How popular is the baby name Bam 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 Bam.

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Popularity of the baby name Bam


Posts that mention the name Bam

Popular baby names in England and Wales (UK), 2015

Flag of the United Kingdom
Flag of the United Kingdom

According to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the most popular baby names in England and Wales last year were (again) Amelia and Oliver.

Here are the top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2015:

Girl NamesBoy Names
1. Amelia, 5,158 baby girls
2. Olivia, 4,853
3. Emily, 3,893
4. Isla, 3,474
5. Ava, 3,414
6. Ella, 3,028
7. Jessica, 2,937
8. Isabella, 2,876
9. Mia, 2,842
10. Poppy, 2,816
1. Oliver, 6,941 baby boys
2. Jack, 5,371
3. Harry, 5,308
4. George, 4,869
5. Jacob, 4,850
6. Charlie, 4,831
7. Noah, 4,148
8. William, 4,083
9. Thomas, 4,075
10. Oscar, 4,066

In the girls’ top 10, Ella and Mia replaced Lily (now 13th) and Sophie (now 11th).

In the boys’ top 10, Noah (the top name in the U.S. right now) replaced James (11th).

In the girls’ top 100, Penelope, Mila, Clara, Arabella, Maddison and Aria replaced Lydia (now 103rd), Faith (104th), Mollie (105th), Brooke (107th), Isabel (110th) and Amy (117th).

In the boys’ top 100, Jaxon, Roman, Reggie and Carter replaced Owen (now 101st), Robert (105th), Joey (117th) and Finlay (123rd).

Here are some of last year’s rare baby names, each given to either 3, 4 or 5 babies:

Rare Girl NamesRare Boy Names
Aarzoo, Autumn-Lily, Boglarka, Comfort, Edna, Enxi, Euphemia, Flourish, Fozia, Gabia, Jupiter, Lady, Lleucu, Llio, Merveille, Nectaria, Pebbles, Peony, Prisca, Purity, Quorra, Reisel, Sloka, Tuba, Venice, Vimbainashe, YlvaAlffi, Bam, Bright, Crimea, Cuthbert, Efezino, Elimelech, Fyfe, Ghyll, Gryff, James-Dean, Jamesdean, Kushagra, Ignatius, Marmaduke, Math, Mio, Osagie, Otso, Pip, Przemyslaw, Sherlock, Swayley, Ringo, Testimony, Thierno, Zephyrus

(Crimea is intriguing, isn’t it? It was used as a baby name in the 1850s, during the Crimean War, but this is the first time I’ve seen it on a modern name list.)

And how did Welsh names fare in Wales specifically?

Welsh Girl NamesWelsh Boy Names
Seren (“star”) ranks 17th in Wales
Ffion (“foxglove”), 20th
Megan, 27th (and 76th overall)
Mali, 45th
Alys, 66th
Carys (“love”), 72nd
Efa, 73rd
Cadi, 82nd
Lili, 85th
Lowri, 88th
Eira (“snow”), 92nd
Ela, 97th (tie)
Elin, 97th (tie)
Dylan, ranks 13th in Wales (and 38th overall)
Osian, 25th
Harri, 27th
Jac, 33rd
Rhys, 34th
Evan, 37th
Tomos, 47th
Cai, 51st
Ioan, 56th
Morgan, 67th
Elis, 66th
Hari, 82nd
Gethin (“swarthy”), 88th (tie)
Iestyn, 88th (tie)
Macsen, 92nd (tie)
Owain, 92nd (tie)
Ifan, 96th

Finally, if you’d like to go back another year, here are the England and Wales rankings for 2014.

Source: Baby names in England and Wales: 2015 – ONS

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

What turned Bam into a baby name in 2004?

TV personality Brandon "Bam" Margera
Bam Margera

Once upon a time, “bam” was merely an interjection. These days, it’s also baby name!

How did this come about?

It wasn’t Bamm-Bamm Rubble from The Flintstones (though his counterpart Pebbles did influence the baby name charts back in the ’60s).

Instead, it was young pro-skateboarder Brandon “Bam” Margera, one of the stars of the MTV reality stunt show Jackass, which started airing in October of 2000.

The name Bam debuted in the U.S. baby name data in 2004:

  • 2010: unlisted
  • 2009: 6 baby boys named Bam
  • 2008: 8 baby boys named Bam
  • 2007: 13 baby boys named Bam
  • 2006: unlisted
  • 2005: unlisted
  • 2004: 12 baby boys named Bam [debut]
  • 2003: unlisted
  • 2002: unlisted

The debut is specifically attributable to the Bam-focused spin-off series Viva La Bam (2003-2005), which also featured stunts/pranks.

The name might have been a one-hit wonder if not for Bam Margera’s second reality TV show, Bam’s Unholy Union (2007), which followed Bam and his fiancée Missy as they planned their wedding. (The marriage, his second, lasted until 2012.)

Brandon’s grandfather started calling him “Bam” when he was a toddler and running into walls a lot. Though he has considered legally changing his first name to Bam, his government name is still Brandon at this point.

What are your thoughts on the baby name Bam?

Sources: Bam Margera – Wikipedia, SSA

Image: Adapted from Bam Margera by Matt Rogers under CC BY-SA 2.0.

[Latest update: Jan. 2024]