The Social Security Administration has released their data for 2014! This is always a very exciting day.
I was just writing a post this morning where I wondered if the name Shannon would drop out of the Top 1000 in 2014 (it was at #922 in 2013), and it did do so.
I’d been wondering what the name Sloane would do, because it feels like it is mentioned in a lot more letters recently, and it has gone up again: from #405 in 2013 to #370 in 2014.
My daughter’s name is increasing in popularity, which I expected from the number of times it has been mentioned in letters. In theory, I am not bothered by this.
The name Charlotte finally hit the Top 10.
Madison is still in the Top 10, which surprised me: I think because the two Madisons I know are teenagers, I keep expecting it to drop. The name Addison dropped again (from #19 to #24, the fourth year in a row it has dropped), which surprised me because it feels as if that name comes up in letters more often than Madison does—but that could just be a perception error on my part, or coincidence, and in any case the drops are very small. Spelling variations could also contribute.
Emily, too, surprises me with its persistence: still in the Top 10, and it’s been there for well over two decades.
Elizabeth dropped out of the Top 10. It’s been hovering riiiiiiight at the age, ranking #9 or #10 for most of the years since 1980, with occasional dips to #11 or #12, and one year getting as high as #8. But now it’s down to #14.
Adelyn is up (from #212 to #197) and Adalynn is up (#173 to #128) and Adalyn is up (#178 to #152) and Adeline is up (#233 to #219), and so is Hadley (#110 to #99). I think the -ad- sound of Madison and Addison and Madelyn is still popular, but that parents are looking for fresher versions. The many spellings of Adelyn may make it a stealth hit: people looking up one spelling will think it isn’t very popular, and then be surprised to encounter so many.
The name Emma is #1 for baby girls again: it hit #1 in 2008 for just that one year, but now it is back. Sophia was #1 for three years, but now is #3. Olivia hit #2—its highest ranking so far.
Look at the amazing jumps of the name Everly!
(screen shot from SSA.gov)
Not even in the Top 1000 until 2012, and now look at it! That’s faster than the name Isabella traveled.
Evelyn is also going up: #16 in 2014, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it in the Top 10 before long. (Though I also wouldn’t be surprised to see it continue hovering right around where it is now.)
I’d thought the name Avery might get to the Top 10 for girls this year, but it’s #13 down from #12 last year.
Aria is climbing quickly: it hit the Top 1000 in 2000, the Top 100 in 2012, and #31 in 2014.
Harper is #11. That was a fast trip from #887 in 2004.
Penelope, one of our frontrunners if Henry had been a girl, is up again: #42 in 2014.
Genevieve, our second favorite name for Elizabeth, is also up again at #210.
The spelling Zoey has beat out the spelling Zoe: #22 and #32, respectively.
Elsa took a big jump, which surprised me: I would have thought the movie would make parents reluctant to use the name. But it went from #528 in 2013 to #286 in 2014.
Noah is still #1 for boys, and Liam is still #2.
The name George is up a little bit more (from #166 in 2012 to #158 in 2013 to #134 in 2014), but nothing alarming yet: it goes up and down already, and was in the 130s (and even once in the 120s) in the first decade of the 2000s.
Henry is up again, from #37 to #33. I wonder if it’s headed very slowly for the Top 10.
Oliver is up from #52 to #32: I’m surprised to see it pass Henry! And Sebastian at #34: a little cluster of gentlemen.
I feel as if the name Theodore is mentioned more often in letters recently, and it has gone up again, from #169 to #126.
Jaxon and Jaxson are now both in the Top 100, but I see they were in 2013 as well (and Jaxon has been since 2010).
I want to get this posted because I’m eager to discuss, but I’ll keep adding to it as I think of more names I want to look up.
What did your favorites do? Up or down?
I am definitely one that was caught by the stealth popularity of the Adelyn variations. I named my daughter, Adeline in 2011 when it was in the 320s. She was my first baby, and I had never even heard of Adelyn! I was definitely surprised when I realized that 320 number was not a true reflection of popularity. I take solace in still loving the name, Adeline, though. But that experience has taught me more careful baby name research techniques for sure!
My frontrunner name for baby #3 is Louisa. I’m not surprised to see her back in the top 1000 at number 975. I’ve noticed more and more mentions of the name in forums and favorites lists.
I was thinking we might see Louise in the Top 1000 this time, too, but not yet.
But Louisa cracked the top 1000. It’s 973.
To my husband’s great disappointment, lol
Louise is my daughter’s middle name! She was born in December 2014. Her first name had been hovering below the top 100 but broke it this year, which I expected. Luckily it only made it to the 90’s.
Yup, I named my daughter Louisa in November and I think it is going to bound up the charts. I think it sounds similar to popular names like Isabella and Lucy but is a fresh name that will appeal to people looking for an outlier. I just hope it doesn’t fly up quite as quickly as Harper!
As an Emily who meets very few other Emilys, I’m always surprised by my name being so high.
Madeline stills hovers around 90 while Madelyn is around 60, and I’m surprised both are so high since I know a slew more Madeline/Madelyn’s than I do Harpers.
I love the name Cali for the alliteration with our last name (“Cali Cole”) but I see that there is still no consistent spelling, as “Cali” is at 201 and “Callie” is at 186, which I fear would lead to a lifetime of “only-one-L-and-no-i”
Also note that Kali is the Hindu goddess of death and destruction. And there is a different spelling on CSI-Miami. I knew a Callee daughter of Calvin and Lee.
As a pregnant lady I have been EAGERLY AWAITING this data.
Ditto. I’m happy to see our top girl pick and top boy pick are safely out of the top 100. Our oldest boy is a top 50 name, but staying steady since the year he was born. I come across very few boys with his name. Our second boys name is safely in the 300s. Though, I have seen it mentioned here more often than my older boys name.
I named my 2014 baby Eleanor and it’s at a very pleasing #78. Not too common, not too uncommon. It’s rising very steadily, though! I’m a little worried it’s on a trajectory to the top 10 – not because I inherently dislike popular names, but because it might be a little awkward if the majority of people with your name are 10 years younger and everyone is always surprised at your age. But that’s a pretty minor worry :)
Wow!! I looked up my own name, Jessica, a name I firmly associate with the 80s, and was surprised to see it was in the top 10 all the way through 2000. I’ve only ever looked in my birth year for the ranking (#2), but I was looking at the charts for my kids’ names this morning and plugged my own in.
Where are all these 15-year-old Jessicas? I thought all Jessicas were mom-age like me!
I think Jessica falls into a category of “American girl next door” right now. I’d also put Michelle and Amanda in there and maybe Ashley? Erica?
That is to say, I think parents sometimes use these names because they want their kids, for whatever reason, to fit in.
I’ve definitely met teenage girls named Jessica. I think it remained popular among immigrant groups for a lot longer than non-immigrants, and maybe peaked a little later in some areas because of that. I’m judging this off the fact that it was a top 5 name in New York, New Jersey, and California in 2000, three states that have very high immigrant populations, but was already out of the top 30 in Maine that year– Maine being a state with a low number of immigrants (except for some refugee communities). Also, anecdotally, Jessica is a name I hear and see a lot on younger Hispanic and Asian women.
Right? I thought all Jessicas would be moms as well. I was shocked when I met a 6 y.o. with that name.
I work at a high school, and I’m always so surprised at how many teenaged Jessicas, Jennifers, Ashleys, and Amandas there still are!
Freya is a surprise! in top 1000 in 2013 for first time.
2014 584
2013 906
2014: 584
2013: 906
Wow! Freya is a top contender for us if we ever have another girl, and I’m so surprised that it has risen so much. Hmmm….
Freya is top 100 in some australian States – well established here.
I’m surprised Beatrix is not in the top 1000.
As the mom of a Beatrix born last October, I am surprised/delighted it’s still so rare, as I keep hearing about similar name Beatrice rising. (Also maybe bc people seem to hear “Beatrice” when we say Beatrix, so now we have to go “Beatrix-with-an-x” all the time.)
It is one of our agreed-upon-girl names, but we’re having a boy! So no Beatrixes for us.
I don’t like Beatrice, because I read it as beat rice.
Beatrice actually went down a little in 2014! 586 to 601. Only two less Beatrices, though.
I am pleasantly surprised to find that people are still naming their boys Quinn in about the same proportions since 2000 as it shoots up in popularity for girls since Glee in 2009. I was worried it would drop like a rock when we named our second Quinino nn Quinn a month before Glee premiered. Please keep naming your boys Quinn!
I like this name for a boy but my husband nixed it!
We had it on our boy’s list but I’m a little scared to do it now that Quinn is in the top 200s for girls.
Don’t feel scared – like Rayne said keep it on your boy’s list!
Come on without, come on within, You’ve not seen nothing like the MIGHTY QUINN. :)
My favorite boy names are James and Leo. I think I was shocked to see where both are. (James is 9, Leo is 97) It makes me think I’d use Leo instead of James, just because James is so high on the list. My favorite girl name is 606 on the list. Right where I’d like it to be. Ha. My girls names are much more popular than when they were named, but I guess I’m not surprised since it’s happened a bit more each year.
Oh! Oh! Oh! Personal favorite Clyde has fairly LEAPED up the charted from 999 to 808! Can Boyd be far behind breaking into the top 1000?
My husband’s favorite name for a girl was Holland but I nixed it. It made the top 1000 for the first time this year at 890. I guess he is on trend. :)
I like Holland because you can do the nick name Holly. It reminds me of Breakfast at Tiffanye’s with Holiday (Holly) Golightlighty.
happy to see my daughter’s name, Azure, is still not in the top 1000! What we normally call her, Zuri, has gone up about 100 spots though! also… anakin at 957? my Star Wars loving husband better not see that! ;)
Definitely surprise by the jump in Henley
2013: 832
2014: 523
I’m happy to see that Mae & Anne have dipped a little bit. I wouldn’t mind my daughters’ names (May & Ann) getting a bit more popular, which they have a very tiny bit, but it seems like it could be inconvenient if the alternate spellings shoot up in popularity while their spellings don’t…and I was a little worried about that happening with Mae.
Nova made a big leap: 2013: 529 2014: 287
I wonder if that has anything to do with a couple from Teen Mom using that name for their new baby.
There are actually two teen moms (from the MTV show) with baby girls named Nova.
Idk how much the couple has to do with it though because there’s was just born in 2015.
Lucy rose slightly (from #66 to #62) but I’m hoping it stays right where it is. Audrey fell three spots (#33 to #36) which makes me hope it’s on the downswing a bit. I was pleasantly surprised to see Jane jump 32 spots (#354 to #322) and Josephine is up a few spots as well (#160 to #147).
My newest name crush Conrad jumped 41 spots (#690 to #649). I’m honestly floored that it’s that low on the list and it makes me fall even more in love with it. Calvin is up 13 spots (#195 to #182), but I’m happy to see it well outside the Top 100. Brendan dropped 25 spots (#326 to #351) which makes me very happy, and Nolan is up five spots (#86 to #81) which doesn’t surprise me but I was also surprised to see it well out of the Top 50.
Alas, my own name has been out of the Top 1000 since 2007. I’ll keep checking every year to see if it makes another appearance =)
I love Conrad but my husband doesn’t like it. We’re desperately trying to figure out our boy’s name due in June :)
Jane and Calvin are our top names, kinda sad that they moved up– lol.
My son’s name is William, and we call him Liam, putting *both* his names in the top ten. The name Liam is so rare in our area, though, that I have only even ever HEARD of two others in 8 years, and those aren’t even acquaintances. I just heard of someone over there naming their son Liam. So. It is really crazy to me to think that it’s the second most popular boy’s name in the country.
My nephew is the same way (William nicknamed Liam) and he’s five years old. His parents still bring up how they thought they were being so original when they named him, and now he’s one of three Liam’s on his soccer team and one of two Liam’s in his pre-school class. It’d be interesting to somehow know Liam’s per square mile or something to see which areas are full of them vs. areas like yours where the name isn’t as common.
I have a four-year-old son named William, nn Liam too. I knew William was a perennial favorite and classic, but I was flabbergasted to realize how popular the name Liam had become. Oh well, I still love it, and I love it on him (I mean, at this point: it IS him), but sometimes I wish I had spelled Lliam for added distinction! :)
I have an eight year old William and have only run into two Williams ever. Kind of surprising considering how “popular” it is. I love it and think it’s the perfect boy and man name. Honestly I love it more every year. (He went by will until second grade and now asks to be called William at school).
As a mom of a Katharine who still agonized over how we chose to spell it and whether we should have just named her Kate, I’m always interested in Katherine/Catherine. It does appear that there might be some shifting of momentum towards “C” and away from “K”. While Katherine continues to lead the pack, there were 56 fewer Katherines were born in 2014 compared to 2013. And while Catherine’s rank remained the same there were actually 65 more Catherines born in 2014 than 2013.
We wanted Kate, too, and agonized over the Catherine spellings. I decided to go for Kate so she’d never go by Catherine and I’ve been so happy with it. I have to say I think it’s a tricky one to judge it’s true popularity with all the spellings of Catherine (and Kate is even trickier with the katelyn nn Kate’s). We’ve only met one or two Kate’s though in five years. I love that it’s recognizable but not overly common.
And, I’m a Kathleen Kate. So there’s that.
August jumped from 319 to 242 after hovering in the 300s. What happened?
There was a popular book released (Wonder by RJ Palacio) that has a main character named August and The Fault in Our Stars (book and recent movie) has a main character Augustus, plus it fits into the trend of older names becoming hip again.
I love the SSA list release day! It’s like a holiday, only with data! Such a treat.
I have to admit I’m a little disappointed in the top 10 (for girls). It feels like it’s going through an incredible and somewhat puzzling period of stability– I’m surprised Ava, Mia, Isabella, Olivia, Madison have all hung on for so long (five to ten years!) In fact, the 2009 top 10 list for girls has the exact same names as the 2014 list, with the exception of Charlotte (in 2009, Chloe was there). The boys list has had much more action, with Mason, Liam, Noah, and James all entering during the past five years.
I’m amazed by the striking rise of Aria. If spellings were combined, I think it and Arya would have a top 10 chance.
I’m interested in what the next big evolution in the top 10 for girls will be. I just can’t see Madison hanging on through 2015. I also think the time of Abigail and Ava must be nigh. It’s very surprising to me that Abigail hasn’t fallen in tandem with Hannah and Grace. Sophia, Isabella, Mia, and Olivia are all a bit trickier because I think they are crossover names used in large numbers by Spanish-speaking families, and will endure for awhile. Victoria and Evelyn sound great in Spanish, too, though, so maybe one or both of them will make it to the top 10 more quickly instead?
I see Charlotte, Amelia, Evelyn, Victoria, Harper, and Scarlett as potential new top 10 names in another few years. Scarlett’s sort of the wild card out of that list, but it just keeps increasing in popularity, I hear it often on babies, and it has no other spelling version really challenging it in the top 1000 (like Aria or Aubrey). Does anyone else agree?
On the boys side, I think Henry, Elijah, and Oliver have a shot at eventual top 10. I don’t see Ethan hanging on much longer, and I really thought this might be the year Michael exited. I also don’t see Liam enduring in the top 5 for longer than a few more years– it’s a more traditional name than Aiden/Jayden but it has some of the same trend qualities, and I think a lot of parents will migrate to William, which I really could see being #1 eventually. William has already been number 1 for years in so many Southern states with high birthrates.
Thoughts? I love conversations like these!
Sorry, I should have said, I can see Charlotte being in the top 5 (or even #1) in the next few years.
I texted my husband at work just to tell him that the name data was out…and that one of our favorite boys names made a 170 place jump (ouch).
I have to agree, with few exceptions, that the top ten lists feel stale! I actually quite like Emma, I feel like its the William of the girls’ list…Olivia and Charlotte are fine too. But everything else? Ehhh, I feel like they’ve overstayed their welcome.
I think the similarities between Charlotte and Scarlett lend your theory some cred! I definitely feel like I hear Scarlett quite a bit more than the data suggests. I also know a bazillion Stellas and Laylas, so it must be highly regional. Henry is epidemic where I live, and I’m amazed it’s not atleast in the top 20!
I agree! So much is regional, and there are so many name pockets… In the last two years, around a eight or nine people/couples I know have had sons and 3 of them picked Oliver, which is wild to me. (None of them know each other, or don’t know each other well). And one of the pair who didn’t name their son Oliver already had an older one named Oliver. :)
I agree, Kaela! The girls’ Top 10 is getting old. I like your new Top 10 much better! :) What do you think about the Greek, ends in ‘e’ names, being the new Top 10 someday?
Penelope – up 14 to #42 in 2014
Phoebe – up 3 to #298 in 2014
Daphne – up 41 to #356 in 2014
Ariadne – breaking the charts for the 1st time at #801 in 2014!!
Considering Chloe has already been Top 10, and Zoe/Zoey has been popular a long time, I think they could be the future popular names? What are your thoughts? There is also Thisbe, Calliope, Hermione, Xanthe…..none of which are in the Top 1000 yet. I love any of those names, with Daphne holding my heart for a couple years now! Since we may try to get pregnant in 2015 I’m thinking about it a lot, and wouldn’t want a daughter to be part of the “ends in e” club that is someday trendy like the current Madison/Addison/Madelyn/Adalyn club. Thoughts? I love talking about this too!
Aww, thanks. :) I’d never considered the Greek/ends in ‘e’ names as a group, but I can see the pattern now that you point it out. Especially Penelope– I think that could maybe go top 20– or even top 10– but it might take one more prominent celebrity baby or pop culture figure to make that happen. I love all of these names and have for a long time– especially Calliope, Xanthe, and Penelope. Unfortunately they just don’t work with my future kids’ surname so I’ve sort of stopped thinking about them :'( . That said I think they’re wonderful. I wonder about Chloe too… I really think the Kardashians did it in; most people don’t want to be associated with them, even if they watch their TV show or whatever.
But I think you’re safe if you use one for a daughter in the next few years! These names are utterly ancient, and only if there were suddenly 3 in the top 20 would it begin to seem obvious to non-name nerd people that it was a real trend. Until then I think it will be very subtle… Besides the ones you list, I also think Chrysanthe is really pretty, though incredibly rare.
By “did in” Chloe I mean that its popularity has been falling and will continue to fall, I think, while Mia and Ava, which grew in popularity at the same time as Chloe, are hanging in there.
Thanks for your feedback! The fact that these are ancient names really helps reassure me.
Evadne is another one I forgot to mention. I think it could fit in nicely with the Ev- crowd, but still stand out. I like this one. I agree with you on Calliope. It’s a favorite, but I think she would have a lot of pronunciation issues, at least at first. Although the rise of Penelope may help her out?
Back to the Top 10, I would love to see some girls names enter that end in an ‘o’ sound! Willow, Margot, Juno, Cleo/Klio….. Basically, I would just love some girl names to enter that don’t end in ‘a’! :)
I think Margot/Margo is on the rise. I’ve heard it a lot lately and from a few bloggers which always seems to be a trend indicator.
Oh, I love this set of names. Especially Daphne and Ariadne.
Happy to see my mom’s name, Penny, hop from 994 to 808. Perhaps piggybacking off Penelope?
Oh, I love Penny! I would love to see it used more!
Super depressed that my longtime fave, Clara, has jumped 20 spots a year since 2000. It was 354 then, up to 108 now, and I still haven’t had a Clara of my own.
Lewis is still hovering around the 600 mark, which is perfect.
Arthur jumped about 20 spots in each of the past 2 years. (Still in the 300s tho.)
Simon has held steady in the mid-200s all of this millennium.
Irene is still dropping: 200+ places since 2000.
Ione, Enid, and Marta are still outside the top 1000.
Jude has been dropping ever so slightly, but Jude and Judah are 500 and 600 spots higher than they were 14 years ago.
Abel is still on his way up. About 170 spots higher than when we chose it for our son. Boo!
Emery has gone from below 1000 for girls, to 161 in ten years. But it is still bouncing around 700 for boys. Emory is up for both sexes as well.
Samson is on fire:
2014 628
2013 668
2012 800
I love Marta. I think I brought it up in the comments here once before– or someone else did, and I replied– but the only reason I don’t seriously consider it is because the regional accent where I live in the US turns it into “MAR-duh” with a d sound. The crispness of the T is what I love, but people here can’t seem to pull it off. (Starbucks test, and also asked friends to read it off…) I know a Marty and his name is always said “MAR-dee”.
Abel is such a wonderful name. I think it keeps climbing because it is popular among Spanish-speakers. If you look at the wikipedia page for the name, you can see a long list of people of Latino descent with the name (and a ton of current soccer players, which is probably inspiring a lot of parents right now).
I love almost all the names you brought up. Great list.
Thanks, Kaela! Yes, your comment stood out to me because that was a new consideration to me. But I decided I still love it. :)
Lennox is being discussed a lot lately. There were 213 girls with this name in 2014, up from 153 in 2013, up from 94 in 2012.
The only real life Lennox I know is a boy and his two siblings have names out of the top 1000. Weird to see it on the girl list!
Frances jumped almost a hundred places (693->602), but Francesca actually dropped two (424->426)!
I have a baby Frances and I love her name (and I love meeting other babies Frances/Francis) but I have to admit I really kind of hate Francesca. Such different names, to me, although often recommended together.
I agree; I prefer Frances to Francesca. I like how simple and sweet Frances is, and appreciate its slight unisex qualities. I think of Francesca as being a bit dated– very 1990s? I just looked it up on the SSA site and wasn’t surprised to see it peaked in 1996. I expect it to keep falling as there are fresher Italian heritage choices, like Gianna and Giovanna and Natalia and Valeria, and also fresher frilly/fancy/girly names, like Arabella and Annabella and Evangeline.
I think it’s funny how much you can dislike similar names. My daughter is Kate (and as a family we call her Katie sometimes, though not at school) and I think Katie is sweet. But Kayley is a too least favorite name for me. They’re so so close but feel so different in my mind!
While my husband and I don’t exactly see eye to eye on names (I’m partial to heritage names, his taste runs towards the classics), we’ve had a couple “safety” names in our back pockets that the other has agreed to consider seriously. His is Killian…among the fastest risers this year!! And mine, the name of my great grandfather which debuted in the top 1000 last year, rose 170 places in 2014.
Those were my only real disappointments….but in a way I just feel more inspired to find a non-safety name now that we’re within a year of naming an actual human ;)
I was expecting Elsa to rise, but the meteoric rise was a big surprise! I would be very dissuaded after the movie came out…
Also, my name Heather is on its way out of the top 1000! At long last! Egads I’ve had a long run.
Wow, there are graphs now, instead of just lists of numbers for each name! That’s my biggest surprise this year. :)
I’m one of those people getting nervous because my favorites seem to be on steady inclines (classics still below 100) but creeping in. Particularly George [158 to 134] and Rose [225 to 194]. Louis [315 to 289] jumped a little as well but less alarmingly so. Luckily my other choices are way too low to worry despite some of their jumps… Margot, Helen, Edmund and Delia (both below the top 1000). We won’t have a baby until 2016 but I’ll probably be in a panic if I can’t see this year’s data by then!
I have a George and a Rose. :)
My friend has a 1 year old Delia – lovely name.
Had our oldest been a girl, he would have been Evelyn. I fell in love with the name back in 2003. I thought it was the perfect name…beautiful, classic, lovely, cute nickname (if wanted!), etc, etc… Apparently, many other girls my age thought the same thing. In 2010, it was a top 50 name. Maybe a little too high for me, but I would have gone for it (our boy name was the same in popularity). I thought I’d “save” the name for a girl. Now, it’s much too high for my comfort. I hope to see Sophia keep dropping because I want a little Sophie Jane some day. :)
We named our son Graham in 2007 and I find its flatness for so many years (around 400) and now jump to 190ish, interesting. It took us 3 days in the hospital to decide between William (nn Liam) and Graham. We are happy with our choice. There are many Williams and Liam’s his grade in our town. I wasn’t hugely worried about popular names (as a sarah born in the mid 70s I had 3 Sarah’s in my elementary class of about 50 kids- so over 10% of girls were named sarah).
NORA!
2014–49
2013–82
2012–107
It’s climbed 50 spots in two years? What??
(Nora was on my short list for the daughter that I named Maeve, which is still happily hovering in the high 400s.)
I noticed Nora, also, since it was in our top three if my three-month-old had been a girl.
I think there are more Nora’s than we think with all the cute Eleanor’s around. One of my very favorites!
Yup, Nora (49th) and Eleanor (78th) both rising! I have an Eleanor nn Nora with a twin sister Beatrice (601st) nn Bea (not in the top 1000) and now I’m distraught that their names are diverging in popularity so much! Haha.
Oh, plus Norah (163rd and rising), sheesh. I knew this though. Eleanor can still go by something else if she wants.
I think the show Parenthood, on the air from 2010-2015 may have influenced the rise of Nora, since there was a cute baby with that name on the show.
Those are lovely girl sibling names; I don’t notice the popularity mismatch because they are otherwise so complimentary. It’s not like you named them, like, Emma and Elspeth.
:-)
Isla seems to be heading for top 100:
2014–150
2013–167
2012–229
It was not even in the top 1000 before 2008. Was there something/someone famous then?
Isla Fisher maybe? http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0279545/
So Teagan is pretty decidedly leaning toward girl name now. To the extent that it was somewhat popular for boys six years ago, it is dropping like a rock for boys and holding steady for girls.
Boys/Rank:
2014–979
2009–650
Girls/Rank
2014–253
2009–275
I feel like I read all the naming sites I can get my hands on and looking over the top 10 I was thinking I never read much commentary on Ethan.
You covered my sons names. :) I looked up George and my husband wasn’t happy when they named the prince “George” after we used it for our son. I told him that it has started climbing the charts again now, after it was mostly falling before.
I’m surprised that Oliver passed and is next to Henry too. Our son was born in 2007 and Oliver was at the top of my list since it was top 10 in the UK but outside the top 100 in the US. My husband preferred Henry to Oliver, and Henry was in the top 100, #95 in the 2006 list. Now both names are as popular as each other – very much so – and Oliver sneaked past Henry. I will have to check back for our state data, as Henry was #8 last year. I guess he could go top 10 nationally.
Frederick was my other choice for George. Used it as his middle name, since it was hubby’s turn to choose the final name. Frederick dropped 5 places, although he seems to move around a bit.
Clark:
2011- 616
2012- 551
2013- 457
2014- 382(!!)
234 spot jump over four years… hmmm. I wonder if the superhero connection (recent surge in both DC and Marvel movies over the last five years) has anything to do with it. It’s also got that one syllable, crisp sound to it that I think is in style.
Lawrence has a mostly downward trend from 1940 to present but has been holding on in the mid-400s for the last five years. Laurence fell out of the top 1000 back in 1995.
Time to look at my name! Alison: continues to fall, at 289 currently. Alyson: 595. Allyson: 329.
Allison: 38. WHAT. Top 100 since 1974?! I definitely meet more Allisons AND more Allysons than Alisons. But I was not expecting Allison to be such a staple.
Next up: my perspective as a preschool teacher…
Josefina/Josephine: getting super big, I know a handful of girls with Jo- names.
Ev- names: Evie, pronounced “Eh-vee” or “Ee-ve,” it’s huge. Also Eva, Evelyn, etc. There’s like 4 Ev- girls in a single class.
Olivia and Sophia: everywhere
Emma and Isabella: all the time
I have run across some Mias, Avas, Madisons, and Charlottes. I can’t recall anyone under the age of 25 named Abigail in any of the settings I’ve worked in over the last four years! That name sticks out to me as it is (personal association), so I feel like I would remember it. I remember the one Abigail I have met within the last two years very distinctly (mom of a kid).
This is really interesting. We short-listed both Josephine and Eve, but we had boys. I haven’t met a little Jo-anything yet, but I’m surrounded by Evelyns and Evas. Also legion: El- names. I know little girls named Eliana, Elena, Eleanor, Elizabeth, Elise, Elle, Ellis, and Ellison (the only Elsa I’ve met so far is a tween).
I’m surprised by Allison’s staying power, too. My friends named their daughter Allison two years ago and I was shocked when I realized how solid it’s been in the rankings.
Preach. El- girls EVERYWHERE. Ella, Elle, Ellery, Eleanor/e, Elena… And a few boys named Elliott.
I know a three year old Abigail!
Arg! I named my daughter Everleigh in 2012 looking for something unique! Stop rising! :)
Our top pick for our current pregnancy only rose 12 spots, but it had previously been pretty steady around 96 for the last few years and before that it had been pretty consistent in the 100s, 200s, and 300s. Overall, it’s more common now than ever (at least since 1900).
I wonder when/where it will stop.
I also have to remind myself that there’s really only one spelling…so it probably feels rarer than its rank would suggest.
My sons are Miles and Elliott. Miles has been hovering around 110 for the past four years, but was at 161 when he was born. Elliott went up a little, from 244 to 233, but basically about the same. My daughter’s name (Molly) dropped from 102 to 122.
You mentioned Henry and Oliver, and I’m pretty sure both of those will end up being top 10 here in Utah for 2014. Henry was #7 last year, and Oliver was #13, and I know a LOT of boys with those names.
I love the name Elliott! It’s a family name, so I would love to use it for either a son or a daughter (probably not what you want to hear, haha). What nicknames does your Elliott go by?
I’m another with a son called Elliot. I was so worried about nicknames, but it’s turning out to be pretty nickname-proof. No one else ever calls him anything except ‘Elliot’.
Awesome–thank you, Brenda!
My favorite Daphne is up 41 spots to #356 in 2014. Not surprising, and it could be worse, I suppose! Pearl, my grandma’s name and likely an honor middle name for us, jumped up 45 to #628. Astrid jumped 62 spots to #913. I am pleased that my other favorites Juno, Pippa/Philippa, Honor, Sunday, Geneva and Guinevere haven’t entered the Top 1000!
We named our cat Esme in 2009, before it was even in the Top 1000, and now it’s at #816! I find that so amusing. Back then I thought it was “too out there” for a human baby! We are in love with the name now, and I can attest that it is a beautiful name that you never get tired of saying. I’m glad I didn’t “save it” for a human, because I’ve been able to say it every day for the past 6 years! :)
Now for our boy names. We’ve been in love with Atlas since 2011 or 2012, back when it was around #1400. So of course I was DISMAYED when it was one of the biggest movers of 2013, entering at #778. Today I braced myself as I looked it up for myself and my husband…..yes, it leaped again, to #646, but at least not 700 spots! We love this name so much that I would honestly use it despite its popularity. I’ve never been able to understand people who say that, but now I do – this is one of those names that melts my heart and makes me swoon. I’m not sure what it is about Atlas that does that for me and apparently for all the other couples in my age range having kids right now! Was it something implanted in our brains growing up?! Something happening in pop culture right now?
Dash broke in this year at #951! Another favorite, Felix, moved up 29 to #267.
This is so much fun! And it’s keeping me up way too late!
Ha! I swear I wasn’t trying to be cryptic with my comment — I just realized I never mentioned what name I was talking about (rising 12 spots, and being more popular now than ever, but at least really having only one spelling to keep track of). It’s Lydia.
Anyone have any additional insights on this name’s popularity? I am nervous about using it — it doesn’t follow the “elephant trunk” curve of having peaked 100 years ago, slowly declined, and just now becoming more popular again — which I know is what’s supposed to make a name feel fresh and timeless at the same time. It looks more like it’s experienced gentle waves of popularity throughout it’s usage, but stayed pretty moderately popular throughout. .
I think it could be the similarity to the popular name Olivia, plus the popular D sound (Madison, Addison, Madelyn, Adelyn, Hadley). It could also be part of the biblical-name revival.
I figured out it was Lydia by your comments, since I was on the “change in popularity” page at the same time. ;) I love the name Lydia! Friends of ours just named their daughter that (3 weeks ago), so it’s a no-go for us now. It was on my name list for years. So pretty and feminine. If you love it, use it!
Oh, actually I take that last statement back. When I search further back (the SSA bar graphs only let you see relative popularity as far back as 1900), I can see that Lydia was slightly higher in popularity in the 1880s and 1890s than currently. I wonder if that means that the 70s is where it will peak again and then start dropping back to the 300s again. Do some names have natural set points like that? Or is it destined to rise higher each time it comes back p because of all other vintage revivalism?
My daughters’ names statistics:
– Sylvia: rose 13 places (from #505 to #493)
– Beatrice: dropped 15 places (from #586 to #601)
Beatrice was a surprise as it had been rising since 2001.
I love your daughter’s names. They are both at the top of my list of girls names. Even lovelier as sister names.
I just realized I actually didn’t answer the actual question! My own favorites, and how they stand.
The one boy name my partner and I really love and feel is meaningful doesn’t even register in the extended list (from 2013), so it was given to less than 5 boys that year. It’s actually never been given to more than 5 boys because it’s not in any of the extended lists in the big SSA zip file. But– it was used for a minor character on a hit TV show in 2014, to my shock, and so I expect it to show up on the extended list now. (I’m not writing it out because if we ever do use it, it will be easily traced back via google to this comment… I should probably start using a pseudonym, ha…)
Other favorites:
Lionel jumped from #734 in ’13 to #660 in ’14. But in absolute terms, it was only given to 70 more boys last year. Still a lot when it’s only being given to 315-390 boys a year, but it also isn’t a *huge* jump.
Solomon went from #421 to #380– actually a bigger jump in absolute terms with 813 boys in ’14 vs 699 in ’13. I know a significant number of them are probably very religious Hasidim though, so unlikely to be in the same classroom if we used this name in the next few years (though my partner is not into using Biblical names without a family link to them, so we’ll see.)
On the girls side, too, nearly everything went up. Alice, Rose, Violet (though I’m not as in love with that one as I once was), Pearl, Lucille.
I love both Rosetta and Rosamond too but neither appears in the top 1000.
A name we’re actually very likely to use for family reasons is Judith and that’s an interesting one. It’s grown on me quite a lot in recent years– it feels very mysterious, strong, yet quiet, ancient, and distinctive. And nowadays, it’s rare! It went up very slightly in 2014 but is still in the 900s and I would imagine might exit the top 1000 soon. I bet it won’t be revived for another 15-30 years, when names like Linda and Susan also seem cute and fresh again.
Still, I was amazed to see that Barbara, Linda, and Susan all rank higher than Judith in the 2014 lists. I’m guessing these are mostly used as honor names but wow. Wendy, Patricia, and Paula too. Where are these babies?! Are they being called by their middle names? I have never come across a child under 15 with any of these names and I use to work in schools.
Also, can I just register my surprise that Susannah/Susanna are still not in the top 1000?! I imagine the different spelling splits it or otherwise it’d be there.
Edit: “used to” !
I tried to convince my husband of Judith as well – the way you described it is perfect. And you can use Jude as a nickname now, instead of Judy which is a bit dated. We found another name that ends in a ‘th’ sound that I love, so we are keeping the feel!
We are considering the name Elsie if this baby is a girl. My great-aunts name was Elsie and it is derived from Elizabeth, my name. Is it too close to Elsa? I see that it has steadily been on the rise in the last ten years. Now, in the 300s. Hmmmm…
Elsie is adorable! I haven’t heard it at all at our toddler’s school, neighborhood friends, etc. It reminds me more of Ellie than Elsa and Ellie as a name/nickname is very popular by us. The unique ‘s’ and family tie would still make me want to use it.
I use this database to ensure we won’t name another Megan of the 80s. I check Isla first. It was runner up to my daughter’s name and I would want to use if we had a second. It went up. Again. 150. Sigh.
My daughter’s name, Zara is still climbing (yay!) but feels safe at 422 (double yay!).
Other girl favorites:
Liv increased 148 to 780
Livia also had a big jump…I’m sure for those of us who love Olivia but will never use it.
Vera jumped into the 300s – 367
Love that Louisa made it into top 1000!
Nahla dropped out of the top 1000, but Nala broke in.
As a side note, in my 2 year old’s dance class of 7 this morning there was Emma, 2 Olivia’s, Ava, and Charlotte. :)
I am pleased to see that the name Sage has climbed approx. 100 ranks, for girls AND for boys.
I am surprised to see Abigail in the top 10, it always strikes me as more of an “offbeat” name.
Ilsa: I used to love this name and it seemed to be given to 15 or so girls almost every year. I was curious to see if it climbed in 2014 as a variant of Elsa. But it did not,.
Franklin: Regarding the post the other day, it was not on the list for girls in 2013 since there were fewer than 5 (if any). In 2014 though, Franklin made the list with 5 girls! Of course there are also errors and some could be boys, but I thought it was interesting.
I’ve been championing Franklin for a girl for years now! Frankie is such a cute little girl nickname (in line with Charlie for Charlotte, Teddy for Theodora, Joey for Josephine, etc.). I guess you could go Franklynn or Franklyn to make it more “girlie” ..but then it looks like a mid-90s name to me. Either that or makes it reminiscent of Brooklyn in my head. Or maybe Franklen or Frankline? Nah, I’d keep it at Franklin for a girl so it retains the unisex charm. Anyway, I hope they aren’t mistakes and that people are using Franklin for girls! :)
Hmm .. I just realized that I started liking this name way back when the show “Sisters” was on in the early 90s. Heh. Of course, that Frankie was Francesca.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisters_%28TV_series%29
I am shocked that Harper is so popular. Most of the top names are much more feminine. It also is surprising to me that Emily remains in the top 10.
i am not surprised Evelyn moved up a few spots. I am hearing it a lot
Does anyone know why Scarlett made such a meteoric rise since the turn of the century? In 2000, it was at 942; 2004, it was at 528, by 2008 was at 211; in 2011 it broke the top 100 and now it is 30.
I looked up Scarlett Johansson’s career it aligns pretty well to the popularity of the name – her first movie was in 1996, the movie I recall most of her early career was in 2003, and now she’s in a blockbuster Marvel Comics series.
My guess is that it’s a combination of Scarlett Johansson and also the rising popularity of similar names Charlotte (almost the exact same sounds as Scarlet) and Violet (the same ending, and another color name).
My daughter’s name, Miranda, has been in the high 100s for some time, slowly dropping. That trend continues, and she’s now in the high 200s. That name’s popularity peaked in the 1990s. I still love it! I don’t think it sounds dated like some other -da names. But the Social Security administration doesn’t agree with me. :)
Jenny, I love the name Miranda. I think it’s an underused gem that still sounds fresh. And the meaning is wonderful. I met a little Miranda, age 8, the other day and wanted to compliment her mother on her good taste!
Juliette has now squeaked past Juliet in the rankings, rising to 255 with Juliet falling to 258. Juliette actually jumped up 40 places, while Juliet dropped down 20 spots. It’ll be interesting to see if the trend continues.
I loved this bit: “My daughter’s name is increasing in popularity, which I expected from the number of times it has been mentioned in letters. In theory, I am not bothered by this.”
My daughter’s name broke the Top 100 and I am theoretically not bothered by that at all. SIGH.
Sometimes it makes me wonder if I should have pushed more for my other favorite – which is currently number 300. But I think it’s making bigger leaps than my daughter’s name. Oh WELL.
This is what my favorites did this year:
Jane- up 32 places after a drop last year: 2012- 340; 2013- 354; 2014- 322 (most likely will be our first daughter’s name if we have a girl ever, a combination of our mother’s names!)
Faye- came in at 908 after leaving the top 1000 in 1980
Shea- out of the top 1000 since 2008 (a new favorite; there is the most adorable 2 yr old Shea at the daycare where I work)
Naomi- back up to #80, same rank as 2012 after a 7 spot drop last year (one of those names that doesn’t see popular at all, the only Naomi I know is in her early 30s. Such a graceful name with a great meaning)
Fiona- dropped 7 spots to 204 (this is my husbands top pick for a girl, sometimes its my favorite when I feel like Jane is too plain; love that you could use the spicy nn Ona or the tomboyish nn Finn too)
Gwyneth- dropped out of the top 1000 again
Thea- hadn’t charted since 1965 and now it broke back in at a shocking #776, the higest its ever ranked since 1901!
Evangeline- up 22 spots to number 276
Other favorites Maren and Marianne are not in the top 1000.
Calvin- moved up 13 spots to 182, a nice comfortable spot
Oren- not in the top 1000
Asher- broke into the top 100 (not surprising) at 93
Griffin- down 16 spots to 241
Jude- surprisingly down one spot to 162
Quentin- dropped a whopping 65 places to number 471 (similar name Quinton has also dropped)
Other favorites Bram and Evander are not in the top 1000!
Oh man, I hope Evelyn stays where it is! That’s our #1 girl name right now, and I’d really prefer to not give my kids a name in the top 10. (Though my husband & my names aren’t in the Top 1000, and we haven’t really loved having such uncommon names, so maybe it’d be ok!)