How popular is the baby name Hoagy 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 Hoagy.

The graph will take a few moments to load. (Don't worry, it shouldn't take 9 months!) If it's taking too long, try reloading the page.


Popularity of the baby name Hoagy


Posts that mention the name Hoagy

What gave the baby name Jaheim a boost in 2001?

Jaheim's album "Ghetto Love" (2001)
Jaheim album

In 2000 — a few years after the emergence of Shyheim — the similar name Jaheim appeared for the first time in the U.S. baby name data:

  • 2003: 552 baby boys named Jaheim [rank: 456th]
  • 2002: 752 baby boys named Jaheim [rank: 356th] – peak usage
  • 2001: 554 baby boys named Jaheim [rank: 437th]
  • 2000: 10 baby boys named Jaheim
  • 1999: unlisted
  • 1998: unlisted

The next year, it saw a massive increase in usage — so big that Jaheim became the fastest-rising boy name of 2001. (The fastest-rising girl name of 2001, incidentally, was the notorious Nevaeh.)

Here’s a visual:

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

The sudden trendiness of Jaheim also gave a boost to several variant spellings, such as…

19992000200120022003
Jaheem59131182115
Jahiem..155*235196
Jyheim..9*77
Jahem..6*96
Jyheem..6*6.
Jahim..5*7.
Jaheam...5*5
Jyhiem...5*.
Jaiheem...5*.
Jaheen...5*.
*Debut

The variant spelling Jahiem debuted so impressively in 2001 that it now ranks as the 9th-highest boy name debut of all time.

So what influenced all these names?

New Jersey-born R&B singer Jaheim (pronounced jah-HEEM) Hoagland — known mononymously as Jaheim — who began releasing music in late 2000.

His first hit songs were “Could It Be,” which peaked at #26 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart in March of 2001, and “Anything,” which peaked at #28 in April of 2002.

Interestingly, Jaheim referred to himself as “Jah” in the titles of two of the interludes on his debut album, Ghetto Love (2001). This wasn’t enough to have any impact on the name Jah, though.

What are your thoughts on the name Jaheim? (How would you spell it?)

P.S. Jaheim’s grandfather was soul singer Victor Hoagland, who performed under the name “Hoagy Lands.” (Not to be confused with Hoagy Carmichael…)

Sources: Jaheim – Wikipedia, Jaheim – Billboard, Jaheim biography – AllMusic

How did Hoagy Carmichael get his name?

Composer Hoagland "Hoagy" Carmichael (1899-1981).
Hoagy Carmichael

No doubt you’ve heard of composer Hoagy Carmichael, who wrote the music for “Georgia on My Mind,” “Stardust,” “New Orleans,” “Lazy River,” and other classic pop/jazz songs.

But do you know where his distinctive name came from?

Hoagland Howard “Hoagy” Carmichael was born in Indiana in late 1899 to parents Howard Clyde and Lida Mary Carmichael. He had three sisters named Geogiana (nicknamed Georgia), Martha, and Joanne.

Wikipedia claims Hoagy was named for a circus troupe called “The Hoaglands,” but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

According to an autobiography, right around the time Hoagland was born “[t]here was a new railroad spur being built on the Monon line near Harrodsburg, and some of the surveyors were living in our neighborhood.” One of the railroad men, Harry Hoagland, was boarding with a relative.

Mother liked the unusual and had the imagination and the temperament of a poet, or a piano player. “Well, Hoagland sounds grand!” she said.

My father didn’t mind. “Sure, we can always use my name in the middle.”

Grandma Carmichael raised her hands in horror. “Lida, dear, please don’t name him Hoagland. They’ll nickname him Hoagy for sure. And besides, I like Taylor better.” [Taylor was Grandpa Carmichael’s name.]

Lida’s choice won, and the baby’s name became Hoagland Howard Carmichael.

His grandmother’s nickname prediction did come true, but not for a couple of decades: Hoagland didn’t start going by “Hoagy” until college.

Hoagy went on to marry a woman named Ruth. They had two sons, Hoagy Bix (born in 1938) and Randy Bob (born in 1940). Hoagy Bix’s middle name honors jazz cornetist Leon Bismark “Bix” Beiderbecke, who was a big influence on Hoagy, Sr.:

Hoagy heard a young white cornetist named Bix Beiderbecke and, “it threw my judgment out of kilter.” This was a sound like nothing he’d heard before and when Hoagy played an improvised tune for Bix, the strange young man with a magical horn said, “Whyn’t you write music, Hoagy?” The rest of his life was the answer to Bix’s question.

Randy Bob’s first name was inspired by movie actor Randolph Scott, but I’m not sure where his middle name came from.

What do you think of the name Hoagland? How about Hoagy?

Sources: