How popular is the baby name Sochi 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 Sochi.

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Popularity of the baby name Sochi


Posts that mention the name Sochi

Where did the baby name Bode come from in 1998?

American skier Bode Miller (in 2008)
Bode Miller

Bode Miller is one of the greatest Alpine skiers in American history. He’s won six Olympic medals and competed in five Winter Olympics: 1998 (Nagano), 2002 (Salt Lake City), 2006 (Turin), 2010 (Vancouver), and 2014 (Sochi).

Notice how the baby name Bode debuted in the U.S. baby name data in 1998 and spiked in usage every four years thereafter:

  • 2017: 170 baby boys named Bode
  • 2016: 203 baby boys named Bode
  • 2015: 264 baby boys named Bode [rank: 849th]
  • 2014: 294 baby boys named Bode [rank: 784th]
  • 2013: 115 baby boys named Bode
  • 2012: 166 baby boys named Bode
  • 2011: 190 baby boys named Bode
  • 2010: 287 baby boys named Bode [rank: 775th]
  • 2009: 94 baby boys named Bode
  • 2008: 105 baby boys named Bode
  • 2007: 143 baby boys named Bode
  • 2006: 235 baby boys named Bode [rank: 855th]
  • 2005: 82 baby boys named Bode
  • 2004: 55 baby boys named Bode
  • 2003: 60 baby boys named Bode
  • 2002: 131 baby boys named Bode
  • 2001: unlisted
  • 2000: 8 baby boys named Bode
  • 1999: 7 baby boys named Bode
  • 1998: 8 baby boys named Bode [debut]
  • 1997: unlisted

So how did Samuel Bode Miller — who was born and raised in rural Easton, New Hampshire — get that interesting middle name?

According to his 2005 autobiography, Bode’s name simply came from the English word bode. It “means to indicate by signs, but it was the sound of it that my mother liked.” He pronounces it BOH-dee instead of BOHD because, as he says, the “diminutive form stuck.”

And he’s not the only person in his family with an interesting name. His older sister is Kyla (no middle name, notably), his younger sister is Gennie Wren (in full: Genesis Wren Bungo Windrushing Turtleheart Miller), and his late younger brother was Chelone, nicknamed “Chilly” (in full: Nathaniel Kinsman Ever Chelone Skan Miller).

Wren’s naming “was a family effort” said Bode:

Jo gave her the “Genesis Wren”; I called her “Bungo” after the Bungay Jar, the local wind, because it was so breezy the day she was born. Kyla gave her Windrushing for the same reason, and “Turtleheart” was the ever-present and recurring Woody-inspired turtle meme in our lives up on Turtle Ridge. The turtle may be Woody’s totem. It wouldn’t surprise me.

(The kids called their parents, Jo and Woody, by their first names.)

And here’s how they chose a name for Chelone (pronounced chel-OWN):

My folks hiked Mount Moosilauke when my mother was good and pregnant with him and found a flower on top they liked so much that they brought it home. When they looked it up and found that it was an herbaceous perennial called chelone, also known as turtlehead, they considered it a nice omen and planted it outside the door.

Three days after he was born, my mother was headed into town with the new baby, named Thane at the time. She was going to the laundromat when she came across a turtle in the road. It was big and blocked their way, so she had to stop. As she watched the shell waddle across Easton Road, it occurred to Jo how little she like the name Thane, and how much she liked the name Chelone.

If you’re wondering about the name Skan, it’s “a Lakota term for the great spirit of the universe.” Kinsman is no doubt a reference to location: their childhood home was on the side of Kinsman Mountain. In fact, the mountain was named for early settler Nathaniel Kinsman — Chelone’s first two names.

But getting back to Bode…he has welcomed eight children so far:

  • Neesyn Dacey (daughter, b. 2008)
  • Samuel Bode (son, b. 2013)
  • Edward Nash Skan (son, b. 2015) – named in honor of Chelone
  • Emeline Grier (daughter, 2016-2018)
  • Easton Vaughn Rek (son, b. 2018) – named after Easton, NH
  • Asher (son, b. 2019) – twin
  • Aksel (son, b. 2019) – twin
  • Scarlet Olivia Khione (daughter, b. 2021) – the name of the Greek deity Khione/Chione is based on the ancient Greek word khion, meaning “snow.”

What are your thoughts on the baby name Bode? If you were going to use it, how would you pronounce it?

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Miller Bode 2008 by Hans Bezard under CC BY-SA 4.0.

[Latest update: Oct. 2023]

Where did the baby name Sochi come from in 2014?

Skier at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi (Russia)
Olympic skier at Sochi

The name Sochi debuted in the U.S. baby name data in 2014, then dropped out of the data the very next year.

  • 2016: unlisted
  • 2015: unlisted
  • 2014: 10 baby girls named Sochi [debut]
  • 2013: unlisted
  • 2012: unlisted

I’m sure you know the source of this one: The 2014 Winter Olympics, which were held in the Russian resort city of Sochi. The games began two years ago today, in fact.

The settlement was named after the Sochi River in the 1890s. The river name is derived somehow from the name of the Circassian people (“Cherkess” in Russian) who once inhabited the region.

What are your thoughts on the baby name Sochi? Would you use it as a girl name or as a boy name?

Source: Sochi – Online Etymology Dictionary
Image: Adapted from Sochi 2014_386 by Denis Polyakov under CC BY SA 2.0.

Pop culture baby name game results, 2014

Here are the results of Pop Culture Baby Name Game 2014!

Some of the names below were already on their way up, so I’ll leave it to you guys to decide just how much of an effect pop culture had on each one.

Hazel, +828

  • Up from 2,049 baby girls in 2013 to 2,877 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: the movie The Fault in Our Stars (2014).

Elsa, +567

  • Up from 564 baby girls in 2013 to 1,131 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: the movie Frozen (2013).

Anna, +287

  • Up from 5,352 baby girls in 2013 to 5,639 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: the movie Frozen (2013).

Margaret, +168

  • Up from 1,765 baby girls in 2013 to 1,933 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: the television show Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.

Augustus, +153

  • Up from 346 baby boys in 2013 to 499 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: the movie The Fault in Our Stars (2014).

Azalea, +139

  • Up from 443 baby girls in 2013 to 582 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: rapper Iggy Azalea.

Peter, +53

  • Up from 1,846 baby boys in 2013 to 1,899 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: Peter Pan (both the live-action TV event and the upcoming movie).

Robin (as a boy name specifically), +33

  • Up from 155 baby boys in 2013 to 188 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: the death of Robin Williams.

Zarina, +32

  • Up from 42 baby girls in 2013 to 74 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: the movie The Pirate Fairy (2014).

Benedict, +29

  • Up from 108 baby boys in 2013 to 137 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: actor Benedict Cumberbatch.

Annalise, +28

  • Up from 665 baby girls in 2013 to 693 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: the television show How To Get Away With Murder.

Judith, +28

  • Up from 251 baby girls in 2013 to 279 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: the television show The Walking Dead.

Kristoff, +25

  • Up from 7 baby boys in 2013 to 32 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: the movie Frozen (2013).

Shailene, +23

  • Up from 6 baby girls in 2013 to 29 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: actress Shailene Woodley, from the movie The Fault in Our Stars (2014).

Tauriel, debuted with 20

  • Debuted with 20 baby girls (the 5th highest debut!) in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: two of the Hobbit movies (2013 & 2014).

Amal, +17

  • Up from 69 baby girls in 2013 to 86 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: George Clooney’s marriage to Amal Alamuddin in 2014.

Odessa, +13

  • Up from 47 baby girls in 2013 to 60 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: rapper Dessa.
  • The name Dessa itself, though, actually decreased in popularity in 2014.

Scotlyn, +13
Scotland, +4 & +4

  • Scotlyn: Up from 50 baby girls in 2013 to 67 in 2014.
  • Scotland: Up from 8 baby girls and 32 baby boys in 2013 to 12 and 36 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: the Scottish independence referendum.

Iselle, debuted with 13

  • Debuted with 13 baby girls (the 11th highest debut) in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: Hurricane Iselle.

Vale, re-entered with 12 & 8

  • After an absence, returned to the list with 12 baby girls and 8 baby boys.
  • Pop culture influence: a celebrity baby name (daughter of Savannah Guthrie).

Murphy (as a girl name specifically), +11

  • Up from 31 baby girls in 2013 to 42 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: the movie Interstellar (2014).

Mandela, +10

  • Up from 6 baby boys in 2013 to 16 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: the death of Nelson Mandela.

Rosamund, re-entered with 9

  • After an absence, returned to the list with 9 baby girls.
  • Pop culture influence: actress Rosamund Pike.

Noni, re-entered with 8

  • After an absence, returned to the list with 8 baby girls.
  • Pop culture influence: the movie Beyond the Lights (2014).
  • But another character name, Kaz, decreased in popularity in 2014.

Ansel, +7

  • Up from 101 baby boys in 2013 to 108 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: the movie The Fault in Our Stars (2014).

Kaiser, +7

  • Up from 62 baby boys in 2013 to 69 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: a celebrity baby name (son of Teen Mom Jenelle Evans).

Pharrell, +6

  • Up from 16 baby boys in 2013 to 22 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: musician Pharrell Williams.

Madiba, debuted with 5

  • Debuted with 5 baby boys in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: the death of Nelson Mandela.

Lucas, unknown in NYC specifically, +55 in NY state, +564 nationally

  • The New York City 2014 data isn’t out yet.
  • Up from 975 baby boys in 2013 to 1,030 in 2014, in New York state.
  • Up from 11,514 baby boys in 2013 to 12,078 in 2014, nationally.
  • Pop culture influence: Venmo’s “Lucas” Ads in the NYC subway.

Names that went up by 4 or fewer:

Names that went down:

Names still not on the SSA’s list in 2014:

  • Arendelle
  • Diren
  • Ellar
  • Ferguson
  • Floribeth
  • Idina
  • Keke
  • Ledisi
  • Maleficent (despite the pro-Maleficent comments I’ve been getting)
  • Odeya
  • Peaches
  • Philae
  • Rust
  • Seanix
  • Sibel
  • Ska
  • Vitruvius
  • Wyldstyle

Did any of these surprise you?

I’m particularly surprised that Lupita Nyong’o has had no effect on the usage of her name so far.

P.S. Some of the names from the 2013 game that have started/continued to do well: Cressida (re-entered list in 2014), Finnick, Llewyn (the top debut name of 2014), Neymar, Nori, Primrose, Sochi (debuted in 2014), Tessanne (debuted in 2014) and Zoella.

The top girl-name debuts of 2014

lotus bud

The television-inspired Dalary was the top debut name for baby girls in 2014.

Of all the girl names appearing for the very first time on a Social Security Administration baby name list in 2014, the following were the most popular:

1. Dalary, 215 baby girls
2. Yazleemar, 28
3. Sunjai, 23
4. Hannaley, 21
5. Tauriel, 20
6. Naiovy, 17
7. Rynlee, 14
8. Abisai, 13
9. Arliz, 13
10. Everli, 13
11. Iselle, 13
12. Tessanne, 13
13. Eisele, 12
14. Aidana, 11
15. Aransa, 11
16. Huntlee, 11
17. Posy, 11
18. Tiwatope, 11
19. Xairexis, 11

And a handful from the 10-and-under group: Enzley, Sochi, Kaoir, Aketzaly, Everdeen, Jeyshangelise, Khaleesia, Yailenys/Yaileny, Espyn/Espen, Gabbanelli, Kimimela, Kween, Rocket, Ruoxi, Cove, Light, Madrona, Miamore/Miamour, Penrose, Synnove, Winslet, Ziggy, Believe, Bravery, Decker, Hastings, Katsumi, Knova, Luxanna, Mirajane, Nelliel, Penelopea, Poe, Taizley, Theophilia, Wimberley, Zoja, Zyelle.

Where do the names above come from? Here are some explanations:

  • Dalary – from the baby girl born on reality TV show “Larrymania” in late 2013. (Abby figured this one out right away!)
  • Yazleemar – from 2-year-old St. Jude patient Yazleemar, who was in Spanish-language TV commercials for the hospital.
  • Sunjai – from the dance reality TV show “Bring It.”
  • Hannaley – from actress Hannaley Suarez, host of “Suelta La Sopa” on Telemundo.
  • Tauriel – from the 2nd and 3rd films in Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy, released in 2013 and 2014. (elbowin called this one a while back!)
  • Naiovy – from Puerto Rican-American singer Ivy Queen, who welcomed baby girl Naiovy in late 2013.
  • Iselle – from Hurricane Iselle which hit Hawaii (as a tropical storm) in August of 2014.
  • Tessanne – from singer Tessanne Chin, who won The Voice at the end of 2013. (We added her name to Pop Culture Baby Name Game 2013, but forgot for 2014! Bah.)
  • Aransa – based on Aranza, from Mexican telenovela “Por siempre mi amor” (2013-2015).
  • Xairexis – from singer Xairexis Garcia of Spanish-language reality talent show “La Voz Kids.”
  • Sochi – from the Winter Olympics in Sochi. (Also mentioned in PCBNG ’13.)
  • Everdeen – from Hunger Games character Katniss Everdeen.
  • Winslet – from Kate Winslet…?

Can you come up with explanations for any of the others?

Here are the girl name debuts for 2013, 2012, 2011 and 2010.

U.S. Baby Names 2014: Most popular names, Top girl-name debuts, Top boy-name debuts, Biggest girl-name changes, Biggest boy-name changes, Top first letters, Top lengths

Source: SSA

Image: Adapted from LotusBud0048a (public domain) by Frank “Fg2” Gualtieri