Most popular baby names of 1896
In 1896, the most popular names for US babies were John for boys (8,138 babies, 6.8% of boys) and Mary for girls (13,811 babies, 5.8% of girls). The rest of the top five were William, James, George and Charles for boys and Anna, Helen, Margaret and Ruth for girls. SSA recorded 1,266 different boy names and 1,825 different girl names that year.
| Rank | Name | Babies | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John | 8,138 | – |
| 2 | William | 7,747 | – |
| 3 | James | 5,206 | – |
| 4 | George | 4,286 | – |
| 5 | Charles | 3,639 | – |
| 6 | Joseph | 3,051 | ▲ 1 |
| 7 | Frank | 2,845 | ▼ 1 |
| 8 | Robert | 2,719 | – |
| 9 | Edward | 2,296 | ▲ 1 |
| 10 | Henry | 2,183 | ▼ 1 |
| 11 | Harry | 2,091 | ▲ 1 |
| 12 | Thomas | 2,088 | ▼ 1 |
| 13 | Walter | 2,017 | – |
| 14 | Arthur | 1,821 | – |
| 15 | Albert | 1,434 | ▲ 1 |
| 16 | Fred | 1,393 | ▼ 1 |
| 17 | Clarence | 1,254 | – |
| 18 | Willie | 1,092 | – |
| 19 | Roy | 1,027 | – |
| 20 | Paul | 964 | – |
| 21 | Earl | 892 | ▲ 2 |
| 22 | Louis | 871 | ▼ 1 |
| 23 | Harold | 862 | ▲ 6 |
| 24 | Raymond | 859 | ▲ 2 |
| 25 | Carl | 852 | ▼ 3 |
| 26 | Richard | 834 | ▲ 5 |
| 27 | Joe | 767 | ▲ 1 |
| 28 | David | 765 | ▲ 4 |
| 29 | Ernest | 764 | ▼ 5 |
| 30 | Ralph | 746 | – |
| 31 | Samuel | 734 | ▼ 6 |
| 32 | Charlie | 714 | ▼ 5 |
| 33 | Howard | 677 | – |
| 34 | Herbert | 635 | ▲ 2 |
| 35 | Jesse | 586 | – |
| 36 | Elmer | 576 | ▼ 2 |
| 37 | Andrew | 566 | – |
| 38 | Daniel | 561 | ▲ 2 |
| 39 | Francis | 551 | ▲ 6 |
| 40 | Jack | 539 | ▲ 6 |
| 41 | Oscar | 539 | ▼ 2 |
| 42 | Alfred | 527 | ▼ 4 |
| 43 | Sam | 518 | – |
| 44 | Will | 508 | – |
| 45 | Eugene | 507 | ▲ 5 |
| 46 | Lawrence | 499 | ▼ 5 |
| 47 | Leo | 497 | ▼ 5 |
| 48 | Lee | 455 | ▼ 1 |
| 49 | Herman | 427 | – |
| 50 | Ray | 426 | ▲ 6 |
| 51 | Benjamin | 416 | ▼ 3 |
| 52 | Peter | 402 | ▲ 1 |
| 53 | Michael | 399 | ▼ 1 |
| 54 | Claude | 398 | ▲ 1 |
| 55 | Floyd | 396 | ▼ 4 |
| 56 | Lewis | 386 | ▲ 2 |
| 57 | Frederick | 381 | ▼ 3 |
| 58 | Clyde | 372 | ▲ 1 |
| 59 | Edwin | 351 | ▲ 1 |
| 60 | Leonard | 350 | ▲ 1 |
| 61 | Martin | 343 | ▲ 4 |
| 62 | Tom | 339 | – |
| 63 | Chester | 329 | ▼ 6 |
| 64 | Russell | 327 | ▲ 2 |
| 65 | Lester | 318 | ▲ 3 |
| 66 | Clifford | 311 | ▲ 6 |
| 67 | Lloyd | 308 | ▲ 8 |
| 68 | Edgar | 306 | ▼ 4 |
| 69 | Ben | 299 | ▼ 6 |
| 70 | Harvey | 292 | – |
| 71 | Jim | 281 | – |
| 72 | Leroy | 278 | ▲ 6 |
| 73 | Anthony | 276 | ▲ 13 |
| 74 | Luther | 265 | ▼ 1 |
| 75 | Hugh | 263 | ▲ 5 |
| 76 | Eddie | 262 | ▲ 9 |
| 77 | Guy | 262 | ▼ 1 |
| 78 | Stanley | 259 | ▲ 5 |
| 79 | Homer | 258 | ▼ 12 |
| 80 | Otto | 250 | ▼ 11 |
| 81 | Ed | 246 | ▲ 3 |
| 82 | Bernard | 241 | ▼ 5 |
| 83 | Jacob | 241 | ▼ 9 |
| 84 | Theodore | 241 | ▲ 9 |
| 85 | Leslie | 237 | ▼ 4 |
| 86 | Leon | 235 | ▲ 1 |
| 87 | Alexander | 232 | ▲ 10 |
| 88 | Archie | 230 | ▲ 1 |
| 89 | Jessie | 229 | ▼ 10 |
| 90 | Everett | 224 | ▲ 4 |
| 91 | Allen | 219 | ▲ 7 |
| 92 | Philip | 218 | – |
| 93 | Patrick | 214 | ▼ 11 |
| 94 | Donald | 211 | ▲ 2 |
| 95 | Horace | 204 | ▼ 5 |
| 96 | Victor | 201 | ▲ 3 |
| 97 | Cecil | 200 | ▲ 3 |
| 98 | Milton | 194 | ▲ 4 |
| 99 | Oliver | 194 | ▼ 11 |
| 100 | Isaac | 191 | ▲ 7 |
| Rank | Name | Babies | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mary | 13,811 | – |
| 2 | Anna | 5,860 | – |
| 3 | Helen | 4,392 | – |
| 4 | Margaret | 4,050 | – |
| 5 | Ruth | 3,905 | ▲ 1 |
| 6 | Ethel | 3,502 | ▲ 2 |
| 7 | Elizabeth | 3,471 | ▼ 2 |
| 8 | Florence | 3,323 | ▼ 1 |
| 9 | Marie | 3,087 | – |
| 10 | Emma | 2,872 | – |
| 11 | Lillian | 2,702 | ▲ 5 |
| 12 | Alice | 2,651 | ▲ 5 |
| 13 | Edna | 2,604 | ▲ 1 |
| 14 | Clara | 2,582 | ▼ 2 |
| 15 | Bertha | 2,565 | ▼ 4 |
| 16 | Minnie | 2,530 | ▼ 3 |
| 17 | Grace | 2,485 | ▲ 1 |
| 18 | Bessie | 2,435 | ▼ 3 |
| 19 | Annie | 2,358 | – |
| 20 | Rose | 2,341 | ▲ 1 |
| 21 | Mabel | 2,283 | ▼ 1 |
| 22 | Hazel | 2,226 | – |
| 23 | Gertrude | 2,221 | ▲ 1 |
| 24 | Ida | 2,159 | ▼ 1 |
| 25 | Pearl | 2,101 | ▲ 1 |
| 26 | Martha | 2,022 | ▼ 1 |
| 27 | Esther | 1,964 | ▲ 4 |
| 28 | Frances | 1,964 | ▲ 1 |
| 29 | Edith | 1,932 | ▼ 2 |
| 30 | Myrtle | 1,928 | ▼ 2 |
| 31 | Elsie | 1,878 | ▲ 1 |
| 32 | Eva | 1,779 | ▲ 2 |
| 33 | Gladys | 1,757 | ▲ 8 |
| 34 | Nellie | 1,696 | ▼ 4 |
| 35 | Sarah | 1,691 | ▼ 2 |
| 36 | Ella | 1,683 | ▼ 1 |
| 37 | Laura | 1,665 | ▼ 1 |
| 38 | Agnes | 1,654 | ▲ 2 |
| 39 | Mildred | 1,620 | – |
| 40 | Catherine | 1,594 | ▼ 2 |
| 41 | Irene | 1,593 | ▲ 2 |
| 42 | Louise | 1,531 | ▼ 5 |
| 43 | Lillie | 1,483 | ▲ 1 |
| 44 | Julia | 1,407 | ▲ 1 |
| 45 | Carrie | 1,388 | ▼ 3 |
| 46 | Dorothy | 1,366 | ▲ 11 |
| 47 | Hattie | 1,320 | ▼ 1 |
| 48 | Lena | 1,318 | ▲ 2 |
| 49 | Mattie | 1,288 | ▲ 2 |
| 50 | Josephine | 1,256 | ▼ 3 |
| 51 | Alma | 1,243 | ▲ 4 |
| 52 | Cora | 1,204 | ▼ 3 |
| 53 | Jennie | 1,178 | – |
| 54 | Blanche | 1,150 | – |
| 55 | Mae | 1,148 | ▼ 3 |
| 56 | Maude | 1,104 | – |
| 57 | Jessie | 1,103 | ▼ 9 |
| 58 | Mamie | 1,081 | ▲ 1 |
| 59 | Lucy | 1,074 | ▲ 2 |
| 60 | Stella | 1,054 | – |
| 61 | Katherine | 1,047 | ▲ 4 |
| 62 | Viola | 1,047 | ▲ 1 |
| 63 | Ada | 1,041 | ▼ 5 |
| 64 | Lula | 1,012 | – |
| 65 | Fannie | 1,001 | ▼ 3 |
| 66 | Ruby | 994 | – |
| 67 | Marion | 987 | ▲ 2 |
| 68 | Dora | 874 | – |
| 69 | Maggie | 871 | ▼ 2 |
| 70 | Beatrice | 870 | ▲ 3 |
| 71 | Nora | 844 | ▼ 1 |
| 72 | Sadie | 827 | – |
| 73 | Ellen | 811 | ▲ 2 |
| 74 | Rosa | 808 | ▼ 3 |
| 75 | Pauline | 756 | ▲ 1 |
| 76 | Willie | 755 | ▲ 2 |
| 77 | Beulah | 750 | ▼ 3 |
| 78 | Marguerite | 725 | ▲ 3 |
| 79 | Susie | 718 | ▲ 4 |
| 80 | Effie | 716 | ▼ 1 |
| 81 | Vera | 675 | ▼ 4 |
| 82 | May | 671 | ▼ 2 |
| 83 | Daisy | 661 | ▲ 1 |
| 84 | Evelyn | 646 | ▲ 3 |
| 85 | Della | 642 | ▲ 1 |
| 86 | Lucille | 637 | ▲ 15 |
| 87 | Nettie | 628 | ▼ 5 |
| 88 | Kathryn | 625 | ▲ 2 |
| 89 | Virginia | 621 | ▼ 1 |
| 90 | Olive | 583 | ▲ 1 |
| 91 | Lydia | 580 | ▼ 6 |
| 92 | Lottie | 574 | ▲ 3 |
| 93 | Georgia | 562 | ▲ 1 |
| 94 | Leona | 556 | ▲ 8 |
| 95 | Hilda | 549 | ▲ 9 |
| 96 | Emily | 527 | ▼ 7 |
| 97 | Flora | 527 | ▼ 1 |
| 98 | Nancy | 527 | ▼ 5 |
| 99 | Katie | 516 | ▲ 1 |
| 100 | Lizzie | 508 | ▼ 1 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby name data, 1896. 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.