How popular is the baby name Naphtali 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 Naphtali.

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Popularity of the baby name Naphtali


Posts that mention the name Naphtali

Baby names with PH: Phoenix, Ophelia, Joseph

pheasant

Looking for baby names that feature the appealing letter-pair PH?

I’ve collected hundreds of options for you in this post!

Before we get to the names, though, let’s get one big question out of the way…

Why does PH sound like “F”?

In English, PH is a digraph, which means that it’s a pair of letters that make a single sound. (It’s interesting that the word “digraph” contains a digraph, isn’t it?)

Most of the English words that have PH were derived from Greek — specifically, from Greek words that included the Greek letter phi:

Greek letter phi (uppercase)
Phi (uppercase)

In ancient times, the Greek letter phi made an aspirated p-sound. (The unaspirated p-sound, on the other hand, was made by the Greek letter pi.)

When Greek was transliterated into Latin, the letter phi was written as “ph” to denote this aspiration — that is, to signal that the letter “p” was accompanied by a brief puff of air.

So, what happened?

In the first several centuries A.D., the pronunciation of the Greek letter phi changed. It slowly evolved from an aspirated p-sound into an f-sound.

As a result, the letter-pair “ph” underwent a corresponding (though somewhat illogical) pronunciation change. It, too, came to represent an f-sound — and still does to this day.

Now, back to the names!

Top baby names with PH

Let’s begin with the most popular names with PH (including a few names that start with PH):

Top girl names with PHTop boy names with PH
Sophia
Josephine
Sophie
Phoebe
Daphne
Phoenix
Ophelia
Stephanie
Murphy
Persephone
Joseph
Christopher
Phoenix
Memphis
Philip
Phillip
Raphael
Kristopher
Ephraim
Murphy

Now here are the same names again, but this time around I’ve added some details (including definitions and rankings).

Christopher + Kristopher

The name Christopher was derived from a pair of ancient Greek words: christos, meaning “Christ” or “anointed one,” and phoros, meaning “bearing” — hence, “Christ-bearing.”

Kristopher is a slightly simplified form of Christopher (perhaps influenced by the Scandinavian spelling, Kristoffer).

Christopher is currently the 52nd most popular boy name in the nation, and Kristopher ranks 936th.

Other forms of the name include Christoph (German) and Christophe (French).

Daphne

The name Daphne was derived from the ancient Greek word daphne, meaning “laurel.”

In Greek myth, Daphne was a naiad who was saved from the advances of the god Apollo by being transformed into a laurel tree.

Daphne is currently the 288th most popular girl name in the U.S.

One variant form of the name is Daphna. The name is also sometimes spelled Daphnie, Daphney, or Daphni.

Ephraim

The name Ephraim is the Biblical Greek form of a Hebrew name meaning “fruitful.” It’s pronounced a variety of ways: EHF-rum, EEF-rum, EHF-fray-um, etc.

Ephraim is currently the 978th most popular boy name in the nation.

The name is also sometimes spelled Ephram or Ephrem.

Joseph + Josephine

The name Joseph is based on Ioseph, the Biblical Greek form of a Hebrew name meaning “he adds.”

Josephine comes from Joséphine, the French feminine form of Joseph.

Joseph is currently the 28th most popular boy name in the U.S., whereas Josephine ranks 72nd for girls.

The Dutch form of Joseph is Josephus. Other feminine forms include Josepha (German) and Josephina.

Memphis

Memphis was the Greek form of the ancient Egyptian city-name Men-nefer, which meant “his beauty.” (The nefer element is also evident in the Egyptian name Nefertiti.)

The Egyptian city is long gone, but a city in Tennessee was named Memphis in the 1820s.

Memphis is currently the 404th most popular boy name in the nation.

Murphy

The Irish surname Murphy was derived from a medieval Irish given name comprised of the elements muir, meaning “sea,” and cath, meaning “battle.”

Murphy is currently the 716th most popular girl name in the U.S. (It’s also sitting just outside the top 1,000 for boys.)

The name is also sometimes spelled Murphie, Murphee, or Murphey.

Ophelia

The name Ophelia was derived from the ancient Greek word opheleia, meaning “aid, help, succor.”

It’s not a name found in Greek myth, but William Shakespeare used it for a character in his play Hamlet around the year 1600. And, much more recently, the Lumineers featured the name in their 2016 song “Ophelia.”

Ophelia is currently the 321st most popular girl name in the nation.

The French form of the name is Ophélie.

Persephone

The etymology of the Greek name Persephone (pronounced per-SEH-fuh-nee) isn’t known for certain, but one modern theory suggests that it means “she who threshes ears of corn.”

In Greek myth, Persephone was the daughter of Demeter (the goddess of agriculture) and Zeus.

Persephone is currently the 778th most popular girl name in the U.S. (It entered the top 1,000 for the first time in 2019.)

The name is also sometimes spelled Persephonie or Persephony.

Philip + Phillip

The name Philip was derived from a pair of ancient Greek words: philos, meaning “beloved, loving,” and hippos, meaning “horse” — hence, “lover of horses.”

Phillip-with-two-L’s is a common variant of Philip.

Philip is currently the 451th most popular boy name in the nation, and Phillip (two L’s) ranks 523rd.

Both spellings are typed entirely with the right hand on a standard QWERTY keyboard, which is interesting.

Other forms of the name include Philipp (German) and Philippe (French). Feminine forms include Philippa and Phillipa.

Phoebe

The name Phoebe was derived from the ancient Greek word phoibos, meaning “pure, bright, radiant.”

Many characters in Greek myth had this name, including a Titaness who was the daughter of Uranus and Gaia. This particular Phoebe was the grandmother of the sun god Apollo and the moon goddess Artemis.

Phoebe is currently the 247th most popular girl name in the U.S.

The spelling Phebe (used in certain translations of the Bible) was more prevalent in previous generations. Among the babies born in the city of Providence in 1868, for instance, we find four girls named Phebe, but none named Phoebe.

Phoenix

The name Phoenix was derived from the ancient Greek word phoinix, meaning “crimson” or “purple.”

In Greek and Egyptian myth, the phoenix was a bird that periodically self-immolated and then rose again from its own ashes.

In fact, the capital of Arizona was named “Phoenix” because early settlers, in the 1860s, noticed archaeological evidence of the previous Native American inhabitants and recognized that “the new town would spring from the ruins of a former civilization.”

Phoenix, a relatively gender-neutral name, currently ranks 248th for boys and 308th for girls.

Raphael

Raphael — the name of a Biblical archangel, Renaissance painter, and a Ninja Turtle — is based on a Hebrew name meaning “God heals.”

Raphael is currently the 538th most popular boy name in the nation.

Feminine forms of the name include Raphaela (German) and Raphaëlle (French).

Sophia + Sophie

The name Sophia was derived from the ancient Greek word sophos, meaning “wisdom,” “sound judgment,” “skilled.”

Sophie is the French form of Sophia.

Sophia is currently the 6th most popular girl name in the U.S., and Sophie ranks 76th.

Stephanie

The name Stephanie was derived from the ancient Greek word stephanos, meaning “crown” (or, more precisely, “that which surrounds”).

Stephanie is currently the 455th most popular girl name in the nation.

One variant form of the name is Stephania. The name is also sometimes spelled Stephany or Stephani.

More names with PH

So, what other names have PH in them?

Here are some less-common choices (that are still seeing usage in the U.S. these days):

  • Aleph
  • Alpha
  • Alphonse, Alphonso
  • Aphrodite
  • Apphia
  • Asaph
  • Cephas
  • Cypher
  • Delphi
  • Delphina, Delphine
  • Gryphon
  • Hephzibah
  • Humphrey
  • Morpheus
  • Mustapha, Moustapha
  • Naphtali
  • Nephi
  • Ophira
  • Phaedra
  • Pharaoh
  • Pharrell
  • Phelan
  • Philemon
  • Philo
  • Philomena
  • Philopateer, Philopater
  • Phineas, Phinehas
  • Prophet
  • Phyllis
  • Ralph, Ralphie
  • Randolph
  • Rapha
  • Rudolph
  • Saphina
  • Saphira, Sapphira, Saphyra
  • Sapphire
  • Sephira
  • Sephiroth
  • Sephora
  • Seraph
  • Seraphim
  • Seraphina, Saraphina, Seraphine
  • Shiphrah
  • Sophina
  • Sophonie
  • Sophronia
  • Sophus
  • Sylphrena
  • Sypha
  • Symphony
  • Theophilus
  • Triumph
  • Zephaniah, Zephan
  • Zephyr, Zephyra, Zephyrus

Finally, here are some very rare names with PH — some of which haven’t seen any usage in the U.S. in recent years, others of which never appeared in the U.S. data at all.

Girl names:

Alpharetta, Amphirho, Amphithea, Aphaea, Alphonsa/Alphonsine, Aphra (e.g., Aphra Behn), Cleopha/Cléophée, Christophine, Delpha/Delphia, Dymphna, Elpha, Elaphia, Eugraphia, Euphrasia/Euphrasie, Glaphyra, Iphigenia, Nephele, Nephthys, Ophrah, Orpha/Orphia, Phaenna, Pharaildis, Philia, Philena/Philene, Philina/Philine, Philinda, Phillis, Philomela/Philomel, Philotera, Phoenicia, Photina/Photine, Phronsie, Phryne, Phyllida, Ralphine, Seraphia, Sophilia, Sophonisba, Theophila/Theophilia, Theophania, Tryphena, Tryphosa, Zelpha, Zephyria/Zéphyrine, Zilpha/Zilphia

Boy names:

Alphaeus, Alphonsus, Amphion, Caliph, Cephus, Cleophas/Cleophus, Delphin/Delphinus, Demophon, Dolph/Dolphus, Eliphalet/Eliphelet, Eliphas/Eliphaz, Ephesius, Epiphanius, Eugraphius, Euphemius, Euphranor, Euphrasius, Hephaestus, Ildephonse, Jehoshaphat/Josaphat, Jephthah/Jephtha, Naphtali/Nephtali, Nicéphore, Onuphrius, Ophir, Orpheus, Pamphilus, Phaedrus, Phanuel, Pharamond, Pharez, Phelan, Phelim, Philbert/Philibert, Phileas, Philemon, Philetus, Philon, Photius, Porphyrius, Rodolph, Rolph, Seraphin, Sophron/Sophronius, Télesphore, Theophanes, Theophilus, Tryphon, Xenophon

Options that work for both genders include Alphie, Iphis, and Seraph.


Which of the PH names above to do you like most? Let me know in the comments!

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Fasan3 by Ragnhild & Neil Crawford under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Glitch alert: Why are there gaps in the recent New York baby name data?

glitch

The baby name Esty (a diminutive of Esther) is primarily used in the state of New York, thanks to the large Jewish community in New York City.

But the name was also featured in the Emmy-winning Netflix series Unorthodox a couple of years ago. So, last year, I checked the Esty data (both the national data and the New York data) to see if the show had influenced the name’s usage.

It may have — Esty did indeed see its highest-ever usage both nationally and in New York in 2020. Even more intriguingly, though, I noticed what seemed to be gaps in the recent NY data. Specifically, New York had no data on the name Esty for the years 2016, 2018, and 2019.

Check it out:

Esty usage in the U.S.Esty usage in New York
20216357
20206860
201959
201841
20173636
201643
20153937
20143735

I mean, It’s possible that the New York usage of Esty simply dropped below the 5-baby minimum during those particular years. As per the SSA:

To safeguard privacy, we exclude from our tabulated lists of names those that would indicate, or would allow the ability to determine, names with fewer than 5 occurrences in any geographic area.

If that were the case, though, you’d expect to see corresponding dips in the national usage. And we don’t see that here.

It seems more likely to me that some of the New York data is simply…missing.

So the next question is: Are there gaps in the NY data for other names as well?

To check, I grabbed all the names with heavy New York usage listed in the 2021 state-by-state post and the 2020 state-by-state post — 34 names in total — and looked the data.

The result? Exactly half had similar gaps.

Here’s what I found…

The boy name Cheskel (a form of Chatzkel, which is based on Ezekiel) didn’t appear in the New York state data for 5 years straight:

Cheskel usage in the U.S.Cheskel usage in New York
20212929
202018
201927
201830
201723
201627
20152221
20142523

The girl name Chany (a diminutive of Channah) didn’t appear in the New York state data for 4 years straight:

Chany usage in the U.S.Chany usage in New York
20216558
202056
201960
201855
201756
20165555
20154443
20144241

The boy name Naftuli (based on the Biblical name Naphtali) didn’t appear in the New York state data for 4 years straight:

Naftuli usage in the U.S.Naftuli usage in New York
20212929
202033
201933
201827
201724
20163333
20152422
20142925

The girl name Idy didn’t appear in the New York state data for 4 years:

Idy usage in the U.S.Idy usage in New York
202146
20204747
20193126
201829
201726
201625
20151716
20141513

The boy name Shmiel (a form of Shmuel, which is based on Samuel) didn’t appear in the New York state data for 4 years:

Shmiel usage in the U.S.Shmiel usage in New York
20214040
202045
20193838
201831
201735
201644
20154444
20143837

The girl name Yides (a diminutive of Yehudit, which is a form of Judith) didn’t appear in the New York state data for 4 years:

Yides usage in the U.S.Yides usage in New York
202139
20203434
201951
20183232
201739
201635
20154242
20143838

The boy name Berl didn’t appear in the New York state data for 4 years:

Berl usage in the U.S.Berl usage in New York
202119
20201717
20192323
201818
201716
201622
20152121
20141918

The girl name Frady (a diminutive of Freyde) didn’t appear in the New York state data for 3 years straight:

Frady usage in the U.S.Frady usage in New York
20212525
202022
201923
201821
20172121
20162020
20151714
20141919

The girl name Pessy (a diminutive of Batya, which is a form of the Biblical name Bithiah) didn’t appear in the New York state data for 3 years:

Pessy usage in the U.S.Pessy usage in New York
20216351
202062
201941
20185446
20174133
201634
20154645
20144240

The boy name Lipa (a short form of Lipman, which is based on the name Liberman) didn’t appear in the New York state data for 3 years:

Lipa usage in the U.S.Lipa usage in New York
20215044
20204843
201953
20184438
201737
201642
20154340
20145050

The boy name Usher (a form of Asher) didn’t appear in the New York state data for 3 years:

Usher usage in the U.S.Usher usage in New York
20214136
202037
201958
20183629
201734
20164135
20154540
20143128

The boy name Avrum (a form of Abraham) didn’t appear in the New York state data for 3 years:

Avrum usage in the U.S.Avrum usage in New York
20214234
20203728
201924
20182924
201727
201625
20151716
20142322

The boy name Lazer (a form of Eliezer) didn’t appear in the New York state data for 3 years:

Lazer usage in the U.S.Lazer usage in New York
202140
20203731
20194539
201829
201728
20164335
20152928
20143331

The boy name Yossi (a diminutive of Yosef) didn’t appear in the New York state data for 3 years:

Yossi usage in the U.S.Yossi usage in New York
20213529
202030
20192318
20183024
201721
201629
20152019
20142519

The girl name Goldy (a diminutive of Golda) didn’t appear in the New York state data for 2 years:

Goldy usage in the U.S.Goldy usage in New York
20216957
20206353
20195144
20186254
201756
201646
20154842
20142822

And, finally, the boy name Nachman didn’t appear in the New York state data for 2 years:

Nachman usage in the U.S.Nachman usage in New York
20212718
20202317
201918
20182012
201721
20162116
20152824
20142720

If the gap years matched up more closely with one another — as with the glitch of 1989, for instance — I could chalk it up to a few incomplete batches of data.

But they don’t, so…I don’t know what to make of this.

Do you guys have any thoughts, or theories?

(If you’d like to examine the New York data for yourself, download the “State-specific data” file from the SSA website.)

Sources: Behind the Name, SSA
Image by Michael Dziedzic from Unsplash

Long list of unusual names: Delazon, Twentyman, Narsworthy

Here are many dozens of interesting and uncommon names that have caught my eye over the years…

  • Adonijah Strong Welch (b. 1821) – U.S. Senator from Florida.
  • Adoniram Judson (b. 1788) – the first Protestant missionary sent from North America to Myanmar.
  • Aeriwentha Faggs “Mae” Starr (b. 1932) – American athlete.
  • Alcaeus Hooper (b. 1859) – mayor of Baltimore, Maryland from 1895 to 1897.
  • Anzia Yezierska (b. 1885) – Polish writer.
  • Arphaxed Loomis (b. 1798) – U.S. Representative from New York.
  • Arvo Ojala (b. 1920) – marksman and Hollywood advisor on the “quick-draw.”
  • Astyanax M. Douglass (b. 1838) – politician/physician from Tennessee.
  • Autherine Juanita Lucy (b. 1929) – activist from Alabama.
  • Balduína “Bidú” de Oliveira Sayão (b. 1902) – Brazilian opera singer.
  • Banastre Tarleton (b. 1754) – British soldier and politician.
  • Baskerville Holmes (b. 1964) – American basketball player named for The Hound of the Baskervilles.
  • Behethland Foote Butler (b. 1764) – from Virginia.
  • Berbiedell Slate (b. 1930) – from North Carolina.
  • Berinthia “Berry” Berenson-Perkins (b. 1948) – U.S. actress and photographer.
  • Bertita Harding (b. 1902) – German writer.
  • Beveridge Webster (b. 1908) – pianist.
  • Bird Segle Mcguire (b. 1865) – U.S. Delegate and representative from Oklahoma.
  • Bland Ballard (b. 1761) – soldier and statesman.
  • Bluma Appel (b. 1919) – Canadian philanthropist.
  • Bodine Koehler (b. 1992) – Dutch-Puerto Rican model.
  • Bourke Blakemore Hickenlooper (b. 1896) – U.S. Senator from Iowa. (Previously the Governor of Iowa.)
  • Brazilla Carroll Reece (b. 1889) – U.S. Representative from Tennessee.
  • Breaux Greer (b. 1976) – U.S. athlete.
  • Brebis Bleaney (b. 1915) – British physicist.
  • Bredo Morstoel – the inspiration behind Frozen Dead Guy Days in Colorado.
  • Bruria Kaufman (b. 1918) – American theoretical physicist.
  • Bunnatine “Bunny” Greenhouse (b. circa 1944) – Halliburton whistleblower.
  • Burgoyne Diller (b. 1906) – abstract painter.
  • Burrhus Frederic “B.F.” Skinner (b. in 1904) – American psychologist, author and inventor.
  • Calbraith Perry “Cal” Rodgers (b. 1879) – made the first flight across the U.S. (in multiple legs) during 1911.
  • Calouste Gulbenkian (b. 1869) – Armenian philanthropist.
  • Calvary Morris (b. 1798) – U.S. Representative from Ohio.
  • Camoralza Hagler Spahr (b. 1826) – politician from Ohio.
  • Canvass White (b. 1790) – American civil engineer.
  • Carr Van Anda (b. 1864) – managing editor of the New York Times.
  • Catulle Mendès (b. 1841) – French writer.
  • Cavada Humphrey (b. 1919) – U.S. actress.
  • Cedella “Ciddy” Marley Booker (b. 1926) – mother of Bob Marley.
  • Chalkley “Chalk” Beeson (b. 1848) – owned the Long Branch Saloon in Dodge City, Kansas.
  • Chamintney Stovall Thomas (b. 1899) – Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame inductee.
  • Cherubusco Newton (b. 1848) – U.S. Representative from Louisiana.
  • Chesselden Ellis (b. 1808) – U.S. Representative from New York.
  • Chloethiel Woodard Smith (b. 1910) – architect and urban planner.
  • Ciallagalena “Lena” Cobb Williams (b. circa 1900) – from Faubourg Tremé (New Orleans).
  • Civilla Martin (b. 1866) – Canadian-American hymn writer.
  • Clairève Grandjouan (b. 1929) – archaeologist from France.
  • Claricia (13th century) – German illuminator:
claricia, german psalter
  • D-Cady Herrick (b. 1846) – politician from New York.
  • Daeida Wilcox Beveridge (b. 1861) – founded and named Hollywood.
  • Dakota Starblanket “Cody” Wolfchild – the first baby to be breastfed on television (specifically, on Sesame Street in 1977).
  • Davenie Johanna “Joey” Heatherton (b. 1944) – U.S. actress.
  • De La Mancha “Mancha” Bruggemeyer (b. 1865 in England) – Chicago judge.
  • Delarivier Manley (d. 1724) – (female) English novelist.
  • Delazon Smith (b. 1816) – Senator from Oregon.
  • deLesseps Story Morrison (b. 1912) – mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana from 1946 to 1961.
  • Delloreese Patricia Early (b. 1931) – American actress (stage name Della Reese).
  • De Sacia Mooers (b. 1888) – silent film actress from Michigan.
  • Devorguille de Burgh (13th century) – English noblewoman.
  • Dingle Foot (b. 1905) – British barrister and politician. (His first name was his maternal grandmother’s maiden name.)
  • Diocletian “Dio” Lewis (b. 1823) – early exercise advocate, from New York. (He wrote about the importance of physical training for both sexes in The Atlantic in 1862.)
  • Donelson Caffery (b. 1835) – U.S. Senator from Louisiana.
  • Dorilus Morrison (b. 1814) – U.S. politician.
  • Dunkinfield Henry Scott (b. 1854) – English paleobotanist who established the class Pteridospermeae.
  • Dusolina Giannini (b. 1902) – Italian-American soprano.
  • Elbridge Thomas Gerry (b. 1744) – fifth Vice President of the United States.
  • Elfyn Llwyd (b. 1951) – Welsh barrister and politician.
  • Elgin Gay Baylor (b. 1934) – NBA Hall-of-Famer who was named after the Elgin National Watch Company.
  • Eliphalet Dyer (b. 1721) – U.S. Delegate from Connecticut.
  • Epaphroditus Champion (b. 1756) – U.S. Representative from Connecticut.
  • Epiphanny Prince (born in the 1980s) – set the U.S. high school girls’ basketball record by scoring 113 points in a single game on February 1, 2006.
  • Erasmus Ommanney (b. 1814) – English explorer.
  • Erminnie Adele Platt Smith (b. 1836) – American geologist and linguist. (Erminnie is a diminutive of Ermintrude.)
  • Espy Van Horne (b. 1795) – U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania.
  • Etchika Choureau (b. 1929) – French actress.
  • Eudald Carbonell i Roura (b. 1953) – Spanish archaeologist, anthropologist and paleontologist.
  • Eulavelle Lee Drake (b. 1913) – from California.
  • Falconer Madan (b. 1851) – librarian at the Bodleian Library of Oxford University. (His granddaughter was Venetia Burney, below.)
  • Felissa Rose Esposito (b. 1969) – actress.
  • Feramorz Little (b. 1820) – mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah from 1876 to 1882.
  • Fidelis Morgan (b. 1952) – English stage actress.
  • Filippo “Lippo” Lippi (b. 1406) – Italian painter.
  • Fiorello Henry LaGuardia (b. 1882) – U.S. Representative from New York. (Later the Mayor of New York.)
  • Fitzedward Hall (b. 1825) – Sanskrit scholar and OED contributor.
  • Fitz-Greene Halleck (b. 1790) – poet.
  • Foxhall A. Parker (b. 1821) – U.S. Navy officer during the American Civil War. (His father was also a Foxhall, and he had a brother named Dangerfield.)
  • Ghillean Tolmie Prance (b. 1937) – British botanist and ecologist.
  • Ginery Twichell (b. 1811) – U.S. Representative from Massachusetts.
  • Gjon Mili (b. 1904) – Albanian-American photographer.
  • Glendy Burke – mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana in 1865. The Stephen Foster song Glendy Burke is about a steamboat that was probably named for the mayor.
  • Godlove Stein Orth (b. 1817) – U.S. Representative from Indiana.
  • Gouverneur Morris (b. 1752) – U.S. Senator from New York.
  • Goyn A. Sutton (b. 1816) – mayor of Springfield, Illinois from 1860 to 1864.
  • Grantzberg Hart (b. 1961) – musician.
  • Green Berry Raum (b. 1829) – U.S. Representative from Illinois.
  • Green Clay (b. 1757) – Kentucky politician.
  • Grlenntys Chief Kickingstallionsims (b. 1986) – Alabama State University basketball player.
  • Gumersindo Laverde Ruiz (b. 1835) – Spanish writer.
  • Gwethalyn Graham (b. 1913) – Canadian writer and activist.
  • Halifax Shackleton (b. circa 1895) – 16-year-old girl born in Halifax, Yorkshire, according to the 1911 England and Wales census.
  • Hanelle M. Culpepper – American filmmaker.
  • Harlow Shapley (b. 1885) – American astronomer.
  • Harmanus Peek (b. 1782) – U.S. Representative from New York.
  • Hawthorne Wingo – New York Knicks player during the 1970s. (Discovered this one in a Beastie Boys song, of all places.)
  • Heartsill Ragon (b. 1885) – U.S. Representative from Arkansas.
  • Hempstead Washburne (b. 1852) – mayor of Chicago, Illinois from 1891 to 1893.
  • Henderina “Rina” Victoria Scott (b. 1862) – was born in English botanist and cinematographer.
  • Hiester Clymer (b. 1827) – politician from Pennsylvania.
  • Hoagland Howard “Hoagy” Carmichael (b. 1899) – American composer, singer, actor, and band leader.
  • Holiday Reinhorn (b. 1964) – fiction writer and wife of Rainn Wilson (see below).
  • Hubbard Hinde Kavanaugh (b. 1802) – Methodist Episcopal bishop.
  • Humphrey Hawksley (b. 1964) – English journalist.
  • Hurieosco Austill (b. 1841) – from Alabama.
  • Huw Wheldon (b. 1916) – Welsh broadcaster and Royal Television Society president. (Huw is the Welsh version of Hugh.)
  • Ib Jørgen Melchior (b. 1917) – Danish-American film director and screenwriter.
  • Icie Macy Hoobler (b. 1892) – American physiologist and biochemist.
  • Idawalley Zorada “Ida” Lewis (b. 1842) – American lighthouse keeper.
  • Idola Saint-Jean (b. 1880) – Canadian activist.
  • Iley Lawson Hill (b. 1808) – from Ohio. One of the longest-living “Real Daughters” of the American Revolution, she died in 1913 at the age of 104.
  • Iorwith Wilbur Abel (b. 1908) – U.S. labor leader.
  • Isagani R. Cruz (b. 1945) – Filipino writer.
  • Isambard Kingdom Brunel (b. 1806) – English engineer who created the Great Western Railway, along with a number of steamships, bridges and tunnels.
  • Islin Auster (b. 1904) – U.S. film producer.
  • Ithamar Conkey Sloan (b. 1822) – U.S. Representative from Wisconsin.
  • Itimous Thaddeus Valentine (b. 1926) – U.S. Representative from North Carolina.
  • Itti Kinney Reno (b. 1862) – writer from Tennessee.
  • Jacobena Angliss (b. 1896) – Australian philanthropist.
  • Jacquemin (15th century) – brother of Jeanne d’Arc.
  • Jacquetta Hawkes (b. 1910) – British archaeologist and writer.
  • Ja Hu Stafford (b. 1834 in North Carolina) – early Arizona settler. His name was originally Jehu. He also went by “J. Hugh.”
  • Jascha Heifetz (b. 1901) – Lithuanian violinist.
  • Jawaharlal Nehru (b. 1889) – first Prime Minister of India. Served for 4 terms, from 1947 until 1964.
  • Jeduthun Wilcox (b. 1768) – U.S. Representative from New Hampshire.
  • Jeh (pronounced “Jay”) Charles Johnson (b. 1957) – politician from New York. His name “comes from a Liberian chief his grandfather met on a U.N. mission” according to the Washington Post.
  • Jettabee Ann Hopkins (b. 1905) – radio scriptwriter from Nebraska.
  • Jetur Rose Riggs (b. 1809) – U.S. Representative from New Jersey.
  • Jouett Shouse (b. 1879) – lawyer, newspaper publisher, and politician.
  • Keriman Halis Ece (b. 1913) – Turkish beauty queen crowned Miss Universe 1932.
  • Kindred Jenkins Morris (b. 1819) – mayor of Nashville, Tennessee from 1869 to 1871.
  • Kirkpatrick Macmillan (b. 1813) – Scottish blacksmith who invented the pedal bicycle (circa 1840).
  • Kittredge Haskins (b. 1836) – U.S. Representative from Vermont.
  • Kroum Pindoff (b. 1915) – Canadian philanthropist (originally from Bulgaria).
  • Lascelles Abercrombie (b.1881) – British poet and literary critic.
  • Le Gage Pratt (b. 1852) – U.S. Representative from New Jersey.
  • LeBreton Dorgenois – mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana in 1812.
  • Leonidas Lent Hamline (b. 1797) – U.S. philanthropist.
  • Lianella Carell (b. 1927) – Italian film actress.
  • Lieven Gevaert (b. 1868) – Belgian philanthropist.
  • Lilialyce Akers (b. 1927) – first female professor at the University of Louisville.
  • Loammi Baldwin (b. 1744) – Engineer, politician, and American Revolutionary War soldier.
  • Lodowicke Muggleton (b. 1609) – English religious thinker.
  • Lodusky Jerusha Taylor (b. 1856) – from Minnesota. (The name Lodusky is based on the name of the 18th-century opera Lodoïska.)
  • Loleatta Holloway (b. 1946) – American singer.
  • LuEsther Mertz (b. 1905) – U.S. philanthropist.
  • Lystra Gretter (b. 1858) – nurse and public health care innovator.
  • Magloire Pélage (b. 1769 in Martinique) – soldier and leader of the resistance movement against the English.
  • Mahonri Macintosh Young (b. 1877) – sculptor and artist.
  • Majestic Mapp (b. 1980) – basketball player. (Brother of Scientific, see below.)
  • Maltbie Davenport Babcock (b. 1858) – U.S. clergyman.
  • Mamphela Aletta Ramphele (b. 1947) – South African doctor and activist.
  • Manton Marble (b. 1834) – editor of the New York World.
  • Marjabelle Young Stewart (b. 1924) – etiquette expert from Iowa.
  • Marshevet Hooker (b. 1984) – American sprinter.
  • Matokie “Tokie” Slaughter (b. 1919) – (female) U.S. banjo player.
  • Mattiwilda Dobbs (b. 1925) – American opera singer.
  • Marmaduke Furness (b. 1883) – English shipping magnate.
  • Marmaduke Williams (b. 1774) – U.S. Representative from North Carolina.
  • McKaskia Stearns Bonnifield (b. 1833) – from West Virginia.
  • Mellcene Thurman Smith (b. 1872) – from Missouri.
  • Melquiades R. Martinez (b. 1946) – U.S. Senator from Florida.
  • Melusina Fay Peirce (b. 1836 in Vermont) – feminist and leader of the “cooperative housekeeping” movement.
  • Meridel Le Sueur (b. 1900) – American feminist/socialist writer.
  • Merze Tate (b. 1905) – scholar and professor.
  • Miel de Botton (b. 1960s) – Swiss art collector.
  • Milward Lee Simpson (b. 1897) – Governor of Wyoming.
  • Minervina (4th century) – the first wife of Constantine the Great.
  • Miquita Oliver (b. 1984) – British TV presenter and actress.
  • Moscelyne Larkin (b. 1925) – Native American ballerina.
  • Mountstuart Elphinstone (b. 1779) – Scottish statesman and historian.
  • Nanaline Holt Inman Duke (b. 1871) – mother of Doris Duke.
  • Naphtali Daggett (b. 1727) – pastor, professor, and Yale’s second president.
  • Narsworthy Hunter (b. circa 1802) – U.S. Delegate from Mississippi Territory.
  • Neith Boyce (b. 1872) – (female) American novelist and journalist.
  • Nelleke Noordervliet (b. 1945) – Dutch novelist.
  • Ney Elias (b. 1884) – English explorer/diplomat.
  • Ninibeth Beatriz Leal Jiménez (b. 1971) – Venezuelan beauty queen crowned Miss World 1991.
  • Nomaindia Mfeketo (b. 1952) – the fourth woman and the first black woman to become mayor of Cape Town, South Africa.
  • Nunnally Hunter Johnson (b. 1897) – American filmmaker.
  • Odalys García (b. 1975) – Cuban actress and singer.
  • Olinthus Gilbert Gregory (b. 1774) – English mathematician.
  • Ora Orr – U.S. patent holder.
  • Orange Noble (b. 1817) – Pennsylvania politician.
  • Orator H. LaCraft (b. 1850) – Politician from Wisconsin.
  • Orchard Cook (b. 1763) – U.S. Representative from Massachusetts.
  • Orrice Abram Murdock, Jr. (b. 1893) – U.S. Senator from Utah.
  • Ortha Orrie Barr (b. 1879) – Ohio politician.
  • Oseola McCarty (b. 1908) – U.S. philanthropist.
  • Ossian Ray (b. 1835) – U.S. Representative from New Hampshire.
  • Otha Donner Wearin (b. 1903) – representative from Iowa.
  • Ottobuono de’ Fieschi (later Pope Adrian V) was born in Italy during the 13th century.
  • Ottola Nesmith (b. 1889) – U.S. actress.
  • Ottorino Respighi (b. 1879) – Italian composer, musicologist and musician.
  • Outerbridge Horsey (b. 1777) – U.S. Senator from Delaware.
  • Ovington Eugene Weller (b. 1862) – U.S. Representative from Maryland.
  • Owsley Brown Frazier (b. 1935) – businessman and philanthropist.
  • Pandro Samuel “Pan” Berman (b. 1905) – U.S. film producer.
  • Pantazi Ghica (b. 1831) – Wallachian-born Romanian politician, lawyer and writer.
  • Pelatiah Webster (b. 1726) – political economist and writer.
  • Percenia Johnson – American nurse. She was on the cover of Jet in 1953:
percenia, nurse
  • Persifor Frazer (b. 1736) – soldier and industrialist from Pennsylvania.
  • Phanor Breazeale (b. 1858) – U.S. Representative from Louisiana.
  • Philadelph Van Trump (b. 1810) – U.S. Representative from Ohio.
  • Philleo Nash (b. 1909) – U.S. politician.
  • Phyllida Law (b. 1932) – Scottish actress. Also the mother of actress Emma Thompson.
  • Pinckney Pinchback (b. 1837) – Governor of Louisiana.
  • Pitcairn Morrison (b. 1795) – American army officer.
  • Pom Klementieff (b. 1986) – Korean-French actress.
  • Pomeroy Tucker (b. 1802) – American journalist.
  • Potto Brown (b. 1797) – English miller and philanthropist.
  • Powhatan Ellis (b. 1790) – Senator from Mississippi.
  • Powhaten Woolridge Maxey (b. 1810) – mayor of Nashville, Tennessee from 1843 to 1844.
  • Quirinus Kuhlmann (b. 1651) – German Baroque poet and mystic.
  • Race Imboden (b. 1993) – Olympic foil fencer from Florida. He was named after the Jonny Quest character Race Bannon.
  • Rainn Wilson (b. 1966) – actor and husband of Holiday Reinhorn (see above).
  • Rainbow Sun Francks (b. 1979) – Canadian actor and songwriter. (His sister is Cree, below.)
  • Rensis Likert (b. 1903) – American organizational psychologist.
  • Rensselaer Westerlo (b. 1776) – Representative from New York.
  • Return Jonathan Meigs, Jr. (b. 1764) – U.S. Senator from Ohio. (Later, the Governor of Ohio. Later still, Postmaster General.)
  • Reverdy Johnson (b. 1796) – statesman and jurist.
  • Richenda Carey (b. 1948) – British actress.
  • Ricou Ren Browning (b. 1930) – U.S. film director.
  • Rienzi Melville Johnston (b. 1849) – U.S. Senator from Texas.
  • Rikissa Birgersdotter (13th century) – Queen of Norway.
  • Ringgold Lardner (b. 1885) – sports columnist and writer.
  • Rivers Cuomo (b. 1970) – musician.
  • Roberdeau Buchanan (b. 1839) – American astronomer. was born in Pennsylvania in 1839. (His first name was his mother’s maiden name.)
  • Rousseau Owen Crump (b. 1843) – U.S. Representative from Michigan. (Previously the Mayor of West Bay City.)
  • Rulon Gardner (b. 1971) – American Greco-Roman wrestler.
  • Rychacviana Coffie – Miss Curaçao 2005.
  • Sacheverell Sitwell (b. 1897) – English poet and art critic.
  • Saer de Quincy, Earl of Winchester (b. 1155) – Magna Carta signatory.
  • Sandahl Bergman – American actress.
  • Schelto Patijn (b. 1936) – Dutch politician.
  • Scientific Mapp (b. 1980) – basketball player. (Brother of Majestic, see above.)
  • Secvara Livsey – American model. She was on the cover of Jet in 1955.
  • Sharlto Copley (b. 1973) – South African actor.
  • Shirin Ebadi (b. 1947) – Iranian lawyer and human rights activist. First Iranian and first Muslim woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize (in 2003).
  • Smedley Darlington (b. 1827) – U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania. (Grandfather of Smedley Darlington Butler, below.)
  • Smedley Darlington Butler (b. 1881) – at one time, the most decorated Marine in U.S. history. (Grandson of Smedley Darlington, above.)
  • Smoloff Palace Love (b. 1826) – soldier, teacher, and lawyer from Kentucky.
  • Sobieski Ross (b. 1828) – U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania.
  • Spark Masayuki Matsunaga (b. 1916) – senator from Hawaii. (Previously a Representative from Hawaii.)
  • Speedy Long (1928-2006) – U.S. Representative from Louisiana.
  • Spessard Lindsey Holland (b. 1892) – U.S. Senator from Florida. (Previously the Governor of Florida.)
  • Spruille Braden (b. 1894) – diplomat and businessman with an interest in Latin America.
  • Spurzheim “Spud” Derby (b. 1856) – Indiana politician.
  • Squire Whipple (b. 1804) – civil engineer.
  • Stanyarne Wilson (b. 1860) – U.S. Representative from South Carolina.
  • Staats Cotsworth (b. 1908) – American radio actor.
  • Stevenson Magloire (b. 1963) – Haitian painter named after U.S. politician Adlai Stevenson.
  • Stirling Silliphant (b. 1918) – U.S. screenwriter.
  • Stith Thompson (b. 1885) – folklorist.
  • Sunshine Hillygus (b. circa 1976) – associate professor at Harvard.
  • Susybelle Wilkinson Lyons (b. 1923) – U.S. philanthropist.
  • Tammany Young (b. 1886) – U.S. stage and film actor.
  • Tapping Reeve (b. 1744) – law professor, jurist and writer. Opened the first law school in the United States.
  • Tazewell Ellett (b. 1856) – U.S. Representative from Virginia.
  • Tench Coxe (b. 1755) – U.S. Delegate from Pennsylvania.
  • Theophylact Bache (b. 1735) – merchant.
  • Thorowgood Smith (b. 1744) – mayor of Baltimore, Maryland from 1804 to 1808.
  • Thurl Arthur Ravenscroft (b. 1914) – U.S. actor and singer.
  • Tilghman Mayfield Tucker (b. 1802) – U.S. Representative from Mississippi. (Previously the Governor of Mississippi.)
  • Torquil Norman (b. 1933) – English philanthropist.
  • Trevanion W. Hugo (b. 1849) – mayor of Duluth, Minnesota from 1900 to 1903.
  • Trevenen Huxley (b. 1889) – Huxley brother (born after Julian, but before Aldous).
  • Turbutt Wright (b. 1741) – U.S. Delegate from Maryland.
  • Twentyman Wood of Connecticut received U.S. patent 19,275 in 1858. (His name reminds me of Twentynine Palms, California.)
  • Uncas Aeneas Whitaker (b. 1900) – U.S. philanthropist.
  • Urbici Soler (b. 1890) – American sculptor.
  • Uz McMurtrie (b. 1884) – politician from Indiana.
  • Venetia Phair (née Burney, born in England in 1919) – she suggested the name for the planet Pluto when she was 11 years old. (Her grandfather was Falconer Madan, above.)
  • Verplanck Colvin (b. 1847) – lawyer, author and topographical engineer.
  • Verrazzani C. Bratton, Sr. (b. 1860) – Arkansas judge.
  • Vespasian Warner (b. 1842) – U.S. Representative from Illinois.
  • Victory Birdseye (b. 1782) – U.S. Representative from New York.
  • Volckert Petrus Douw (b. 1720) – mayor of Albany, New York from 1761 to 1770.
  • Voltairine de Cleyre (b. 1866) – anarchist and feminist.
  • Vyto J. Kab (b. 1959) – U.S. football player.
  • Waddy Thompson (b. 1798) – U.S. Representative from South Carolina.
  • Wambly Bald (b. 1902) – U.S. writer/columnist.
  • Waveney Bicker Caarten (b. 1902) – (female) English playwright.
  • Wealthy Babcock (b. 1895) – professor at the University of Kansas.
  • Wellington Webb (b. 1941) – mayor of Denver, Colorado from 1991 to 2003.
  • Wentworth Miller (b. 1972) – American actor.
  • Whitemarsh B. Seabrook (b. 1793) – South Carolina politician.
  • Wigbolt Ripperda (b. circa 1535) – Governor of Haarlem (in the Netherlands) while the city was under siege by the Spanish army during the Eighty Years’ War.
  • Wilmot Redd (d. 1692) – one of the (female) victims of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692.
  • Wyke Bayliss (b. 1835) – British painter.
  • Wynkyn de Worde (d. 1534) – French printer. (The surname refers to a location in France, not words on the page, unfortunately.)
  • Xenophon P. Huddy (b. 1876) – American lawyer. An early specialist in automobile law.
  • Xenophon Pierce Wilfley (b. 1871) – U.S. Senator from Missouri.
  • Xiuhtezcatl (pronounced shu-tez-caht) Martinez (b. circa 2000) – environmental activist.
  • Yellow Light Breen (born in the 1970s) – lawyer and senior VP of Bangor Savings Bank.
  • Zackquill Morgan (18th cen.) – founder of Morgantown, West Virginia. Son of Morgan Morgan.
  • Zadock Pratt (b. 1790) – U.S. Representative from New York.
  • Zealous Tower (b. 1819) – American soldier and civil engineer.
  • Zell Bryan Miller (b. 1932) – U.S. Senator from Georgia. (Previously the Governor of Georgia.)
  • Zeme Lou North (b. 1938) – Texas-born actress.
  • Zwingle Whitefield Ewing (b. 1843) – politician from Ohio.
    • He may have been named with Swiss Reformation leader Huldrych Zwingli in mind.

Have you encountered any unusual or rare names lately? (In the phone book? In the paper? On TV?)