Birth year roster

Top names in 1897

The 100 most common names on 1897 birth certificates, for girls and boys, ranked by SSA records.

Mary and John led the 1897 baby-name charts, the top names among late-19th-century births. Mary was the #1 girls’ name for 76 years in all (between 1880 and 1961); John was the #1 boys’ name for 44 years in all (1880–1923). Of the 200 names below, 106 are now endangered or extinct; the tag on each shows where it stands today.

Explore the 1890s decade

Girls

#1Mary Endangered13,413
#2Anna Declining5,429
#3Helen Endangered4,519
#4Margaret Endangered4,146
#5Ruth Endangered3,878
#6Elizabeth Stable3,442
#7Florence Endangered3,369
#8Ethel Endangered3,182
#9Marie Endangered3,078
#10Emma Declining2,698
#11Lillian Declining2,683
#12Edna Endangered2,567
#13Bertha Endangered2,502
#14Grace Declining2,458
#15Clara Stable2,454
#16Alice Stable2,431
#17Bessie Endangered2,407
#18Hazel Rising2,339
#19Rose Stable2,316
#20Annie Rising2,307
#21Minnie Endangered2,284
#22Mabel Rising2,222
#23Gertrude Endangered2,135
#24Ida Endangered2,108
#25Pearl Endangered2,076
#26Martha Endangered1,990
#27Frances Endangered1,975
#28Esther Stable1,911
#29Myrtle Endangered1,833
#30Edith Endangered1,823
#31Elsie Rising1,763
#32Gladys Endangered1,737
#33Mildred Endangered1,723
#34Sarah Endangered1,713
#35Eva Declining1,709
#36Ella Declining1,708
#37Nellie Rising1,693
#38Irene Endangered1,587
#39Laura Endangered1,585
#40Agnes Endangered1,579
#41Louise Endangered1,563
#42Catherine Endangered1,511
#43Dorothy Endangered1,472
#44Lillie Stable1,401
#45Julia Stable1,380
#46Carrie Endangered1,365
#47Josephine Rising1,267
#48Hattie Rising1,251
#49Cora Stable1,246
#50Lena Stable1,239
#51Alma Rising1,213
#52Jessie Endangered1,191
#53Mattie Endangered1,181
#54Mae Stable1,144
#55Blanche Endangered1,092
#56Jennie Endangered1,074
#57Ruby Stable1,025
#58Viola Endangered1,017
#59Mamie Endangered1,006
#60Marion Endangered994
#61Lucy Stable984
#62Maude Endangered984
#63Lula Endangered971
#64Stella Stable966
#65Katherine Declining962
#66Ada Rising956
#67Fannie Endangered956
#68Beatrice Endangered942
#69Dora Endangered862
#70Willie Endangered818
#71Nora Stable812
#72Pauline Endangered777
#73Vera Stable776
#74Rosa Stable770
#75Maggie Stable760
#76Sadie Stable757
#77Ellen Endangered733
#78Marguerite Endangered728
#79Effie Endangered698
#80Evelyn Stable690
#81Beulah Endangered688
#82Lucille Stable648
#83Lydia Stable642
#84Virginia Endangered638
#85Susie Endangered626
#86Daisy Rising624
#87Della Rising624
#88Emily Declining619
#89Leona Stable619
#90Nettie Endangered614
#91May Rising595
#92Olive Rising583
#93Kathryn Endangered570
#94Hilda Endangered561
#95Eleanor Rising559
#96Nancy Endangered553
#97Ann Endangered545
#98Sallie Endangered545
#99Lizzie Rising543
#100Theresa Endangered533

Boys

#1John Past peak7,550
#2William Declining7,198
#3James Stable5,113
#4George Stable4,078
#5Charles Stable3,341
#6Joseph Declining2,827
#7Frank Endangered2,726
#8Robert Endangered2,701
#9Edward Endangered2,121
#10Henry Stable1,994
#11Thomas Stable1,980
#12Walter Stable1,895
#13Harry Endangered1,879
#14Arthur Rising1,647
#15Albert Endangered1,377
#16Fred Endangered1,301
#17Clarence Endangered1,201
#18Willie Endangered1,151
#19Roy Endangered999
#20Paul Endangered923
#21Harold Endangered860
#22Raymond Endangered837
#23Louis Stable831
#24Earl Endangered829
#25Carl Endangered828
#26Joe Endangered798
#27Ernest Endangered785
#28Samuel Stable759
#29David Past peak730
#30Charlie Rising714
#31Richard Endangered702
#32Ralph Endangered697
#33Howard Endangered634
#34Elmer Endangered587
#35Herbert Endangered565
#36Andrew Declining555
#37Oscar Stable543
#38Jesse Stable529
#39Daniel Declining520
#40Alfred Endangered513
#41Lawrence Endangered505
#42Jack Stable497
#43Francis Stable496
#44Will Declining491
#45Sam Stable478
#46Leo Rising462
#47Lee Endangered453
#48Floyd Endangered451
#49Eugene Endangered447
#50Herman Endangered412
#51Peter Stable397
#52Ray Endangered397
#53Edwin Stable380
#54Benjamin Declining378
#55Lewis Rising378
#56Frederick Stable369
#57Michael Past peak368
#58Clyde Stable359
#59Claude Endangered345
#60Martin Stable312
#61Leonard Endangered310
#62Lester Endangered310
#63Tom Endangered298
#64Russell Stable295
#65Ben Stable291
#66Leroy Endangered291
#67Chester Endangered290
#68Clifford Endangered285
#69Edgar Declining278
#70Homer Endangered278
#71Luther Endangered271
#72Harvey Rising268
#73Eddie Endangered263
#74Lloyd Endangered258
#75Jim Endangered252
#76Anthony Declining249
#77Stanley Endangered240
#78Bernard Endangered234
#79Jessie Endangered234
#80Otto Rising234
#81Leon Rising229
#82Allen Endangered226
#83Leslie Endangered222
#84Cecil Endangered216
#85Theodore Rising215
#86Hugh Stable213
#87Patrick Declining210
#88Jacob Declining204
#89Philip Endangered200
#90Ed Declining198
#91Norman Endangered197
#92Donald Endangered195
#93Guy Endangered195
#94Stephen Endangered194
#95Archie Rising190
#96Victor Declining190
#97Alvin Declining186
#98Percy Rising183
#99Ira Stable180
#100Everett Stable179