#78 What's in a Name?

Signatures from "Capture of a Rebel Brigade at Gettysburg July 1st 1863 by the 6th Wis, 95th N.Y. and 14th N.Y.S.M." Courtesy Library of Congress

According to the U.S. Census of 1880, these were the top 20 most popular male names during and after the Civil war (from 1861-1870.)

John
William
Charles
James
George
Frank
Henry
Thomas
Joseph
Edward
Robert
Frederic
Samuel
Albert
Lewis
David
Harry
Daniel
Andrew
Walter

The top 20 most popular female names were:

Mary
Elizabeth
Sarah
Ann
Emily
Ellen
Catherine
Margaret
Jane
Martha
Ada
Frances
Susan
Alice
Nancy
Lou
Harriet
Julia
Lucy
Helen

Some of the least favorite male names included:

Emmett
Leander
Mitchell
Zacharias
Bruce
Berry
General
Luke
Lyman
Clyde
Ross
Max
Freeman
Millard
Ransom
Erwin
Uriah
Price
Orlando
Lemuel

And the least favorite female names:

Inez
Lida
Almeda
Casandra
Olga
Theodoci
Clementi
Alberta
Ora
Mabel
Sabina
Lulu
Tilda
Myra
Tennessee
Lidia
Vina
Celina
Marci
Easter

Source: "Given Name Frequency Project," http://www.galbithink.org/names/agnames.htm. Accessed May 26, 2011.