Popular baby names in Paris, 2019

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According to Paris Data, the most popular baby names in Paris, France, in 2019 were Louise and Gabriel.

Here are the city’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2019:

Girl Names

  1. Louise, 223 baby girls
  2. Jeanne, 195
  3. Emma, 180 (tie)
  4. Alice, 180 (tie)
  5. Chloé, 177
  6. Alma, 152
  7. Anna, 142
  8. Charlotte, 140
  9. Joséphine, 133 (tie)
  10. Adèle, 133 (tie)

Boy Names

  1. Gabriel, 371 baby boys
  2. Adam, 292
  3. Arthur, 282
  4. Raphaël, 272
  5. Louis, 271
  6. Mohamed, 213
  7. Victor, 187
  8. Léon, 181
  9. Paul, 180
  10. Isaac, 174 (tie)
  11. Joseph, 174 (tie)

In the girls’ top 10, Alma, Joséphine and Adèle replaced Rose, Léa, and Inès. (Notably, Joséphine jumped from 30th place — 97 baby girls — all the way into the top 10.)

In the boys’ top 10, Léon and Isaac/Joseph replaced Alexandre and Gaspard.

Finally, here’s a selection of names from elsewhere in the 2019 Paris data (which, like the SSA data, includes all names given to at least five babies per year).

Parisian Girl NamesParisian Boy Names
Apolline (80 girls), Garance (60), Aminata (55), Isaure (40), Castille (37), Ysée (29), Sixtine (17), Athénaïs (15), Prune (14), France (6), Ombeline (6)Octave (79 boys), Balthazar (37), Djibril (30), Aurélien (22), Hippolyte (21), Corentin (10), Matisse (9), Zéphyr (7), Tancrède (7), Enguerrand (6), Kaïss (5)

Source: Liste des prénoms – Paris Data

Image: Adapted from Flag of France (public domain)

A secret stash of names like Everly?

Ever-names, particularly Everly, are very trendy right now.

In 2019, over 4,750 baby girls were named Everly, making Everly the 43rd most popular girl name in the nation.

And it was trailed in the rankings by a number of variants, including Everleigh (108th), Everlee (377th), Everley, and Everlie. Not to mention Evelyn-influenced forms like Everlyn and Everlynn.

So, when I came upon a group of Ever-names (deep in the SSA data) that hadn’t seen usage in decades, I was very intrigued. Here are the names I found:

They were used primarily in the South during the first half of the 20th century.

Do you think any of these could be revived in the midst of Ever-mania?

Ibis, Iris, Isis, or Ivis?

African sacred ibis

After reading something about ibises recently, I wondered: Has “ibis” — which is a lot like both the flower-inspired name Iris and the goddess-inspired name Isis — ever been used as a baby name?

Turns out it has! Not very often, though. The name Ibis has appeared in the SSA data on and off since the 1960s, typically registering as a girl name. I don’t think many of these babies were named with the bird in mind, though; “Ibis” seems to be a variant spelling of “Ivis” in Spanish-speaking families.

So, which of these four (very similar) names names do you like best? Why?

  • Ibis
  • Iris
  • Isis
  • Iris

Where did the baby name Delinah come from in 1977?

The name Delinah popped up in the baby data twice in the late ’70s, and it was given to a relatively high number of baby girls both times.

  • 1979: unlisted
  • 1978: 21 baby girls named Delinah
  • 1977: 22 baby girls named Delinah [debut]
  • 1976: unlisted
  • 1975: unlisted

Where did it come from?

Celebrity gossip. Robert Blake was at the peak of his fame while Baretta was on TV, and, during that time, his family was also in the spotlight. In 1977 specifically, Robert and his wife Sondra separated and nearly divorced. The news outlets covering the story were always sure to mention that the couple had two children: Noah (age 12) and Delinah (11).

Robert and Sondra managed to stay together for another few years, but the marriage finally ended in 1981.

Sources:

  • Armstrong, Lois. “Baretta’s Blake.” People 19 Sept. 1977.
  • Sasso, Joey. “Through Channels.” Garden City Telegram 24 Aug. 1977: 5.