How popular is the baby name Stanton 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 Stanton.

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Popularity of the baby name Stanton


Posts that mention the name Stanton

Name needed: What do you think of Stanley?

A reader named Whitney would like some opinions on the name Stanley. Here’s what she says:

My husband’s name is Constantine, and I thought it would be a subtly sweet way to name our boy after him. Unfortunately, we have received less-than-stellar feedback from a lot of friends and family members.

She also mentions:

I am a bit wary of going onto public forums, as I have seen many get effectively crucified for their name choices, and while it wouldn’t normally bother me, I’m just so attached to the idea of Stanley that I couldn’t stomach it well.

Personally, I think Stanley is a great name. And I love that it was inspired by Constantine.

But it’s certainly unstylish right now. This might be what’s behind all the less-than-stellar feedback.

A lot of people can’t fathom why a parent would use an unstylish name for a baby. They don’t understand why a parent would choose a fusty name like Clarence or Eugene when fashionable options like Caleb and Ethan are available.

(One day, of course, Caleb and Ethan will be out, Clarence and Eugene will be back in, and these people will change their tune accordingly. But I digress.)

Feedback that speaks to style or taste should always be put into context. Stanley isn’t a popular name at the moment, so it makes sense that people aren’t going to be too enthusiastic about it. This doesn’t mean that Stanley is a bad name; it just means that people’s opinions are influenced by prevailing trends.

Feedback that speaks to other things, though, is often much more valuable. Has anyone brought up unpleasant associations? Offensive nicknames? Vulgar initials? Trends come and go, but facts like these stick for life.

I’d bet that most of the feedback Whitney is getting falls into the first group. I think this type of feedback could be disregarded if Whitney is willing to acknowledge (and accepts the fact) that Stanley is simply not a popular baby name. Any feedback that falls into the second group, though, should be taken more seriously.

What do you think of the name Stanley?

P.S. Whitney didn’t ask for name suggestions, but I did want to mention Stanton and Thurstan as possible alternatives to Stanley. They have the same “stan” element, but neither has ever been in style (as Stanley once was) and therefore neither has ever fallen out of style (as Stanley now has). So people might find them more agreeable.

Baby name needed: Boy name that’s familiar, yet uncommon

A reader named Rachel is expecting a baby boy. She says:

We had two girls’ names that I adored — Jane and Marjorie. Both of these are very uncommon (400s for Jane, not in top 1000 for Marjorie!) yet are utterly familiar (and unpretentious).

I am completely unable to find a boys’ name that fits that bill. All of the familiar, classic names are common. All of the uncommon names make me fear trendiness; few have that classic simplicity.

To add another wrinkle, if possible we’d like to honor a relative with an S-name. The only two I’ve found that I like so far are Samuel (but so common) and Silas (uncommon, but maybe trying too hard?) Other contenders are Henry and Edmund.

How funny — as soon as I read that second paragraph, the name Henry popped into my head.

I don’t think Silas is necessarily one of those “trying too hard”-types of names. (Unlike, say, Ptolemy.) But it will sound more natural in some areas than in others. Are future playmates going to have names like Victoria and Robert, or names like Jayden and Kayla? That could make a huge difference to a boy named Silas.

Here are a few other S-names that might be tempting (along with current rankings, for those in the top 1,000):

  • Simon (261st)
  • Solomon (429th)
  • Stanley (653rd)
  • Stanton
  • Stuart/Stewart
  • Sylvan
  • Sylvester

And, along with Edmund and Henry, here are some non-S-names that could work:

Antony (895)
Bernard (940)
Carl (490)
Chester
Clifford
Curtis (380)
Duncan (717)
Eugene (691)
Francis (656)
Franklin (467)
Frederick (523)
Gerald (603)
Gerard
Giles
Harvey
Howard (903)
Jerome (616)
Lane (319)
Leonard (621)
Lewis (640)
Matthias (772)
Milton (923)
Morris
Otis
Percy
Philip (378)
Roger (463)
Roscoe
Victor (111)
Walter (393)

What other names would you suggest to Rachel?

Update: The baby is here! Scroll down to find out what name Rachel chose.