The top girl-name debuts of 2015

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The music-inspired name Kehlani was the top debut name for baby girls in 2015.

In order for a rare baby name to debut on the Social Security Administration’s annual baby name list, it has to be given to at least 5 U.S. babies of either one gender or the other within a given year.

Of all the girl names that debuted in 2015, the following were the most popular:

1. Kehlani, 48 baby girls
2. Dayelin, 34
3. Abrish, 29
4. Alahia, 22
5. Hazelgrace, 22
6. Brave, 17
7. Nadyalee, 17
8. Hoorain, 15
9. Aitanna, 14
10. Aithana, 14
11. Aytana, 14
12. Brexley, 14
13. Jeshia, 14
14. Averyrose, 13
15. Absalat, 12
16. Kassiani, 12
17. Ovi, 12
18. Viyona, 12
19. Charlestyn, 11
20. Ditya, 11
21. Kylierae, 11
22. Mansirat, 11

And a handful from the 10-and-under group: Tanvika, Espn (it arrives for girls, finally!), Heavenlyjoy, Wylder, Yemariam, Carver, Edelweiss, Gloricely, Darasimi, Elshaddai, Ezoza, Maggiemae, Zeppelyn, Amitis, Anthem, Moxley, Wellesley, Witten, Gatsby, Skyland, Adorable, Brizleth, Lameese, Ludovica, Maleficent (Maleficent!), Maori, Stellaluna, Vaiga, Vydia.

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

  • Kehlani – from Kehlani Parrish (stage name Kehlani), American R&B singer.
  • Hazelgrace – from Hazel Grace Lancaster, a character from The Fault in Our Stars (2014).
  • Nadyalee – from Nadyalee Torres, Puerto Rican model, finalist on Nuestra Belleza Latina 2015.
  • Hoorain – from celebrity baby Hoorain, born in July of 2015 to Pakistani actors Ayeza Khan and Danish Taimoor.
  • Aitanna, Aithana, and Aytana – from celebrity baby Aitana, born in August of 2014 to Mexican actors Alessandra Rosaldo and Eugenio Derbez.

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

Here are the boy name debuts, and here are the top girl name debuts of 2014.

Source: SSA

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

8 thoughts on “The top girl-name debuts of 2015

  1. Charlestyn is a variant of Charleston (which also shot up), thanks to NBC’s “State Of Affairs” I believe

  2. These lists don’t seem to count hyphens/double names, so some of these are probably double names: Nadya-Lee, Hazel-Grace, Avery-Rose, Kylie-Rae Heavenly-Joy, Maggie-Mae, and Stella-Luna (Ellen Pompeo’s daughter).

    – Kassiani: a Greek Orthodox name (Cassiana)
    – Amities: a Persian name (there’s a recording artist named Amitis who did a duo with Snoop Dogg in 2015)
    – Ludovica: a Spanish name (Louisa)
    – Vydia: a music-sharing online platform

  3. @Rita – You’re right, the SSA omits hyphens. Also apostrophes, internal capitalization, etc.

    Vydia is curious…the online company/syndication platform was launched in 2014, so the years do match up, but then again Lydia is at an all-time high right now, so I think it’s equally likely that Lydia is the influence. Names that borrow Lydia’s ending — names like Rydia and Zydia — have also been popping up recently.

  4. Edelweiss, the song from The Sound of Music, is probably a main influence. I also saw a blogger last year mention Edel Quinn, an Irish missionary who is being considered for sainthood. Her full name was Edelweiss, which she disliked. However, young Catholic parents are probably as likely to look for novel names as everyone else.

  5. I’d have to guess that The Sound of Music Live! (2013) with Carrie Underwood was the specific influence, but, if that’s the case, why didn’t the name chart in 2014? Hm.

    I wasn’t aware of Edel Quinn – interesting! I could totally see parents picking up on Edel (by itself) as a first name, given the similarity to names like Adeline & Adele.

  6. Another name from 2015 is Ayanami with 5 girls. I know a teenager with this name so I’m surprised to see it be used only in that year.

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