| 30 | Edith | 1,493 | ▼ 1 |
| 31 | Louise | 1,472 | ▲ 7 |
| 32 | Eva | 1,436 | ▼ 1 |
| 33 | Frances | 1,416 | ▲ 1 |
| 34 | Myrtle | 1,406 | ▼ 1 |
| 35 | Lillie | 1,390 | ▲ 2 |
| 36 | Cora | 1,386 | ▼ 4 |
| 37 | Hazel | 1,366 | ▲ 11 |
| 38 | Hattie | 1,363 | ▼ 3 |
| 39 | Maude | 1,359 | ▼ 3 |
| 40 | Julia | 1,275 | – |
| 41 | Jennie | 1,259 | ▼ 2 |
| 42 | Mattie | 1,256 | ▲ 2 |
| 43 | Jessie | 1,250 | – |
| 44 | Catherine | 1,232 | ▼ 2 |
| 45 | Elsie | 1,220 | ▼ 4 |
| 46 | Ruth | 1,195 | – |
| 47 | Lena | 1,137 | ▼ 2 |
| 48 | Lula | 1,121 | ▼ 1 |
| 49 | Josephine | 1,118 | – |
| 50 | Agnes | 1,095 | – |
| 51 | Ada | 1,074 | – |
| 52 | Fannie | 1,005 | ▲ 1 |
| 53 | Lucy | 973 | ▲ 1 |
| 54 | Mamie | 967 | ▲ 4 |
| 55 | Blanche | 953 | ▼ 3 |
| 56 | Stella | 924 | ▼ 1 |
| 57 | Alma | 922 | ▲ 5 |
| 58 | Mae | 920 | ▼ 1 |
| 59 | Katherine | 900 | ▼ 3 |
| 60 | Irene | 893 | ▲ 3 |
| 61 | Maggie | 891 | – |
| 62 | Dora | 883 | ▼ 3 |
| 63 | Nora | 835 | ▼ 3 |
| 64 | Rosa | 770 | ▲ 2 |
| 65 | May | 751 | ▼ 1 |
| 66 | Effie | 717 | ▼ 1 |
| 67 | Nettie | 707 | ▲ 3 |
| 68 | Viola | 697 | ▲ 8 |
| 69 | Sadie | 680 | ▼ 2 |
| 70 | Ellen | 659 | ▼ 2 |
| 71 | Mildred | 635 | ▼ 2 |
| 72 | Della | 631 | – |
| 73 | Susie | 630 | ▼ 2 |
| 74 | Lizzie | 620 | – |
| 75 | Esther | 619 | – |
| 76 | Daisy | 588 | ▼ 3 |
| 77 | Willie | 578 | ▲ 8 |
| 78 | Lydia | 576 | ▲ 5 |
| 79 | Beulah | 573 | ▲ 2 |
| 80 | Sallie | 571 | ▼ 3 |
| 81 | Ruby | 540 | ▼ 3 |
| 82 | Gladys | 525 | ▲ 14 |
| 83 | Georgia | 513 | ▲ 8 |
| 84 | Nancy | 512 | ▲ 2 |
| 85 | Flora | 510 | ▼ 6 |
| 86 | Emily | 509 | ▲ 7 |
| 87 | Katie | 509 | ▼ 7 |
| 88 | Lottie | 502 | ▼ 6 |
| 89 | Olive | 491 | ▼ 1 |
| 90 | Pauline | 475 | ▲ 5 |
| 91 | Kathryn | 474 | ▲ 3 |
| 92 | Addie | 468 | ▼ 2 |
| 93 | Dorothy | 458 | ▲ 9 |
| 94 | Caroline | 455 | ▼ 10 |
| 95 | Etta | 452 | ▼ 8 |
| 96 | Marguerite | 442 | ▲ 24 |
| 97 | Maud | 439 | ▼ 5 |
| 98 | Beatrice | 417 | ▲ 10 |
| 99 | Charlotte | 417 | ▼ 10 |
| 100 | Virginia | 405 | ▲ 1 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby name data, 1890. 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.