These Were The Most Popular Baby Names In The 1890s

Baby name trends come and go, but many choices remain popular for decades and even centuries. Luckily, if you’re interested in examining historical patterns, the Social Security Administration offers lists of the top baby names of every decade going back to the 1880s.

Looking back to the 1890s, there are many timeless names on the top 20 lists, like Emma and Elizabeth for girls and William and James for boys. However, it’s also clear that tastes have changed, as once-popular names like Bertha, Clarence, Earl and Bessie are scarcely seen on birth certificates today.

See for yourself! Below, find the 50 most popular names for boys and girls born in the U.S. from 1890 to 1899.

Girls

1. Mary

2. Anna

3. Margaret

4. Helen

5. Elizabeth

6. Ruth

7. Florence

8. Ethel

9. Emma

10. Marie

11. Clara

12. Bertha

13. Minnie

14. Bessie

15. Alice

16. Lillian

17. Edna

18. Grace

19. Annie

20. Mabel

21. Ida

22. Rose

23. Hazel

24. Gertrude

25. Martha

26. Pearl

27. Frances

28. Myrtle

29. Edith

30. Nellie

31. Sarah

32. Ella

33. Eva

34. Laura

35. Elsie

36. Louise

37. Esther

38. Catherine

39. Agnes

40. Carrie

41. Lillie

42. Mildred

43. Gladys

44. Irene

45. Julia

46. Hattie

47. Cora

48. Lena

49. Josephine

50. Mattie

Boys

1. John

2. William

3. James

4. George

5. Charles

6. Joseph

7. Frank

8. Robert

9. Edward

10. Henry

11. Harry

12. Thomas

13. Walter

14. Arthur

15. Fred

16. Albert

17. Clarence

18. Willie

19. Roy

20. Louis

21. Earl

22. Paul

23. Carl

24. Ernest

25. Samuel

26. Richard

27. Raymond

28. Joe

29. David

30. Charlie

31. Harold

32. Ralph

33. Howard

34. Andrew

35. Herbert

36. Elmer

37. Oscar

38. Jesse

39. Alfred

40. Will

41. Daniel

42. Sam

43. Leo

44. Jack

45. Lawrence

46. Francis

47. Benjamin

48. Lee

49. Eugene

50. Herman