Most popular baby names of 1884

The top three names for both boys and girls showed remarkable stability between 1883 and 1884. Mary, Anna, and Emma continued their reign as the most popular girls' names, maintaining their exact positions from the previous year. For boys, John and William also held steady at first and second place respectively, while James remained firmly in third position. This consistency suggests these traditional names maintained their strong cultural significance during this period.

Looking at the top 10 girls' names in 1884, the lineup remained largely unchanged from the previous year. Mary continued its long-standing dominance at number one, followed by Anna and Emma. Interestingly, Clara moved up two positions from 10th to 8th place, showing increased popularity. Bertha saw the most significant drop, falling from 7th to 9th place. The top 10 girls' names featured a strong preference for names ending in 'a' sounds, with Mary, Anna, Emma, Clara, Bertha, and Ida all following this pattern.

The top 10 boys' names in 1884 also showed remarkable consistency with only minor position changes. Most notably, Thomas moved up two ranks from 10th to 8th place, while Henry dropped one position from 8th to 9th. The remaining names largely maintained their positions from the previous year. Traditional biblical names continued to dominate with John, James, Thomas, Joseph, and Robert all appearing in the top 10. Names with Anglo-Saxon and Germanic origins also remained popular, reflecting the cultural heritage of many American families.

Broader naming patterns show a distinct preference for traditional names with religious connections for both genders. For girls, shorter names with feminine endings were favored, particularly those ending in 'a' (Anna, Clara, Ida) and 'ie' (Minnie, Carrie). For boys, classic masculine names with one or two syllables dominated the rankings. Notably, diminutive forms appeared occasionally among popular names, such as Charlie at 24th place for boys, suggesting some parents preferred more informal given names. The stability in naming trends between 1883 and 1884 indicates that American parents generally valued tradition and continuity in their naming choices during this period.

Top baby names of 1884