Birth year roster
Top names in 1896
The names most likely to appear on 1896 birth certificates, ranked by SSA records.
Mary and John led the 1896 baby-name charts, a pair that captures the naming culture of mid-century America — a timeless classic that had dominated since the 1880s and John, a perennial powerhouse that would anchor the decade. The full top 25 below reveals which names defined the 1896 classroom and how many have since faded or endured.
Girls
- #1Mary13,811
- #2Anna5,860
- #3Helen4,392
- #4Margaret4,050
- #5Ruth3,905
- #6Ethel3,502
- #7Elizabeth3,471
- #8Florence3,323
- #9Marie3,087
- #10Emma2,872
- #11Lillian2,702
- #12Alice2,651
- #13Edna2,604
- #14Clara2,582
- #15Bertha2,565
- #16Minnie2,530
- #17Grace2,485
- #18Bessie2,435
- #19Annie2,358
- #20Rose2,341
- #21Mabel2,283
- #22Hazel2,226
- #23Gertrude2,221
- #24Ida2,159
- #25Pearl2,101
Boys
- #1John8,138
- #2William7,747
- #3James5,206
- #4George4,286
- #5Charles3,639
- #6Joseph3,051
- #7Frank2,845
- #8Robert2,719
- #9Edward2,296
- #10Henry2,183
- #11Harry2,091
- #12Thomas2,088
- #13Walter2,017
- #14Arthur1,821
- #15Albert1,434
- #16Fred1,393
- #17Clarence1,254
- #18Willie1,092
- #19Roy1,027
- #20Paul964
- #21Earl892
- #22Louis871
- #23Harold862
- #24Raymond859
- #25Carl852