Most popular baby names of 1888

The classic favorites held strong in America as 1888 ushered in little change at the top of the naming charts. John, William, and James continued their reign as the top three boy names, maintaining their exact positions from the previous year. Similarly, the girls' chart showed remarkable consistency with Mary, Anna, and Elizabeth holding firm as the top three names for the second consecutive year. This stability at the very top reflects the enduring appeal of traditional naming choices as the 1880s drew to a close.

Taking a closer look at the top 10 girls' names of 1888, we see some subtle but noteworthy shifts. Ethel jumped two spots from #11 in 1887 to #9 in 1888, marking its entry into the elite top 10. Florence moved up slightly from #9 to #8, while Clara dropped from #8 to #11, losing its place among the top names. The remaining favorites—Mary, Anna, Elizabeth, Emma, Margaret, Minnie, and Bertha—maintained their strong positions with minimal movement, showcasing Americans' continued preference for these classic feminine choices.

The boys' top 10 saw more significant reshuffling in 1888. Most notably, Harry climbed three positions from #12 to #9, while Robert moved up from #11 to #8. This upward movement came at the expense of Thomas and Edward, who both slipped just outside the top 10. The enduring favorites John, William, James, George, Charles, Frank, Joseph, and Henry continued their dominance, though with some minor positional adjustments. Traditional masculine names with royal and biblical origins clearly remained the cornerstone of American boys' naming in the late 1880s.

Looking at broader patterns across both gender lists, short, classic names dominated the era. For girls, names ending in "-ie" (Minnie, Carrie) and "-a" (Anna, Clara, Emma) were particularly prevalent in the top rankings. For boys, traditional biblical names (John, James, Joseph) continued their centuries-long popularity alongside English royal names (William, George, Charles). Interestingly, shorter versions of names were gaining ground—Harry instead of Harold, and Charlie rather than Charles appeared in the top rankings, perhaps signaling a gradual shift toward more casual naming styles that would develop further in coming decades.

Top baby names of 1888