100 Most Popular Baby Names from the First Year They Were Recorded in the US

Naming a child is a challenging and delightful task. Names often carry rich histories, cultural significance, and personal meaning. They can reflect the era in which they were chosen, making them fascinating time capsules of the past.

In this post, we’re taking you on a journey back to the very beginning – the year 1880, to be precise. That’s when the United States Social Security Administration began officially recording baby names. From that inaugural year, we’ll explore the one hundred most popular monikers for both girls and boys. We will also share how the baby name ranks today to show how an appellation’s popularity has changed over time. Let’s dig in!

100 Most Popular Baby Names for Girls in 1880

The Top 10

• Mary – Rank today: 136
• Anna – Rank today: 83
• Emma – Rank today: 2
• Elizabeth – Rank today: 15
• Minnie – Rank today: N/A
• Margaret – Rank today: 128
• Ida – Rank today: N/A
• Alice – Rank today: 64
• Bertha – Rank today: N/A
• Sarah – Rank today: 94

11-20

• Annie – Rank today: 206
• Clara – Rank today: 110
• Ella – Rank today: 25
• Florence – Rank today: 622
• Cora – Rank today: 75
• Martha – Rank today: 725
• Laura – Rank today: 363
• Nellie – Rank today: 663
• Grace – Rank today: 35
• Carrie – Rank today: N/A

21-30

• Maude – Rank today: N/A
• Mabel – Rank today: 312
• Bessie – Rank today: N/A
• Jennie – Rank today: N/A
• Gertrude – Rank today: N/A
• Julia – Rank today: 112
• Hattie – Rank today: 411
• Edith – Rank today: 513
• Mattie – Rank today: N/A
• Rose – Rank today: 120

31-40

• Catherine – Rank today: 328
• Lillian – Rank today: 50
• Ada – Rank today: 181
• Lillie – Rank today: 762
• Helen – Rank today: 421
• Jessie – Rank today: 796
• Louise – Rank today: 638
• Ethel – Rank today: N/A
• Lula – Rank today: N/A
• Myrtle – Rank today: N/A

41-50

• Eva – Rank today: 108
• Frances – Rank today: 418
• Lena – Rank today: 251
• Lucy – Rank today: 48
• Edna – Rank today: N/A
• Maggie – Rank today: 295
• Pearl – Rank today: 756
• Daisy – Rank today: 125
• Fannie – Rank today: N/A
• Josephine – Rank today: 70

51-60

• Dora – Rank today: N/A
• Rosa – Rank today: 605
• Katherine – Rank today: 166
• Agnes – Rank today: N/A
• Marie – Rank today: 599
• Nora – Rank today: 28
• May – Rank today: N/A
• Mamie – Rank today: N/A
• Blanche – Rank today: N/A
• Stella – Rank today: 40

61-70

• Ellen – Rank today: N/A
• Nancy – Rank today: 997
• Effie – Rank today: N/A
• Sallie – Rank today: N/A
• Nettie – Rank today: N/A
• Della – Rank today: 657
• Lizzie – Rank today: N/A
• Flora – Rank today: 726
• Susie – Rank today: N/A
• Maud – Rank today: N/A

71-80

• Mae – Rank today: 510
• Etta – Rank today: N/A
• Harriet – Rank today: N/A
• Sadie – Rank today: 68
• Caroline – Rank today: 77
• Katie – Rank today: 559
• Lydia – Rank today: 93
• Elsie – Rank today: 188
• Kate – Rank today: 452
• Susan – Rank today: N/A

81-90

• Mollie – Rank today: N/A
• Alma – Rank today: 482
• Addie – Rank today: N/A
• Georgia – Rank today: 162
• Eliza – Rank today: 122
• Lulu – Rank today: N/A
• Nannie – Rank today: N/A
• Lottie – Rank today: 950
• Amanda – Rank today: 463
• Belle – Rank today: 977

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91-100

• Charlotte – Rank today: 3
• Rebecca – Rank today: 296
• Ruth – Rank today: 179
• Viola – Rank today: N/A
• Olive – Rank today: 158
• Amelia – Rank today: 4
• Hannah – Rank today: 47
• Jane – Rank today: 290
• Virginia – Rank today: 540
• Emily – Rank today: 17

100 Most Popular Baby Names for Boys from 1880

Top 10

• John – Rank today: 26
• William – Rank today: 6
• James – Rank today: 4
• Charles – Rank today: 50
• George – Rank today: 142
• Frank – Rank today: 439
• Joseph – Rank today: 30
• Thomas – Rank today: 45
• Henry – Rank today: 7
• Robert – Rank today: 84

11-20

• Edward – Rank today: 216
• Harry – Rank today: 695
• Walter – Rank today: 269
• Arthur – Rank today: 140
• Fred – Rank today: N/A
• Albert – Rank today: 614
• Samuel – Rank today: 20
• David – Rank today: 31
• Louis – Rank today: 246
• Joe – Rank today: 895

21-30

• Charlie – Rank today: 178
• Clarence – Rank today: N/A
• Richard – Rank today: 219
• Andrew – Rank today: 61
• Daniel – Rank today: 14
• Ernest – Rank today: N/A
• Will – Rank today: N/A
• Jesse – Rank today: 194
• Oscar – Rank today: 201
• Lewis – Rank today: 489

31-40

• Peter – Rank today: 214
• Benjamin – Rank today: 9
• Frederick – Rank today: 474
• Willie – Rank today: N/A
• Alfred – Rank today: 848
• Sam – Rank today: 658
• Roy – Rank today: 577
• Herbert – Rank today: N/A
• Jacob – Rank today: 32
• Tom – Rank today: N/A

41-50

• Elmer – Rank today: N/A
• Carl – Rank today: N/A
• Lee – Rank today: 697
• Howard – Rank today: N/A
• Martin – Rank today: 305
• Michael – Rank today: 16
• Bert – Rank today: N/A
• Herman – Rank today: N/A
• Jim – Rank today: N/A
• Francis – Rank today: 462

51-60

• Harvey – Rank today: 403
• Earl – Rank today: N/A
• Eugene – Rank today: 934
• Ralph – Rank today: N/A
• Ed – Rank today: N/A
• Claude – Rank today: N/A
• Edwin – Rank today: 358
• Ben – Rank today: 770
• Charley – Rank today: N/A
• Paul – Rank today: 262

61-70

• Edgar – Rank today: 418
• Isaac – Rank today: 42
• Otto – Rank today: 309
• Luther – Rank today: N/A
• Lawrence – Rank today: 551
• Ira – Rank today: 844
• Patrick – Rank today: 218
• Guy – Rank today: N/A
• Oliver – Rank today: 3
• Theodore – Rank today: 10

71-80

• Hugh – Rank today: 811
• Clyde – Rank today: 688
• Alexander – Rank today: 17
• August – Rank today: 109
• Floyd – Rank today: N/A
• Homer – Rank today: N/A
• Jack – Rank today: 15
• Leonard – Rank today: 713
• Horace – Rank today: N/A
• Marion – Rank today: N/A

81-90

• Philip – Rank today: 575
• Allen – Rank today: 562
• Archie – Rank today: 377
• Stephen – Rank today: 359
• Chester – Rank today: N/A
• Willis – Rank today: N/A
• Raymond – Rank today: 343
• Rufus – Rank today: N/A
• Warren – Rank today: 335
• Jessie – Rank today: N/A

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91-100

• Milton – Rank today: N/A
• Alex – Rank today: 190
• Leo – Rank today: 22
• Julius – Rank today: 348
• Ray – Rank today: 761
• Sidney – Rank today: N/A
• Bernard – Rank today: N/A
• Dan – Rank today: N/A
• Jerry – Rank today: 753
• Calvin – Rank today: 148

These one hundred names from 1880 offer a fascinating glimpse into the past, reminding us of the enduring power of tradition and the timeless appeal of certain names. Whether you’re expecting, dreaming of the future, or simply enjoy the history and evolution of names, we hope this trip down memory lane has been enlightening. After all, names are more than just labels; they’re a piece of our identity, a reflection of our heritage, and in some cases, a link to a bygone era.