I have been busy compiling rankings for the most popular births in England and Wales in the 19th century from the original scanned pages of the England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915. Last month I researched the Top 200 Names in 1900 and am slowly working my way backwards through the decades. I have just completed the Top 200 most popular names for 1890.
Disclaimer: It should be noted that the data is not without its flaws. Births were originally recorded by a registrar (in their own handwriting) which were later typed up into the register. Some names are invariably recorded incorrectly and it is impossible to know where the mistake was made. Also, I have been compiling the ranks myself, and while I have endeavored to record the number of names as accuarely as possible I am also liable to human error. This, however, should not affect the rankings very much overall.
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The Top 200 names in England and Wales in 1890:
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| 136 |
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| 157 |
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| 165 |
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| 189 |
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| 200 |
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| William |
| John |
| George |
| Thomas |
| James |
| Arthur |
| Charles |
| Frederick |
| Albert |
| Henry |
| Joseph |
| Ernest |
| Alfred |
| Robert |
| Harry |
| Walter |
| Edward |
| Frank |
| Herbert |
| Richard |
| Harold |
| Percy |
| Samuel |
| David |
| Fred |
| Francis |
| Sidney |
| Stanley |
| Leonard |
| Edwin |
| Reginald |
| Sydney |
| Horace |
| Bertie |
| Benjamin |
| Tom |
| Edgar |
| Cecil |
| Alexander |
| Daniel |
| Willie |
| Archibald |
| Wilfred |
| Peter |
| Ralph |
| Stephen |
| Wilfrid |
| Philip |
| Christopher |
| Isaac |
| Hugh |
| Cyril |
| Norman |
| Bernard |
| Lewis |
| Michael |
| Matthew |
| Hubert |
| Percival |
| Andrew |
| Gilbert |
| Evan |
| Patrick |
| Bertram |
| Edmund |
| Victor |
| Leslie |
| Louis |
| Jesse |
| Lawrence |
| Oliver |
| Mark |
| Clifford |
| Douglas |
| Reuben |
| Owen |
| Maurice |
| Abraham |
| Charlie |
| Arnold |
| Lionel |
| Martin |
| Jonathan |
| Sam |
| Howard |
| Gerald |
| Jack |
| Joe |
| Rowland |
| Eric |
| Roland |
| Jacob |
| Wallace |
| Clarence |
| Anthony |
| Gordon |
| Oscar |
| Donald |
| Frederic |
| Morris |
| Raymond |
| Clement |
| Joshua |
| Claude |
| Ronald |
| Vincent |
| Claud |
| Oswald |
| Allan |
| Amos |
| Ivor |
| Laurence |
| Allen |
| Eli |
| Enoch |
| Augustus |
| Kenneth |
| Geoffrey |
| Alan |
| Josiah |
| Moses |
| Ben |
| Archie |
| Ellis |
| Charley |
| Griffith |
| Nicholas |
| Cornelius |
| Elijah |
| Ambrose |
| Dennis |
| Colin |
| Nathan |
| Aaron |
| Austin |
| Timothy |
| Simon |
| Solomon |
| Basil |
| Rupert |
| Luke |
| Nathaniel |
| Jim |
| Paul |
| Gwilym |
| Rees |
| Guy |
| Llewellyn |
| Nelson |
| Theodore |
| Cuthbert |
| Morgan |
| Aubrey |
| Adam |
| Job |
| Jeremiah |
| Roger |
| Vernon |
| Lancelot |
| Alec |
| Godfrey |
| Montague |
| Levi |
| Denis |
| Wilson |
| Herman |
| Bert |
| Elias |
| Leo |
| Harvey |
| Hedley |
| Valentine |
| Ebenezer |
| Noah |
| Israel |
| Hyman |
| Algernon |
| Emmanuel |
| Ephraim |
| Luther |
| Malcolm |
| Roy |
| Harris |
| Stuart |
| Noel |
| Trevor |
| Humphrey |
| Isaiah |
| Carl |
| Jabez |
| Septimus |
| Dudley |
| Eugene |
| Leopold |
| Russell |
| Dan |
| Spencer |
| Dick |
| Vivian |
| Simeon |
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| 95 |
| 96 |
| 97 |
| 98 |
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| 100 |
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| 103 |
| 104 |
| 105 |
| 106 |
| 107 |
| 108 |
| 109 |
| 110 |
| 111 |
| 112 |
| 113 |
| 114 |
| 115 |
| 116 |
| 117 |
| 118 |
| 119 |
| 120 |
| 121 |
| 122 |
| 123 |
| 124 |
| 125 |
| 126 |
| 127 |
| 128 |
| 129 |
| 130 |
| 131 |
| 132 |
| 133 |
| 134 |
| 135 |
| 136 |
| 137 |
| 138 |
| 139 |
| 140 |
| 141 |
| 142 |
| 143 |
| 144 |
| 145 |
| 146 |
| 147 |
| 148 |
| 149 |
| 150 |
| 151 |
| 152 |
| 153 |
| 154 |
| 155 |
| 156 |
| 157 |
| 158 |
| 159 |
| 160 |
| 161 |
| 162 |
| 163 |
| 164 |
| 165 |
| 166 |
| 167 |
| 168 |
| 169 |
| 170 |
| 171 |
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| 177 |
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| Mary |
| Elizabeth |
| Florence |
| Annie |
| Alice |
| Edith |
| Ethel |
| Sarah |
| Margaret |
| Ellen |
| Emily |
| Ada |
| Lily |
| Elsie |
| Mabel |
| Gertrude |
| Jane |
| Lilian |
| Beatrice |
| Dorothy |
| Emma |
| Nellie |
| Rose |
| Maud |
| Catherine |
| Louisa |
| Hilda |
| Eliza |
| Agnes |
| Martha |
| Ann |
| Minnie |
| Clara |
| Daisy |
| May |
| Winifred |
| Hannah |
| Frances |
| Kate |
| Jessie |
| Amy |
| Harriet |
| Violet |
| Gladys |
| Lucy |
| Bertha |
| Eva |
| Eleanor |
| Grace |
| Charlotte |
| Fanny |
| Isabella |
| Laura |
| Caroline |
| Esther |
| Olive |
| Amelia |
| Dora |
| Ruth |
| Bessie |
| Maria |
| Lizzie |
| Eveline |
| Constance |
| Maggie |
| Ida |
| Kathleen |
| Helen |
| Rachel |
| Rosina |
| Lydia |
| Ivy |
| Rosa |
| Matilda |
| Nora |
| Doris |
| Florrie |
| Rebecca |
| Julia |
| Susan |
| Henrietta |
| Evelyn |
| Phoebe |
| Mildred |
| Blanche |
| Susannah |
| Selina |
| Nelly |
| Janet |
| Marion |
| Norah |
| Isabel |
| Miriam |
| Muriel |
| Rhoda |
| Sophia |
| Helena |
| Flora |
| Lillie |
| Georgina |
| Ella |
| Anne |
| Leah |
| Betsy |
| Irene |
| Adelaide |
| Millicent |
| Marjorie |
| Marian |
| Bridget |
| Lavinia |
| Gwendoline |
| Phyllis |
| Harriett |
| Rosetta |
| Lottie |
| Theresa |
| Ruby |
| Lena |
| Polly |
| Christina |
| Cecilia |
| Maude |
| Priscilla |
| Barbara |
| Anna |
| Marie |
| Lilly |
| Margery |
| Katie |
| Hetty |
| Edna |
| Nancy |
| Louise |
| Blodwen |
| Vera |
| Rosanna |
| Blanch |
| Louie |
| Marguerite |
| Alma |
| Jennie |
| Jenny |
| Josephine |
| Eunice |
| Phillis |
| Sybil |
| Clarice |
| Adeline |
| Emmeline |
| Christiana |
| Cicely |
| Katherine |
| Letitia |
| Lillian |
| Madeline |
| Celia |
| Carrie |
| Rosie |
| Lois |
| Florry |
| Gwladys |
| Thirza |
| Stella |
| Margaretta |
| Effie |
| Catharine |
| Jemima |
| Sylvia |
| Mercy |
| Naomi |
| Teresa |
| Clarissa |
| Susanna |
| Dinah |
| Myra |
| Augusta |
| Florie |
| Johanna |
| Linda |
| Hester |
| Deborah |
| Victoria |
| Leonora |
| Dorothea |
| Christine |
| Lotty |
| Gwenllian |
| Wilhelmina |
| Flossie |
| Millie |
| Rosalie |
| Madge |
| Enid |
| Joan |
| Milly |
| Alberta |
| Prudence |
| Eileen |
| Gwendolen |
| Honora |
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Statistics compiled by Eleanor Nickerson at britishbabynames.com
No unauthorised copying without credit or permission.
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The names in the Top 100 do not show a great deal of change between 1890 and 1900, though the rankings do shift around much more the further down the list you get. Names such as Victor, Leslie, Clifford, Jack, Eric, Donald, Violet, Gladys, Olive, Kathleen, Ivy, Doris and Evelyn were all several places lower in 1890 than 1900. Wilfrid, Isaac, Matthew, Louis, Jesse, Oliver, Mark, Charlie, Maud, Eliza, Ann, Maria, Lizzy and Susan, on the other hand, were all several places higher in 1890 than 1900.
