How popular is the baby name Narnia 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 Narnia.

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Popularity of the baby name Narnia


Posts that mention the name Narnia

Interesting one-hit wonder names in the U.S. baby name data

single flower

They came, they went, and they never came back!

These baby names are one-hit wonders in the U.S. baby name data. That is, they’ve only popped up once, ever, in the entire dataset of U.S. baby names (which accounts for all names given to at least 5 U.S. babies per year since 1880).

There are thousands of one-hit wonders in the dataset, but the names below have interesting stories behind their single appearance, so these are the one-hits I’m writing specific posts about. Just click on a name to read more.

2020s

  • 2020: Jexi

2010s

2000s

1990s

1980s

1970s

1960s

1950s

1940s

1930s

1920s

1910s

1900s

  • (none yet)

1890s

As I discover (and write about) more one-hit wonders in the data, I’ll add the names/links to this page. In the meanwhile, do you have any favorite one-hit wonder baby names?

Image: Adapted from Solitary Poppy by Andy Beecroft under CC BY-SA 2.0.

[Latest update: Apr. 2024]

Where did the baby name Narnia come from in 2006?

Poster for the movie "Narnia" (2005)
Poster for “Narnia“

When I say “Narnia,” what do you think of? For many people, I think the answer is the Chronicles of Narnia series of fantasy novels by C. S. Lewis.

But you know what else Narnia is? It’s a baby name! It’s was a one-hit wonder in the U.S. baby name data in 2006:

  • 2008: unlisted
  • 2007: unlisted
  • 2006: 6 baby girls named Narnia [debut]
  • 2005: unlisted
  • 2004: unlisted

Why did it pop up that particular year? Because the first book in the Narnia series — The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe — was adapted into a film in 2005. (The next two books were also adapted into films, in 2008 and 2010, but neither was able to boost Narnia back into the data.)

Lewis borrowed the name from the Italian town of Narni — called Narnia in ancient times — which is located 50 miles north of Rome. Narnia’s name was derived from the name of the nearby River Nar (today called Nera).

And that’s not the only way in which the movie affected names. One of the main characters was Aslan (the talking lion), and, correspondingly, the name Aslan saw a spike in usage in 2006:

  • 2008: 37 baby boys named Aslan
  • 2007: 36 baby boys named Aslan
  • 2006: 51 baby boys named Aslan
  • 2005: 18 baby boys named Aslan
  • 2004: 10 baby boys named Aslan

Do you like these names? Would you use either one?

Sources: The Chronicles of Narnia (film series) – Wikipedia, Real-Life ‘Narnia’ inspired author