Most popular baby names of 1895

The top three names for girls in 1895 saw a slight shift compared to 1894. While Mary firmly held its #1 position for both years, Helen climbed to the #3 spot, displacing Margaret who moved from #3 to #4. Anna remained steady at #2, demonstrating its continued popularity during this period. For boys, the top three names displayed remarkable stability between 1894 and 1895, with John, William, and James maintaining their respective first, second, and third positions without any changes.

Looking at the top 10 girls' names of 1895, traditional choices continued to dominate American nurseries. Mary, Anna, Helen, Margaret, and Elizabeth formed a solid top five, with Ruth, Florence, Ethel, Marie, and Emma completing the top ten. Notably, Marie climbed from #10 to #9, while Emma dropped from #9 to #10. Florence showed impressive momentum, moving up from #8 to #7. Most of these top names featured soft sounds and often ended in vowels or the gentle 'th' sound, reflecting the era's preference for traditionally feminine-sounding names.

The top 10 boys' names in 1895 remained largely traditional and biblically influenced. John, William, James, George, and Charles formed the unchanging top five, followed by Frank, Joseph, Robert, Henry, and Edward. Interestingly, Joseph and Frank swapped positions from the previous year, with Frank moving from #7 to #6 and Joseph dropping from #6 to #7. Strong, solid names with one or two syllables dominated the list, with many of these names having deep historical roots in English and Christian tradition.

Broader naming patterns reveal interesting cultural preferences of the mid-1890s. For girls, names ending in 'a' (Anna, Clara), 'ie' (Minnie, Carrie), and 'e' (Marie, Florence) were particularly fashionable. Many popular girls' names also had biblical or traditional roots, though more flowery, Victorian-influenced choices like Florence and Ethel were on the rise. For boys, traditional biblical names (John, James, Joseph) and royal/historical names (William, George, Charles) remained exceptionally strong. One-syllable names were particularly popular for boys, showing a preference for sturdy, straightforward naming patterns that would persist for several more decades.

Top baby names of 1895