Baby Names

Most of you know that before he was a Wizard, Michael had the idea of posting the most popular baby names from the Social Security Administration back as far as 1880. He inadvertently created a mini-industry based around parent's fears. They worry that they will choose a name that will either become too common or will be seens as "old-fashioned" by the time that the child grows up. The worst fear is that the child will end up with a name that becomes a national joke (like "Kermit" or "Wilbur"). Specialist in predicting long term trends in names now sell their services to worrisome parents.

Here are some tidbits:

(1) In 1880 when naming a baby was much more conservative, a third of all baby boys were given just six names, John, William, James, Charles, George, and Frank. In 1880 a third of all baby girls shared nineteen names Mary, Anna, Emma, Elizabeth, Minnie, Margaret, Ida, Alice, Bertha, Sarah, Annie, Clara, Ella, Florence, Cora, Martha, Laura, Nellie, and Grace. The names that have withstood the test of time over the last 130 year the best are William and Emma.

(2) In 2009 it takes 59 boy's names to cover a third of all births. For females it has expanded to 114 girl's names. Clearly there is much more danger of being stuck with an unfashionable girl's name five decades later.

(3) While John and Mary were the overwhelming favorites in 1880, Mary is not even in the top 100 in the year 2009. John or it's variations has probably been the most popular name in history. Jack (a diminutive of John) was in the middle ages the name of probably one third of English men. Even in 2009, the collective variations of John are still among the most popular boy's name, adding up to over 58K names (out of roughly 2 million). The most popular variants in order are (Jackson, John, Jonathan, Jack, Juan, Giovanni, Johnathan, Johnny, Jonathon, Johnathon, Jovani, and Geovanni).

(4) Tom, Dick, and Harry have remained popular, but none of them or their variants have made the top 3 over the 130 years.

(5)
In 1880 three of the top ten male names were of Hebrew origin.

Rank	Males	Percent	Source	Meaning
1	John	8.15%	Hebrew	God Is Gracious
2	William	8.05%	English	Strong-willed Warrior
3	James	5.01%	Hebrew	Supplanter
4	Charles	4.52%	German	Free Man
5	George	4.33%	Greek	Farmer
6	Frank	2.74%	English	Free Or Truthful
7	Joseph	2.22%	Hebrew	God Will Increase
8	Thomas	2.14%	Greek	A Twin
9	Henry	2.06%	German	Ruler Of The Home
10	Robert	2.04%	English	Bright Fame

In 2009 six of the top ten male names were of Hebrew origin.

Rank	Male name	Percent of	Source	Meaning
1	Jacob	1.00%	Hebrew	Supplanter
2	Ethan	0.94%	Hebrew	Firm, Strong
3	Michael	0.89%	Hebrew	Who Is Like God?
4	Alexander	0.86%	Greek	Defender Of The People
5	William	0.84%	English	Strong-willed Warrior
6	Joshua	0.83%	Hebrew	God Is Salvation
7	Daniel	0.83%	Hebrew	God Is My Judge
8	Jayden	0.82%	American	Form Of Jaden (Jay + Aiden)
9	Noah	0.81%	Hebrew	Rest, Peace
10	Anthony	0.77%	Latin	Of Unknown Meaning

The name Aiden is an Irish name meaning "Little Fire" which ranks 12th. Combined with it's American variant (Jayden) it is one of the more popular names in the USA.

(6) Dinimunitve names (like Harry, Johnny, and Jack) are much popular as given names in England than in the USA. The popular opinion is that the British are more formal than Americans, so the naming convention goes against stereotypes.


(7)
Popular girl's names are pulled from a wider variety of sources than Hebrew names.

Rank	Female name	Percent of	Source	Meaning
1	Isabella	1.10%	Italian	God Is My Oath
2	Emma	0.88%	Latin	Universal
3	Olivia	0.86%	English	Elf Army
4	Sophia	0.84%	Greek	Wisdom
5	Ava	0.79%	Latin	Like A Bird
6	Emily	0.76%	English	To Strive Or Excel Or Rival
7	Madison	0.75%	English	Son Of Matthew
8	Abigail	0.71%	Hebrew	Joy Of The Father
9	Chloe	0.59%	Greek	Verdant And Blooming
10	Mia	0.57%	Scandinavian	Sea Of Bitterness

(8) Latin names, seem to be dissapearing for boys with only Anthony and Justin (no doubt due to Justin Timberlake) in the top 50. There are several Latin names for girls that are still popular.

(9) On a personal note, my middle name of "Antonio" has increased in popularity of the years, and it's English spelling of Anthony is a top ten name. My given first name in English is fading rapidly and is often perceived as old fashioned. It was given to only 1127 babies out of 2 million last year, and is about to be overtaken by Zander. The Spanish diminutive "Paco" is not in the top 1000 male names for any year of birth in the last 130 years. If people know it at all, it is from Al Pacino's portrayal of Paco Serpico in the 1973 movie. Jason Statham has finally provided some redemption by using the name for an action movie character in his "Transporter" movies, but they remain relatively small cult films in America.

Quote: Wizard

It was never published, but I also made lists by race. They showed black girl babies tended to have creative ethnic names, usually composed of three syllables, like Latifa, while the black boys had the same boring names white babies have. It was the opposite with Hispanic babies, where the boys had the obviously Spanish names, while the girls tended to have Anglo names.

That's very interesting, and very brave. These days bringing up race is like playing Russian Roulette.

Still, how do you explain current NFL rosters? You got names like Ladanian, Santonio and others like that, mostly belonging to black players.I'd hate to think there was anything to numerology :P

Quote: Wizard

It was never published, but I also made lists by race. They showed black girl babies tended to have creative ethnic names, usually composed of three syllables, like Latifa, while the black boys had the same boring names white babies have. It was the opposite with Hispanic babies, where the boys had the obviously Spanish names, while the girls tended to have Anglo names.

Did you ever read "Freakonmics"? One chapter showed a rather astonishing correlation between given first names and overall succcess in life. Particularly, individuals with first names like "DeShawn" and "Latisha" frequently got their employment applications put in the circular file. Levitt and Dubner, the book's authors, got screamed at by various and sundry for their "racist" conclusions, but they were simply reporting the facts as they saw them.

The lesson is, the name you give your child can have a huge impact on his life. I wonder how well the kids with totally wacked-out names like Dweezil or Flabbadabba do--maybe the novelty counteracts the shock value?

Good post! Thanks for taking an interest in my baby names research. I could write a lot in response, but will just focus on this point for now.

There is indeed much less creativity in boys names than girls. You see much less change from year to year. As you noted, there is much less diversity in boys names too. I think this is because creativity and individuality is valued in women, while conformity is valued in men.

It was never published, but I also made lists by race. They showed black girl babies tended to have creative ethnic names, usually composed of three syllables, like Latifa, while the black boys had the same boring names white babies have. It was the opposite with Hispanic babies, where the boys had the obviously Spanish names, while the girls tended to have Anglo names.

Quote: mkl654321

Did you ever read "Freakonmics"? One chapter showed a rather astonishing correlation between given first names and overall succcess in life. Particularly, individuals with first names like "DeShawn" and "Latisha" frequently got their employment applications put in the circular file. Levitt and Dubner, the book's authors, got screamed at by various and sundry for their "racist" conclusions, but they were simply reporting the facts as they saw them.

The lesson is, the name you give your child can have a huge impact on his life. I wonder how well the kids with totally wacked-out names like Dweezil or Flabbadabba do--maybe the novelty counteracts the shock value?

Yes, great book. I hear a sequel is in the works.

That does not surprise me about about the correlation between name and financial success. At SSA I wanted to do a study on that by looking at average income by first name. However, I left before I got around to it. Even if I did, I'm sure higher powers than me would have nixed the publication of it (CYA).

Quote: Nareed

Still, how do you explain current NFL rosters? You got names like Ladanian, Santonio and others like that, mostly belonging to black players.I'd hate to think there was anything to numerology :P

There are never hard and fast rules that apply to everybody. You could mention our own president as well. Still most black players in the NFL have boring common names.

Quote: Wizard

Good post! Thanks for taking an interest in my baby names research. I could write a lot in response, but will just focus on this point for now.

There is indeed much less creativity in boys names than girls. You see much less change from year to year. As you noted, there is much less diversity in boys names too. I think this is because creativity and individuality is valued in women, while conformity is valued in men.

It was never published, but I also made lists by race. They showed black girl babies tended to have creative ethnic names, usually composed of three syllables, like Latifa, while the black boys had the same boring names white babies have. It was the opposite with Hispanic babies, where the boys had the obviously Spanish names, while the girls tended to have Anglo names.

Michael's original paper published in June 1998, is still posted on the web . For a while the SSA used to have a caveat on their web page saying that No research is conducted on baby names. and the data is simply made available without comment. The lawyers must have freaked out at the idea of publishing a monograph linking baby names to race or ethnicity.

I do wonder about a name like Noah or Aaron. I assume that the huge increase in popularity of a name like Noah is not simply because Jewish people are returning to ancient names, but that the wider culture is adopting these names.

Year	Noah
2009	17,061
2000	14,257
1960	138

With roughly 6.5 million Jewish Americans and 48 million latinos in America, it shocks me that Aaron would be more popular than Juan.

Quote: mkl654321

Did you ever read "Freakonmics"? One chapter showed a rather astonishing correlation between given first names and overall succcess in life. Particularly, individuals with first names like "DeShawn" and "Latisha" frequently got their employment applications put in the circular file. Levitt and Dubner, the book's authors, got screamed at by various and sundry for their "racist" conclusions, but they were simply reporting the facts as they saw them.

The lesson is, the name you give your child can have a huge impact on his life. I wonder how well the kids with totally wacked-out names like Dweezil or Flabbadabba do--maybe the novelty counteracts the shock value?

I believe that at the end of that particular chapter they explained that the correlations they found did not explain a causal relationship in this direction. Rather, families with a lower education level or financial means tend to chose different names. They gave the example of a family calling a child Winner and another child Loser; the one called Loser ended up quite successful while Winner ended up in prison.

Wizard, it just occurred to me to ask if your initial motivation to do the baby name research came from having to name your firstborn?

Quote: odiousgambit

Wizard, it just occurred to me to ask if your initial motivation to do the baby name research came from having to name your firstborn?

Absolutely. It is not a coincidence my first daughter was born in 1997 and the study was published in 1998. I published the lists informally first on my personal web site. When the media interest reached the front pages of newspapers SSA management asked me to write up my results formally and remove them from my web site.

It is interesting that for boy's names you have Kyle, Skyler, and Kyler; but for girl's names you have Kaylee, Kayla, and Makayla as the most popular, but you also have Caleigh, Cayleigh, Cayley, Kaelee, Kaeleigh, Kaeley, Kaeli, Kaelie, Kailee, Kaileigh, Kailey, Kaili, Kalee, Kaleigh, Kaley, Kalie, Kaylea, Kayleen, Kaylei, Kayleigh, Kaylene, Kayley, Kayli, Kaylie, Kaylleigh, Kaylley, Kallee, Caylee, Kayle and Kylee.


Parents put such a high premium on their daughter have unique spellings to their names, but conversely find unusual spellings for boys names to be a negative aspect.

As I mentioned earlier, one of the few exceptions seems to be Jayden, Aiden, Brayden, Aidan, Ayden, Hayden, Jaden, Kaden, and Caden which add up tp 69.1K names in 2009.

The sequel "SuperFreakanomics" came out in the fall of 2009 and was just published in paperback. A great read.

Quote: Wizard

It was never published, but I also made lists by race. They showed black girl babies tended to have creative ethnic names, usually composed of three syllables, like Latifa, while the black boys had the same boring names white babies have. It was the opposite with Hispanic babies, where the boys had the obviously Spanish names, while the girls tended to have Anglo names.

I never noticed this, but now that you mention it that seems right. I have another question for Wiz or anyone else to answer and that involves last names. How more common are the common hispanic last names vs common anglo names. The reason I ask is that during title searches I see "same name searches" like say "Steve Wynn" and must clear all the matches. As you can imagine, "John Smith" will get more hits than Mr Wynn would. However, I have noticed "commom hispanic" names say Jorge Sanchez, get the most hits of all. Does anyone know how the commonality of last names stacks up b y hispanic/not hispanic?

The only requirement I have for naming one of my own kids was, the name could be shortened or changed easily. Names like Elizabeth and Robert are good examples. Elizabeth can be Liza, Lizbeth, Beth, Eliza, etc. Robert is Bob, Bobby, Rob, Robby, whatever. People always always shorten and change kids names. Now we have names like Logan and Ethan and Noah, which are impossible to change without sounding stupid. Look it up, many of the most popular names now can't be shortened or changed, whats the point.

Quote: AZDuffman

I never noticed this, but now that you mention it that seems right. I have another question for Wiz or anyone else to answer and that involves last names. How more common are the common hispanic last names vs common anglo names. The reason I ask is that during title searches I see "same name searches" like say "Steve Wynn" and must clear all the matches. As you can imagine, "John Smith" will get more hits than Mr Wynn would. However, I have noticed "commom hispanic" names say Jorge Sanchez, get the most hits of all. Does anyone know how the commonality of last names stacks up b y hispanic/not hispanic?

This does seem the case. Maybe it's because whites, although one in particular maybe for example of only Irish and English descent, easily draw across many white cultures for names. It seems that hispanics only draw from the Spanish culture, limiting the variation.

Quote: EvenBob

Look it up, many of the most popular names now can't be shortened or changed, whats the point.

Logan, Ethan and Noah don't need to be shortened or changed, and no-one wants to change them? I guess the point is that the parents thought the name was good enough for their child.

Tables of surnames are available from the census department.

Although it is commonly said, Smith does not refer to blacksmiths, goldsmiths or ironsmiths which was a specialized job. Smith is a variant on "smite" which means to clobber someone. Smiths were probably bouncers and guards, a common occupation for the unskilled. It wouldn't be such a common name if they were all descendants of specialized blacksmiths.

Rank	Surname	Approx	Percent
1	SMITH	2,501,922	1.006%
2	JOHNSON	2,014,470	0.810%
3	WILLIAMS	1,738,413	0.699%
4	JONES	1,544,427	0.621%
5	BROWN	1,544,427	0.621%
6	DAVIS	1,193,760	0.480%
7	MILLER	1,054,488	0.424%
8	WILSON	843,093	0.339%
9	MOORE	775,944	0.312%
10	TAYLOR	773,457	0.311%
11	ANDERSON	773,457	0.311%
12	THOMAS	773,457	0.311%
13	JACKSON	770,970	0.310%
14	WHITE	693,873	0.279%
15	HARRIS	683,925	0.275%
16	MARTIN	678,951	0.273%
17	THOMPSON	669,003	0.269%
18	GARCIA	631,698	0.254%
19	MARTINEZ	581,958	0.234%
20	ROBINSON	579,471	0.233%
21	CLARK	574,497	0.231%
22	RODRIGUEZ	569,523	0.229%
23	LEWIS	562,062	0.226%
24	LEE	547,140	0.220%
25	WALKER	544,653	0.219%

I think the lack of creativity for boys names is at least in part due to boys being named after their male ancestors. A son is much more likely to be named after Dad, Grandpa or some other relative than a daughter. I think this cuts across most cultures and would explain the difference with Blacks, Latinos and Whites.

Of course what do I know, I have the worst name in the English language according to Family Guy.

Quote: thecesspit

Logan, Ethan and Noah don't need to be shortened or changed,

But they are shortened and changed. I know somebody who has a kid named Ethan, and the they call the poor kid 'Eeth' all the time? 'eeth'? Sounds stupid and is stupid.

Quote: keithinwash

Of course what do I know, I have the worst name in the English language according to Family Guy.

Like myself your name peaked in popularity many years ago. According to the Wizard database, it peaked in rank in 1966, whereas mine peaked in the 19th century. I have my father's name, and he has his uncle's name, and he probably got it from his ancestor.

Quote: clarkacal

This does seem the case. Maybe it's because whites, although one in particular maybe for example of only Irish and English descent, easily draw across many white cultures for names. It seems that hispanics only draw from the Spanish culture, limiting the variation.

That is a good point. Add in that black surnames draw from a lot of the same pool as whites. This is because during slavery, there was no such thing as a black surname, slaves usually had one name only officially. After Emancipation they had to choose a last name to use. By convention, loyalty, or convienience the former master's last name was the most commonly chosen. If it wasn't, think about it-you know no other types of names so you will choose with what you know.

Quote: Wizard

There are never hard and fast rules that apply to everybody. You could mention our own president as well. Still most black players in the NFL have boring common names.

I was joking :) On internet debates there's always someone who picks a small, isolated example to try to refute a general rule. Even if we take all existent, active and inactive, NFL players and former players, they're a very small fraction of the population. any patterns found there in names mean nothing.

But are you saying in the rest of your post there may be something to numerology? ;)

Quote: clarkacal

This does seem the case. Maybe it's because whites, although one in particular maybe for example of only Irish and English descent, easily draw across many white cultures for names. It seems that hispanics only draw from the Spanish culture, limiting the variation.

In Oaxaca it is increasingly popular for people to adopt a firstname that is indigenous in origin (Zapotec, Mixtec, Mixe, etc.). I don't know if Aztec names are becoming popular in Mexico City.

Surnames are different than Anglo culture, as you combine surnames from both your Maternal and Paternal grandparents.

Quote: pacomartin

In Oaxaca it is increasingly popular for people to adopt a firstname that is indigenous in origin (Zapotec, Mixtec, Mixe, etc.). I don't know if Aztec names are becoming popular in Mexico City.

If that trend continues it seems that soon the variance would rival that of Anglo culture. Just out of curiousity, could you give us some examples of names from Zapotec, Mixtec, etc.?

The native languages are very very difficult. They are tonal (like Chinese) and the meaning changes with accent and pronunciation changes. It is next to impossible to learn a tonal as an adult if you speak western languages. There is no standard spelling either, since the languages had no native

Lila Downs sings songs in English, Spanish, and Zapotec or Mixtec. "El Feo" song has Spanish and Zapotec verses.
Lila Downs singing "El Feo"
Lila Downs singing "Tirineni Tsitsiki "

Quote: pacomartin

In Oaxaca it is increasingly popular for people to adopt a firstname that is indigenous in origin (Zapotec, Mixtec, Mixe, etc.). I don't know if Aztec names are becoming popular in Mexico City.

No.

But the name "Cuauhtemoc" is not unheard of. There was a presidential candidate named Cuauhtemoc Cardenas (son of president Lazaro Cardenas), and I've a colleague with that name.

Quote:

Surnames are different than Anglo culture, as you combine surnames from both your Maternal and Paternal grandparents.

Not combined, you're given both. You get a paternal surname and a maternal one. This is true of All Latin America and Spain. I think also Portugal, and I wonder about other former Spanish possessions like the Philippines.

Here are the most popular in Britain, with the top 10 in America highlighted. Note that 4 of the top 10 boy's names are diminutives. Also Michael and Anthony are long time favorites in America, but is not as popular in Britain. Alfie doesn't even show up in the top 1000 in America.

The British and Americans both like Sophie/Sophia, but British spelling prefers the "e".

1	JACK	OLIVIA
2	OLIVER	EMILY
3	THOMAS	RUBY
4	HARRY	GRACE
5	JOSHUA	JESSICA
6	ALFIE	CHLOE
7	CHARLIE	SOPHIE
8	DANIEL	LILY
9	JAMES	AMELIA
10	WILLIAM	EVIE
11	SAMUEL	MIA
12	GEORGE	CHARLOTTE
13	JOSEPH	ELLA
14	LEWIS	LUCY
15	ETHAN	ISABELLE
16	MOHAMMED	ISABELLA
17	DYLAN	ELLIE
18	BENJAMIN	MEGAN
19	ALEXANDER	HANNAH
20	JACOB	KATIE
21	RYAN	AVA
22	LIAM	SUMMER
23	JAKE	HOLLY
24	MAX	DAISY
25	LUKE	MILLIE
26	TYLER	PHOEBE
27	CALLUM	FREYA
28	MATTHEW	ABIGAIL
29	JAYDEN	POPPY
30	OSCAR	EMMA
31	ARCHIE	ERIN
32	ADAM	MOLLY
33	RILEY	IMOGEN
34	HARVEY	AMY
35	HARRISON	JASMINE
36	LUCAS	ISLA
37	MUHAMMAD	SCARLETT
38	HENRY	LEAH
39	ISAAC	ELIZABETH
40	LEO	SOPHIA
41	CONNOR	EVA
42	EDWARD	MATILDA
43	FINLEY	BROOKE
44	LOGAN	ALICE
45	NOAH	KEIRA
46	CAMERON	LOLA
47	ALEX	CAITLIN
48	OWEN	LILLY
49	RHYS	AMBER
50	NATHAN	ISABEL
51	JAMIE	LAUREN
52	MICHAEL	ELEANOR
53	MASON	GEORGIA
54	TOBY	BETHANY
55	AARON	GRACIE
56	CHARLES	AMELIE
57	BEN	MADISON
58	THEO	ISOBEL
59	LOUIS	PAIGE
60	FREDDIE	MAISIE

Top 10 in Mexico (no indigenous names in the group).

1	Miguel Angel	Maria Fernanda
2	Diego	Valeria
3	Luis Angel	Ximena
4	Santiago	Maria Guadeloupe
5	Alejandro	Daniela
6	Emiliano	Camila
7	Daniel	Mariana
8	Jesus	Andrea
9	Leonardo	Maria Jose
10	Eduardo	Sofia

Quote: Wizard

There are never hard and fast rules that apply to everybody. You could mention our own president as well. Still most black players in the NFL have boring common names.

D'Brickashaw Ferguson makes up for it all though.

Quote: pacomartin

Top 10 in Mexico (no indigenous names in the group).

Well, Maria Guadalupe refers to the Virgin of Guadalupe, which is said to have appeared some time during the time Mexico was a Spanish colony, to a peasant named Juan Diego. I don't know the derivation of the name "Guadalupe," but it could be indigenous.

And "Ximena" in proper Spanish should be spelled with a "J", "Jimena." Using the X for a J is a Mexican thing. Actually in proper Spanish the country's name should be spelled Mejico, and Spaniards do spell it that way.

I know of a website to check names' popularity by year in the US. Where do you check for Mexican names? I wouldn't mind seeing where Gloria ranks in both.

Quote: Nareed

Well, Maria Guadalupe refers to the Virgin of Guadalupe, which is said to have appeared some time during the time Mexico was a Spanish colony, to a peasant named Juan Diego. I don't know the derivation of the name "Guadalupe," but it could be indigenous.

And "Ximena" in proper Spanish should be spelled with a "J", "Jimena." Using the X for a J is a Mexican thing. Actually in proper Spanish the country's name should be spelled Mejico, and Spaniards do spell it that way.

I know of a website to check names' popularity by year in the US. Where do you check for Mexican names? I wouldn't mind seeing where Gloria ranks in both.

Guadalupe, or Guadeloupe was originally a Spanish toponym that derives from the Persian word for trench, graben or gully (Guadal گدار Guadar گودال) and the Latin word lupus, meaning wolf. The name referred to the town of Guadalupe in Spain.

The shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe was the most important Marian shrine in the medieval kingdom of Castile. It is revered in the monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe. Pilgrims began arriving in 1326, and in 1340, King Alfonso XI took a personal interest in the shrine's development, attributing his victory over the Moors at the Battle of Rio Salado to the Virgin's intercession. Our Lady of Guadalupe, along with Santiago de Compostela and Nuestra Señora del Pilar became rallying points for the Christian Spaniards in their reconquista of Iberia.

When the virgin appeared to Juan Diego on December 9, 1531 near Mexico city 200 years later (the Feast of the Immaculate Conception in the Spanish Empire) , and subsequently her image appeared on the cloth 3 days later, she was given the same name as the Spanish icon.

The Mexican tapestry of "Our Lady of Guadalupe" spearheaded the most successful mass conversion to Catholicism in world history.

Quote: Wikipedia

The iconography of the Virgin is impeccably Catholic: Miguel Sanchez, the author of the 1648 tract Imagen de la Virgen María, described her as the Woman of the Apocalypse from the New Testament's Revelation 12:1, "clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars,"[16] and she is also described as a representation of the Immaculate Conception.

Yet despite this orthodoxy the image also had a hidden layer of coded messages for the indigenous people of Mexico which goes a considerable way towards explaining her popularity. Her blue-green mantle was the color reserved for the divine couple Ometecuhtli and Omecihuatl; her belt is interpreted as a sign of pregnancy; and a cross-shaped image symbolizing the cosmos and called nahui-ollin is inscribed beneath the image's sash.

She was called "mother of maguey," the source of the sacred beverage pulque, "the milk of the Virgin", and the rays of light surrounding her doubled as maguey spines.

The website I found for Mexican names only had the top 10, with no references to more detailed information.

Quote: pacomartin

Guadalupe, or Guadeloupe was originally a Spanish toponym that derives from the Persian word for trench, graben or gully (Guadal �ÏÇÑ Guadar �æÏÇá) and the Latin word lupus, meaning wolf. The name referred to the town of Guadalupe in Spain.

I had no idea there was such a town in Spain.

But I suppose the name Guadalajara, a town in both Spain and Mexico, is also related to that origin.

Quote:

When the virgin appeared to Juan Diego on December 9, 1531 near Mexico city 200 years later (the Feast of the Immaculate Conception in the Spanish Empire) , and subsequently her image appeared on the cloth 3 days later, she was given the same name as the Spanish icon.

It's not so bad. We got an unofficial national holiday out of it. I work half a day every Dec. 12th. :)

The Mexican tapestry of "Our Lady of Guadalupe" spearheaded the most successful mass conversion to Catholicism in world history.

Quote:

The website I found for Mexican names only had the top 10, with no references to more detailed information.

Too bad. I got an idea on where to check, but I'll probably forget by the time I get home. if your spanish is good enough, try googling INEGI.

There is an article on surnames common to black people: Washington: the 'blackest name' in America that might be of interest. The author is Jesse Washington who writes on race issues for the Associated Press.

There are three surnames that over 60% of the holders of those names are black. Washington (90%), Jefferson (75%), and Booker(66%). The author of the article says it's a myth that most enslaved blacks bore the last name of their owner.

Note: Washington and Jefferson are the most popular black surnames by percentage. By absolute numbers the most popular surnames are similar for both white and black people. For example the name "Williams" is the most popular black surname, but is shared almost equally with white people, so Williams is the 6th most popular white surname. "Smith" is #1 for white families, and #3 for black families.

Quote: pacomartin

There is an article on surnames common to black people: Washington: the 'blackest name' in America that might be of interest. The author is Jesse Washington who writes on race issues for the Associated Press.

There are three surnames that over 60% of the holders of those names are black. Washington (90%), Jefferson (75%), and Booker(66%). The author of the article says it's a myth that most enslaved blacks bore the last name of their owner.

Note: Washington and Jefferson are the most popular black surnames by percentage. By absolute numbers the most popular surnames are similar for both white and black people. For example the name "Williams" is the most popular black surname, but is shared almost equally with white people, so Williams is the 6th most popular white surname. "Smith" is #1 for white families, and #3 for black families.

A myth??? It's simple reality. A slave was referred to by his first name, given to him by his owner, and the last name of the owner, which didn't mean "of that family", but rather, "owned by that family". As a simple matter of convenience, and because it was, for better or worse, part of their identity, freed slaves mostly retained their given names.

Quote: mkl654321

A myth??? It's simple reality. A slave was referred to by his first name, given to him by his owner, and the last name of the owner, which didn't mean "of that family", but rather, "owned by that family".

If you had read the article he tries to make the point that Washington and Jefferson were dead decades before the emancipation, yet there is no record that the black families were descendants of Washington's and Jefferson's personal slaves. People seem to have chosen those names for their symbolic value. Likewise, Booker was not a white plantation owner's surname.

Presumably, he based the statement on some other research as well.

Quote: Wizard

Thanks for taking an interest in my baby names research.

I had a comment that seemed very-off-topic for every current thread and didn't warrant a new thread of its own. So I dredged up this old thread where it seems to be on-topic.

Wizard, the "Pickles" comic strip for today makes reference to "your" SSA list of popular baby names. Thought you might be interested. That comic strip usually follows a theme for a week. It started yesterday with the popularity, or lack thereof, for the name of a lead character, "Opal". I expect something on this topic to continue for the rest of the week.

Quote: Doc

Wizard, the "Pickles" comic strip for today makes reference to "your" SSA list of popular baby names.

Thanks! Always happy to see my "baby" get some publicity. There was a Peanuts strip that mentioned them too, although not siting a source.

Quote: Wizard

Thanks! Always happy to see my "baby" get some publicity. There was a Peanuts strip that mentioned them too, although not siting a source.

Not everyone was ga-ga over SSA's baby name mobile app

Since you worked for the federal government, I am sure that you are full of stories of people taking credit for your ideas. I would think that this mobile phone app has at least a thank you to you for your work. But I am sure someone got a GS-15 promotion for his brilliant idea.

As I read I thought of some of the people that I grew up with. They all had popular names. Maybe that's why we all had nick names. Here is a list of some of the people I grew up with.

Ace, Bobby Loo, Moe, Greasy, Peeps, Rice, Whopper, Pee Wee, Oatmeal, Goosey, Duke, Giff, Fudge, Stempy, Sputnik, Pencil

There is a story behind how everyone of those people got their nick names.

Quote: pacomartin

Since you worked for the federal government, I am sure that you are full of stories of people taking credit for your ideas. I would think that this mobile phone app has at least a thank you to you for your work. But I am sure someone got a GS-15 promotion for his brilliant idea.

No, I have no complaints along those lines. I had tons of ideas, I freely shared, to improve efficiency and save taxpayers lots of money, but they were all met with brick wall resistance. One person's idea of efficiency is another person's idea of taking away another man's job, as well as a whole chain of command above that job, fighting to protect it.

This is the first I've heard of that app, and although I don't have it, I'm happy to see it. The agency always credited me for starting the baby name project, although you have to dig a bit to find such attribution. Still, it would be nice to get officially thanked someday.

A big thanks to the Wizard again on this long-ago project that continues to this day. My wife and I are expecting a boy next year, and are making heavy use of the popularity list for both names to avoid (definitely top 10, mostly top 100) and also ideas for names to use (anything below that).

Also I was happy to see that acknowledgement was only 1 click away on this page:
https://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/background.html

Hey, I (sort of) know that guy!

Quote: AcesAndEights

A big thanks to the Wizard again on this long-ago project that continues to this day. My wife and I are expecting a boy next year, and are making heavy use of the popularity list for both names to avoid (definitely top 10, mostly top 100) and also ideas for names to use (anything below that).

I think you should embrace capitalism and monetize this baby naming opportunity. Hold an auction and the highest bidder gets to select your sons name.

I bid $100 and am leaning to the name Zander. I like names that start with "Z".

Quote: AcesAndEights

My wife and I are expecting a boy next year, and are making heavy use of the popularity list for both names to avoid (definitely top 10, mostly top 100) and also ideas for names to use (anything below that).

With Johnny Cash having been gone for more than a decade and a half now, I'm wondering where "Sue" falls on that popularity list.

Quote: AcesAndEights

Also I was happy to see that acknowledgement was only 1 click away on this page:
https://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/background.html

Yeah! That is nice of them to remember to give me credit, which government is normally not very big on doing.

How common is the name Oedipus? More or less common than Hitler or Courtney Love? That has to be the worst name to give a kid, then he has to grow up and be told he will marry his mother and kill his father.

Quote: AcesAndEights

A big thanks to the Wizard again on this long-ago project that continues to this day. My wife and I are expecting a boy next year, and are making heavy use of the popularity list for both names to avoid (definitely top 10, mostly top 100) and also ideas for names to use (anything below that).

Abcde

thank me later

Quote: djatc

Abcde

thank me later

I actually like that name.

Quote: djatc

Abcde

thank me later

Thanks, but no thanks.

We have a shortlist of 2 names. Now just deciding between them. She favors one, I favor the other, but both of us are okay with either.

Quote: AcesAndEights

Thanks, but no thanks.

We have a shortlist of 2 names. Now just deciding between them. She favors one, I favor the other, but both of us are okay with either.

Then why not let an internet forum make the final decision?

Maybe it doesn't even matter what you name your kid. My wife is working with two families who have chosen to call their children by names that aren't actually theirs (i.e. John Aaron "Daryl" Smith). So there are apparently lots of options.