How popular is the baby name Teri 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 Teri.

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Popularity of the baby name Teri


Posts that mention the name Teri

Babies named after Jersey Shore?

Teri Wilde, a nurse in northern Kentucky, was asked which baby names she’s seen a lot of lately. For boys, she recalled “seeing a lot of “rhyming names” like Brayden, Caden, Aiden and Jaden.” No surprise there. But one of the first girl names she mentioned? Jersey. That answer surprised me quite a bit.

Jersey was originally just a Channel Island, but since then it’s become a type of cloth, a type of shirt, a breed of cattle, a U.S. state, and, via the state, one of the most ridiculous reality TV shows of all time.

Were any of those baby girls in Kentucky named after Jersey Shore, do you think?

Even better, do you think the show, which debuted in December of 2009, had any impact on usage of the name nationally? It’s never been a top-1,000 name — could Jersey Shore change that?

Below is the most recent data we have on Jersey. (The numbers for 2010 will be released later this month!)

  • 2009: 221 baby girls, 8 baby boys named Jersey
  • 2008: 219 baby girls, 6 baby boys named Jersey
  • 2007: 217 baby girls, 11 baby boys named Jersey
  • 2006: 225 baby girls, 14 baby boys named Jersey
  • 2005: 210 baby girls, 8 baby boys named Jersey

Source: Caden, Isabella are Boone’s top baby names

Update, Aug. 2020: Here’s the latest graph for the baby name Jersey. In hindsight, it’s easy to see how the show — which ended up becoming not only MTV’s highest-rated series ever, but a legit pop culture phenomenon — influenced the name’s popularity: sharp drops in usage in both 2011 and 2012.

I’m still not sure why usage rose so quickly in the early 2000s, though…any ideas?

Source: ‘Jersey Shore’: 4 Articles on the Cultural Significance of Snooki and Co.

Baby born to Chicago Cubs fans, named Wrigley Fields

Wrigley Field in Chicago
Wrigley Field

If you’re a Cubs fan, you’ll be pleased to know that a Cub-loving couple with the surname Fields recently named their baby boy Wrigley.

Wrigley Alexander Fields was welcomed by parents Paul and Teri Fields of Michigan City, Indiana, on September 12. His name pays tribute to the Wrigley Fields ballpark, where the Chicago Cubs have played since the early 1900s.

Here’s a quote from the article:

Cubs spokeswoman Katelyn Thrall said the name may be a first. The team has no record of other children named Wrigley, although there have been some children [named] Zambrano and Ryne after Cubs stars Carlos Zambrano and Ryne Sandberg.

Wrigley Fields was named for William Wrigley, Jr. of Wrigley’s Spearmint Gum fame. His surname can be traced back to two Old English words meaning “river bend” and “clearing” — essentially, “clearing by the river bend.”

The name Wrigley might be a little daring for most parents, but I have no doubt that ballpark baby names like Camden, Chase, Miller, and Turner have been bestowed before.

I hope the Cubs let the Fields family attend a free game or two before the season ends!

Source: “Newest Cub? Parents name son Wrigley Fields.” NBC Sports 23 Sept. 2007.
Image: Adapted from Wrigley Field in line with sign by Sea Cow under CC BY-SA 4.0.