How popular is the baby name Obama 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 Obama.

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Popularity of the baby name Obama


Posts that mention the name Obama

Unusual baby names from Quebec: Awesome, Jde, Luzer

Over the weekend, I read through the giant database of Quebec baby names for 2008. Most of the names there were familiar English or French names. A few were (very long!) Native American names. Here are some that stood out:

  • Anakin & Anakyn (male) – Five of the former, two of the latter.
  • Archippe (male) – Means “horse-master” in ancient Greek.
  • Awesome (male)
  • Coatl (male) – Means “snake” in Nahuatl.
  • Dakota-Edison (male)
  • Dune (female)
  • Eileen Osiris (female)
  • Ellliot (male)
  • Elyjah Woody (male) – Elijah Wood fans, perhaps?
  • Enzo Versace (male)
  • Jde (male)
  • Junior Aroma (male)
  • Kaleb-Wolf (male) – Reminds me of Nakoa-Wolf.
  • Kierkegaard II (male)
  • Lady Victoria (female) – The most regal-sounding entry.
  • Lazuli (female)
  • Loveland-Jacobs (female)
  • Luna Mist (female)
  • Luzer (male)
  • Maully (female)
  • Obama Kerby (male) and Stephan-Obama (male)
  • Owen-Walter (male)
  • Ramses-Emmanuel (male)
  • Readily-Chang (male)
  • Ruly (female)
  • Schnobxxxxxxxxxxxx (male)
  • Thunder-Jr (male)
  • Tia-Maria (female)
  • Trevelle Anabelle (female)
  • Tyler-Layden (male) – Why yes, the baby name charts are indeed Tyler-laden right now.
  • Velvili (female)
  • Vernadette (female) – Vernon + Bernadette?
  • Wyclef Jean (male) – There are fans, and then there are superfans.

Have an opinion about any of the above?

If you’ve perused the list yourself, do you remember spotting anything interesting?

Popular and unique baby names in Alberta (Canada), 2008

Flag of Alberta
Flag of Alberta

In 2008, the Canadian province of Alberta welcomed 24,526 baby girls and 26,017 baby boys. The baby girls shared a total of 6,829 names, while the baby boys shared a total of 5,513.

Here are the top five baby names, per gender, of 2008:

Girl Names

  1. Ava & Olivia [tied]
  2. Isabella
  3. Sophia
  4. Chloe
  5. Grace

Boy Names

  1. Ethan
  2. Liam
  3. Nathan
  4. Noah
  5. Owen

And here are a handful of the unique names bestowed just once in Alberta last year:

Unique Girl NamesUnique Boy Names
Anaïs
Anarchy
Castle
Harloquinn
Jetaime*
Science
Tyranny
Valkyrie
Barack
Delorian
Gonzo
Jury
Natorious
Obama
Optimus
Rexall*

*Je t’aime means “I love you” in French, and Rexall is a drugstore chain in Canada.

Here are Alberta’s baby name rankings for 2007 and 2006.

Sources: Service Alberta, Edmonton Sun

Image: Adapted from Flag of Alberta (public domain)

Barack Obama (and family) inspire baby names in the U.S.

The Obama family

Barack-inspired baby names aren’t being bestowed solely in Kenya — they’re beginning to appear here in the U.S. as well. Here are a few example names:

  • Jordan Barack Treasure was born at 8:04 a.m. on November 3rd in New York, New York.
  • Benjamin Barack Kimbrough was born at 2:35 p.m. on November 4th in Arkansas. (Dad is Walter Kimbrough, president of Philander Smith College.)
  • Pierre Obama Adell Willis was born at 4:16 p.m. on November 4th in Atlanta, Georgia. (His nickname is The Little President.)
  • Sanjae Obama Fisher was born at 8 p.m. November 4th in Hollywood, Florida.
  • Te’Jean Barack Bowen was born on November 4th near Sacramento, California.
  • Sasha Malia Ann Taylor was born at 12:36 a.m. on November 5th in Maryland.
  • Barack Jeilah was born November 5th in Phoenix, Arizona.

Have you heard of any others in your area? Let me know and I’ll add them to this post.

Sources: Obamas inspire baby names across nation, Baby boys named after Barack Obama, Atlanta mom names baby after Obama
Image: P090109-0127 by the U.S. government (via Flickr)

Kenyan babies being named Barack, Michelle

The Obama family

Mere hours after Barack Obama became U.S. President-elect, the names Barack, Obama and Michelle began popping up on birth certificates throughout Kenya.

Out of the 15 babies born in a Kisumu hospital the day after the election, for instance, five boys were named Barack Obama, two girls were named Michelle, and one girl was named Baracka Obama. (Kisumu is a town close to where Obama’s father was born.)

Two of the babies — one Barack and one Michelle — are twins.

Sources: Pitter patter of tiny Obamas; Obama name craze for Kenya babies
Image: P090109-0127 by the U.S. government (via Flickr)