Most popular baby names of 1894

In 1894, the most popular names for US babies were John for boys (8,237 babies, 7.1% of boys) and Mary for girls (13,151 babies, 5.9% of girls). The rest of the top five were William, James, George and Charles for boys and Anna, Margaret, Helen and Elizabeth for girls. SSA recorded 1,239 different boy names and 1,702 different girl names that year.

Top 100 boy names, 1894
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	John	8,237	–
2	William	7,274	–
3	James	5,110	–
4	George	4,365	–
5	Charles	3,788	–
6	Joseph	2,977	–
7	Frank	2,863	–
8	Robert	2,497	–
9	Henry	2,278	▲ 2
10	Harry	2,189	–
11	Edward	2,179	▼ 2
12	Thomas	2,170	–
13	Walter	2,010	–
14	Arthur	1,712	–
15	Fred	1,475	–
16	Albert	1,447	–
17	Clarence	1,185	–
18	Roy	1,018	–
19	Willie	986	–
20	Earl	896	▲ 1
21	Louis	869	▲ 1
22	Carl	861	▲ 2
23	Paul	824	▲ 2
24	Ernest	821	▼ 1
25	Richard	808	▲ 1
26	Samuel	776	▼ 6
27	Raymond	767	▲ 2
28	Joe	741	–
29	David	729	▼ 2
30	Charlie	704	–
31	Ralph	692	–
32	Harold	690	▲ 2
33	Howard	612	▲ 2
34	Oscar	601	▼ 1
35	Andrew	594	▲ 5
36	Herbert	585	▲ 5
37	Elmer	575	▼ 5
38	Jesse	567	▼ 2
39	Will	559	▼ 2
40	Alfred	521	▼ 2
41	Daniel	515	▼ 2
42	Leo	515	▲ 3
43	Sam	507	–
44	Benjamin	469	▼ 2
45	Lee	455	▲ 1
46	Floyd	445	▲ 13
47	Jack	441	▲ 3
48	Herman	433	▼ 4
49	Lawrence	430	▲ 2
50	Francis	423	▼ 2
51	Michael	423	▼ 2
52	Eugene	421	▲ 1
53	Claude	419	▼ 1
54	Frederick	413	▼ 7
55	Peter	391	▼ 1
56	Clyde	386	▼ 1
57	Ray	379	▼ 1
58	Edwin	366	–
59	Lewis	359	▼ 2
60	Leonard	343	▲ 9
61	Tom	343	▼ 1
62	Ben	326	–
63	Chester	325	▲ 3
64	Edgar	313	▼ 1
65	Clifford	307	▲ 6
66	Martin	299	▼ 5
67	Harvey	293	▲ 1
68	Jacob	292	▼ 3
69	Lester	291	▲ 8
70	Jim	287	▲ 4
71	Luther	285	▼ 1
72	Russell	278	▲ 3
73	Homer	273	▼ 9
74	Otto	270	▼ 1
75	Hugh	269	▲ 3
76	Guy	261	▼ 4
77	Anthony	257	▲ 4
78	Bernard	256	▲ 6
79	Jessie	255	▲ 6
80	Lloyd	253	▲ 9
81	Ed	241	▼ 1
82	Theodore	241	▲ 8
83	Leroy	239	▼ 7
84	Leon	236	▲ 4
85	Patrick	229	▼ 6
86	Everett	226	▲ 23
87	Leslie	223	▲ 8
88	Oliver	222	▼ 2
89	Allen	219	▲ 10
90	Stanley	218	▼ 3
91	Philip	214	–
92	Archie	207	▲ 1
93	Ira	206	▲ 5
94	Eddie	203	▼ 12
95	Alexander	199	▼ 12
96	Norman	199	▲ 10
97	Horace	196	▲ 7
98	Bert	187	▼ 2
99	Charley	186	▼ 5
100	Victor	180	▲ 3

Top 100 girl names, 1894
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	Mary	13,151	–
2	Anna	5,565	–
3	Margaret	3,700	▲ 1
4	Helen	3,676	▲ 2
5	Elizabeth	3,425	–
6	Ruth	3,372	▼ 3
7	Ethel	3,287	▲ 1
8	Florence	3,233	▼ 1
9	Emma	2,937	–
10	Marie	2,649	▲ 9
11	Clara	2,603	–
12	Minnie	2,592	–
13	Bessie	2,520	▲ 2
14	Bertha	2,496	▼ 4
15	Edna	2,458	▼ 1
16	Lillian	2,441	▲ 4
17	Alice	2,414	▼ 4
18	Annie	2,393	▼ 1
19	Grace	2,361	▼ 3
20	Mabel	2,221	▲ 1
21	Ida	2,195	▼ 3
22	Rose	2,126	▲ 1
23	Hazel	2,103	▼ 1
24	Martha	1,968	▲ 1
25	Gertrude	1,908	▼ 1
26	Edith	1,820	▲ 4
27	Myrtle	1,818	▲ 2
28	Pearl	1,789	▼ 2
29	Frances	1,776	▲ 5
30	Nellie	1,767	▼ 3
31	Ella	1,761	▼ 3
32	Laura	1,730	▼ 1
33	Elsie	1,716	▲ 2
34	Sarah	1,701	▼ 1
35	Eva	1,673	▼ 3
36	Esther	1,654	▲ 3
37	Louise	1,571	–
38	Agnes	1,470	–
39	Carrie	1,452	▼ 3
40	Lillie	1,432	▲ 1
41	Catherine	1,430	▲ 1
42	Lena	1,360	▲ 4
43	Irene	1,347	▲ 8
44	Hattie	1,325	▼ 1
45	Julia	1,320	▼ 5
46	Cora	1,319	▼ 2
47	Gladys	1,258	▲ 11
48	Josephine	1,256	▲ 2
49	Mattie	1,238	▼ 2
50	Mildred	1,220	▲ 10
51	Jennie	1,210	▼ 6
52	Alma	1,177	▲ 2
53	Maude	1,144	▼ 4
54	Mae	1,134	▼ 1
55	Jessie	1,120	▼ 7
56	Blanche	1,091	▼ 4
57	Lucy	1,077	▼ 1
58	Dorothy	1,052	▲ 10
59	Mamie	1,043	–
60	Lula	1,042	▼ 3
61	Stella	1,035	▲ 2
62	Ada	1,018	▼ 7
63	Fannie	1,003	▼ 2
64	Katherine	948	▼ 2
65	Viola	906	▲ 1
66	Maggie	895	▼ 2
67	Ruby	874	▲ 4
68	Nora	854	▼ 1
69	Dora	827	▼ 4
70	Rosa	780	–
71	May	763	▲ 2
72	Ellen	759	▼ 3
73	Sadie	745	▼ 1
74	Effie	712	–
75	Willie	709	▲ 2
76	Beatrice	684	▲ 9
77	Della	681	▼ 1
78	Susie	679	–
79	Beulah	675	▲ 1
80	Pauline	656	▲ 6
81	Daisy	645	▲ 3
82	Nettie	630	▼ 7
83	Marguerite	624	▼ 4
84	Flora	619	▲ 5
85	Lydia	618	▼ 4
86	Vera	618	▲ 5
87	Lottie	597	▲ 5
88	Olive	589	▼ 6
89	Marion	587	▲ 4
90	Sallie	584	▲ 4
91	Virginia	583	▲ 6
92	Lizzie	562	▼ 9
93	Emily	551	▲ 2
94	Georgia	535	▼ 7
95	Katie	525	▲ 1
96	Kathryn	520	▼ 6
97	Etta	519	▲ 1
98	Nancy	515	▼ 10
99	Evelyn	491	▲ 5
100	Charlotte	484	–

Source: US Social Security Administration baby name data, 1894. 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.