How popular is the baby name Rufus 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 Rufus.

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Popularity of the baby name Rufus


Posts that mention the name Rufus

Baby names associated with red: Ruby, Carmine, Scarlett, Mars

red cherries

Looking for baby names that are associated with the color red — including baby names that mean “red”?

If so, you’ve come to the right place! I’ve collected dozens of options for you in this post.

Before we get to the names, though, let’s take a quick look at what red represents…

Symbolism of red

What does the color red signify?

In Western cultures in particular, red can be symbolic of:

  • Love
  • Passion
  • Strength
  • Power
  • Danger
  • Excitement
  • Energy

The link between the color red and emotionally-charged situations may be attributable to the fact that we blush involuntarily when we experience intense feelings (such as anger, lust, or embarrassment).

red bricks

Baby names associated with red

All of the names below have an association with the color red. The names range from traditional to unusual, and their associations range from strong to slight.

Those that have been popular enough to appear in the U.S. baby name data are linked to their corresponding popularity graphs.

Ahmar
Ahmar is an Arabic masculine name meaning “red.” Here’s the popularity graph for Ahmar.

Akane
Akane is a Japanese feminine name that — depending upon the kanji being used to write the name — can refer to the madder plant (genus Rubia), the dye made from the root of the madder plant, or the purplish-red color of that dye. Here’s the popularity graph for Akane.

Amaranth
Amaranth flowers are frequently red. The genus name Amaranthus is derived from a combination of the Ancient Greek words amarantos, meaning “unfading,” and anthos, meaning “flower.” Here’s the popularity graph for Amaranth.

Amaryllis
Amaryllis flowers are often red. The genus name Amaryllis is derived from the Ancient Greek word amarysso, meaning “to sparkle.” Here’s the popularity graph for Amaryllis.

Anara
Anara is a Kazakh and Kyrgyz feminine name based on the word anar, meaning “pomegranate.” Here’s the popularity graph for Anara.

Azalea
Azalea (pronounced uh-ZAY-lee-uh) flowers are sometimes red. The (obsolete) genus name Azalea is derived from the Ancient Greek word azaleos, meaning “dry.” Here’s the popularity graph for Azalea.

Berry
Berry fruits are frequently red. The Old English word for “berry” was berie. Here’s the popularity graph for Berry.

Brick
Brick is commonly red. In fact, the term “brick red” refers to the brownish-red color of red clay bricks. Here’s the popularity graph for Brick.

Burgundy
Burgundy is a purplish-red color. The name of the shade was inspired by red wine from the region of Burgundy in France. Here’s the popularity graph for Burgundy.

Camellia
Camellia flowers are often red. The genus Camellia is was named in honor of Moravian botanist Georg Joseph Kamel. Here’s the popularity graph for Camellia.

Canna
Canna flowers are sometimes red. The genus name Canna is derived from the Latin word canna, meaning “reed.” Here’s the popularity graph for Canna.

Cardinal
Cardinal is a type of bird, the males of which have red plumage. Cardinals (birds of the genus Cardinalis) were named with the red robes of Roman Catholic cardinals in mind. The common name is ultimately derived from the Latin word cardinalis, meaning “principal, chief.” Here’s the popularity graph for Cardinal.

Carmine
The vocabulary word carmine (pronounced KAHR-mien) refers to the pigment made from the cochineal insect, which lives on prickly pear cacti. By extension, it also refers to the purplish-red color of this pigment. Spanish explorers, who learned of the pigment through the Nahuas (Aztecs), began exporting it to Europe in the early 16th century. Its name (in Europe) is based on the Medieval Latin word carminium — a form of the Arabic word qirmiz, meaning “crimson,” influenced by the Latin word minium, meaning “cinnabar.” The word also happens to be a homograph of the personal name Carmine (pronounced KAHR-mee-neh), which is the Italian masculine form of Carmen. Here’s the popularity graph for Carmine.

Carnelian
Carnelian, a variety of the mineral chalcedony, is often red. The name of the stone ultimately comes from the Latin word cornus, which refers to a type of berry, altered by the influence of the Latin word carneus, meaning “flesh-colored.”

Cerise
Cerise (pronounced su-reez) is the French word for “cherry.” Here’s the popularity graph for Cerise.

Cherry
Cherry fruits are typically red. Cherry trees are part of the genus Prunus. Here’s the popularity graph for Cherry.

Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum flowers are sometimes red. The genus name Chrysanthemum is derived from a combination of the Ancient Greek words khrysos, meaning “gold,” and anthemon, meaning “blossom, flower.” Here’s the popularity graph for Chrysanthemum.

Coral
Coral is a pink-orange shade of red. The name of the shade refers to the color of precious coral, which was first discovered in the Mediterranean Sea. Here’s the popularity graph for Coral.

Crimson
Crimson is a deep shade of red. Crimson pigment was originally made from the kermes insect, which lives on evergreen oaks. (The pigment fell out of favor in Europe after the introduction of carmine from the New World in the early 1500s.) Here’s the popularity graph for Crimson.

Dahlia
Dahlia flowers are sometimes red. The genus Dahlia was named in honor of Swedish botanist Anders Dahl. Here’s the popularity graph for Dahlia.

Delima
Delima is an Indonesian feminine name meaning “pomegranate.” Here’s the popularity graph for Delima.

Edom
Edom is a Biblical masculine name based on the Hebrew word ‘adom, meaning “red.” Here’s the popularity graph for Edom.

Erythia
Erythia, based on the Ancient Greek word eruthrós, meaning “red,” was the name of several figures in Greek mythology.

Eztli
Eztli is the Nahuatl word for blood. (Fun fact: The red pigment made from cochineal that Europeans called carmine was called nocheztli, or “prickly pear blood,” by the Nahuas.) Here’s the popularity graph for Eztli.

Flann
Flann is an Irish masculine name meaning “blood red.”

Flannán
Flannán is a diminutive form of Flann.

Garnet
Garnet is a gemstone that is typically dark red. The name of the stone ultimately comes from the Latin word granatum, meaning “pomegranate” (literally, “having many seeds”) — a reference to the resemblance between garnets and pomegranate seeds. Here’s the popularity graph for Garnet.

Garance
Garance is a French feminine name that refers to the madder plant (genus Rubia), the dye made from the root of the madder plant, or the purplish-red color of that dye.

Gladiola
Gladiola refers to Gladiolus, a genus of plants with flowers that are sometimes red. The genus name, meaning “little sword” (a diminutive of the Latin word gladius, “sword”) refers to the shape of the leaves. Here’s the popularity graph for Gladiola.

Gül
Gül (pronounced gool) is a Turkish feminine name meaning “rose.” Here’s the popularity graph for Gül.

Helen
Helen is part of Helenium, a genus of plants with flowers that are sometimes red. The genus was named in honor of Helen of Troy. Here’s the popularity graph for Helen.

Jagoda
Jagoda (pronounced YAH-goh-dah) is a feminine name meaning “strawberry” in Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian, Slovene, and other South Slavic languages.

Jasper
Jasper, an opaque type of microcrystalline quartz, is commonly red. The name of the stone ultimately comes from the Ancient Greek word iaspis. Here’s the popularity graph for Jasper.

Kamala
Kamala is a Hindi feminine name based on the Sanskrit word kamala, meaning “pale red.” Here’s the popularity graph for Kamala.

Kimmernaq
Kimmernaq is a Greenlandic feminine name meaning “lingonberry.”

Kiraz
Kiraz is the Turkish word for “cherry.”

Kirsikka
Kirsikka is the Finnish word for “cherry.”

Lali
Lali is a Georgian feminine name meaning “ruby.” Here’s the popularity graph for Lali.

Lohit
Lohit is a Hindi masculine name based on the Sanskrit word lóhita, meaning “red.”

Mars
The pronoun Mars initially referred to the Roman god of war. Later, when the Ancient Romans chose names for the five visible planets of the solar system, they named the one with the reddish color — which is reminiscent of blood — after the god of war. (The surface of Mars appears reddish due to the presence of iron oxide in the planet’s soil.) Here’s the popularity graph for Mars.

Orchid
Orchid flowers are sometimes red. Orchids are all members of the Orchidaceae family of plants. Here’s the popularity graph for Orchid.

Phoenix
Phoenix refers to the mythical bird, but the name of that bird was based on the Ancient Greek word phoinix, meaning “purple” or “crimson.” Here’s the popularity graph for Phoenix.

Poinsettia
Poinsettia bracts are usually red. “Poinsettia” is the common name of the plant species Euphorbia pulcherrima. The common name commemorates U.S. politician Joel Roberts Poinsett, who introduced the plant to the U.S. (from Mexico) in the 1820s.

Poppy
Poppy flowers are commonly red. The Old English word for “poppy” was popig. Here’s the popularity graph for Poppy.

Raktima
Raktima is the Sanskrit word for “redness.”

Red
Red, of course, refers to the color red. :) Here’s the popularity graph for Red.

Reed and Reid
Reed, also spelled Reid, comes from an English and Scottish surname that can be traced back to the Middle English word for “red.” Here are the popularity graphs for Reed and Reid.

Rimmon
Rimmon is a Hebrew gender-neutral name meaning “pomegranate.”

Rohit
Rohit is a Hindi masculine name based on the Sanskrit word róhita, meaning “red.” Here’s the popularity graph for Rohit.

Rose
The word rose refers to any flowering plant of the genus Rosa, the name of which ultimately derives from the Greek word for the plant, rhodon. Roses come in various colors, but shades of red have long been favored — so much so that the word rose, by extension, has also referred to a pinkish-red or purplish-red color since the early 16th century. Here’s the popularity graph for Rose.

Roth
Roth comes from a German surname that can be traced back to the Middle High German word rot, meaning “red.” It was originally a nickname for a red-haired person. Here’s the popularity graph for Roth.

Rowan
Rowan is an Anglicized form of Ruadhán. Here’s the popularity graph for Rowan.

Roy
Roy is an Anglicized form of Ruadh. Here’s the popularity graph for Roy.

Ruadh
Ruadh (pronounced roo-ah) means “red” or “red-haired” in Irish and Scottish Gaelic.

Ruadhán
Ruadhán is a diminutive form of Ruadh.

Rubina
Rubina is a Portuguese and Italian and feminine name meaning “ruby.” Here’s the popularity graph for Rubina.

Ruby
The word ruby refers to the red variety of the mineral corundum. By extension, it also refers to the red color of these crystals. The name of the stone can be traced back to the Medieval Latin term lapis rubinus, meaning “red stone” (from rubeus, meaning “red,” and lapis, meaning “stone”). Here’s the popularity graph for Ruby.

Rufus
Rufus derives from the Latin word rufus, meaning “red” or “red-haired.” Here’s the popularity graph for Rufus.

Rufina and Rufino
Rufina (feminine) and Rufino (masculine) are the modern Spanish forms of the Roman family name Rufinus, which was based on Rufus. Here are the popularity graphs for Rufina and Rufino.

Russell
Russell comes from a surname that can be traced back to the Old French word rous, meaning “red.” Here’s the popularity graph for Russell.

Scarlet and Scarlett
Scarlet is a bright shade of red. The name of the color comes from the Medieval Latin word scarlata (or scarlatum), which referred to a type of woolen cloth that was often, though not always, dyed red. The more popular spelling of the name, Scarlett, represents transferred usage of the English surname. The surname Scarlett originally referred to a person who sold or worked with the cloth. Here are the popularity graphs for Scarlet and Scarlett.

Shani
Shani is a Hebrew gender-neutral name meaning “scarlet, red.” Here’s the popularity graph for Shani.

Strawberry
Strawberry fruits are red. Strawberry plants are part of the genus Fragaria. Here’s the popularity graph for Strawberry.

Tulip
Tulip flowers are often red. The name of the flower can be traced back to the Ottoman Turkish word tülbent, meaning “turban.” Here’s the popularity graph for Tulip.

Ulaan
Ulaan is a Mongolian gender-neutral name meaning “red.”

Vadelma
Vadelma is a Finnish feminine name meaning “raspberry.”

Vardan
Vardan is an Albanian masculine name meaning “rose.” Here’s the popularity graph for Vardan.

Verbena
Verbena flowers are sometimes red. The genus name Verbena is derived from the Latin word verbena, which referred to the leaves, twigs, and branches of specific plants (like laurel, olive, and myrtle) that were used during religious ceremonies. Here’s the popularity graph for Verbena.

Vered
Vered is a Hebrew feminine name meaning “rose.” Here’s the popularity graph for Vered.

Vermilion
Vermilion is an orange-red color. Vermilion pigment was originally made from the mineral cinnabar.

Warda
Warda is an Arabic feminine name meaning “rose.” Here’s the popularity graph for Warda.

Zinnia
Zinnia flowers are sometimes red. The genus Zinnia was named in honor of German botanist Johann Gottfried Zinn. Here’s the popularity graph for Zinnia.


Can you think of any other names that have a connection to the color red?

P.S. Want to see more color-related baby names? Here are lists of orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple names.

Sources:

Images:

[Latest update: Nov. 2023]

Baby names associated with orange: Autumn, Ember, Saffron, Blaze

Orange-colored leaves in autumn

Looking for baby names that are associated with the color orange — including baby names that mean “orange”?

If so, you’re in luck — I’ve collected dozens of ideas for you in this post.

But, before we get to the names, let’s take a look at what the color orange represents…

Symbolism of orange

What does the color orange signify?

In Western cultures in particular, orange can be symbolic of:

  • Warmth
  • Creativity
  • Adventure
  • Freshness
  • Happiness
  • Attraction
  • Success

It can also be associated with safety. A vivid reddish-orange — one that contrasts well with the blue of the sky — is used to make clothing and equipment highly visible in certain circumstances (e.g., at construction sites, during hunting season).

In Eastern cultures, orange is considered a sacred color. In Hinduism, for example, orange represents fire and, thereby, purity (as impurities are burned away by fire).

Orange-colored flames of a fire

Baby names associated with orange

All of the names below have an association with the color orange. The names range from common to uncommon, and their associations range from strong to slight.

Those that have been popular enough to appear in the U.S. baby name data are linked to their corresponding popularity graphs.

Aethon and Aithon
Aethon, also spelled Aithon, is derived from the Ancient Greek word aithon, which means “burning, blazing.”

Aki
Aki is a Japanese name that can mean “autumn,” depending upon the kanji being used to write the name. Here’s the popularity graph for Aki.

Alba
Alba is a feminine name meaning “dawn” in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Romanian, and other Romance languages. Here’s the popularity graph for Alba.

Amber
The word amber refers to fossilized tree resin that is commonly used as a gemstone. By extension, the word also refers to the yellowish-orange color of this material. The fossilized resin, which washes up on the seashore in the Baltic region, came to be called “amber” during the Middle Ages — likely due to an association with ambergris (a material produced by sperm whales that also washes up on the shore). Here’s the popularity graph for Amber.

Anatole
Anatole is the modern French masculine form of Anatolius. Here’s the popularity graph for Anatole.

Anatolia
Anatolia is a feminine form of Anatolius. Here’s the popularity graph for Anatolia.

Anatolios
Anatolios was an Ancient Greek name derived from the word anatole, meaning “sunrise.”

Anatolius
Anatolius is the Latinized form of Anatolios.

Anatoliy
Anatoliy is the modern Russian and Ukrainian masculine form of Anatolius. Here’s the popularity graph for Anatoliy.

Apricot
Apricot fruits are yellowish-orange. Apricot trees are part of the genus Prunus.

Aurora
Aurora, the Latin word for “dawn,” was the name of the Roman goddess of dawn. Here’s the popularity graph for Aurora.

Autumn
The word autumn refers to the season during which the leaves of deciduous trees turn various colors, including orange. Halloween — a holiday strongly associated with the color orange — is also celebrated during Autumn (at least in the Northern Hemisphere). Here’s the popularity graph for Autumn.

Azar
Azar is a Persian gender-neutral name meaning “fire.” Here’s the popularity graph for Azar.

Blaze
The vocabulary word blaze refers to a fire, particularly one that’s burning intensely. Blaze is also a homophone of the (more traditional) name Blaise, which ultimately derives from the Latin word blaesus, meaning “lisping.” Here’s the popularity graph for Blaze.

Canna
Canna flowers are sometimes orange. The genus name Canna is derived from the Latin word canna, meaning “reed.” Here’s the popularity graph for Canna.

Carnelian
Carnelian, a variety of the mineral chalcedony, is frequently orange. The name of the stone ultimately comes from the Latin word cornus, which refers to a type of berry, altered by the influence of the Latin word carneus, meaning “flesh-colored.”

Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum (pronounced krih-SAN-thuh-muhm) flowers are often orange. The genus name Chrysanthemum is derived from a combination of the Ancient Greek words khrysos, meaning “gold,” and anthemon, meaning “blossom, flower.” Here’s the popularity graph for Chrysanthemum.

Citrine
Citrine, a variety of the mineral quartz, is usually orange. The adjective citrine can be traced back to the Latin word citrus. Here’s the popularity graph for Citrine.

Clementine
Clementine fruits are a cross between mandarin orange and sweet orange. They were named after French priest Clément Rodier, who discovered the cultivar while in Algeria. The name Clément is derived from the Latin word clemens, meaning “merciful.” Here’s the popularity graph for Clementine.

Copper
Copper is a metallic element with a lustrous orange-brown color. Here’s the popularity graph for Copper.

Dahlia
Dahlia flowers are sometimes orange. The genus Dahlia was named in honor of Swedish botanist Anders Dahl. Here’s the popularity graph for Dahlia.

Dawn
Dawn refers to the period of time in the early morning (before sunrise) when the sky begins to brighten with daylight. This light at dawn tends to have an orange hue. The word dawn can be traced back to the Old English verb dagian, meaning “to become day.” Here’s the popularity graph for Dawn.

Dysis
Dysis, the Ancient Greek word for “sunset,” was the name of the Greek goddess of the hour of sunset.

Ember
The word ember refers a glowing, slowly burning piece of solid fuel (like wood or coal). It’s often used in the plural to refer to the smoldering remains of a fire. Here’s the popularity graph for Ember.

Eos
Eos, the Ancient Greek word for “dawn,” was the name of the Greek goddess of dawn.

Fajr
Fajr is an Arabic feminine name meaning “dawn.” Here’s the popularity graph for Fajr.

Fiamma
Fiamma (pronounced FYAM-ma) is an Italian feminine name meaning “flame.” Here’s the popularity graph for Fiamma.

Fox
Fox fur, if you’re talking about the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), is largely orange. The word fox is ultimately derived from a Proto-Indo-European word meaning “tail.” Here’s the popularity graph for Fox.

Gaeul
Gaeul is a Korean gender-neutral name meaning “autumn.”

Gladiola
Gladiola refers to Gladiolus, a genus of plants with flowers that are sometimes orange. The genus name, meaning “little sword” (a diminutive of the Latin word gladius, “sword”) refers to the shape of the leaves. Here’s the popularity graph for Gladiola.

Helen
Helen is a form of the Ancient Greek name Helene, which is likely based on the word helene, meaning “torch.” Also, plants of the genus Helenium have flowers that are sometimes orange. The genus was named in honor of Helen of Troy. Here’s the popularity graph for Helen.

Honey
Honey can be orange. The Old English word for “honey” was hunig. Here’s the popularity graph for Honey.

Iskra
Iskra is a feminine name meaning “spark” in Russian, Serbian, Croatian, Bulgarian, and other Slavic languages. Here’s the popularity graph for Iskra.

Jack
Jack is part of “Jack-o’-Lantern” — a term that, since the 1800s, has referred to a carved pumpkin used as a lantern during Halloween. It originated as “Jack of the lantern” in 17th-century England, where it was used as a generic term for any lantern-carrying night watchman. Here’s the popularity graph for Jack.

Frederic Leighton's painting "Flaming June" (1895)
“Flaming June”

June
June (besides being a month) is part of “Flaming June” — the name of the 1895 painting by Frederic Leighton. “Flaming June” features a red-headed woman wearing a diaphanous orange dress and sleeping by the sea (which reflects the golden rays of the setting sun). Here’s the popularity graph for June.

Keahi
Keahi is a Hawaiian gender-neutral name meaning “the fire.” Here’s the popularity graph for Keahi.

Kealaula
Kealaula is a Hawaiian gender-neutral name that means “the light of early dawn” or “the sunset glow.” The literal definition is “the flaming road” (ala means “path, road,” and ula means “to flame”).

Marigold
The word marigold refers to any flowering plant of either the New World genus Tagetes or the Old World genus Calendula. By extension, it also refers to the yellowish-orange color of these flowers. Here’s the popularity graph for Marigold.

Meli
Meli was the Ancient Greek word for “honey.” Here’s the popularity graph for Meli.

Monarch
Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) have wings that are largely orange. They were named “monarch” in the 1800s, possibly in honor of England’s King William III, who was also the Prince of Orange. The word is derived from a combination of the Ancient Greek words monos, meaning “alone,” and arkhos, meaning “ruler.” Here’s the popularity graph for Monarch.

Neven
Neven is a masculine name meaning “marigold” in Serbian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Slovene, and other Slavic languages. Here’s the popularity graph for Neven.

Nevena
Nevena is the feminine form of Neven. Here’s the popularity graph for Nevena.

Orange
Orange, of course, refers to the color orange. :) Orange fruits were introduced to Europe by the Moors in the 10th century. The word for the fruit, which can be traced back to Sanskrit, entered the English language (via French) in the late 14th century. The first recorded use of “orange” as a color name in English didn’t come along until the early 16th century. (This explains why many things that are clearly orange — like red hair, red foxes, and the robin redbreast — are called “red”: They were named long before the color-word “orange” entered the English language!) Here’s the popularity graph for Orange.

Orchid
Orchid flowers are sometimes orange. Orchids are all members of the Orchidaceae family of plants. Here’s the popularity graph for Orchid.

Oriole
Oriole is a type of bird that often has orange plumage. “Oriole” is the common name of birds in the genera Icterus and Oriolidae. The common name is derived from the Latin word aureolus, meaning “golden.” Here’s the popularity graph for Oriole.

Peach
Peach fruits are typically orange. Peach trees are part of the genus Prunus. Here’s the popularity graph for Peach.

Pele
Pele, the Hawaiian word for “lava flow, volcano, eruption,” was the name of the Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes. Here’s the popularity graph for Pele.

Pyrrha
Pyrrha is the feminine form of Pyrrhus. Here’s the popularity graph for Pyrrha.

Pyrrhos
Pyrrhos, meaning “flame-colored,” was an Ancient Greek name derived from the word pyr, meaning “fire.”

Pyrrhus
Pyrrhus is the Latinized form of Pyrrhos.

Robin
Robin redbreast originally referred to the Old World songbird Erithacus rubecula, which has orange plumage on the face and breast. “Robin” is a Middle English diminutive of the name Robert. Here’s the popularity graph for Robin.

Roth
Roth comes from a German surname that can be traced back to the Middle High German word rot, meaning “red.” It was originally a nickname for a red-haired person. Here’s the popularity graph for Roth.

Rowan
Rowan is an Anglicized form of Ruadhán. Here’s the popularity graph for Rowan.

Roy
Roy is an Anglicized form of Ruadh. Here’s the popularity graph for Roy.

Ruadh
Ruadh (pronounced roo-ah) means “red” or “red-haired” in Irish and Scottish Gaelic.

Ruadhán
Ruadhán is a diminutive form of Ruadh.

Rufina and Rufino
Rufina (feminine) and Rufino (masculine) are the modern Spanish forms of the Roman family name Rufinus, which was based on Rufus. Here are the popularity graphs for Rufina and Rufino.

Rufus
Rufus derives from the Latin word rufus, meaning “red” or “red-haired.” Here’s the popularity graph for Rufus.

Rusty
Rusty is an adjective referring to rust (iron oxide), which tends to be orange-brown. Here’s the popularity graph for Rusty.

Saffron
Saffron is a spice made from the styles and stigmas of Crocus sativus flowers. By extension, the word — which can be traced back to the Arabic name for the spice, za’faran — also refers to the deep yellowish-orange color of fabrics dyed with saffron. Here’s the popularity graph for Saffron.

Seville
Seville orange is a variety of bitter orange named after the Spanish city of Sevilla. Here’s the popularity graph for Seville.

Shachar
Shachar is a Hebrew gender-neutral name meaning “dawn.”

Shraga
Shraga is an Aramaic masculine name meaning “candle.” Here’s the popularity graph for Shraga.

Shula
Shula is an Arabic feminine name meaning “flame.” Here’s the popularity graph for Shula.

Smith
Smith comes from a surname that originally referred to a metalworker, such as a blacksmith or a farrier. When heated metal (like iron) comes out of a fire to be forged, it’s often glowing a yellowish-orange color. The smith in “blacksmith” is likely derived from the Old English verb smitan, meaning “to smite” or “to strike” (as with a hammer). Here’s the popularity graph for Smith.

Sunrise and Sunset
Sunrise and Sunset are times at which the sun appears reddish-orange. Particles in the Earth’s atmosphere scatter more short-wavelength light than long-wavelength light, so when the sun is low on the horizon — and its light is traveling a longer distance through the atmosphere to reach your eyes — you’ll end up seeing less violet and blue, and more red and orange. Here are the popularity graphs for Sunrise and Sunset

Tangerine
Tangerine fruits are orange. Tangerine trees are part of the genus Citrus. Here’s the popularity graph for Tangerine.

Tawny
Tawny is an adjective that refers to a brownish-orange color. Here’s the popularity graph for Tawny.

Tiger
Tiger (Panthera tigris), the largest living species of cat, has fur that is mostly orange. Here’s the popularity graph for Tiger.

Tigerlily
Tigerlily refers to “tiger lily,” the common name of several species of flowering plant in the genus Lilium — particularly the species Lilium lancifolium — that have showy orange flowers. Here’s the popularity graph for Tigerlily.

Ushas
Ushas, the Sanskrit word for “dawn,” was the name of the Vedic (Hindu) goddess of dawn.

Valencia
Valencia orange is a cultivar of sweet orange named after the Spanish city of València. Here’s the popularity graph for Valencia.

Zinnia
Zinnia flowers are sometimes orange. The genus Zinnia was named in honor of German botanist Johann Gottfried Zinn. Fun fact: An orange zinnia blossomed in space in early 2016! Here’s the popularity graph for Zinnia.

Zora
Zora is a feminine name meaning “dawn” in Serbian, Czech, Croatian, Bulgarian, and other Slavic languages. Here’s the popularity graph for Zora.


Can you think of any other names that have a connection to the color orange?

P.S. Want to see more color-related baby names? Here are lists of red, yellow, green, blue, and purple names.

Sources:

Images:

[Latest update: Dec. 2023]

Popular baby names in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1868

19th-century Providence, Rhode Island
19th-century Providence

Years ago, I discovered three documents with relatively complete lists of births for the city of Providence, Rhode Island, for the years 1866, 1867, and 1868. I’ve already created Providence’s baby name rankings for 1866 and 1867 using the first two documents, and today (finally!) I’ve got the third set of rankings for you.

Let’s start with some stats:

  • 1,762 babies were born in Providence in 1868, by my count. According to the introduction of the document I’m using a source, however, the total number is 1,866. I don’t know how to account for this discrepancy.
  • 1,617 of these babies (791 girls and 826 boys) had names that were known at the time of publication. The other 145 babies got blank spaces. Either their names hadn’t been registered yet, or they hadn’t been named yet, or perhaps these babies died young and never received a name.
  • 284 unique names (143 girl names and 141 boy names) were shared among these 1,617 babies.

And now, on to the names!

Top 5

A quick look at the top 5 girl names and boy names in Providence in 1868:

Top baby girl namesTop baby boy names
1. Mary
2. Catherine
3. Sarah
4. Ellen
5. Margaret
1. John
2. William
3. James
4. Charles
5. George

All Girl Names

  1. Mary, 149 baby girls
  2. Catherine, 39
  3. Sarah, 38
  4. Ellen, 31
  5. Margaret, 28
  6. Elizabeth, 25
  7. Alice, 24
  8. Anna, 20
  9. Ann, 16
  10. Emma, 14
  11. Eliza, 13
  12. Clara & Martha, 11 each (tie)
  13. Hannah & Lucy, 10 each (tie)
  14. Bridget, Grace, Jennie, Julia & Maria, 9 each (5-way tie)
  15. Annie, Florence, Jane, Minnie & Susan, 8 each (5-way tie)
  16. Agnes, Caroline, Cora, Ella & Harriet, 7 each (5-way tie)
  17. Anne, Carrie, Hattie, Ida, Mabel & Nellie, 6 each (6-way tie)
  18. Eva, Joanna, Lydia & Rosanna, 5 each (4-way tie)
  19. Abby, Charlotte, Emily, Jessie, Josephine, Lillian, Lizzie, Louisa, Louise, Marion, Phebe, Rosella & Theresa, 4 each (13-way tie)
  20. Anastasia, Bertha, Edith, Gertrude, Isabella, Nettie, Pearl, Rebecca & Susanna, 3 each (9-way tie)
  21. Ada, Almira, Edna, Fannie, Flora, Frances, Helen, Henrietta, Inez, Laura, Lelia, Lillie, Lottie, Maud, Priscilla & Virginia, 2 each (16-way tie)
  22. Addie, Adelaide, Adelicia, Adeline, Agatha, Allene, Amanda, Amy, Angelica, Antoinette, Arabella, Augusta, Aurelia, B.*, Belle, Bessie, Betsey, Catharine, Celia, Claudia, Della, Eleanor, Eleanora, Estella, Estelle, Esther, Eudavelia, Eulalie, Evelyn, Francenia, Genevieve, Georgia, Honora, Imogene, Jesse, Juliette, Kate, Leonora, Lilla, Lillias, Lorena, Luella, Luetta, Magdalena, Marian, Marietta, Matilda, Mercy, Minerva, Miriam, Myra, Myrtis, Nanoan, Nora, Pauline, Reberta, Rhoda, Roberta, Rosa, Rose, Ruth, Sabrina, Sophia, Stella & Winifred, 1 each (65-way tie)

*What do you think the “B.” might have stood for?

All Boy Names

  1. John, 112 baby boys
  2. William, 68
  3. James, 64
  4. Charles, 52
  5. George, 45
  6. Thomas, 37
  7. Frederick, 25
  8. Henry, 23
  9. Joseph, 22
  10. Edward, 19
  11. Daniel & Patrick, 18 each (tie)
  12. Robert, 17
  13. Frank, 16
  14. Francis, 15
  15. Walter, 13
  16. Michael, 11
  17. Albert, 10
  18. Arthur, 9
  19. Benjamin, Peter & Samuel, 7 each (3-way tie)
  20. Freddie, Harry, Herbert & Stephen, 6 each (4-way tie)
  21. Edwin, Lawrence, Lewis, Martin & Timothy, 5 each (5-way tie)
  22. Bernard, Edmund, Eugene, Louis, Philip & Richard, 4 each (6-way tie)
  23. Alfred, Augustus, Christopher, Eben, Horace, Howard, Hugh, Jeremiah, Matthew & Willard, 3 each (10-way tie)
  24. Abel, Barney, Byron, Dennis, Edgar, Ferdinand, Gilbert, Luke, Max, Nathaniel, Owen, Roger, Solomon & Victor, 2 each (14-way tie)
  25. Alden, Alexis, Allen, Alrick, Amos, Andrew, Ansel, Anson, Archibald, Asa, Ashby, Bartholomew, Calvin, Carlos, Clarence, Clark, Clarke, Clement, Clifford, Collyer, Crolander, Darius, David, Earl, Elisha, Ellis, Eri, Ernest, Erwin, Eusebe, Everett, Felix, Forrest, Foster, Franklin, Fred, Gardner, Jacob, Jason, Jerome, Jireh, Joaneto, Josiah, Jubal, Justin, Lawson, Lodovic, Louis, Lucien, Lyman, Major, Malachi, Manuel, Melbourne, Monroe, Morey, Morris, Myron, Nelson, Nicholas, Olney, Orville, Oscar, Pendleton, Ralph, Reuben, Rolfe, Rowland, Rufus, Simeon, Simon, Steven, Stewart, Theodore, Ulysses*, Volney, Warren, Whiting, Willie & Winchester, 1 each (80-way tie)

*Ulysses was likely named in honor of Ulysses S. Grant, who was elected president in 1868.

Twins

Finally, nineteen sets of twins were born in Providence in 1868. (All of these twin names are accounted for in the rankings above.)

Girl-girl twinsGirl-boy twinsBoy-boy twins
Caroline & Harriet
Lucy & Lydia
Mary & Rosanna
Margaret & Mary
Lizzie & Martha
(blank) & (blank)
Anne & Thomas
Emma & Charles
Florence & William
Hannah & Josiah
Ida & John
Isabella & John
Jennie & Horace
Charles & William
Francis & Robert
George & John
James & John
James & Stephen
(blank) & (blank)

Have any thoughts about these rankings, or about any of the specific names above?

Source: Snow, Edwin M. Alphabetical Lists of the Names of Persons Deceased, Born and Married in the City of Providence. Number three. Providence: Millard & Harker, 1870.

Popular baby names in Kern County (California), 2018

Flag of California
Flag of California

According to data from the Kern County Public Health Department, the most popular baby names in the California county in 2018 were Sophia and Noah.

Here are Kern County’s top 5 girl names and top 5 boy names of 2018:

Girls Names

1. Sophia, 77 baby girls
2. Emma, 73
3. Mia, 70
4. Camila, 63
5. Isabella, 52

Boy Names

1. Noah, 84 baby boys
2. Sebastian, 78
3. Julian, 77
4. Alexander, 64
5. Liam, 57

Kern County includes Bakersfield, the ninth-most populous city in California. It also includes the city of Shafter, which was named after William Rufus Shafter, who played a part in the Spanish-American War.

We also have 2018 data for the California county San Diego, where Sophia ranks 6th and Noah 2nd.

Source: Sophia, Noah were top baby names in Kern in 2018

Image: Adapted from Flag of California (public domain)