Popular baby names in Brazil, 2021

Flag of Brazil
Flag of Brazil

According to Brazil’s Transparência do Registro Civil (part of Arpen-Brasil), the most popular baby names in the country in 2021 were Helena and Miguel.

Here are the Brazil’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2021:

Girl Names

  1. Helena, 21,890 baby girls
  2. Alice, 20,381
  3. Laura, 18,448
  4. Maria Alice, 14,677
  5. Valentina, 11,643
  6. Heloísa, 11,355
  7. Maria Clara, 10,980
  8. Maria Cecília, 10,850
  9. Maria Julia, 10,235
  10. Sophia, 10,163

Boy Names

  1. Miguel, 28,301 baby boys
  2. Arthur, 26,655
  3. Gael, 23,973
  4. Heitor, 22,368
  5. Theo, 19,853
  6. Davi, 18,304
  7. Gabriel, 17,159
  8. Bernardo, 15,935
  9. Samuel, 15,563
  10. João Miguel, 13,254

The swift rise of Gael is notable. In 2019, Gael wasn’t even in the boys’ top 50. But the name shot up to 10th place in 2020, then jumped to 3rd in 2021. (Anyone out there have any theories about the sudden trendiness of Gael in Brazil?)

In 2020, the top two names were also Helena and Miguel. In 2019, they were Enzo Gabriel and Maria Eduarda.

Sources: Miguel e Helena são os nomes mais registrados no Brasil em 2021; veja lista, Enzo? Valentina? Veja nomes mais comuns registrados em 2021

Image: Adapted from Flag of Brazil (public domain)

Where did the baby name Bix come from in 1957?

The characters Bix and Maizie (in early 1957) from the comic strip Little Annie Rooney (1927-1966)
Bix and Maizie from “Little Annie Rooney“

The name Bix first bounced into the U.S. baby name data in 1957:

  • 1959: unlisted
  • 1958: unlisted
  • 1957: 6 baby boys named Bix [debut]
  • 1956: unlisted
  • 1955: unlisted

What gave it a boost that year?

A minor character from the comic strip Little Annie Rooney (1927-1966), which was itself a knock-off of the strip Little Orphan Annie.

The storyline was called “Bix and Maizie,” and it ran from Dec. 1956 to Feb. 1957 in most U.S. newspapers. Bixby, or “Bix,” and his wife Maizie were criminals who tried (unsuccessfully) to pass themselves off as Annie Rooney’s parents in order to steal money from the businessman who was acting as Annie’s caretaker.

What do you think of the name Bix? Do you think it works by itself, or is it better as a nickname?

Sources: Don Markstein’s Toonopedia: Little Annie Rooney, SSA

Juneteenth as a baby name?

Birth certificate of June Tenth (?) Anderson (1930-1999)
June Tenth (?) Anderson, b. 1930

A year ago today, Juneteenth (a contraction of “June 19th”) became a federal holiday.

The holiday marks the date (in 1865) that U.S. Army officer Gordon Granger read General Order No. 3 to the people of Galveston, Texas. The order reinforced the Emancipation Proclamation, which had been issued two and a half years earlier, by asserting that “all slaves are free.”

This mattered because Texas still had about 250,000 slaves. Why? Because “the state never had the large Union army presence necessary to enforce the proclamation.”

Intriguingly, a baby born in nearby Harris County, Texas, in 1930 — long after the Civil War was over — may have been named “Juneteenth.”

I first discovered her a few years ago, while doing research for a post about unusual names in Harris County. She was born into an African-American family on June 26th — a week after Juneteenth — but “June tenth” is the name that appears to be written on her birth certificate (above).

In later records, on the other hand, she’s consistently listed as “Juneteena” or “June Teena.” I even found her mentioned in a 1980s cookbook:

This is one of my personal favorites, the peach pie-cobbler from June Teena Anderson, one of the Panhandle’s finest cooks.

She died in 1999, and on her gravestone her name is written “June T. Anderson.”

It’s impossible to know the original intentions of her parents (who were named Allen and Margie Anderson, btw). But it does seem plausible — given their cultural heritage, their location, and the baby’s birth date — that they had wanted to name her Juneteenth.

What are your thoughts on this?

Sources:

What gave the baby name Stoney a boost in 1963?

The character Stoney from the TV series "Stoney Burke" (1962-1963).
Stoney from “Stoney Burke”

In 1963, the name Stoney saw a sharp spike in usage. In fact, the surge catapulted Stoney right into the middle of the U.S. top 1,000:

  • 1965: 98 baby boys named Stoney [rank: 749th]
  • 1964: 109 baby boys named Stoney [rank: 740th]
  • 1963: 259 baby boys named Stoney [rank: 500th]
  • 1962: 54 baby boys named Stoney
  • 1961: 15 baby boys named Stoney

Here’s a visual:

Graph of the usage of the baby name Stoney in the U.S.
Usage of Stoney

The spelling Stony peaked that year as well.

Why?

Because of the TV western Stoney Burke, which aired for just one season (1962-1963). The main character, Stoney (played by actor Jack Lord), was a professional rodeo rider whose goal was to win the Golden Buckle — the prize given to the world’s champion saddle bronc rider.

(The show also had an influence on the names Sutton and Joby.)

What are your thoughts on the baby name Stoney? Would you use it?

Sources: Stoney Burke (TV series) – Wikipedia, SSA