How popular is the baby name Lewis in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Find out using the graph below! Plus, see baby names similar to Lewis and check out all the blog posts that mention the name Lewis.

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Popularity of the Baby Name Lewis

Number of Babies Named Lewis

Born in the U.S. Since 1880

Posts that Mention the Name Lewis

Baby Names from Pullman Cars?

pullman car, train,Years ago I posted about Livonia, a baby both born on and named after a Pullman car. Recently I wondered: What other Pullman car names would have made good baby names?

So I downloaded a big spreadsheet of over 12,000 Pullman car names from The Pullman Project and was slightly surprised to see that thousands of them could have been baby names, if we allow for the splitting of compound car names (like Fort Miley, Glen Norman, Meredith College, and West Willow).

Here are a handful of examples. On the left are relatively common/familiar names, and on the right are some unexpected choices.

Alana, Archer, Arnold Adriatha, Arundel, Arvonia
Baxter, Becket, Bradley Bantry, Bellonia, Besco
Calvin, Catalina, Clyde Cadesia, Clarnie, Clymer
Dana, Deborah, Dwight Darlow, Dathema, Dodona
Edith, Eileen, Elmo Edminster, Emalinda, Etherley
Finley, Flavia, Floyd Fithian, Flaxton, Florilla
Gary, Georgette, Grayson Gavarnie, Gilia, Gloxinia
Harper, Harriet, Hector Harista, Humela, Hythe
Iona, Isabella, Ivan Irvona, Isleta, Ixion
Jessica, Jordan, Julia Jacelia, Jathniel, Justitia
Kara, Keith, Kenneth Keinath, Kenia, Kittson
Laurel, Lewis, Linden Lauveta, Leolyn, Lysander
Madison, Marco, Maude Mardonia, Mayence, Morganza
Nicola, Noel, Nora Narinda, Nasby, Norlina
Olivia, Omar, Otis Oaklyn, Olanda, Oxus
Parker, Perry, Philippa Penlyn, Pipila, Pixley
Quincy Quarren
Rebecca, Riley, Ronald Rexis, Risley, Ruxton
Sarah, Scott, Susanne Salphrona, Sarver, Sibley
Thora, Tracy, Tyler Tascott, Tilden, Tisonia
Vanessa, Vernon, Victoria Varick, Vinora, Vivita
Wesley, Wilson, Wren Welby, Wescott, Wexford

Which of the names above do you like best?


Popular Baby Names in Scotland, 2016

According to provisional data released yesterday by National Records of Scotland (NRS), the most popular baby names in the country in 2016 were Olivia and Jack.

Here are Scotland’s projected top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2016:

Girl Names
1. Olivia, 492 baby girls
2. Emily, 490
3. Sophie, 392
4. Isla, 367
5. Ava, 343
6. Amelia, 323
7. Jessica, 294
8. Ella, 268
9. Lucy, 264
10. Charlotte, 250

Boy Names
1. Jack, 465 baby boys
2. James, 402
3. Oliver, 368
4. Lewis, 301
5. Logan, 288
6. Harry, 284
7. Noah, 283
8. Leo, 282
9. Charlie, 280
10. Alexander, 279

On the girls’ list, Olivia replaces Emily as the #1 name and Charlotte knocks Lily out of the top 10.

On the boys’ list, Jack retains the top spot and Harry, Noah, and Leo take the place of Lucas, Harris and Daniel in the top 10.

But this data only covers the first eleven months (or so) of the year; the finalized data will be out in mid-March. (Here’s the finalized data for 2015.)

Finally, have you ever wanted to see a list of Scottish island names that have been used as baby names (pdf)? The NRS has got you covered! Their clever infographic mentions Arran, Coll, Eriskay (which reminds me of Easkey), Gigha, Harris, Iona, Islay (pronounced EYE‑lah), Jura, Kerrera, Lewis, Skye, Tiree, and Uist (pronounced YOU‑ist).

baby name, island name, scotland, islay, isla
Popularity of the name Islay in Scotland

Which island name do you like best for a human baby?

Sources: Olivia and Jack are Scotland’s top baby names, Top Scottish baby names for 2016 revealed

217 Saintly Surnames – Bosco, Neri, Sheen, Talbot…

saintly-surnames

Looking for a surname-inspired baby name with a connection to Catholicism?

Here are more than 200 options, most of which come from Catholic Englishmen martyred during the 16th and 17th centuries.

Because the goal was to include as many realistic baby names as possible, I interpreted “surname” and “saint” liberally in some cases. Xavier is not technically a surname, for instance, and many of the folks below are not yet full-fledged saints.

The hyperlinked names will take you to popularity graphs.

  1. Abel, for Bl. Thomas Abel (d. 1540) of England.
  2. Abbot, for Bl. Henry Abbot (d. 1597) of England.
  3. Albert, for Bl. Federico Albert (d. 1876) of Italy.
  4. Almond, for St. John Almond (d. 1612) of England.
  5. Amias, for Bl. John Amias (d. 1589) of England.
  6. Ancina, for Bl. John Juvenal Ancina (d. 1604) of Italy.
  7. Andleby, for Bl. William Andleby (d. 1597) of England.
  8. Aquinas, for St. Thomas Aquinas (d. 1274) of Italy.
  9. Arrowsmith, for St. Edmund Arrowsmith (d. 1628) of England.
  10. Ashley, for Bl. Ralph Ashley (d. 1606) of England.
  11. Ashton, for Ven. Roger Ashton (d. 1592) of England.
  12. Atkinson, for Bl. Thomas Atkinson (d. 1616) of England.
  13. Aufield, for Bl. Thomas Aufield (d. 1585) of England.
  14. Barlow, for St. Ambrose Barlow (d. 1641) of England.
  15. Baylon, for St. Paschal Baylon (d. 1592) of Spain.
  16. Becket, from St. Thomas Becket (d. 1170) of England.
  17. Beesley, for Bl. George Beesley (d. 1591) of England.
  18. Belson, for Bl. Thomas Belson (d. 1589) of England.
  19. Bertie, for Servant of God Andrew Bertie (d. 2008) of England/Malta.
  20. Bertrand, for St. Louis Bertrand (d. 1581) of Spain/South America.
  21. Bessette, for St. André Bessette (d. 1937) of Canada.
  22. Bonzel, for Bl. Maria Theresia Bonzel (d. 1905) of Germany.
  23. Bosco, for St. John Bosco (d. 1888) of Italy.
  24. Bosgrave, for Bl. Thomas Bosgrave (d. 1594) of England.
  25. Bowes, for Bl. Marmaduke Bowes (d. 1585) of England.
  26. Briant, for St. Alexander Briant (d. 1581) of England.
  27. Britton, for Bl. John Britton (d. 1598) of England.
  28. Buxton, for Bl. Christopher Buxton (d. 1588) of England.
  29. Cabrini, for St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (d. 1917) of Italy/U.S.
  30. Campion, for St. Edmund Campion (d. 1581) of England.
  31. Carey, for Bl. John Carey (d. 1594) of England.
  32. Carter, for Bl. William Carter (b. 1584) of England.
  33. Casey, for Ven. Solanus Casey (d. 1957) of the U.S. (His religious name “Solanus” comes from St. Francis Solanus, below.)
  34. Cassant, for Bl. Pierre-Joseph Cassant (d. 1903) of France.
  35. Catherick, for Bl. Edmund Catherick (d. 1642) of England.
  36. Chanel, for St. Peter Chanel (d. 1841) of France.
  37. Claver, for St. Peter Claver (d. 1654) of Spain.
  38. Claxton, for Bl. James Claxton (d. 1588) of England.
  39. Collins, for Bl. Dominic Collins (d. 1602) of Ireland.
  40. Cope, for St. Marianne Cope (d. 1918) of Germany/U.S.
  41. Corbie, for Ven. Ralph Corbie (d. 1644) of Ireland.
  42. Cornelius, for Bl. John Cornelius (d. 1594) of England.
  43. Dalby, for Bl. Robert Dalby (d. 1589) of England.
  44. Daniel, for St. Antoine Daniel (d. 1648) of France/Canada.
  45. David, for Bl. Vicente Vilar David (1937) of Spain or Bl. Toros Oghlou David (d. 1895) of Armenia
  46. Davy, for Bl. John Davy (d. 1537) of England or Bl. Charlotte Davy (d. 1794) of France.
  47. Dean, for Bl. William Dean (d. 1588) of England.
  48. Dorie, for Bl. Pierre Henri Dorie (d. 1866) of France.
  49. Douglas, for Bl. George Douglas (d. 1587) of Scotland.
  50. Drexel, for St. Katharine Drexel (d. 1955) of the U.S.
  51. Drury, for Bl. Robert Drury (d. 1607) of England.
  52. Duff, for Servant of God Frank Duff (d. 1980) of Ireland.
  53. Duke, for Bl. Edmund Duke (d. 1590) of England.
  54. Durando, for Bl. Marco Antonio Durando (d. 1880) of Italy.
  55. Dutton, for Servant of God Joseph Dutton (d. 1931) of the U.S.
  56. Ebner, for Bl. Margareta Ebner (d. 1351) of Germany.
  57. Emmerich, for Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich (d. 1824) of Germany.
  58. Errico, for St. Gaetano Errico (d. 1860) of Italy.
  59. Errington, for Bl. George Errington (d. 1596) of England.
  60. Evans, for St. Philip Evans (d. 1679) of Wales.
  61. Faber, for St. Peter Faber (d. 1546) of France.
  62. Falzon, for Bl. Nazju Falzon (d. 1865) of Malta.
  63. Farina, for St. Giovanni Antonio Farina (d. 1888) of Italy.
  64. Fasani, for St. Francis Anthony Fasani (d. 1742) of Italy.
  65. Felton, for Bl. John Felton (d. 1570) in England.
  66. Fenn, for Bl. James Fenn (d. 1584) in England.
  67. Fenwick, for Bl. John Fenwick (d. 1679) of England.
  68. Ferrari, for Bl. Andrea Carlo Ferrari (d. 1921) of Italy.
  69. Ferrer, for St. Vincent Ferrer (d. 1419) of Spain.
  70. Filby, for Bl. William Filby (d. 1582) of England.
  71. Frassati, for Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati (d. 1925) of Italy.
  72. Fulthrop, for Bl. Edward Fulthrop (d. 1597) of England.
  73. Finch, for Bl. John Finch (d. 1584) of England.
  74. Fisher, for Bl. John Fisher (d. 1535) of England.
  75. Foley, for Servant of God Theodore Foley (d. 1974) of the U.S.
  76. Fontaine, for Bl. Marie-Madeleine Fontaine (d. 1794) of France.
  77. Forest, for Bl. John Forest (d. 1538) of England.
  78. Garnet, for St. Thomas Garnet (d. 1608) of England.
  79. Gavan, for Bl. John Gavan (d. 1679) of England.
  80. Gennings, for St. Edmund Gennings (d. 1591) of England.
  81. Gerard, for Bl. Jeanne Gerard (d. 1794) of France or Bl. Joseph Gérard, (d. 1914) of France/South Africa.
  82. Gerosa, for St. Vincentia Gerosa (d. 1847) of Italy.
  83. Gervase, for Bl. George Gervase (d. 1608) of England.
  84. Gibson, for Bl. William Gibson (d. 1596) of England.
  85. Goretti, for St. Maria Goretti (d. 1902) of Italy.
  86. Grove, for Bl. John Grove (d. 1679) of England.
  87. Gwyn, for St. Richard Gwyn (d. 1584) of Wales.
  88. Harrington, for Bl. William Harrington (d. 1594) of England.
  89. Heath, for Bl. Henry Heath (d. 1643) of England.
  90. Hewitt, for Bl. John Hewitt (d. 1588) of England.
  91. Higgins, for Bl. Peter Higgins (d. 1642) of Irish.
  92. Houghton, for St. John Houghton (d. 1535) of England.
  93. Howard, for St. Philip Howard (d. 1595) of England or for his grandson, Bl. William Howard (d. 1680) of England.
  94. Humphrey, for St. Lawrence Humphrey (d. 1590) of England.
  95. Hunt, for Bl. Thurston Hunt (d. 1601) of England.
  96. Ingleby, for Bl. Francis Ingleby (d. 1586) of England.
  97. Ingram, for Ven. John Ingram (d. 1594) of England.
  98. Janssen, for St. Arnold Janssen (d. 1909) of Germany.
  99. Kemble, for St. John Kemble (d. 1679) of England.
  100. Kern, for Bl. Jakob Kern (d. 1924) of Austria.
  101. Kirby, for St. Luke Kirby (d. 1582) of England.
  102. Kolbe, for St. Maximilian Kolbe (d. 1941) of Poland.
  103. Konrad, for Bl. Nicholas Konrad (d. 1941) of Ukraine.
  104. Lakota, for Bl. Gregor Lakota (d. 1950) of Ukraine.
  105. Langley, for Bl. Richard Langley (d. 1586) of England.
  106. Lanteri, for Ven. Bruno Lanteri (d. 1830) of Italy.
  107. Larke, for Bl. John Larke (d. 1544) of England.
  108. Laval, for Bl. Jacques-Désiré Laval (d. 1864) of France/Mauritius.
  109. Lawrence, for St. Robert Lawrence (d. 1535) of England.
  110. Leigh, for Bl. Richard Leigh (d. 1588) of England.
  111. Lewis, for St. David Lewis (d. 1679) of Wales
  112. Liguori, for St. Alphonsus Liguori (d. 1787) of Italy.
  113. Lilli, for Bl. Salvatore Lilli (d. 1895) of Italy.
  114. Lloyd, for St. John Lloyd (d. 1679) of Wales.
  115. Lockwood, for Bl. John Lockwood (d. 1642) of England.
  116. Lucas, for Bl. Charlotte Lucas (d. 1794) of France.
  117. MacKillop, for St. Mary MacKillop (d. 1909) of Australia.
  118. Majali, for Bl. Giuliano Majali (d. 1470) of Sicily.
  119. Majella, for St. Gerard Majella (d. 1755) of Italy.
  120. Manna, for Bl. Paolo Manna (d. 1952) of Italy.
  121. Marchand, for St. Joseph Marchand (d. 1835) of France.
  122. Marella, for Ven. Olinto Marella (d. 1969) of Italy.
  123. Mareri, for Bl. Philippa Mareri (d. 1236) of Italy.
  124. Margil, for Ven. Antonio Margil (d. 1726) of Spain/Central America.
  125. Mari, for Servant of God Ida Mari (d. 1981) of Italy.
  126. Martin, for St. Louis Martin (d. 1894) of France or Bl. Richard Martin (d. 1588) of England.
  127. Marsden, from Bl. William Marsden (d. 1586) of England.
  128. Marto, for Bl. Francisco Marto (d. 1919) of Portugal.
  129. Mason, for Bl. John Mason (d. 1591) of England.
  130. Massey, for Bl. René-Julien Massey (d. 1792) of France.
  131. Maxfield, for Bl. Thomas Maxfield (d. 1616) of England.
  132. Munden, for Bl. John Munden (d. 1584) of England.
  133. Mayer, for Bl. Rupert Mayer (d. 1945) of Germany.
  134. McAuley, for Ven. Catherine McAuley (d. 1841) of Ireland.
  135. Meehan, for Bl. Charles Meehan (d. 1679) of Ireland.
  136. Merlo, for Ven. Thecla Merlo (d. 1964) of Italy.
  137. Medina, for Bl. Manuel Medina y Olmos (d. 1936) of Spain.
  138. Mela, for Ven. Itala Mela (d. 1957) of Italy.
  139. Merton, for Fr. Thomas Merton (d. 1968) of the U.S.
  140. Mesina, for Bl. Antonia Mesina (d. 1935) of Italy.
  141. Miki, for St. Paul Miki (d. 1597) of Japan.
  142. Molina, for Bl. Mercedes de Jesús Molina y Ayala (d. 1883) of Ecuador.
  143. Molla, for St. Gianna Beretta Molla (d. 1962) of Italy.
  144. Mora, for Bl. Elisabeth Canori Mora (d. 1825) of Italy.
  145. Morse, for St. Henry Morse (d. 1645) of England.
  146. Nelson, for Bl. John Nelson (d. 1578) of England.
  147. Neri, for St. Philip Neri (d. 1595) of Italy.
  148. Newman, for Bl. John Henry Newman (d. 1890) of England.
  149. Nichols, for Bl. George Nichols (d. 1589) fo England.
  150. Nolasco, for St. Peter Nolasco (d. 1256) of France.
  151. Ogilvie, for St. John Ogilvie (d. 1615) of Scotland.
  152. Owen, for St. Nicholas Owen (d. 1606) of England.
  153. Page, for Bl. Anthony Page (d. 1593) of England or Bl. Francis Page (d. 1602) of England.
  154. Percy, for Bl. Thomas Percy (d. 1572) of England.
  155. Potter, for Ven. Mary Potter (d. 1913) of England.
  156. Powell, for Bl. Edward Powell (d. 1540) of Wales.
  157. Quinn, for Ven. Edel Quinn (d. 1944) of Ireland.
  158. Rawlins, for Bl. Alexander Rawlins (d. 1595) of England.
  159. Regis, for St. John Francis Regis (d. 1640) of France.
  160. Reynolds, for St. Richard Reynolds (d. 1535) of England or Bl. Thomas Reynolds (d. 1560) of England.
  161. Richardson, for Bl. Lawrence Richardson (d. 1582) of England or Bl. William Richardson (d. 1603) of England.
  162. Rigby, for St. John Rigby (d. 1600) of England
  163. Rivi, for Bl. Rolando Rivi (d. 1945) of Italy.
  164. Robinson, for St. Christopher Robinson (d. 1598) of England.
  165. Rochester, for Bl. John Rochester (d. 1537) of England.
  166. Roe, for St. Alban Roe (d. 1642) of England.
  167. Romano, for Bl. Vincent Romano (d. 1831) of Italy.
  168. Rossello, for St. Maria Giuseppa Rossello (d. 1880) of Italy.
  169. Sala, for Bl. Maria Anna Sala (d. 1891) of Italy.
  170. Savio, for St. Dominic Savio (d. 1857) of Italy.
  171. Scott, for Bl. Montford Scott (d. 1591) of England or Bl. Maurus Scott (d. 1612) of England.
  172. Serra, for St. Junipero Serra (d. 1784) of Spain/New Spain.
  173. Seton, for St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (d. 1821) of the U.S.
  174. Sheen, for Ven. Fulton J. Sheen (d. 1979) of the U.S.
  175. Shelley, for Bl. Edward Shelley (d. 1588) of England.
  176. Sherwin, for St. Ralph Sherwin (d. 1581) of England.
  177. Sherwood, for Bl. Thomas Sherwood (d. 1578) of England.
  178. Sinclair, for Ven. Margaret Anne Sinclair (d. 1925) of Scotland.
  179. Slade, for Bl. John Slade (d. 1583) of England.
  180. Solanus, for St. Francis Solanus (d. 1610) of Spain.
  181. Southwell, for St. Robert Southwell (d. 1595) of England.
  182. Southworth, for St. John Southworth (d. 1654) of England.
  183. Steno, for Bl. Nicolas Steno (d. 1686) of Denmark.
  184. Spenser, for Bl. William Spenser (d. 1589) of England.
  185. Spencer, for Ven. Ignatius Spencer (d. 1864) of England.
  186. Stefani, for Bl. Irene Stefani (d. 1930) of Italy.
  187. Stein, for St. Edith Stein (d. 1942) of Germany.
  188. Stone, for St. John Stone (d. 1539) in England.
  189. Sullivan, for Ven. John Sullivan (d. 1933) in Ireland.
  190. Sutton, for Bl. Robert Sutton (d. 1587) of England.
  191. Talbot, for Ven. Matt Talbot (d. 1925) of Ireland or Bl. John Talbot (d. 1600) of England.
  192. Tansi, for Bl. Cyprian Michael Tansi (d. 1964) of Nigeria.
  193. Taylor, for Bl. Hugh Taylor (d. 1585) of England, Francis Taylor (d. 1621) of Ireland, or Ven. Frances Margaret Taylor (d. 1900) of England.
  194. Tezza, for Bl. Luigi Tezza (d. 1923) of Italy.
  195. Thirkeld, for Bl. Richard Thirkeld (d. 1583) in England.
  196. Thompson, for Bl. James Thompson (d. 1582) of England.
  197. Thorne, for Bl. John Thorne (d. 1539) of England.
  198. Thorpe, for Bl. Robert Thorpe (d. 1591) of England.
  199. Tirry, for Bl. William Tirry (d. 1654) of Ireland.
  200. Tomasi, for St. Giuseppe Maria Tomasi (d. 1713) of Italy.
  201. Tunstall, for Bl. Thomas Tunstall (d. 1616) of England.
  202. Turner, for Bl. Anthony Turner (d. 1679) of England.
  203. Vega, for Servant of God Pablo Muñoz Vega (d. 1994) of Ecuador.
  204. Venard, for St. Jean-Théophane Vénard (d. 1861) of France.
  205. Vera, for Ven. Jacinto Vera y Durán (d. 1881) of Uruguay.
  206. Verna, for Bl. Antonia Maria Verna (d. 1838) of Italy.
  207. Vianney, for St. Jean Vianney (d. 1859) of France.
  208. Ward, for St. Margaret Ward (d. 1588) of England.
  209. Webster, for St. Augustine Webster (d. 1535) of England.
  210. Wells, for St. Swithun Wells (d. 1591) of England.
  211. Wharton, for Bl. Christopher Wharton (d. 1600) of England.
  212. Whitaker, for Bl. Thomas Whitaker (d. 1646) of England.
  213. Wilson, for Ven. Mary Jane Wilson (d. 1916) of British India.
  214. Wright, for Bl. Peter Wright (d. 1651) of England.
  215. Xavier, for St. Francis Xavier (d. 1552) of Spain.
  216. Zaccaria, for St. Antonio Maria Zaccaria (d. 1539) of Italy.
  217. Zola, for Bl. Giovanni Batista Zola (d. 1626) of Italy.

Which of the above do you like best?

And, what other saint-inspired surnames would make good baby names? I’m sure I missed a few. Let me know in the comments!

Poll: The Names of Shackleton’s Shipmates

The ship Endurance sinking in Antarctica in 1915, ernest shackleton
The Endurance sinking in Antarctica, 1915
In late 1914, polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton set off for Antarctica aboard the Endurance with a crew of 27 men.*

His goal was to be the first to cross the Antarctic by land, traveling from the Weddell Sea to the Ross Sea via the South Poll. (Roald Amundsen had become the first to reach the South Pole several years earlier.)

The expedition didn’t go as planned, though.

The Endurance became trapped in pack ice in the Weddell Sea. It was crushed and sank in late 1915.

In April of 1916, Shackleton and five crew members set out on a daring 800-mile journey in a 22-foot lifeboat to the island South Georgia. They reached the island after an arduous 16 days, then trekked across the island to find help.

The remaining men were finally rescued in late August. Impressively, everyone survived.

The 28 men of the Endurance shared a total of 20 first names: Alexander (2), Alfred, Charles, Ernest (2), Frank (3), George, Henry, Hubert, James (2), John, Leonard, Lewis, Lionel, Perce, Reginald, Robert, Timothy, Thomas (3), Walter, and William (2). Which one do you like best?

Which Endurance name do you like best?

View Results

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*Technically, 26 men plus a stowaway.

100+ Baby Names for 100 Years of the NPS

national park service 100th birthday (zion poster, 1938)The U.S. National Park Service has a birthday coming up!

When the NPS was created on August 25, 1916, there were only 35 national parks and monuments. (The world’s first, Yellowstone, had been established in 1872.)

Nowadays the agency oversees 411 units. These units are located in the 50 states and beyond, and include national monuments (82), national historic sites (78), national parks (59), national historical parks (50), national memorials (30), national battlefields (11), national seashores (10), national lakeshores (4), national scenic trails (3), and more.

Let’s celebrate the upcoming centenary with over 100 baby names that pay tribute to the national parks specifically:

  • Acadia for Acadia National Park.
  • Angel or Angela for Grand Canyon National Park’s Angel’s Window.
  • Arrow for the NPS emblem, the arrowhead.
  • Archer for Arches National Park.
  • Barbara for Channel Islands National Park’s Santa Barbara Island.
  • Bathsheba for Hot Springs National Park’s Bathhouse Row.
  • Bay for any of the parks featuring a bay, such as Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve, Biscayne National Park, etc.
  • Benda or Bendrick for Big Bend National Park.
  • Bona for Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve’s Mt. Bona.
  • Bristol for Great Basin National Park’s bristlecone pines.
  • Bryce or Brycen for Bryce Canyon National Park.
  • Cadden or Caddie for Acadia National Park’s Cadillac Mountain.
  • Cade for Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s Cades Cove.
  • Canyon for any of the parks featuring a canyon, such as Grand Canyon National Park, Canyonlands National Park, etc.
  • Capitola for Capitol Reef National Park or for Yosemite National Park’s El Capitan.
  • Carl or Carla for Carlsbad Caverns National Park.
  • Caven for Mammoth Cave National Park.
  • Cedar for Congaree National Park’s Cedar Creek.
  • Cinder for Lassen Volcanic National Park’s Cinder Cone.
  • Clark for Lake Clark National Park & Preserve.
  • Clifford or Clifton for Mesa Verde National Park’s Cliff Palace.
  • Cruz for Channel Islands National Park’s Santa Cruz Island.
  • Delica for Arches National Park’s Delicate Arch.
  • Denali for Denali National Park & Preserve.
  • Denison for Katmai National Park & Preserve’s Mt. Denison.
  • Domenica or Domenico for Yosemite National Park’s Half Dome.
  • Douglas for Katmai National Park & Preserve’s Mt. Douglas.
  • Elias for Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve.
  • Elliott for Biscayne National Park’s Elliott Key.
  • Ever or Everly for Everglades National Park.
  • Faith for Yellowstone National Park’s Old Faithful geyser.
  • Forest for Petrified Forest National Park.
  • Garland for Garland County, Arkansas, where Hot Springs National Park is located.
  • Gates for Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve.
  • Guadalupe for Guadalupe Mountains National Park.
  • Gunnison for Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.
    • The park was established in 1999, and Gunnison debuted on the baby name charts the very same year. Did one event cause the other?
  • Harding for Kenai Fjords National Park’s Harding Icefield.
  • Hassel for Virgin Islands National Park’s Hassel Island.
  • Jackson for Jackson Hole, where much of Grand Teton National Park is located.
  • Jarvis for Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve’s Mt. Jarvis.
  • Jefferson for Dry Tortugas National Park’s Fort Jefferson.
  • John for Virgin Islands National Park’s St. John Island.
  • Joshua for Joshua Tree National Park.
  • Kenai for Kenai Fjords National Park.
    • The derivation of Kenai is unknown, but it could come from either Dena’ina Athabascan (“big flat” or “two big flats and river cut-back” or “trees and brush in a swampy marsh”), Russian (“flat barren land”), or Iniut (“black bear”).
  • Kingston or Kingsley for Kings Canyon National Park.
  • Lake for any of the parks featuring lakes, such as Crater Lake National Park, Voyageurs National Park, Lake Clark National Park & Preserve, etc.
  • Lamar for Yellowstone National Park’s Lamar Buffalo Ranch.
  • Lata for the National Park of American Samoa’s Lata Mountain.
  • Lehman for Great Basin National Park’s Lehman Caves.
  • Lewis for Glacier National Park’s Lewis Range.
  • Livingston for Glacier National Park’s Livingston Range.
  • Manning for Saguaro National Park’s Manning Cabin.
  • Mara for Joshua Tree National Park’s Oasis of Mara.
    • In the Serrano language, Mara means “the place of little springs and much grass.”
  • Martin for Katmai National Park & Preserve’s Mt. Martin.
  • Maui, where Haleakalā National Park is located.
  • Mauna for Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park’s Mauna Loa.
  • Miguel for Channel Islands National Park’s San Miguel Island.
  • Norris for Yellowstone National Park’s Norris Geyser Basin.
  • North for North Cascades National Park.
  • Olympia for Olympic National Park.
  • Parker, Parkyr, Parks, Park, or Parke as a tribute to all national parks.
  • Pele as a symbol of Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park.
  • Prairie for any of the parks featuring a prairie, such as Badlands National Park, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, etc.
  • Pratt for Guadalupe Mountains National Park’s Pratt Cabin.
  • Rainier for Mount Rainier National Park.
  • Ranger as a tribute to all national parks and park rangers.
  • Reef for Capitol Reef National Park.
  • Rhodes for Biscayne National Park’s Old Rhodes Key.
  • Rocky for Rocky Mountain National Park.
  • Roosevelt for Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
  • Rosa for Channel Islands National Park’s Santa Rosa Island.
  • Royale or Royal for Isle Royale National Park.
  • Sandy for Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve.
  • Sanford for Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve’s Mt. Sanford.
  • Sequoia for Sequoia National Park.
  • Shenandoah for Shenandoah National Park.
  • Sherman for Sequoia National Park’s General Sherman Tree.
  • Sky or Skye for any of the parks featuring a night sky program, such as Big Bend National Park, Great Basin National Park, etc.
  • Talus for Pinnacles National Park’s talus caves.
  • Theodore for Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
  • Valley for any of the parks featuring a valley, such as Cuyahoga Valley, Death Valley, Kobuk Valley, etc.
  • Verda or Verdell for Mesa Verde National Park.
  • Virginia for Virgin Islands National Park.
  • Windy for Wind Cave National Park.
  • Wolfe for Arches National Park’s Wolfe Ranch.
  • Woodrow or Wilson for Woodrow Wilson, who signed the act that created the NPS.
  • Woodson or Woody for Redwood National and State Parks.
  • Yosemite for Yosemite National Park.
  • Zion for Zion National Park.

For all you national park lovers out there: What other park-inspired names can you come up with?

Sources: List of national parks of the United States – Wikipedia, History (U.S. National Park Service), NPS Site Designations (pdf), Kenai Fjords National Park Profile 2015 (pdf)

Image: Adapted from Zion National Park, Ranger Naturalist Service – LOC

Update, 2/2017: Here’s a related name: Lolo, inspired by the Lolo National Forest. “Lolo” was probably derived from Lawrence (3rd quote).