How popular is the baby name King 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 King.

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Popularity of the baby name King


Posts that mention the name King

Popular and unique baby names in Iowa, 2019

Flag of Iowa
Flag of Iowa

According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, the most popular baby names in the state in 2019 were Charlotte and Oliver.

Here are Iowa’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2019:

Girl Names

  1. Charlotte, 179 baby girls
  2. Emma, 174
  3. Evelyn, 156
  4. Harper, 154
  5. Olivia, 134
  6. Amelia, 129
  7. Ava, 127
  8. Avery, 98
  9. Nora, 96
  10. Violet, 94

Boy Names

  1. Oliver, 236 baby boys
  2. Henry, 189
  3. Liam, 188
  4. William, 154
  5. Lincoln, 141
  6. Noah, 138
  7. Owen, 136
  8. Jack, 127
  9. Jackson, 124
  10. Maverick, 116

In the girls’ top 10, Avery and Violet replaced Sophia and Isabella.

In the boys’ top 10, Jack and Maverick replaced Wyatt and Hudson.

(The SSA’s 2019 name data for Iowa is different in several ways. On the girls’ side, Avery/Hazel/Nora are in a 3-way tie for 8th/9th/10th. On the boys’ side, Henry and Liam have switched spots, and Theodore is in 10th.)

Getting back to Iowa’s own data, here are some of the baby names that were bestowed just once in the state in 2019:

Unique Girl NamesUnique Boy Names
Aglaia, Aoibhgreine, Belvida, Cinqi, Corazone, Coyla, Dazzilynn, Demi-Dimitria, Eclipse, Eileithyia, Eilish, Ellanoire, Fetra, Garnet, Hattilyn, Hexli, Indica, Jasecret, Jotaniel, Kaelyx, Katibeth, Kisra Sifa, Lagertha, Lilith-Xitlali, Likely, Marthadelina, Mervedie, Nancina, Nectar, Offranel, Orinthia, Oteena, Penaflor, Piercely, Quertina, Renzley, Rivauna, Semsem, Sevlea, Spinlee, Telphina, Teiola, Tuyetlan, Umutoni, Victoria Chrysolite, Vrutti, Webbigail, Xio, Yukiko, Zingtha, ZlanwaiAmenadiel, Artorias, Bement, Capable, Chripp, Danger, Dawkins, Dylan Hendrix, Eiji, Elandale, Eljadai, Fitzonder, Grain, Guster, Hamilton, Hiroyuki, Iron, Jorisson, Judahmiah, Kaladin, Kershaw, Khal-El, Khepri, Lawt, Littoree, Millennial, Meek, Naphaterion, Nessiah, Ole Gunnar, OllieAndre, Paradox, Provider, Quadier, Ralthio, Rezric, Roanoke, Salpine, Seven-Seville, Stoic, Tandon, Triomphe, Truxton King, Uciel, Vainqueur, Vennis, Windzton, Xiden, Yossarian, Zimajay, Zuice

Thoughts on some of the above…

  • Amenadiel – a character on the show Lucifer
  • Aoibhgreine – Irish for “radiance of the sun, ray of sunshine”
  • Artorias – a character in the video game Dark Souls
  • Eileithyia – the Greek goddess of childbirth
  • Indica – a type of cannabis
  • Kaladin – a character from the book series Stormlight Archive
  • Khal-El – looks like Kal-El with a Game of Thrones twist :)
  • Penaflor – a place name (Peñaflor) used in both Spain and Chile
  • Roanoke – the Lost Colony; the word ultimately comes from the Roanoke people
  • Triomphe – French for “triumph”
  • Truxton King – a character from the 1909 book Truxton King
  • Vainqueur – French for “winner” (was also used in Quebec!)
  • Victoria Chrysolite – “chrysolite” is another word for peridot
  • Yossarian – a character in the book Catch-22

Finally, in 2018, the top two names in Iowa were Evelyn and Oliver.

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Flag of Iowa (public domain)

Pop culture baby name game, 2020

Happy birthday, Elvis!

It’s hard to put into words just how bizarre 2020 was.

Despite this…people still had babies in 2020, and people still paid attention to pop culture in 2020. (In fact, thanks to quarantine, many people probably paid a lot more attention to pop culture than usual last year.) So, let’s put the seriousness of 2020 aside for a second and kick off the annual Pop Culture Baby Name Game!

Of course, “pop culture” includes not just things like movies and music and social media, but also anything that was in the news — including COVID-19, Black Lives Matter, and the U.S. presidential election.

Which baby names will see higher usage — or appear for the very first time — in the 2020 SSA baby name data thanks to pop culture?

Here are some initial ideas (plus some context):

  • Aalam, DJ Khaled’s baby
  • Ahmaud, shooting of Ahmaud Arbery
  • Amala, Doja Cat album
  • Azula, character from Avatar: The Last Airbender (made available on Netflix in mid-2020)
  • Breonna, shooting of Breonna Taylor
  • Bryant, death of Kobe Bryant
  • Casme, contestant on season 19 of The Voice
  • Catori, Chris Brown’s baby (suggested by alex)
  • Chadwick, death of Chadwick Boseman
  • Charli, singer Charli XCX
  • Corona, coronavirus
    • Not to mention the brand new Daddy Yankee song “Corona” [vid]…
  • Crozier, naval captain Brett Crozier (suggested by elbowin)
  • Daisy, Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom’s baby
  • Desz, contestant on season 19 of The Voice
  • Doja, singer Doja Cat
  • Domhnall, Irish actor on (canceled) HBO series Run
  • Dua, singer Dua Lipa
  • Esty, character on the Netflix miniseries Unorthodox
  • George, killing of George Floyd
  • Gianna, death of Gianna Bryant
  • Greta, Swedish activist Greta Thunberg
  • Isaias, hurricane
  • Jack, death of Chrissy Teigen and John Legend’s unborn baby
  • Kamala, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris
  • Kamiyah, character in the Lifetime movie Stolen by My Mother: The Kamiyah Mobley Story*
  • Kaori, Kevin Hart’s baby
  • Katara, character from Avatar: The Last Airbender
  • Kobe, death of Kobe Bryant
  • Kraken, NHL expansion team (Seattle)
  • Larriah, contestant on season 19 of The Voice
  • Laura, hurricane
  • Lenin, Starbucks barista Lenin Gutierrez (suggested by elbowin)
  • Liberty, Meghan McCain’s baby
  • Lovella, singer Matt Bellamy’s baby
  • Lynika, death of Lynika Strozier (suggested by elbowin)
  • Lyra, Ed Sheeran’s baby
  • McGivney, beatification of Fr. Michael McGivney
  • Neowise, comet (suggested by elbowin)
  • Onyx, Iggy Azalea’s baby
  • Raddix, Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden’s baby
  • Rayshard, shooting of Rayshard Brooks
  • River, Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara’s baby
  • Robinette, President-elect Joseph Robinette Biden (suggested by elbowin)
  • Rona, coronavirus
  • Rue, Teyana Taylor and Iman Shumpert’s baby
  • Rumble, model Lucky Blue Smith’s baby
  • Ruth, death of RBG
  • Sovereign, Usher’s baby
  • Tchalla, death of Chadwick Boseman (who played T’Challa in 2018’s Black Panther)
  • Wenliang, Chinese doctor Li Wenliang (suggested by elbowin)
  • Willa, Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner’s baby
  • Win, Ciara and Russell Wilson’s baby
  • Yara, actress Yara Shahidi
  • Zuko, character from Avatar: The Last Airbender

Some of the names from the 2019 game could be applicable to the 2020 data as well.

Also, feel free to zoom out and consider name trends this year. Here are a few ways in which baby-naming may have been influenced by our collective experience of COVID-19, for instance:

  • “In my opinion this unprecedented situation will affect naming towards something “bolder” or “more badass” baby names and so you’ll probably see a spike of certain names like King, Major or Royal.” (Gheba)
  • “I’d bet on the rise of virtue names, or at least modern version of virtue names, like Brave/Bravery, Courage, Honor, etc. And I’d say names like Legend, Messiah, Legacy, Major, King, will probably rise some more too.” (Skizzo)
  • “I think it will also affect which media influence names this year. Eg we’ll miss out on names inspired by Olympic athletes, but might see even more from Netflix and YouTube.” (Clare)

What other names (or name trends) should we add to the list? Let me know by leaving a comment below. Just remember to make a note of the pop culture influence!

I’ll post the results as soon as I can after the SSA releases the 2020 data (in May of 2021, hopefully).

*Did you know that the actress who played Kamiyah in that Lifetime movie is named Rayven Symone Ferrell? Certainly a nod to Raven-Symoné…

Babies named for famous kings

king solomon image

A few months ago, I got an email from a reader who’d spotted an obituary for a man named “King David.” Even more intriguing, King David’s father’s name was “King Solomon.” The reader wondered what other famous kings had inspired similar first/middle name combinations.

Historical records reveal that, long before the name King became trendy in the 2000s, hundreds (perhaps thousands?) of people in America were given the first name “King.”

While most that I saw had middle names that didn’t create a special pairing (e.g., King Clyde, King Terry), a good number did have middle names that — whether intentionally or not — turned the pairing into the name of some historical, biblical, or legendary king.

Here are some of the pairings I spotted, plus links to a few examples:

King Alfred
King Arthur
King Asa
King Charles
King Edward
King Frederick
King George
King Henry		King Hezekiah
King James
King Josiah
King Louis
King Olaf
King Oscar
King Richard
King Saul

Several of these (Kingarthur, Kingcharles, Kingdavid, Kingjames, Kingjosiah, and Kingsolomon) also appear as compound names in the SSA data.

Do like the recent King-as-a-first-name trend? Why or why not?

Numerology: Baby names with a value of 5

Baby names with a numerological value of 5

If you’re on the hunt for baby names with a numerological value of 5, you’re in luck! Because today’s post features hundreds of 5-names.

Before we get to the names, though — how do we know that they’re “fives” 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 Peyton correspond to the numbers 16, 5, 25, 20, 15, and 14. The sum of these numbers is 95. The digits of 95 added together equal 14, and the digits of 14 added together equal 5 — the numerological value of Peyton.

Baby names with a value of 5

Below you’ll find the most popular 5-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.

5 via 14

The letters in the following baby names add up to 14, which reduces to five (1+4=5).

Girl names (5 via 14)Boy names (5 via 14)
Ida, Adah, Caia, Dia, BeccaAhad, Adi, Dj, Kc, Jac

5 via 23

The letters in the following baby names add up to 23, which reduces to five (2+3=5).

Girl names (5 via 23)Boy names (5 via 23)
Mia, Alia, Aila, Adela, Cara, Addie, Laia, Edie, Jaci, AmiCaleb, Coda, Acen, Iam, Adem

5 via 32

The letters in the following baby names add up to 32, which reduces to five (3+2=5).

Girl names (5 via 32)Boy names (5 via 32)
Emma, Bella, Sage, Lena, Eve, Rhea, Lara, Veda, Giana, Avah, Amiah, Ciara, Danica, Adalie, Lane, Iva, Elif, Aadya, Alaiah, Gigi, Adelia, Aleida, Adaya, Avi, Hera, AileeLeo, Lane, Sage, Reed, Avi, Jakai, Dash, Leif, Aldo, Cecil, Neal, Eder, Nael, Elan, Caine, Dave, Ram, Caeden, Alen

5 via 41

The letters in the following baby names add up to 41, which reduces to five (4+1=5).

Girl names (5 via 41)Boy names (5 via 41)
Amelia, Abigail, Isla, Amaya, Evie, Adelaide, Dream, Saige, Mira, Anya, Indie, Naya, Jayda, Elina, Lisa, Aura, Elani, Laine, Mari, Reem, Irie, Eiza, Madden, Ailen, Yana, Lanie, Maelee, Khali, Zaida, Rahma, Irma, Joana, Lacy, Maleia, Dalani, LeighAmir, King, Nico, Elian, Alijah, Clay, Madden, Duke, Ayan, Kye, Elio, Jadiel, Kabir, Kanan, Kalel, Jabari, Slade, Rami, Arham, Dov, Zack, Makoa, Draco, Haiden, Khaled, Joao, Lex, Dream, Isaak, Jamel, Saige, Banx, Pax, Laine, Geno, Eider, Kasai, Sakai, Omega, Anay, Rick, Gauge, Kofi, Abdallah

5 via 50

The letters in the following baby names add up to 50, which reduces to five (5+0=5).

Girl names (5 via 50)Boy names (5 via 50)
Sofia, Adeline, Lyla, June, Elsie, Elise, Kayla, Haven, Mariah, Fatima, Malani, Lexi, Salem, Joy, Amirah, Eileen, Ezra, Elodie, Milana, Annika, Drew, Baylee, Amiri, Kallie, Rebekah, Inaya, Libby, Rubi, Aniya, Alisha, Kaycee, Emeri, Lucie, Adilene, Anayah, Avaya, Clarke, Kianna, Ally, Delanie, Ever, Aavya, Jireh, Misha, Janet, Iyana, Emrie, Malina, Sabine, America, Azalia, Merida, Jalaya, Myka, Raeya, Darby, Selma, Zoha, Eliani, Mahira, Auria, IlariaEzra, Colt, Paul, Brady, Marco, Frank, Amiri, Drew, Kasen, Zain, Anakin, Donald, Salem, Jakari, Landen, Jedidiah, Calum, Veer, Jireh, Laith, Izan, Keenan, Ever, Raheem, Demari, Derick, Haven, Ivar, Ravi, Mikel, Kent, Olin, Baron, Lars, Makaio, Ahmari, Kru, Arlen, Zian, Hiro, Davin, Eldon, Natan, Jhacari, June, Lino, Zaden, Roel, Darsh, Edrick, Kaycee, Deven, Iroh, Nilan, Imari, Kaimana, Lejend, Lion, Mycah

5 via 59

The letters in the following baby names add up to 59, which reduces to five (5+9=14; 1+4=5).

Girl names (5 via 59)Boy names (5 via 59)
Melanie, Kaylee, Brianna, Kendall, Briella, Makenna, Mylah, Renata, Bonnie, Janelle, Lillie, Rayna, Carly, Joelle, Laylah, Luz, Tru, Viola, Giulia, Kamora, Mariela, Ayesha, Kamilla, Laramie, Noella, Jayden, Milania, Kalayah, Leticia, Marlo, Mileena, Bryn, Darlene, Tianna, Akshara, Aminata, Caliyah, Joanne, Renlee, Tayla, Nihira, Haislee, Astra, Miliana, Junie, Zaniah, Anaiyah, MabryJayden, Jason, Ismael, Bowen, Zaiden, Zaire, Jonas, Mohamed, Rayan, Tru, Idris, Bjorn, Misael, Aryan, Kellen, Mccoy, Kaisen, Jaxx, Kendall, Zabdiel, Jahmir, Sekani, Kaycen, Brent, Ripp, Hansel, Fynn, Leander, Ragnar, Izhaan, Kyden, Marlo, Ramir, Paolo, Brandt, Tiger, Baylen, Niles, Oziah, Gareth, Qasim, Rook, Herman, Mazen, Blayne, Dontae, Mikko

5 via 68

The letters in the following baby names add up to 68, which reduces to five (6+8=14; 1+4=5).

Girl names (5 via 68)Boy names (5 via 68)
Olivia, Sophia, Valeria, Blakely, Morgan, Juliana, Cataleya, Izabella, Madeleine, Oakleigh, Ellianna, Skyla, Kamiyah, Denver, Teresa, Kaydence, Janiyah, Mattie, Nairobi, Harleigh, Braylee, Evelina, Marlene, Jenny, Stacy, Nelly, Kaelyn, Alaysia, Audrina, Dolly, Nour, Zamira, Samiya, Kyrie, Lavinia, Amour, Kaylen, Caitlin, Siobhan, Shayna, Makiyah, Gracyn, Imogene, Alyanna, Taylee, Keiry, Dhriti, Lyrica, Gladys, Kamdyn, Amity, Layken, SitaraBenjamin, Carlos, Brandon, Kyrie, Zander, Cruz, Eduardo, Ricardo, Killian, Denver, Lewis, Morgan, Mohammad, Gerardo, Trey, Tomas, Derrick, Wayne, Rudy, Jericho, Brennan, Gianluca, Kamdyn, Nazir, Eleazar, Zamari, Barron, Finneas, Mauro, Levon, Natanael, Aarush, Karsen, Gionni, Yasin, Bryer, Lloyd, Mordecai, Ervin, Usman, Ayansh, Valor, Shalom, Colsen, Hoyt, Shayan, Lemuel, Fischer, Yerik, Ziaire, Avett, Yanis, Mamadou, Riyaan, Zekiel, Arius, Zayaan, Jyaire, Kaydence, Kaylen, Helios, Bowman, Cassiel, Nicolo, Taron, Bradford

5 via 77

The letters in the following baby names add up to 77, which reduces to five (7+7=14; 1+4=5).

Girl names (5 via 77)Boy names (5 via 77)
Caroline, Vivian, Samantha, Molly, Harlow, Alyssa, Juliet, Kelsey, Coraline, Louisa, Braelyn, Patricia, Kyleigh, Ellery, Saniyah, Keilany, Georgiana, Ashton, Keylani, Glory, Skylee, Sunni, Lluvia, Mirabelle, Linley, Taelyn, Nayomi, Yeimy, Hazley, Tasneem, Lilibeth, Evette, Hayzel, Berkleigh, Ysabella, JaylanieJameson, Ashton, Ryker, Kenneth, Fernando, Kameron, Braylen, Scott, Marvin, Fletcher, Cayson, Merrick, Trent, Tzvi, Kolten, Harlow, Jenson, Giovani, Bernardo, Taylen, Jaylon, Mavrick, Corbyn, Domingo, Konner, Virgil, Brantlee, Kyrin, Syaire, Braelyn, Sheldon, Jayven, Kerry, Dewayne, Kylon, Kelton, Zavien, Marty

5 via 86

The letters in the following baby names add up to 86, which reduces to five (8+6=14; 1+4=5).

Girl names (5 via 86)Boy names (5 via 86)
Skylar, Jordyn, Mckenzie, Theodora, Hunter, Saoirse, Paisleigh, Ellison, Elouise, Alyson, Bryleigh, Yasmine, Hollyn, Izzy, Yarely, Julianne, Haizley, Kailynn, Prudence, Maryann, Lillyana, Dawsyn, Esmeray, DorotheaSantiago, Hunter, Arthur, Cyrus, Johnny, Rodrigo, Tommy, Kolson, Terry, Skylar, Jordyn, Westen, Ellison, Keylor, Estevan, Maynor, Patton, Jamarcus, Percival, Zachery, Zyler, Maxson, Sabastian, Johannes, Ronny, Alastor

5 via 95

The letters in the following baby names add up to 95, which reduces to five (9+5=14; 1+4=5).

Girl names (5 via 95)Boy names (5 via 95)
Kinsley, Peyton, Kimberly, Bristol, Promise, Rowyn, Joslyn, Empress, Estefany, Brynnlee, Yvonne, Blossom, Rosario, Everett, Souline, Annalynn, Brixley, RaylynEverett, Gregory, Peyton, Huxley, Wesson, Viktor, Hussein, Summit, Abdulrahman, Rowyn, Yousif, Sirius, Brayton, Johnson, Whitaker

5 via 104

The letters in the following baby names add up to 104, which reduces to five (1+0+4=5).

Girl names (5 via 104)Boy names (5 via 104)
Yaretzi, Tinsley, Rosalyn, Whitney, Sterling, Violetta, Emmylou, JesslynSterling, Truett, Marcellus, Quintin, Braxtyn, Michelangelo

5 via 113

The letters in the following baby names add up to 113, which reduces to five (1+1+3=5).

Girl names (5 via 113)Boy names (5 via 113)
Primrose, Brittney, Tziporah, Constanza, SumayyahSalvatore, Woodrow, Cristofer, Alexandros, Bryston

5 via 122

The letters in the following baby names add up to 122, which reduces to five (1+2+2=5).

Girl names (5 via 122)Boy names (5 via 122)
Roselynn, Scotlynn, Krislynn, Rosslyn, ZerenityRighteous, Stetsyn, Dimitrius, Chukwuemeka, Houstyn

5 via 131

The letters in the following baby names add up to 131, which reduces to five (1+3+1=5).

Girl names (5 via 131)Boy names (5 via 131)
Brookelynn, Monserrath, Brooklynne, Temiloluwa, ImisioluwaCristopher, Wellington, Roosevelt, Maximillion, Hutchinson

Number 5: Significance and associations

What does the number five mean in numerology?

There’s no definitive answer, unfortunately, because various numerological systems exist, and each one has its own interpretation of the number five. That said, if we look at a couple of modern numerology/astrology websites, we see 5 being described as “freedom-loving,” “dynamic,” “adaptable,” “curious,” and “unpredictable.”

We can also look at associations, which are a bit more concrete. Here are some things that are associated with the number 5:

  • Fingers
    • High-five (hand gesture)
  • Toes
  • Senses (sight, smell, touch, taste, hearing)
  • Tastes (sweet, salty, sour, bitter, umami)
  • Starfish (most starfish have 5 arms)
  • Basketball (5 players per side)
  • Olympic Games (symbolized by 5 interlocked rings)
  • Greek classical elements (water, earth, air, fire, aether)
    • Quintessence (refers to the fifth element, aether, which was a late addition to the list)
  • Chinese traditional elements (water, fire, earth, wood, metal)

What does the number 5 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, six, seven, eight, and nine.

Sources: SSA, Numerology – Cafe Astrology, The meaning of the numbers 1 – 9 – World Numerology, 5 – Wikipedia

[Latest update: Jan. 2024]