How popular is the baby name Alexa in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Alexa.

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Popularity of the baby name Alexa


Posts that mention the name Alexa

Popular girl names in the United States, 2019

Flag of the United States
Flag of the United States

Name nerds rejoice! Finally, four months after Mother’s Day, the U.S. Social Security Administration has decided to release the latest batch (2019) of baby name data!

First off, here’s the link to the SSA’s popular names page and to the SSA’s downloadable data page.

I’m going to summarize the data in just two posts this year — one for girls, one for boys. Let’s start with the ladies…

Here are the most popular girl names overall:

  1. Olivia, 18,451 baby girls
  2. Emma, 17,102
  3. Ava, 14,440
  4. Sophia, 13,714
  5. Isabella, 13,306
  6. Charlotte, 13,138
  7. Amelia, 12,862
  8. Mia, 12,414
  9. Harper, 10,442
  10. Evelyn, 10,392

These same ten names were in the 2018 top ten as well.

The girl names that saw the largest increases in usage in terms of absolute numbers of babies were…

  1. Alaia, increased by 1,072 babies
  2. Everleigh, 1,054
  3. Luna, 838
  4. Emilia, 716
  5. Willow, 653
  6. Isla, 615
  7. Violet, 570
  8. Amelia, 508
  9. Hazel, 493
  10. Arya, 492

The girl names that saw the largest increases in usage in terms of relative numbers of babies were…

  1. Yalitza, increased by 1490%
  2. Alita, 554%
  3. Dayleen, 527%
  4. Jenaiah, 450%
  5. Amiri, 417%
  6. Theo, 343%
  7. Mazikeen, 319%
  8. Kamoura, 317%
  9. Seylah, 317%
  10. Kairo, 283%

Yalitza was influenced by Roma (2018) actress Yalitza Aparicio, and Mazikeen comes from the character Mazikeen Smith in the TV series Lucifer.

Here are the girl names that debuted most impressively in the 2019 data:

  1. Adeya, debuted with 22 baby girls
  2. Kayslin, 20
  3. Malaynah, 18
  4. Chevel, 17
  5. Kulture, 17
  6. Kaavia, 15
  7. Sakani, 15
  8. Ahveya, 14
  9. Akyli, 14
  10. Jhazelle, 14

Some explanations…

  • Adeya, Kulture and Kaavia are all celebrity babies: Adeya is the daughter of Kehlani, Kulture is the daughter of Cardi B and Offset, and Kaavia is the daughter of Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade.
  • Kayslin and Chevel come from two contestants (Kayslin Victoria and Chevel Shepherd) on The Voice.
  • Malaynah is a young female rapper (who earned a coveted IG repost from the aforementioned Cardi B in 2018).
  • Sakani was likely inspired by Sekani, the name of a character (a little boy) in the 2018 film The Hate U Give.
  • Akyli must come from Akyli Maze, one of the children of Joe Lee and Alena Maze — YouTube influencers who create content under the name MAZELEE. (The baby name Mazelee debuted last year as well — not surprising at all, given how close it is to the popular Paisley.)

The girl names that saw the largest decreases in usage in terms of absolute numbers of babies were…

  1. Emma, decreased by 1,655 babies
  2. Isabella, -1,211
  3. Alexa, -1,069
  4. Mila, -845
  5. Madison, -794
  6. Avery, -775
  7. Victoria, -767
  8. Addison, -743
  9. Abigail, -742
  10. Elizabeth, -716

The girl name that saw the largest decrease in usage in terms of relative numbers of babies was Anifer (-86%), and the girl name that saw the steepest drop off the list was Marionna (from 21 babies in 2018 to fewer than 5 in 2019).

If you can explain any of the rises (or drops), please leave a comment!

Update, 9/6/2020: Here are the boy names!

Source: SSA

Image: Adapted from Flag of the United States (public domain)

Popular baby names in the Philippines, 2018

Flag of the Philippines
Flag of the Philippines

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the most popular baby names in the country in 2018 were Althea and Nathaniel.

Here are the Philippines’ top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2018:

Girl Names

  1. Althea, 2,395 baby girls
  2. Samantha, 2,165
  3. Angel, 2,086
  4. Angela, 1,810
  5. Princess, 1,641
  6. Sophia, 1,537
  7. Sofia, 1,432
  8. Andrea, 1,293
  9. Nathalie, 1,285
  10. Alexa, 1,241

Boy Names

  1. Nathaniel, 2,455 baby boys
  2. James, 2,242
  3. Jacob, 2,028
  4. Gabriel, 2,004
  5. Joshua, 1,980
  6. Angelo, 1,872
  7. Nathan, 1,796
  8. John Mark, 1,611
  9. Christian, 1,537
  10. Daniel, 1,498

New to the girls’ top 10 are Nathalie and Alexa. (Nathalie may have gotten a boost from the character Natalie on the Philippine TV series Wildflower.)

The boys’ top 10 includes the same ten names, but in a different order.

One fast-rising girl name outside the top 10 is Catriona, thanks to Filipino-Australian beauty queen Catriona Gray, who was crowned Miss Universe 2018.

Source: Baby Names 2018 (PDF) – Philippine Statistics Authority

Image: Adapted from Flag of the Philippines (public domain)

Name quotes #81: Nephi, Robin, Morven

double quotation mark

It’s a new month — time for a new batch of name-related quotations!

From an article and a blog post about the naming of Wendy’s:

When it came to deciding what to call the chain, [Dave Thomas] tried out the names of all five of his children before he settled on the nickname for his daughter, Melinda, which was Wendy.

Before my dad left us [in 2002], we had a long conversation about him naming the restaurant Wendy’s. It was the first time we’d ever had this conversation. He said, “You know what? I’m sorry.” I asked him what he meant. He explained, “I should’ve just named it after myself, because it put a lot of pressure on you.”

From a 2017 LDS Living article about Mormon names:

Jennifer Mansfield, a current graduate student in the Folklore Program at Utah State University, identified six different types of Mormon names: religious (Moroni, Nephi, Brigham), combination (Taylee, Mandylyn), invented (Kaislen), creatively spelled (Kady, Taeler), ancestral (Freestone, Jenkin), and themed (Monson, Hinckley, Kimball).

From CUNY linguist Leonard R. N. Ashley (via Futility Closet):

I once had a student named Usmail, which I at first thought was some Hispanic version of Ishmael. It transpired that he had been named for the only contact his family in a remote Puerto Rican village enjoyed with the outside world, the red-white-and-blue truck that came frequently and had painted on its side US Mail.

(Here are more names like Usmail.)

From the obituary of Art Ginsburg, founder of Art’s Deli in Los Angeles:

Using family recipes and an investment of $3,000, he opened Art’s Deli — “where every sandwich is a work of Art” — on June 22, 1957.

From the 2013 New York Times obituary of Pitcairner and Bounty mutineer descendant Tom Christian:

There are no automobiles on Pitcairn, and the island’s rocks and cliffs bear names redolent of long-ago tragedies: “Where Dan Fall,” “Where Minnie Off,” “Oh Dear.”

[…]

Besides his daughter Jacqueline, Mr. Christian’s survivors include his wife, the former Betty Christian, whom he married in 1966 (like many Pitcairn couples, they are distant cousins); three other daughters, Raelene Christian, Sherileen Christian and Darlene McIntyre; and six grandchildren.

From a Stir post about “Teen Mom” Leah Messer and her new baby Adalynn:

[S]he is spending the whole week correcting every media report out there on how to spell the baby’s name. Whoops!

The problem started when US Weekly spelled the little girl’s name with two “d”s instead of one, and just spiraled from there. Leah has had to turn to social media to make the correction.

Sounds like the Teen Mom just got a taste of what happens when you decide you need your baby’s name to be insanely “unique.”

From Summer Pierre’s blog post about her name:

I grew up in what I have learned since then, is considered an ALTERNATIVE environment. I went to a hippie school, and my classmates had names that included Andromeda, Boreas, Vitali, Oak, and Rolly (pronounced Role-e) (hi guys!). Considering the roll call, I was kind of the “Jane Smith” of the group. However, regardless of the pillows on the floor, and meetings where we had to discuss our feelings, I still got teased on the playground and called names.

[…]

Then, I moved to the East Coast. East coast people find it a very funny name. This morning, as it would happen, two co-workers discussed my name in front of me, and one said, “I didn’t think it was your real name.” I get that a lot. Maybe it’s because there aren’t any hippies left here. I know the cultural consciousness happened on the east coast, because I’ve met people that had hippies for parents, but it seems that east coast hippies have moved on to academic postings or documentary filmmakers, and they seem to name their kids Amos or Noah, and not after seasons or other natural occurrences.

From a 2019 article about Amazon Alexa’s influence on the baby name Alexa:

About 4,250 Alexas are turning five in the U.S. this year. One of them is Amazon’s.

The voice-computing technology that can now control more than 85,000 different devices debuted Nov. 6, 2014.

[…]

In 2015, the year after Amazon Alexa debuted, Alexa was the 32nd most popular female baby name in the U.S., bestowed upon 6,052 newborns that year, according to Social Security Administration data.

Alexa as a baby name has since declined in popularity.

From an article about a surname mash-up in Australia:

Sydney couple Courtney Cassar, 31, and Laura Sheldon, 29, welcomed daughter Lyla Jill last month, but rather than using a hyphen between their family names, they bestowed the ‘mashed-up’ moniker ‘Casseldon’ on their baby girl instead.

From an Us Weekly piece about Oprah‘s BFF Gayle King:

I changed my name from Gail to Gayle in seventh grade because I liked to make a loopy y.

From the essay “The Joy of Being Called Morven Crumlish” by the awesomely named Morven Crumlish (via British Baby Names):

I like having an unusual name. The Morven part is not so uncommon in Scotland – most people I meet know another Morven, and I know at least half a dozen. I once ended up in the pub with two other Morvens, which got funnier as the night wore on. Added to the Crumlish, though, my name is, I think, unique. “There can’t be more than one Morven Crumlish!” is something I hear a lot, when the different parts of my life accidentally collide, which makes it difficult to misbehave. In the past my name has become an abstraction. “So this is what a Morven Crumlish looks like,” said the porters who wheeled me down to get my tonsils removed, reducing me to an indefinite object.

[Here are some other very Scottish names.]

From a 2013 article in The Atlantic about the names of NPR reporters:

Neda Ulaby’s first name means “dew” and is fairly common in Syria. (“It’s also the name of the heroine of an opera called Pagliacci who is literally killed by a clown,” she told me over email.)

[…]

A few years ago, a pair of hardcore NPR listeners invited Neda Ulaby to their wedding, sending along a picture of their car’s license plate, which reads “OOLABEE.” “Apparently they’d developed the creepy habit of referring to each other as ‘my little Ulaby.’ So I became a mating call,” she explained.

…And another quote from the same article:

Robert Smith of Planet Money told me by email that the only reason to change his name “would be so that I could be more famous. You would remember it better if I ended by reports with, ‘I’m Mobius Tutti.'” But at the same time, he says, “I’m in this business to tell other people’s stories, and not to promote myself or my own name. Being a Robert Smith is always a good reminder that you aren’t that different than the people you cover.”

For more quotes about names, check out the name quotes category.

Numerology: Baby names with a value of 7

Baby names with a numerological value of 7

If you’re on the hunt for baby names with a numerological value of 7, you’re in luck! Because today’s post features hundreds of 7-names.

Before we get to the names, though — how do we know that they’re “sevens” in numerology?

Turning names into numbers

Here’s how to calculate the numerological value of a name.

First, for each letter, come up with a number to represent that letter’s position in the alphabet. (Letter A would be number 1, letter B would be number 2, and so forth.) Then, add all the numbers together. If the sum has two or more digits, add the digits together recursively until the result is a single digit. That single digit is the name’s numerological value.

For instance, the letters in the name Victoria correspond to the numbers 22, 9, 3, 20, 15, 18, 9, and 1. The sum of these numbers is 97. The digits of 97 added together equal 16, and the digits of 16 added together equal 7 — the numerological value of Victoria.

Baby names with a value of 7

Below you’ll find the most popular 7-names per gender, according to the latest U.S. baby name data. I’ve further sub-categorized them by total sums — just in case any of those larger numbers are significant to anyone.

7 via 16

The letters in the following baby names add up to 16, which reduces to seven (1+6=7).

Girl names (7 via 16)Boy names (7 via 16)
Ana, Jada, Alba, Adaia, FiaCal, Chad, Jae, Dak, Efe

7 via 25

The letters in the following baby names add up to 25, which reduces to seven (2+5=7).

Girl names (7 via 25)Boy names (7 via 25)
Cali, Amaia, Adara, Naia, Baila, Danae, Jaida, Ahana, AniaJack, Gael, Mecca, Asad, Ahaan, Jan, Abbas, Aedan, Ike, Kam, Saad, Aahan

7 via 34

The letters in the following baby names add up to 34, which reduces to seven (3+4=7).

Girl names (7 via 34)Boy names (7 via 34)
Grace, Amara, Lila, Thea, Danna, Elle, Amanda, Anne, Della, Bailee, Kalia, Micah, Rebeca, Mika, Farah, Anaiah, Tala, Sama, Kaila, Lua, Asma, Huda, Emaan, Rana, Joi, Hilda, Fabiana, JamiaMicah, Jaden, Chance, Hank, Chaim, Noe, Neo, Canaan, Carl, Amado, Adnan, Kacen, Ayce, Esai, Reef, Joah, Mika

7 via 43

The letters in the following baby names add up to 43, which reduces to seven (4+3=7).

Girl names (7 via 43)Boy names (7 via 43)
Chloe, Ellie, Andrea, Ember, Annie, Gracie, Talia, Alexa, Alanna, Karla, Liv, Raina, Chanel, Barbara, Lilia, Lailah, Debanhi, Kadence, Ameera, Esmae, Milah, Yael, Laken, Grecia, Fern, Inara, Kailee, Klara, Adore, Amaria, Nell, Amaira, Alita, Charm, Theia, Mona, Aditi, Dayla, Arwa, Dianna, Evana, Adaly, Rania, Abbigail, Leya, Samia, Aleigha, Arina, Bayan, Kamiah, Atlee, Anari, Carli, Janiah, Keegan, Emy, KloeFinn, Beckham, Rafael, Mark, Derek, Callan, Iker, Erik, Jaiden, Ford, Ares, Ridge, Keegan, Aarav, Amias, Eliel, Arian, Yael, Kole, Blaine, Hakeem, Hasan, Laken, Jaire, Kreed, Huck, Ewan, Todd, Coy, Riaan, Jamar, Kadence, Rip, Noam, Calder, Azaan, Basil, Kalen, Tre, Dru, Kekoa, Shaan, Masai, Taim, Ahsan, Eoin, Aarin, Makhai, Hawk, Kavi, Amon, Zaccai

7 via 52

The letters in the following baby names add up to 52, which reduces to seven (5+2=7).

Girl names (7 via 52)Boy names (7 via 52)
Hazel, Nova, Naomi, Reese, Arabella, Aubree, Nyla, Dakota, Charlee, Jimena, Michaela, Angelica, Mikaela, Flora, Pearl, Goldie, Alexia, Alianna, Indy, Ariadne, Perla, Karlee, Farrah, Annalee, Kelani, Zya, Khadijah, Aleyah, Indiana, Eimy, Aries, Sinai, Annalia, Ryah, Shania, Kamaya, Alethea, Mayla, Italia, Callahan, Anabelle, Izel, Shaina, Laiken, Kenlee, Mallie, Athalia, Janaya, Cassia, Sabella, Alayla, Kezia, AerisCayden, Dakota, Seth, Jamari, Callahan, Raul, Keanu, Reese, Marcel, Karim, Cason, Ishaan, Aries, Nova, Tiago, Jesiah, Oren, Glenn, Kaladin, Josh, Samar, Richie, Daemon, Beauden, Takoda, Indy, Filip, Indiana, Jahlil, Lyan, Roen, Darell, Efraim, Dillan, Abhiram, Jamere, Nino, Masen, Dakhari, Javen

7 via 61

The letters in the following baby names add up to 61, which reduces to seven (6+1=7).

Girl names (7 via 61)Boy names (7 via 61)
Isabella, Lucy, Catalina, Adelyn, Mckenna, Luciana, Meadow, Miracle, Aylin, Jolene, Ivanna, Remy, Hadassah, Keilani, Sloan, Martha, Jovie, Samira, Rivka, Malayah, Amaris, Maylee, Ingrid, Yuna, Arely, Dalary, Aranza, Ivey, Ailyn, Arwen, Tabitha, Safiya, Ziya, Kasey, Addalyn, Alissa, Kelsie, Emry, Elsy, Rochel, Rumi, Maddox, Analise, Eloisa, Anylah, Azula, Norma, Maliya, Maddyn, Jakayla, Samarah, Delany, Aerith, Hollie, Naiomi, Desirae, Avigail, Azora, Riyah, Sanaya, Vianna, Haidyn, Eulalia, Tanya, Mulan, Daelyn, ItzaeRoman, Luis, Calvin, Maddox, Kevin, Andres, Richard, Remy, Nasir, Corbin, Raphael, Dorian, Cannon, Alfredo, Ramon, Brayan, Abdullah, Yahir, Anders, Cory, Daylen, Kaius, Edmund, Khamari, Eliot, Kasey, Clarence, Avion, Haziel, Armon, Amaris, Tamir, Oslo, Donnie, Jibreel, Sloan, Riker, Caison, Thor, Psalm, Evans, Itzae, Arley, Naveen, Flint, Javari, Elyjah, Mendy, Sameer, Ibraheem, Rumi, Fitz, Wolfe, Steel, Zayde, Aramis, Layden, Nivaan, Emry, Galileo, Darion, Ibrahima

7 via 70

The letters in the following baby names add up to 70, which reduces to seven (7+0=7).

Girl names (7 via 70)Boy names (7 via 70)
Eleanor, Ashley, Lilly, Lilith, Alexis, Lilliana, Francesca, Alison, Kenzie, Sierra, Melany, Romina, Khaleesi, Yareli, Bellamy, Rylan, Madalyn, Essence, Nathalie, Devyn, Ryder, Adrienne, Maelyn, Carson, Walker, Alyvia, Cherish, Noelani, Marion, Honor, Armoni, Sheyla, Santana, Remedy, Channing, Yailin, Aziyah, Ellyana, Laniyah, Francine, Havyn, Landyn, Zyra, Malayiah, Francis, Isley, Avonlea, Finleigh, Rhys, Emalyn, Naliyah, Jermani, AniylahHenry, Walker, Carson, Ryder, Simon, Josue, Otto, Rylan, Ronin, Rhys, Finnegan, Alexis, Francis, Philip, Bruno, Bellamy, Yosef, Santana, Harry, Jimmy, Landyn, Mathew, Atharv, Maurice, Reginald, Granger, Ephraim, Ozias, Willie, Lenox, Benton, Darrell, Lenny, Kaizer, Honor, Channing, Massiah, Rylo, Armoni, Quadir, Dashiell, Izayah, Kasyn, Kasper, Tevin, Kurt, Manolo, Rishaan, Dashawn, Keyon, Kallum, Yariel, Abdullahi, Devyn, Marion, Copeland, Terence, Pinchas, Josiel, Kaydon, Marwan

7 via 79

The letters in the following baby names add up to 79, which reduces to seven (7+9=16; 1+6=7).

Girl names (7 via 79)Boy names (7 via 79)
Rosalie, Haisley, Maddison, Cheyenne, Ashlyn, Marigold, Soraya, Harriet, Evalyn, Beatrix, Kyndall, Renley, Annette, Katerina, Adilynn, Annelise, Larissa, Lincoln, Nirvana, Rynlee, Raizy, Josefina, Azeneth, Chesney, Kayley, Mayzie, Evolet, Janelly, Roberta, Harmonee, Leonor, Auriella, EmmeryWilliam, Lincoln, Colton, Xavier, Connor, Walter, Warren, Gunner, Harvey, Leonidas, Tripp, Frederick, Zyair, Nelson, Orlando, Douglas, Zechariah, Dayton, Kashmir, Rolando, Marcello, Braydon, Warner, Irving, Maverik, Yeshua, Leopold, Zaidyn, Kenton, Kaisyn, Lester, Jarvis, Ronaldo, Clifton, Buckley, Champion, Nirvaan, Larson, Laurence, Carmello, Fritz, Demarion, Renley, Graeson, Nymir

7 via 88

The letters in the following baby names add up to 88, which reduces to seven (8+8=16; 1+6=7).

Girl names (7 via 88)Boy names (7 via 88)
Elizabeth, Penelope, Journee, Poppy, Sylvia, Madelynn, Jazlyn, Zariyah, Karsyn, Kassidy, Katelyn, Guadalupe, Winifred, Carolyn, Kassandra, Lindsey, Lilyanna, Hensley, Gisselle, Yazmin, Margarita, Maritza, Elliette, Dolores, Kaylyn, Ryver, Clarity, MarlenyAntonio, Francisco, Kashton, Jaxxon, Santos, Karsyn, Immanuel, Terrence, Gilberto, Vernon, Zephaniah, Osvaldo, Ryver, Vladimir, Brenton, Everardo, Tenzin, Crawford, Fulton, Knoxx, Daxtyn, Kayvon, Exodus, Pearson

7 via 97

The letters in the following baby names add up to 97, which reduces to seven (9+7=16; 1+6=7).

Girl names (7 via 97)Boy names (7 via 97)
Victoria, Evelynn, Stephanie, Jacqueline, Kathryn, Itzayana, Emmalynn, Wrenly, Yvette, Story, Millicent, Josephina, Jenevieve, Arianelly, Irelynn, Emmanuella, KenzleighAnthony, Brantley, Valentin, Bronson, Kentrell, Tyrone, Jonathon, Johnpaul, Stephon, Yuvraj, Marshawn, Zamarion

7 via 106

The letters in the following baby names add up to 106, which reduces to seven (1+0+6=7).

Girl names (7 via 106)Boy names (7 via 106)
Waverly, Guinevere, Honesty, Anniston, Wilhelmina, Krystal, Ellowyn, Precious, Skarlett, Kaitlynn, YulissaRussell, Trenton, Westyn, Aurelius, Hendrixx, Miguelangel, Tayvion, Keyshawn

7 via 115

The letters in the following baby names add up to 115, which reduces to seven (1+1+5=7).

Girl names (7 via 115)Boy names (7 via 115)
Serenity, Trinity, Remington, Winslow, Everlynn, CharlestonRemington, Trayvon, Triston, Winslow, Charleston

7 via 124

The letters in the following baby names add up to 124, which reduces to seven (1+2+4=7).

Girl names (7 via 124)Boy names (7 via 124)
Gwynevere, Yatziry, Rozlynn, Symphonie, BrynlynnPrincetyn, Winchester, Harrington, Maxximus, Johnkerry

7 via 133

The letters in the following baby names add up to 133, which reduces to seven (1+3+3=7).

Girl names (7 via 133)Boy names (7 via 133)
Gwendolynn, Sunflower, Juwayriya, Sigourney, TonantzinTheophilus, Princeston, Stevenson, Rutherford, Treyshawn

Number 7: Significance and associations

What does the number seven mean in numerology?

There’s no definitive answer, unfortunately, because various numerological systems exist, and each one has its own interpretation of the number seven. That said, if we look at a couple of modern numerology/astrology websites, we see 7 being described as “truth-seeking,” “introspective,” “intellectual,” “reserved,” and “unusual.”

We can also look at associations, which are a bit more concrete. Here are some things that are associated with the number 7:

  • Rainbow (7 colors)
  • Continents
  • Week (7 days)
  • Major scale in music (7 notes)
  • Seven Wonders of the World
  • Pleiades (7 sister-nymphs of Greek mythology)
  • Classical planets (sun, moon, Venus, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Saturn)
  • Metals of antiquity (gold, silver, copper, tin, lead, iron, mercury)

What does the number 7 mean to you? What are your strongest associations with the number?

P.S. To see names with other numerological values, check out the posts for the numbers one, two, three, four, five, six, eight, and nine.

Sources: SSA, Numerology – Cafe Astrology, The meaning of the numbers 1 – 9 – World Numerology, 7 – Wikipedia

[Latest update: Jan. 2024]