
To add to the Top 200 names in 1900, 1890, and 1880, here are the compiled rankings for the most popular births in England and Wales in 1870 from the original scanned pages of the England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915.
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 accurately 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 1870:
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166 |
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170 |
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177 |
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190 |
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197 |
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William |
John |
George |
Thomas |
James |
Charles |
Henry |
Joseph |
Arthur |
Frederick |
Alfred |
Robert |
Edward |
Albert |
Walter |
Harry |
Richard |
Samuel |
Ernest |
Herbert |
Frank |
David |
Edwin |
Francis |
Fred |
Benjamin |
Tom |
Daniel |
Peter |
Isaac |
Stephen |
Percy |
Sidney |
Alexander |
Michael |
Patrick |
Matthew |
Edmund |
Hugh |
Lewis |
Willie |
Philip |
Christopher |
Edgar |
Andrew |
Frederic |
Evan |
Sydney |
Leonard |
Mark |
Ralph |
Abraham |
Horace |
Harold |
Jesse |
Sam |
Owen |
Jonathan |
Joe |
Joshua |
Reuben |
Martin |
Louis |
Oliver |
Enoch |
Reginald |
Anthony |
Josiah |
Archibald |
Jacob |
Eli |
Elijah |
Amos |
Bernard |
Cornelius |
Wilfred |
Timothy |
Augustus |
Moses |
Stanley |
Lawrence |
Job |
Cecil |
Nicholas |
Gilbert |
Aaron |
Hubert |
Adam |
Ebenezer |
Griffith |
Levi |
Jeremiah |
Rowland |
Maurice |
Clement |
Ben |
Luke |
Rees |
Ambrose |
Allen |
Jabez |
Percival |
Charlie |
Dennis |
Morgan |
Charley |
Nathaniel |
Ellis |
Morris |
Elias |
Victor |
Noah |
Wallace |
Nathan |
Solomon |
Roger |
Simon |
Ephraim |
Norman |
Howard |
Paul |
Lionel |
Bertram |
Jim |
Isaiah |
Jonas |
Dan |
Austin |
Vincent |
Wilson |
Clarence |
Douglas |
Phillip |
Septimus |
Allan |
Arnold |
Israel |
Abel |
Ezra |
Oswald |
Caleb |
Sampson |
Emmanuel |
Wright |
Roland |
Donald |
Horatio |
Simeon |
Seth |
Theodore |
Emanuel |
Denis |
Llewellyn |
Miles |
Harvey |
Claude |
Laurence |
Spencer |
Bertie |
Edmond |
Clifford |
Cuthbert |
Montague |
Nelson |
Luther |
Bartholomew |
Godfrey |
Jonah |
Silas |
Cyril |
Felix |
Smith |
Oscar |
Theophilus |
Hedley |
Malcolm |
Humphrey |
Gerald |
Enos |
Jasper |
Joel |
Adolphus |
Christian |
Raymond |
Hiram |
Alan |
Algernon |
Elisha |
Robinson |
Eugene |
Llewelyn |
Dick |
Valentine |
Rupert |
Lancelot |
Harrison |
Harris |
Jenkin |
Julius |
Eustace |
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103 |
104 |
105 |
106 |
107 |
108 |
109 |
110 |
111 |
112 |
113 |
114 |
115 |
116 |
116 |
118 |
119 |
119 |
121 |
122 |
123 |
124 |
125 |
125 |
127 |
128 |
128 |
130 |
131 |
132 |
133 |
134 |
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164 |
165 |
165 |
167 |
168 |
168 |
170 |
171 |
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174 |
175 |
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177 |
177 |
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182 |
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184 |
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Mary |
Elizabeth |
Sarah |
Alice |
Ellen |
Annie |
Margaret |
Emily |
Emma |
Ann |
Jane |
Eliza |
Ada |
Florence |
Edith |
Hannah |
Martha |
Louisa |
Clara |
Harriet |
Catherine |
Kate |
Fanny |
Agnes |
Charlotte |
Frances |
Caroline |
Lucy |
Anne |
Maria |
Minnie |
Rose |
Isabella |
Amy |
Amelia |
Jessie |
Eleanor |
Esther |
Gertrude |
Laura |
Susan |
Julia |
Rosa |
Matilda |
Bertha |
Lilly |
Rebecca |
Maud |
Susannah |
Rachel |
Ruth |
Lydia |
Lizzie |
Selina |
Beatrice |
Ethel |
Bessie |
Harriett |
Grace |
Henrietta |
Sophia |
Rosina |
Betsy |
Anna |
Lilian |
Helen |
Flora |
Mabel |
Phoebe |
Catharine |
Eva |
Bridget |
Georgina |
Rhoda |
Lavinia |
Adelaide |
Blanche |
Isabel |
Janet |
Lily |
Susanna |
Priscilla |
Helena |
Rosanna |
Dorothy |
Rosetta |
Nancy |
Marian |
Miriam |
Constance |
Winifred |
Leah |
Marion |
Nelly |
Jemima |
Nellie |
Barbara |
May |
Christiana |
Ida |
Violet |
Dora |
Maude |
Theresa |
Polly |
Georgiana |
Evelyn |
Cecilia |
Olive |
Augusta |
Louise |
Betty |
Eveline |
Adeline |
Ella |
Christina |
Thirza |
Dinah |
Betsey |
Phebe |
Katherine |
Hester |
Lizzy |
Letitia |
Emmeline |
Mercy |
Teresa |
Hilda |
Lillian |
Celia |
Naomi |
Johanna |
Blanch |
Lois |
Mildred |
Lillie |
Maggie |
Josephine |
Millicent |
Kathleen |
Phillis |
Angelina |
Bessy |
Honora |
Elsie |
Margaretta |
Eda |
Katharine |
Edna |
Deborah |
Marie |
Kezia |
Katie |
Jenny |
Joanna |
Nora |
Patience |
Abigail |
Gwenllian |
Hetty |
Norah |
Clarissa |
Prudence |
Sabina |
Cicely |
Rosannah |
Myra |
Eunice |
Victoria |
Hephzibah |
Leonora |
Arabella |
Alberta |
Wilhelmina |
Diana |
Margery |
Pamela |
Rachael |
Alma |
Lottie |
Lena |
Dorcas |
Effie |
Honor |
Lilley |
Lilla |
Madeline |
Carrie |
Tamar |
Annis |
Gwen |
Violetta |
Amanda |
Mahala |
Adah |
Cordelia |
Evangeline |
Marianne |
Olivia |
Rosamond |
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Statistics compiled by Eleanor Nickerson at britishbabynames.com
No unauthorised copying without credit or permission.
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The #1 names for boys and girls remain the same for 1900, 1890, 1880 and 1870: William and Mary. Once again, The difference lies in the declining number of children given these names over that time period:
William
1870 - 51,299 births
1880 - 50,525 births
1890 - 45,925 births
1900 - 44,912 births
Mary
1870 - 47,108 births
1880 - 39,612 births
1890 - 27,802 births
1900 - 22,194 births
Names ranking in the Top 100 in 1870, but had fallen below by 1880:
Moses, Job, Aaron, Adam, Ebenezer, Griffith, Levi, Jeremiah, Luke, Rees, Ambrose
Catharine, Lavinia, Adelaide, Priscilla, Rosanna, Rosetta, Nancy, Jemima, Barbara, Christiana
Names ranking in the Top 200 in 1870, but had fallen below by 1880:
Edmond, Bartholomew, Smith, Enos, Jasper, Joel, Adolphus, Christian, Hiram, Robinson, Dick, Harris, Julius, Duncan, Major
Bessy, Joanna, Patience, Arabella, Pamela, Rachael, Honor, Lilley, Lilla, Amanda, Mahala, Cordelia, Olivia, Rosamond, Marianne, Euphemia, Rosalie, Keziah
Most notably, Daisy and Wilfrid — #67 and #77 respectively in 1880 — did not rank at all in the top 200 in 1870 Bertie, Cyril, Elsie and Hilda were also much lower in 1870, than their rank 10 years later.
Lily was much lower in 1870 than 1880 (#80 > #29), and yet, surprisingly, the spelling Lilly at this time superceded it, only to later decline (#46 > #86)