How popular is the baby name Ezzard 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 Ezzard.

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Popularity of the baby name Ezzard


Posts that mention the name Ezzard

Baby names that debuted most impressively in the U.S. data, 1881 to today

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Though most of the baby names in the SSA’s annual datasets are repeats, each dataset does contain a handful of brand-new names.

Below are the most popular debut names for every single year on record, after the first.

Why bother with an analysis like this? Because debut names often have cool stories behind them, and high-hitting debuts are especially likely to have intriguing explanations tied to historical people/events. So this is more than a list of names — it’s also a list of stories.

Here’s the format: “Girl name(s), number of baby girls; Boy name(s), number of baby boys.” Keep in mind that the raw numbers aren’t too trustworthy for about the first six decades, though. (More on that in a minute.)

  • 1881: Adell & Celeste, 14; Brown & Newell, 14
  • 1882: Verda, 14; Cleve, 13
  • 1883: Laurel, 12; Brady, Festus, Jewell, Odell & Rosco, 8
  • 1884: Crystal & Rubie, 11; Benjamen, Jens, Oakley & Whitney, 9
  • 1885: Clotilde, 13; Arley & Terence, 9
  • 1886: Manuelita, 10; Terrence, 10
  • 1887: Verlie, 13; Myles, 11
  • 1888: Ebba, 18; Carlisle, Hughie & Orvel, 9
  • 1889: Garnett, 12; Doyle, 9
  • 1890: Verena, 11; Eduardo & Maggie, 10
  • 1891: Gayle, Idabelle & Zenia, 9; Sheridan, 14
  • 1892: Astrid, Dallas & Jennett, 9; Corbett, 23
  • 1893: Elmyra, 12; Estel, Mayo, Shelley & Thorwald, 8
  • 1894: Beatriz, Carola & Marrie, 9; Arvel, Erby & Floy, 8
  • 1895: Trilby, 12; Roosevelt, 12
  • 1896: Lotus, 11; Hazen, 11
  • 1897: Dewey, 13; Bryon, Frankie, Mario & Rhoda, 7
  • 1898: Manilla, 35; Hobson, 38
  • 1899: Ardis & Irva, 19; Haven, 9
  • 1900: Luciel, 14; Rosevelt, 20
  • 1901: Venita, 11; Eino, 9
  • 1902: Mercie, 10; Clarnce, 9
  • 1903: Estela, 11; Lenon & Porfirio, 7
  • 1904: Magdaline, 9; Adrain, Arbie, Betty, Desmond, Domenic, Duard, Raul & Severo, 8
  • 1905: Oliver, 9; Eliot & Tyree, 9
  • 1906: Nedra, 11; Domenico & Ryan, 10
  • 1907: Theta, 20; Taft, 16
  • 1908: Pasqualina, 10; Robley, 12
  • 1909: Wilmoth, 9; Randal & Vidal, 9
  • 1920: Dardanella, 23; Steele, 11
  • 1921: Marilynne, 13; Norberto, 14
  • 1922: Evelean, 14; Daren, 35
  • 1923: Nalda, 15; Clinard & Dorland, 9
  • 1924: Charis, 14; Melquiades, 13
  • 1925: Irmalee, 37; Wayburn, 11
  • 1926: Narice, 13; Bibb, 14
  • 1927: Sunya, 14; Bidwell, 14
  • 1928: Joreen, 22; Alfread & Brevard, 9
  • 1929: Jeannene, 25; Donnald, Edsol, Rhys & Wolfgang, 8

(From the SSA: “Note that many people born before 1937 never applied for a Social Security card, so their names are not included in our data.”)

  • 1990: Isamar, 446; Dajour, 26
  • 1991: Emilce, 30; Quayshaun, 93
  • 1992: Akeiba, 49; Devanta, 41
  • 1993: Rosangelica, 91; Deyonta, 37
  • 1994: Ajee, 185; Shyheim, 168
  • 1995: Yamilex, 130; Alize, 30
  • 1996: Moesha, 426; Quindon, 67
  • 1997: Erykah, 279; Cross, 43
  • 1998: Naidelyn, 78; Zyshonne, 26
  • 1999: Verania, 62; Cauy, 32
  • 2000: Kelis, 108; Rithik, 22
  • 2001: Yaire, 184; Jahiem, 155
  • 2002: Kaydence, 70; Omarian, 31
  • 2003: Trenyce, 88; Pharrell, 67
  • 2004: Eshal, 38; Jkwon, 100
  • 2005: Yarisbel, 30; Jayceon, 48
  • 2006: Lizania, 35; Balian, 24
  • 2007: Leilene, 81; Yurem, 206
  • 2008: Aideliz, 91; Yosgart, 72
  • 2009: Greidys, 186; Jeremih, 87

I’ve already written about some of the names above, and I plan to write about all the others as well…eventually. In the meanwhile, if you want to beat me to it and leave a comment about why Maverick hit in 1957, or why Moesha hit in 1996, feel free!

Source: U.S. SSA

Image: Adapted from LotusBud0048a (public domain) by Frank “Fg2” Gualtieri

Baby girl named after 25 heavyweight boxers

To the kids at school, she’ll be Autumn Brown.

But her full name is: Autumn Sullivan Corbett Fitzsimmons Jeffries Hart Burns Johnson Willard Dempsey Tunney Schmeling Sharkey Carnera Baer Braddock Louis Charles Walcott Marciano Patterson Johansson Liston Clay Frazier Foreman Brown.

Autumn was born about 6 weeks ago in Wolverhampton, England. Her boxing-obsessed maternal grandparents gave their three children a total of 103 boxer names, and Autumn’s mother Maria (who wasn’t able to remember her own full name until the age of 10) decided to keep the tradition alive.

Autumn’s middle names are the surnames of 25 world heavyweight boxing champions, beginning with John L. Sullivan and ending with George Foreman (and including Ezzard Charles).

Source: Autumn’s a real knockout! Express & Star 22 June 2007.

Where did the baby name Ezzard come from in 1949?

Boxer Ezzard Charles (1921-1975)
Ezzard Charles

A few days ago, while doing some research, I came across a really intriguing name: Ezzard. It belonged to professional boxer Ezzard Charles, who became Heavyweight Champion in 1949 and retained the title until 1951.

The name Ezzard was among the 1,000 most popular U.S. baby names right around the time — and only around the time — Ezzard Charles was champ:

  • 1953: 37 baby boys named Ezzard
  • 1952: 54 baby boys named Ezzard [ranked 975th]
  • 1951: 85 baby boys named Ezzard [ranked 760th]
  • 1950: 63 baby boys named Ezzard [ranked 866th]
  • 1949: 21 baby boys named Ezzard [debut]
  • 1948: unlisted
  • 1947: unlisted

Here’s a visual:

Graph of the usage of the baby name Ezzard in the U.S. since 1880
Usage of the baby name Ezzard

Where did his name come from? My best guess here is that Ezzard Charles, who was born in Georgia, was named in honor of William Ezzard (1799-1887), who served 4 terms as the mayor of Atlanta in the 1800s.

As several commenters have noted, Charles was actually named after Dr. W. P. Ezzard — the Lawrenceville, Georgia, doctor who delivered him in 1921. In fact, here’s a 1949 photo of the boxer and the doctor together:

Boxer Ezzard Charles and Dr. W. P. Ezzard (1949)
Ezzard Charles and Dr. W. P. Ezzard

The surname Ezzard is a variant of the English surname Izzard, which can be traced back (via the Middle English/Old French female personal names Iseld, Iseut, Isaut, Isolde, and Isoud) to the Old Cornish personal name Eselt, meaning “looked up to, admired.” The usage of Eselt in post-Conquest England can be attributed to the legend of Tristan and Isolde, “Cornish versions of which gained huge popularity in medieval Europe through romantic retellings by German, French, and Anglo-Norman writers.”

Have you ever met a person with the first name Ezzard?

P.S. Ezzard Charles was raised in Cincinnati, which now hosts an annual “Ezz Fest” in his honor.

Sources:

Image: © 1949 Atlanta Constitution

[Latest update: 9/2022]