Most popular baby names of 1883

Looking at the baby name data from 1882 to 1883, there appears to be remarkable stability in America's favorite names during this period. The top three names for both boys and girls remained unchanged, with Mary, Anna, and Emma holding strong for girls, while John, William, and James continued to dominate the boys' list. This consistency suggests American parents of the early 1880s valued tradition when selecting names for their newborns.

Among the top 10 girls' names in 1883, we see some minor shifts in popularity. While Mary maintained her overwhelming dominance at #1, Clara moved up one position to #10, while Annie dropped from #10 to #9. Grace showed impressive momentum, climbing from #16 to #13, suggesting it might soon enter the top 10. The most popular girls' names continued to feature classic feminine choices with a preference for names ending in the soft "a" sound, such as Anna, Clara, and Bertha.

The boys' top 10 saw Thomas move up two spots from #8 to #10, displacing Edward who fell to #11. Robert climbed from #10 to #9, while Henry dropped from #9 to #8. The continued popularity of traditional biblical names like John, James, and Joseph shows the strong religious influences on naming practices during this era. Short, strong-sounding names dominated the boys' list, with six of the top ten names having just one syllable.

Examining broader naming patterns reveals Americans' strong preference for traditional English and biblical names in the early 1880s. Girls' names often featured soft endings and melodic sounds, with names like Mary, Anna, and Elizabeth maintaining their long-standing popularity. For boys, classic masculine names prevailed, particularly those with biblical connections. Interestingly, diminutive names like Charlie for boys and Annie for girls remained popular choices, suggesting parents were beginning to use nicknames as formal given names. The stability in naming patterns between 1882 and 1883 reflects the conservative cultural values of America during this period.

Top baby names of 1883