Baby names that debuted most impressively in the U.S. data, 1881 to today

lotus bud

Though most of the baby names in the SSA’s annual datasets are repeats, each dataset does contain a handful of brand-new names.

Below are the most popular debut names for every single year on record, after the first.

Why bother with an analysis like this? Because debut names often have cool stories behind them, and high-hitting debuts are especially likely to have intriguing explanations tied to historical people/events. So this is more than a list of names — it’s also a list of stories.

Here’s the format: “Girl name(s), number of baby girls; Boy name(s), number of baby boys.” Keep in mind that the raw numbers aren’t too trustworthy for about the first six decades, though. (More on that in a minute.)

  • 1881: Adell & Celeste, 14; Brown & Newell, 14
  • 1882: Verda, 14; Cleve, 13
  • 1883: Laurel, 12; Brady, Festus, Jewell, Odell & Rosco, 8
  • 1884: Crystal & Rubie, 11; Benjamen, Jens, Oakley & Whitney, 9
  • 1885: Clotilde, 13; Arley & Terence, 9
  • 1886: Manuelita, 10; Terrence, 10
  • 1887: Verlie, 13; Myles, 11
  • 1888: Ebba, 18; Carlisle, Hughie & Orvel, 9
  • 1889: Garnett, 12; Doyle, 9
  • 1890: Verena, 11; Eduardo & Maggie, 10
  • 1891: Gayle, Idabelle & Zenia, 9; Sheridan, 14
  • 1892: Astrid, Dallas & Jennett, 9; Corbett, 23
  • 1893: Elmyra, 12; Estel, Mayo, Shelley & Thorwald, 8
  • 1894: Beatriz, Carola & Marrie, 9; Arvel, Erby & Floy, 8
  • 1895: Trilby, 12; Roosevelt, 12
  • 1896: Lotus, 11; Hazen, 11
  • 1897: Dewey, 13; Bryon, Frankie, Mario & Rhoda, 7
  • 1898: Manilla, 35; Hobson, 38
  • 1899: Ardis & Irva, 19; Haven, 9
  • 1900: Luciel, 14; Rosevelt, 20
  • 1901: Venita, 11; Eino, 9
  • 1902: Mercie, 10; Clarnce, 9
  • 1903: Estela, 11; Lenon & Porfirio, 7
  • 1904: Magdaline, 9; Adrain, Arbie, Betty, Desmond, Domenic, Duard, Raul & Severo, 8
  • 1905: Oliver, 9; Eliot & Tyree, 9
  • 1906: Nedra, 11; Domenico & Ryan, 10
  • 1907: Theta, 20; Taft, 16
  • 1908: Pasqualina, 10; Robley, 12
  • 1909: Wilmoth, 9; Randal & Vidal, 9
  • 1920: Dardanella, 23; Steele, 11
  • 1921: Marilynne, 13; Norberto, 14
  • 1922: Evelean, 14; Daren, 35
  • 1923: Nalda, 15; Clinard & Dorland, 9
  • 1924: Charis, 14; Melquiades, 13
  • 1925: Irmalee, 37; Wayburn, 11
  • 1926: Narice, 13; Bibb, 14
  • 1927: Sunya, 14; Bidwell, 14
  • 1928: Joreen, 22; Alfread & Brevard, 9
  • 1929: Jeannene, 25; Donnald, Edsol, Rhys & Wolfgang, 8

(From the SSA: “Note that many people born before 1937 never applied for a Social Security card, so their names are not included in our data.”)

  • 1990: Isamar, 446; Dajour, 26
  • 1991: Emilce, 30; Quayshaun, 93
  • 1992: Akeiba, 49; Devanta, 41
  • 1993: Rosangelica, 91; Deyonta, 37
  • 1994: Ajee, 185; Shyheim, 168
  • 1995: Yamilex, 130; Alize, 30
  • 1996: Moesha, 426; Quindon, 67
  • 1997: Erykah, 279; Cross, 43
  • 1998: Naidelyn, 78; Zyshonne, 26
  • 1999: Verania, 62; Cauy, 32
  • 2000: Kelis, 108; Rithik, 22
  • 2001: Yaire, 184; Jahiem, 155
  • 2002: Kaydence, 70; Omarian, 31
  • 2003: Trenyce, 88; Pharrell, 67
  • 2004: Eshal, 38; Jkwon, 100
  • 2005: Yarisbel, 30; Jayceon, 48
  • 2006: Lizania, 35; Balian, 24
  • 2007: Leilene, 81; Yurem, 206
  • 2008: Aideliz, 91; Yosgart, 72
  • 2009: Greidys, 186; Jeremih, 87

I’ve already written about some of the names above, and I plan to write about all the others as well…eventually. In the meanwhile, if you want to beat me to it and leave a comment about why Maverick hit in 1957, or why Moesha hit in 1996, feel free!

Source: U.S. SSA

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

12 thoughts on “Baby names that debuted most impressively in the U.S. data, 1881 to today

  1. I assume you picked those two because they’re both easy. TV, of course! I actually saw a couple episodes of Moesha. Maverick is long, long before my time.

  2. I wonder if Jimmer will make it for next year, after Jimmer Fredette, I want to know the story behind his name.

  3. @Grace – Interesting! I’d never even heard of Jimmer Fredette before I saw your comment. Thanks!

    I agree–looks like Jimmer will be a name to watch for in 2011.

    (Wikipedia is telling me that Jimmer Fredette’s real name is James, and “Jimmer” is a childhood nickname.)

  4. Okay, thank you! Yeah, we’re a big basketball family, my son Sam is insisting on naming at least one of the twins I’m expecting “Jimmah.”

  5. I’m most curious about the rise of Jeannene and its variants starting in 1929 and Jerilynn in the early ’40s.

    Shelva in ’36 for both sides is interesting.

    I had to look up Jaleesa, ’cause I knew it was familiar. A Different World. Sade and Erykah are pretty easy to figure out. I suspect Laryssa is a variant from Doctor Zhivago.

  6. @C in DC – I’ve been working on Shelva for…longer than I care to admit. :) I think I know what caused it now, I’m not 100% positive. I’ve got a post coming up.

    UPDATE: Here’s the post on Shelva

    The same year Jeannene appeared, Jeannine shot up to 1,182 (from 424) and Jeanine jumped to 197 (from 68). The whole family got a boost from the film Lilac Time (1928). The female lead was named Jeannine, and a song associated with the film was called “Jeannine, I Dream Of Lilac Time” [vid].

    My best guess on Jerilynn is the daughter of famous comedian George Jessel. The baby was born in late October, 1941. Most of the 1941 Jerilynns aren’t in the SSDI yet (of course) but the handful that are were all born in November and December.

  7. I know this post is old, but I’m offering my opinion anyway:

    Kelis (2000) comes from the singer.
    Trenyce (2003) comes from an American Idol contestant; Pharrell in the same year is from Pharrell Williams.
    Leilene (2007) comes from VH1’s “celebreality” franchise; Leilene Ondrade was on Flavor of Love, Charm School, and I Love Money.
    Jeremih (2009) comes from the rapper.
    Vanellope (2013) is from Wreck-It-Ralph.
    Kehlani (2015) is from the singer.
    Rey (2016) is from Star Wars.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.