How popular is the baby name Nicholas 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 Nicholas.

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Popularity of the baby name Nicholas


Posts that mention the name Nicholas

Popular twin names in the U.S., 2005 to 2011

twins

Once upon a time, the U.S. Social Security Administration put out annual twin name rankings (that is, rankings of the pairs of baby names given most frequently to sets of U.S. twins).

It all started in 2005 with simple, single-list rankings. Things got more interesting in 2009, when the SSA began splitting the rankings into gender-specific sub-rankings. Then in 2012, nothing. The updates stopped coming.

Now we have seven years’ worth of official twin name data from the U.S. government…and that’s it.

I used to keep these rankings in my directory, but they are so out-of-date now that I think it’s best to archive them in a single blog post, for easy reference. So, without further ado, here are the top baby names for twins born in the United States from 2005 to 2011 (in reverse order):

Top twin names, 2011

Girl-girl twins, 2011Boy-boy twins, 2011Girl-boy twins, 2011
1. Olivia, Sophia (50 sets)
2. Gabriella, Isabella (39)
3. Ella, Emma (33)
4. Faith, Hope (33)
5. Makayla, Makenzie (31)
6. Heaven, Nevaeh (29)
7. Isabella, Sophia (29)
8. Mackenzie, Madison (24)
9. Hailey, Hannah (18)
10. Abigail, Olivia (17)
11. Ava, Emma (17)
12. Ava, Olivia (17)
13. Ava, Mia (16)
14. Emma, Olivia (16)
15. Addison, Avery (15)
16. Ava, Ella (15)
17. Arianna, Brianna (14)
18. Isabella, Olivia (14)
19. London, Paris (14)
20. Madison, Makenzie (14)
21. Faith, Grace (13)
22. Haylee, Kaylee (13)
23. Samantha, Sophia (13)
24. Abigail, Emily (12)
25. Anna, Emma (12)
26. Chloe, Zoey (12)
27. Elizabeth, Emma (12)
28. Emily, Evelyn (12)
29. Reagan, Riley (12)
30. Abigail, Emma (11)
31. Abigail, Sophia (11)
32. Sarah, Sophia (11)
33. Elizabeth, Katherine (10)
34. Emily, Olivia (10)
35. Emma, Sophia (10)
36. Jayla, Kayla (10)
37. Madison, Mckenzie (10)
38. Madison, Morgan (10)
39. Mia, Mya (10)
40. Natalie, Nicole (10)
41. Serenity, Trinity (10)
42. Abigail, Isabella (9)
43. Addison, Olivia (9)
44. Autumn, Summer (9)
45. Ava, Sophia (9)
46. Ella, Olivia (9)
47. Emma, Sophie (9)
48. Gabriella, Sophia (9)
49. Mackenzie, Makayla (9)
50. Valentina, Valeria (9)		1. Daniel, David (58 sets)
2. Jacob, Joshua (55)
3. Isaac, Isaiah (47)
4. Jayden, Jordan (41)
5. Ethan, Evan (39)
6. Elijah, Isaiah (38)
7. Matthew, Michael (33)
8. Jayden, Jaylen (26)
9. Ethan, Nathan (25)
10. Jayden, Kayden (25)
11. Landon, Logan (25)
12. Logan, Lucas (24)
13. Caleb, Joshua (23)
14. James, John (23)
15. Jeremiah, Josiah (21)
16. Logan, Luke (21)
17. Alexander, Benjamin (20)
18. Andrew, Matthew (20)
19. Chance, Chase (20)
20. Hayden, Hunter (20)
21. Alexander, Nicholas (19)
22. Gabriel, Michael (19)
23. Jacob, Joseph (19)
24. Andrew, Benjamin (18)
25. Andrew, Anthony (17)
26. Benjamin, Samuel (17)
27. Ayden, Jayden (16)
28. Christian, Christopher (16)
29. Brandon, Bryan (15)
30. Jacob, Lucas (15)
31. Liam, Logan (15)
32. Nathan, Noah (15)
33. Alexander, Andrew (14)
34. Alexander, Anthony (14)
35. Elijah, Ethan (14)
36. Nathan, Nicholas (14)
37. Aiden, Ethan (13)
38. Aiden, Noah (13)
39. Jason, Justin (13)
40. Logan, Mason (13)
41. Maddox, Mason (13)
42. Nicholas, Noah (13)
43. Benjamin, William (12)
44. Garrett, Gavin (12)
45. Henry, William (12)
46. Jayden, Joshua (12)
47. Jeremiah, Jeremy (12)
48. Jonah, Noah (12)
49. Jordan, Justin (12)
50. Matthew, Nathan (12)		1. Madison, Mason (50 sets)
2. Olivia, Owen (18)
3. Jayda, Jayden (17)
4. Emma, Ethan (14)
5. Isabella, Isaiah (14)
6. Addison, Aiden (13)
7. Emily, Ethan (13)
8. Ava, Aiden (12)
9. Ella, Ethan (12)
10. Jada, Jaden (12)
11. Taylor, Tyler (12)
12. Abigail, Andrew (11)
13. Landon, London (11)
14. Mason, Morgan (11)
15. Olivia, Oliver (11)
16. Zoey, Zachary (11)
17. Isabella, Alexander (10)
18. Olivia, Ethan (10)
19. Madison, Michael (10)
20. Abigail, Benjamin (9)
21. Sophia, Alexander (9)
22. Emily, Matthew (9)
23. Emma, John (9)
24. Mackenzie, Mason (9)
25. Michelle, Michael (9)
26. Adriana, Adrian (8)
27. Charlotte, Henry (8)
28. Elizabeth, William (8)
29. Isabella, Isaac (8)
30. Jayla, Jayden (8)
31. Sophia, Samuel (8)
32. Addison, Jackson (7)
33. Emma, Andrew (7)
34. Ava, Jackson (7)
35. Brooklyn, Blake (7)
36. Chloe, Caleb (7)
37. Chloe, Colton (7)
38. Chloe, Connor (7)
39. Emma, Jack (7)
40. Emma, Jacob (7)
41. Isabella, Jacob (7)
42. Jada, Jordan (7)
43. Natalie, Nathan (7)
44. Sophia, Robert (7)
45. Trinity, Tristan (7)
46. Zoey, Zane (7)
47. Abigail, Alexander (6)
48. Abigail, Jacob (6)
49. Abigail, Zachary (6)
50. Addison, Austin (6)

Similarities in the 2011 rankings:

  • #5 and #49 on the girl-girl list are “Makayla, Makenzie” and “Mackenzie, Makayla.”
  • #8, #20 and #37 on the girl-girl list are “Mackenzie, Madison,” “Madison, Makenzie” and “Madison, Mckenzie.”
  • #3 and #10 on the girl-boy list are “Jayda, Jayden” and “Jada, Jaden.”

Top twin names, 2010

Girl-girl twins, 2010Boy-boy twins, 2010Girl-boy twins, 2010
1. Ella, Emma (44 sets)
2. Olivia, Sophia (42)
3. Gabriella, Isabella (34)
4. Faith, Hope (32)
5. Ava, Emma (28)
6. Isabella, Sophia (25)
7. Madison, Morgan (24)
8. Ava, Ella (21)
9. Ava, Olivia (21)
10. Mackenzie, Madison (21)
11. Abigail, Isabella (20)
12. Abigail, Emma (19)
13. Hailey, Hannah (19)
14. Makayla, Makenzie (19)
15. Addison, Avery (17)
16. Elizabeth, Emily (17)
17. Ava, Mia (16)
18. Heaven, Nevaeh (16)
19. Abigail, Emily (14)
20. Emma, Olivia (14)
21. London, Paris (14)
22. Chloe, Claire (13)
23. Mia, Mya (13)
24. Anna, Emma (12)
25. Arianna, Brianna (12)
26. Isabella, Olivia (12)
27. Abigail, Lillian (11)
28. Addison, Ava (11)
29. Emma, Isabella (11)
30. Samantha, Sophia (11)
31. Ella, Olivia (10)
32. Emma, Hannah (10)
33. Emma, Mia (10)
34. Faith, Grace (10)
35. Madison, Makenzie (10)
36. Madison, Olivia (10)
37. Abigail, Olivia (9)
38. Anabella, Isabella (9)
39. Chloe, Zoe (9)
40. Elizabeth, Isabella (9)
41. Elizabeth, Victoria (9)
42. Jada, Jade (9)
43. Julia, Sophia (9)
44. Kayla, Kylie (9)
45. Madison, Megan (9)
46. Mia, Sophia (9)
47. Natalie, Olivia (9)
48. Paige, Payton (9)
49. Serenity, Trinity (9)
50. Valentina, Valeria (9)		1. Jacob, Joshua (69 sets)
2. Ethan, Evan (54)
3. Jayden, Jordan (52)
4. Daniel, David (50)
5. Matthew, Michael (35)
6. Landon, Logan (32)
7. Elijah, Isaiah (31)
8. Jacob, Joseph (30)
9. Jayden, Jaylen (27)
10. Isaac, Isaiah (26)
11. Caleb, Joshua (25)
12. Andrew, Matthew (22)
13. James, John (22)
14. Alexander, Nicholas (21)
15. Jeremiah, Josiah (21)
16. Joseph, Joshua (21)
17. Nathan, Nicholas (21)
18. Jonathan, Joshua (20)
19. Logan, Lucas (20)
20. Ethan, Nathan (19)
21. Aiden, Ethan (18)
22. Jeremiah, Joshua (18)
23. Alexander, Andrew (17)
24. Alexander, Benjamin (17)
25. Logan, Luke (17)
26. Jacob, Lucas (16)
27. Jonathan, Joseph (16)
28. Nathan, Noah (16)
29. Andrew, Anthony (15)
30. Brandon, Bryan (15)
31. Daniel, Michael (15)
32. Daniel, Samuel (15)
33. Isaiah, Jeremiah (15)
34. Jaden, Jordan (15)
35. Jayden, Kayden (15)
36. John, Joseph (15)
37. Matthew, Ryan (15)
38. Aiden, Austin (14)
39. Benjamin, Samuel (14)
40. Christopher, Nicholas (14)
41. Taylor, Tyler (14)
42. Benjamin, William (13)
43. Hayden, Hunter (13)
44. Santiago, Sebastian (13)
45. Alexander, Anthony (12)
46. Alexander, William (12)
47. Brandon, Brian (12)
48. Carter, Cooper (12)
49. Evan, Owen (12)
50. Evan, Ryan (12)		1. Madison, Mason (32 sets)
2. Emma, Ethan (28)
3. Taylor, Tyler (26)
4. Madison, Michael (19)
5. Jayda, Jayden (17)
6. Madison, Matthew (17)
7. Sophia, Samuel (17)
8. Addison, Aiden (14)
9. Olivia, Owen (13)
10. Zoe, Zachary (13)
11. Addison, Jackson (12)
12. Ava, Aiden (12)
13. Emily, Ethan (12)
14. Emma, Ryan (12)
15. Isabella, Isaac (12)
16. Natalie, Nathan (12)
17. Abigail, Benjamin (11)
18. Emma, Andrew (11)
19. Isabella, Isaiah (11)
20. Jada, Jaden (11)
21. Brianna, Brian (10)
22. Emma, Jack (10)
23. Emma, Aiden (9)
24. Ella, Eli (9)
25. Olivia, Jacob (9)
26. Lily, Logan (9)
27. Michelle, Michael (9)
28. Naomi, Noah (9)
29. Abigail, Alexander (8)
30. Abigail, Andrew (8)
31. Brianna, Brandon (8)
32. Chloe, Christian (8)
33. Elizabeth, William (8)
34. Emily, Matthew (8)
35. Emma, Jacob (8)
36. Emma, William (8)
37. Sarah, Jacob (8)
38. Lilly, Logan (8)
39. Sophia, Nicholas (8)
40. Sophia, Noah (8)
41. Olivia, Oliver (8)
42. Sophia, William (8)
43. Abigail, Jacob (7)
44. Addison, Austin (7)
45. Sophia, Alexander (7)
46. Ella, Jackson (7)
47. Emma, Evan (7)
48. Emma, James (7)
49. Jayla, Jaylen (7)
50. Zoey, Zachary (7)

Similarities in the 2010 rankings:

  • #10 and #35 on the girl-girl list are “Mackenzie, Madison” and “Madison, Makenzie.”
  • #3 and #34 on the boy-boy list are “Jayden, Jordan” and “Jaden, Jordan.”
  • #30 and #47 on the boy-boy list are “Brandon, Bryan” and “Brandon, Brian.”
  • #5 and #20 on the girl-boy list are “Jayda, Jayden” and “Jada, Jaden.”
  • #10 and #50 on the girl-boy list are “Zoe, Zachary” and “Zoey, Zachary.”
  • #26 and #38 on the girl-boy list are “Lily, Logan” and “Lilly, Logan.”

Top twin names, 2009

Girl-girl twins, 2009Boy-boy twins, 2009Girl-boy twins, 2009
1. Isabella, Sophia (41 sets)
2. Faith, Hope (40)
3. Olivia, Sophia (29)
4. Ella, Emma (28)
5. Hailey, Hannah (27)
6. Ava, Emma (25)
7. Heaven, Nevaeh (25)
8. Madison, Morgan (24)
9. Mackenzie, Madison (23)
10. Ava, Olivia (21)
11. Isabella, Olivia (20)
12. Makayla, Makenzie (20)
13. Ava, Ella (19)
14. Faith, Grace (17)
15. Gabriella, Isabella (16)
16. Abigail, Olivia (15)
17. Emma, Sophia (15)
18. London, Paris (15)
19. Elizabeth, Emily (14)
20. Valeria, Vanessa (14)
21. Emily, Emma (12)
22. Emma, Grace (12)
23. Gabriella, Isabella (12)
24. Abigail, Allison (11)
25. Abigail, Emma (11)
26. Addison, Ava (11)
27. Anna, Emma (11)
28. Ava, Mia (11)
29. Ava, Sophia (11)
30. Abigail, Emily (10)
31. Addison, Emma (10)
32. Chloe, Sophie (10)
33. Grace, Hope (10)
34. Natalie, Nicole (10)
35. Savannah, Sierra (10)
36. Allison, Ashley (9)
37. Ella, Lily (9)
38. Emily, Natalie (9)
39. Emily, Olivia (9)
40. Emma, Hannah (9)
41. Emma, Lily (9)
42. Haylee, Kaylee (9)
43. Jennifer, Jessica (9)
44. Madison, Mckenzie (9)
45. Abigail, Elizabeth (8)
46. Addison, Avery (8)
47. Adriana, Andrea (8)
48. Alexandra, Elizabeth (8)
49. Ashley, Emily (8)
50. Ava, Grace (8)		1. Jacob, Joshua (55 sets)
2. Matthew, Michael (52)
3. Daniel, David (50)
4. Jayden, Jordan (41)
5. Jayden, Jaylen (38)
6. Elijah, Isaiah (36)
7. Isaac, Isaiah (36)
8. Ethan, Evan (31)
9. Logan, Lucas (31)
10. Logan, Luke (27)
11. Caleb, Joshua (24)
12. Landon, Logan (24)
13. Andrew, Matthew (23)
14. Nathan, Nicholas (23)
15. Brandon, Bryan (22)
16. Alexander, Benjamin (21)
17. Hayden, Hunter (21)
18. Alexander, Nicholas (20)
19. Gabriel, Michael (20)
20. Christian, Christopher (19)
21. Jordan, Justin (19)
22. Benjamin, Samuel (18)
23. James, John (18)
24. Jeremiah, Joshua (18)
25. John, Joseph (18)
26. Joseph, Joshua (18)
27. Jeremiah, Josiah (17)
28. Aiden, Ethan (16)
29. Jacob, Noah (16)
30. Alexander, Anthony (15)
31. Caleb, Jacob (15)
32. Ethan, Noah (15)
33. Jacob, Joseph (15)
34. James, William (15)
35. Andrew, Anthony (14)
36. Jacob, Zachary (14)
37. Nathan, Noah (14)
38. Aiden, Ashton (13)
39. Alexander, Michael (13)
40. Andrew, William (13)
41. Christopher, Nicholas (13)
42. Dylan, Logan (13)
43. Michael, Nicholas (13)
44. Thomas, William (13)
45. Aidan, Ethan (12)
46. Aiden, Jayden (12)
47. Alexander, Alexis (12)
48. Benjamin, Jacob (12)
49. Chance, Chase (12)
50. Jayden, Kayden (12)		1. Madison, Mason (34 sets)
2. Taylor, Tyler (30)
3. Addison, Aiden (18)
4. Emily, Ethan (16)
5. Emma, Evan (16)
6. Ella, Ethan (15)
7. Emma, Ethan (14)
8. Jayda, Jayden (13)
9. Jada, Jaden (12)
10. Aidan, Nadia (11)
11. Aiden, Ava (11)
12. Emma, William (11)
13. Madison, Matthew (11)
14. Anna, William (10)
15. Emily, Evan (10)
16. Emma, Jacob (10)
17. Emma, Noah (10)
18. Isabella, Isaiah (10)
19. Madison, Michael (10)
20. Addison, Andrew (9)
21. Chloe, Connor (9)
22. Emma, Jack (9)
23. Nicholas, Sophia (9)
24. Noah, Sophia (9)
25. Olivia, Owen (9)
26. Zachary, Zoe (9)
27. Zachary, Zoey (9)
28. Brian, Brianna (8)
29. Caleb, Chloe (8)
30. Ethan, Isabella (8)
31. Grace, John (8)
32. Isabella, Michael (8)
33. Jacob, Jillian (8)
34. Jada, Jayden (8)
35. James, Julia (8)
36. Landon, London (8)
37. Lily, Luke (8)
38. Olivia, William (8)
39. Samuel, Sophia (8)
40. Sophia, William (8)
41. Abigail, Alexander (7)
42. Abigail, Benjamin (7)
43. Alexander, Ava (7)
44. Andrea, Andrew (7)
45. Andrew, Emily (7)
46. Ava, John (7)
47. Ava, Noah (7)
48. Emily, Ryan (7)
49. Emma, James (7)
50. Hannah, Noah (7)

Observations on the 2009 rankings:

  • #9 and #44 on the girl-girl list are “Mackenzie, Madison” and “Madison, Mckenzie.”
  • #15 and #23 on the girl-girl list are both “Gabriella, Isabella.” There was probably supposed to be a spelling difference somewhere, but the SSA had the pairings listed identically.
  • #8, #9 and #34 on the girl-boy list are “Jayda, Jayden,” “Jada, Jaden” and “Jada, Jayden.”
  • #10 on the girl-boy list is “Aidan, Nadia” — the only pair of anagram names I’ve spotted on these twin lists (besides Heaven/Nevaeh, of course).
  • #26 and #27 on the girl-boy list are “Zachary, Zoe” and “Zachary, Zoey.”

Top twin names, 2008

(Gender combinations not specified.)

1. Jacob, Joshua (69 sets born in 2008)
2. Daniel, David (59)
3. Jayden, Jordan (56)
4. Ethan, Evan (50)
5. Taylor, Tyler (43)
6. Gabriella, Isabella (42)
7. Isaac, Isaiah (40)
8. Madison, Morgan (38)
9. Elijah, Isaiah (36)
10. Ella, Emma (35)
11. Landon, Logan (34)
12. Logan, Lucas (34)
13. Matthew, Michael (33)
14. Faith, Hope (29)
15. Isabella, Sophia (28)
16. Olivia, Sophia (28)
17. James, John (27)
18. Madison, Mason (27)
19. Brandon, Bryan (25)
20. Hailey, Hannah (25)
21. Mackenzie, Madison (25)
22. Nathan, Nicholas (25)
23. Addison, Aiden (24)
24. Caleb, Joshua (24)
25. Christian, Christopher (24)
26. Emma, Ethan (24)
27. Jayden, Jaylen (24)
28. Ava, Emma (23)
29. Ava, Olivia (23)
30. Joseph, Joshua (23)
31. Andrew, Matthew (22)
32. Makayla, Makenzie (22)
33. Benjamin, Samuel (21)
34. Brandon, Brian (21)
35. Abigail, Emma (20)
36. Jacob, Matthew (20)
37. Jordan, Justin (20)
38. Nathan, Noah (20)
39. Alexander, Andrew (19)
40. Emily, Ethan (19)
41. Ethan, Nathan (19)
42. Gabriel, Michael (19)
43. Hayden, Hunter (19)
44. Jacob, Joseph (19)
45. Addison, Avery (17)
46. Faith, Grace (17)
47. Jayda, Jayden (17)
48. Joshua, Justin (17)
49. Joshua, Matthew (17)
50. Alexander, Nicholas (16)
51. Emma, Sophie (16)
52. Jada, Jaden (16)
53. Logan, Luke (16)
54. Aaron, Andrew (15)
55. Andrew, Anthony (15)
56. Anna, Emma (15)
57. Autumn, Summer (15)
58. Isabella, Olivia (15)
59. Jacob, Jordan (15)
60. Jacob, Lucas (15)
61. Kyle, Ryan (15)
62. Nicholas, Noah (15)
63. Valeria, Vanessa (15)
64. Abigail, Benjamin (14)
65. Aiden, Ava (14)
66. Alexander, Benjamin (14)
67. Alexander, Christopher (14)
68. Ashley, Emily (14)
69. Benjamin, William (14)
70. Christopher, Matthew (14)
71. Daniel, Michael (14)
72. Dylan, Tyler (14)
73. Emma, Sophia (14)
74. Hannah, Sarah (14)
75. Heaven, Nevaeh (14)
76. Jake, Luke (14)
77. Jennifer, Jessica (14)
78. Mackenzie, Makayla (14)
79. Matthew, William (14)
80. Natalie, Nathan (14)
81. Ryan, Tyler (14)
82. Samuel, Sophia (14)
83. Samuel, William (14)
84. Addison, Emma (13)
85. Adrian, Adriana (13)
86. Aiden, Austin (13)
87. Alexander, Alexis (13)
88. Ava, Mia (13)
89. Benjamin, Jacob (13)
90. Benjamin, Matthew (13)
91. Caleb, Christian (13)
92. Caleb, Jacob (13)
93. Elijah, Ethan (13)
94. Jada, Jayden (13)
95. James, William (13)
96. John, William (13)
97. Lily, Logan (13)
98. Mark, Matthew (13)
99. Matthew, Nicholas (13)
100. Maxwell, Samuel (13)

Similarities in the 2008 rankings:

  • #19 and #34 are “Brandon, Bryan,” and “Brandon, Brian.”
  • #32 and #78 are “Makayla, Makenzie” and “Mackenzie, Makayla.”
  • #47, #52 and #94 are “Jayda, Jayden,” “Jada, Jaden” and “Jada, Jayden.”

Top twin names, 2007

(Gender combinations not specified.)

1. Jacob, Joshua (69 sets born in 2007)
2. Matthew, Michael (55)
3. Daniel, David (52)
4. Isaac, Isaiah (39)
5. Ella, Emma (38)
6. Madison, Morgan (36)
7. Taylor, Tyler (36)
8. Landon, Logan (35)
9. Brandon, Bryan (34)
10. Christian, Christopher (33)
11. Gabriella, Isabella (33)
12. Andrew, Matthew (32)
13. Faith, Hope (32)
14. Joseph, Joshua (31)
15. Ethan, Evan (30)
16. Jacob, Joseph (30)
17. Mackenzie, Madison (29)
18. Alexander, Benjamin (27)
19. Caleb, Joshua (26)
20. Hailey, Hannah (26)
21. Isabella, Sophia (26)
22. Madison, Matthew (26)
23. Emily, Ethan (25)
24. Joshua, Matthew (25)
25. Nathan, Nicholas (25)
26. Andrew, Anthony (24)
27. Jayden, Jordan (24)
28. Madison, Mason (24)
29. Elijah, Isaiah (23)
30. Alexander, Nicholas (22)
31. Jeremiah, Joshua (22)
32. Emma, Ethan (21)
33. Olivia, Sophia (21)
34. Ava, Emma (20)
35. Haley, Hannah (20)
36. Hayden, Hunter (20)
37. Jacob, Zachary (20)
38. Logan, Luke (20)
39. Natalie, Nathan (20)
40. Benjamin, Samuel (19)
41. Christopher, Nicholas (19)
42. Nathan, Noah (19)
43. Alexander, Christopher (18)
44. James, John (18)
45. John, William (18)
46. Jordan, Justin (18)
47. Megan, Morgan (18)
48. Alexander, Anthony (17)
49. Andrew, William (17)
50. Christopher, Matthew (17)
51. Isabella, Olivia (17)
52. Jacob, Jordan (17)
53. Joseph, Michael (17)
54. Alexander, Andrew (16)
55. Andrew, Jacob (16)
56. Elijah, Ethan (16)
57. Jacob, Matthew (16)
58. Jacob, Samuel (16)
59. James, Joseph (16)
60. Jordan, Joshua (16)
61. Matthew, Ryan (16)
62. Nicholas, Noah (16)
63. Ava, Olivia (15)
64. Emma, Grace (15)
65. Emma, Hannah (15)
66. Jason, Justin (15)
67. Jennifer, Jessica (15)
68. Makayla, Makenzie (15)
69. Natalie, Nicole (15)
70. Zachary, Zoe (15)
71. Ava, Sophia (14)
72. Benjamin, Jacob (14)
73. Emma, Olivia (14)
74. Ethan, Nathan (14)
75. Gabriel, Michael (14)
76. Grace, Olivia (14)
77. Jacob, Justin (14)
78. Jacob, Tyler (14)
79. Jaden, Jordan (14)
80. Jonathan, Joshua (14)
81. Jose, Juan (14)
82. Logan, Lucas (14)
83. Mark, Matthew (14)
84. Robert, William (14)
85. Samuel, Sophia (14)
86. Abigail, Emily (13)
87. Abigail, Emma (13)
88. Alexander, William (13)
89. Anna, Emma (13)
90. Ashley, Emily (13)
91. Ava, Ella (13)
92. Cameron, Christian (13)
93. Emily, Sarah (13)
94. Emma, Jacob (13)
95. Emma, William (13)
96. Grace, Hannah (13)
97. Hannah, Sarah (13)
98. Jayden, Jaylen (13)
99. Joseph, Nicholas (13)
100. Joshua, Zachary (13)
101. Madison, Megan (13)
102. Parker, Preston (13)

Similarities in the 2007 rankings:

  • #20 and #35 are “Hailey, Hannah” and “Haley, Hannah.”
  • #27 and #79 are “Jayden, Jordan” and “Jaden, Jordan.”

Top twin names, 2006

(Gender combinations not specified.)

1. Jacob, Joshua (67 sets born in 2006)
2. Matthew, Michael (54)
3. Daniel, David (52)
4. Ella, Emma (38)
5. Isaac, Isaiah (38)
6. Madison, Morgan (36)
7. Landon, Logan (35)
8. Taylor, Tyler (35)
9. Brandon, Bryan (34)
10. Christian, Christopher (33)
11. Gabriella, Isabella (33)
12. Andrew, Matthew (32)
13. Faith, Hope (31)
14. Ethan, Evan (30)
15. Jacob, Joseph (30)
16. Joseph, Joshua (29)
17. Mackenzie, Madison (29)
18. Alexander, Benjamin (27)
19. Hailey, Hannah (27)
20. Madison, Matthew (26)
21. Caleb, Joshua (25)
22. Emily, Ethan (25)
23. Isabella, Sophia (25)
24. Joshua, Matthew (25)
25. Nathan, Nicholas (25)
26. Andrew, Anthony (24)
27. Jayden, Jordan (24)
28. Madison, Mason (24)
29. Elijah, Isaiah (22)
30. Jeremiah, Joshua (22)
31. Alexander, Nicholas (21)
32. Emma, Ethan (21)
33. Olivia, Sophia (21)
34. Ava, Emma (20)
35. Hayden, Hunter (20)
36. Logan, Luke (20)
37. Natalie, Nathan (20)
38. Christopher, Nicholas (19)
39. Haley, Hannah (19)
40. Jacob, Zachary (19)
41. John, William (19)
42. Nathan, Noah (19)
43. Benjamin, Samuel (18)
44. James, John (18)
45. Jordan, Justin (18)
46. Megan, Morgan (18)
47. Alexander, Anthony (17)
48. Isabella, Olivia (17)
49. Jacob, Jordan (17)
50. Joseph, Michael (17)
51. Nicholas, Noah (17)
52. Alexander, Andrew (16)
53. Alexander, Christopher (16)
54. Andrew, Jacob (16)
55. Christopher, Matthew (16)
56. Elijah, Ethan (16)
57. Jacob, Samuel (16)
58. James, Joseph (16)
59. Matthew, Ryan (16)
60. Ava, Olivia (15)
61. Emma, Grace (15)
62. Emma, Hannah (15)
63. Jacob, Matthew (15)
64. Jaden, Jordan (15)
65. Jason, Justin (15)
66. Jordan, Joshua (15)
67. Makayla, Makenzie (15)
68. Zachary, Zoe (15)
69. Abigail, Emily (14)
70. Andrew, William (14)
71. Benjamin, Jacob (14)
72. Emma, Olivia (14)
73. Ethan, Nathan (14)
74. Gabriel, Michael (14)
75. Hannah, Sarah (14)
76. Jacob, Justin (14)
77. Jacob, Tyler (14)
78. Jennifer, Jessica (14)
79. Jonathan, Joshua (14)
80. Jose, Juan (14)
81. Mark, Matthew (14)
82. Natalie, Nicole (14)
83. Samuel, Sophia (14)
84. Abigail, Emma (13)
85. Alexander, William (13)
86. Anna, Emma (13)
87. Ashley, Emily (13)
88. Ava, Sophia (13)
89. Cameron, Christian (13)
90. Emily, Sarah (13)
91. Emma, Jacob (13)
92. Grace, Hannah (13)
93. Grace, Olivia (13)
94. Jayden, Jaylen (13)
95. Joseph, Nicholas (13)
96. Joshua, Zachary (13)
97. Logan, Lucas (13)
98. Madison, Megan (13)
99. Parker, Preston (13)
100. Robert, William (13)

Similarities in the 2006 rankings:

  • #19 and #39 are “Hailey, Hannah” and “Haley, Hannah.”
  • #27 and #64 are “Jayden, Jordan” and “Jaden, Jordan.”

Top twin names, 2005

(Gender combinations not specified.)

1. Jacob, Joshua (78 sets born in 2005)
2. Matthew, Michael (70)
3. Daniel, David (63)
4. Faith, Hope (49)
5. Ethan, Evan (43)
6. Taylor, Tyler (42)
7. Isaac, Isaiah (37)
8. Joseph, Joshua (37)
9. Nathan, Nicholas (37)
10. Madison, Mason (33)
11. Hailey, Hannah (32)
12. Madison, Morgan (32)
13. Alexander, Andrew (29)
14. Elijah, Isaiah (28)
15. Jordan, Justin (28)
16. Mackenzie, Madison (27)
17. Alexander, Nicholas (25)
18. Caleb, Joshua (25)
19. Emma, Ethan (25)
20. Jonathan, Joshua (25)
21. Emily, Ethan (24)
22. Alexander, Benjamin (23)
23. Andrew, Matthew (23)
24. Benjamin, Samuel (23)
25. James, John (23)
26. Matthew, Nicholas (23)
27. Brandon, Brian (22)
28. Ella, Emma (22)
29. Alexander, Zachary (21)
30. Dylan, Tyler (21)
31. Hannah, Sarah (21)
32. Madison, Matthew (21)
33. Christian, Christopher (20)
34. Faith, Grace (20)
35. Jacob, Jordan (20)
36. Jacob, Matthew (20)
37. Jaden, Jordan (20)
38. Alexander, Anthony (19)
39. Brandon, Bryan (19)
40. Emily, Sarah (19)
41. Ethan, Nathan (19)
42. Jacob, Joseph (19)
43. Jordan, Joshua (19)
44. Landon, Logan (19)
45. Olivia, Sophia (19)
46. Ashley, Emily (18)
47. Elizabeth, Emily (18)
48. Elizabeth, Katherine (18)
49. Jeremy, Joshua (18)
50. John, Joseph (18)
51. Nathan, Noah (18)
52. Nicholas, Noah (18)
53. Nicholas, Zachary (18)
54. Alexander, Christopher (17)
55. Christopher, Michael (17)
56. Jacob, Zachary (17)
57. Jason, Justin (17)
58. Abigail, Allison (16)
59. Amy, Emily (16)
60. Andrew, Nicholas (16)
61. Benjamin, William (16)
62. Christopher, Nicholas (16)
63. Ella, Ethan (16)
64. Gabriella, Isabella (16)
65. Isabella, Sophia (16)
66. Jeremiah, Joshua (16)
67. Megan, Morgan (16)
68. Samuel, Sophia (16)
69. Aidan, Ava (15)
70. Alexander, Alexis (15)
71. Andrew, Anthony (15)
72. Andrew, Ethan (15)
73. Andrew, William (15)
74. Ava, Olivia (15)
75. Caleb, Jacob (15)
76. Jacob, Nicholas (15)
77. Jacob, Ryan (15)
78. Jake, Luke (15)
79. Jayden, Jordan (15)
80. John, William (15)
81. Mark, Matthew (15)
82. Natalie, Nathan (15)
83. Nathaniel, Nicholas (15)
84. Ryan, Tyler (15)
85. Abigail, Emily (14)
86. Anna, Emma (14)
87. Anthony, Michael (14)
88. Anthony, Nicholas (14)
89. Austin, Justin (14)
90. Benjamin, Jacob (14)
91. Brian, Brianna (14)
92. Christopher, Matthew (14)
93. Daniel, Samuel (14)
94. Gabriel, Michael (14)
95. Haley, Hannah (14)
96. Jada, Jaden (14)
97. Jayden, Jaylen (14)
98. Jonathan, Joseph (14)
99. Kyle, Ryan (14)
100. Logan, Lucas (14)
101. Logan, Luke (14)
102. Matthew, Ryan (14)
103. Parker, Payton (14)
104. Parker, Peyton (14)
105. Reagan, Riley (14)
106. Tanner, Tyler (14)

Similarities in the 2005 rankings:

  • #11 and #95 are “Hailey, Hannah” and “Haley, Hannah.”
  • #27 and #39 are “Brandon, Brian” and “Brandon, Bryan.”
  • #37 and #79 are “Jaden, Jordan” and “Jayden, Jordan.”
  • #103 and #104 are “Parker, Payton” and “Parker, Peyton.”

Sources:

Image: Adapted from FraternalTwins by MultipleParent under CC BY-SA 3.0.

[Latest update: Mar. 2024]

Names popular during the Elizabethan era

Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I of England

What were the top names of the Elizabethan era?

Elea of British Baby Names recently published a great list of names popular during the Elizabethan era (late 16th century) in the Norfolk region. Here are the top 10 names for each gender:

Male names (16th cen.)Female names (16th cen.)
1. John
2. Thomas
3. William
4. Robert
5. Richard
6. Edward
7. Henry
8. Edmund
9. Nicholas
10. James		1. Elizabeth
2. Margaret
3. Mary
4. Ann
5. Agnes
6. Alice
7. Dorothy
8. Joan
9. Katherine
10. Bridget

I thought it would be fun to compare this list to a couple of earlier historical name lists from England, so here are the most common names from King Henry III’s fine rolls (13th century):

Male names (13th cen.)Female names (13th cen.)
1. William
2. John
3. Richard
4. Robert
5. Henry
6. Ralph
7. Thomas
8. Walter
9. Roger
10. Hugh		1. Alice
2. Matilda
3. Agnes
4. Margaret
5. Joan
6. Isabella
7. Emma
8. Beatrice
9. Mabel
10. Cecilia

And, even further back, here are the most-mentioned male names and female names in the Domesday book (11th century):

Male names (11th cen.)Female names (11th cen.)
1. William
2. Robert
3. Ralph
4. Aelfric
5. Alwin
5. Hugh
7. Roger
8. Godwin
9. Walter
10. Godric		1. Aldgyth
2. Aelfeva
2. Leofeva
2. Wulfeva
5. Bricteva
5. Edeva
7. Emma
7. Godiva
9. Goda
10. Edith

The last two lists may not represent the top given names of their time periods very accurately, but they do give you a sense of how given names in England have changed over time.

Image: Adapted from Elizabeth I of England (public domain)

Fastest-rising boy names of all time in the U.S. baby name data

hot air balloons

Every year, when I get the latest batch of baby name data, one of the things I check out is popularity change. And every year, as I do that analysis, I say to myself, “I wonder what the biggest popularity jumps of all time are…”

But I kept putting off the analysis. Mainly because it involved manipulating a large amount of data, and…I’m lazy.

Finally, a few weeks ago, I took a look. And I came up with a list of the all-time biggest (raw number, single-year) popularity increases of all time.

Today we’ll look at the boys’ list, and tomorrow we’ll look at the girls’ list.

Before we get into it, though, let me tell you why these lists aren’t so great. The raw numbers (which I’ve become used to focusing on) just don’t work well in this sort of analysis. The top names, as you’ll see, are simply popular names that got a lot more popular. Not very insightful.

I’ll post the lists anyway, but I’m already planning a do-over that focuses on percentage of increase. That ought to be a lot more interesting.

So, now that that’s out of the way, here are all the boy names that jumped by more than 10,000 babies in a single year:

  1. Robert, +14,194 baby boy from 1945 to 1946
  2. John, +13,131 baby boy from 1945 to 1946
  3. James, +12,993 baby boy from 1945 to 1946
  4. Richard, +12,828 baby boy from 1945 to 1946
  5. David, +11,381 baby boy from 1946 to 1947
  6. Michael, +11,268 baby boy from 1945 to 1946
  7. John, +11,140 baby boy from 1911 to 1912
  8. Jason, +10,788 baby boy from 1969 to 1970
  9. James, +10,450 baby boy from 1941 to 1942
  10. Nicholas, +10,274 baby boy from 1977 to 1978

Notice how neatly the top six correlate to the post-WWII baby boom.

Do you have any theories about the other four?

Trivia question of the day: Only one boy name ever decreased in popularity by more than 10,000 baby boys over a one-year period. Can you guess the name?

Image: Adapted from Turkey-2036 by Dennis Jarvis under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Where did the baby name Louvima come from?

The daughters of Edward VII: Louise (b. 1867), Maud (b. 1869), and Victoria (b. 1868)
Louise, Maud, and Victoria

Lord Francis Knollys was a close friend of the British royal family. So close that he served as as Private Secretary to the Sovereign under both Edward VII (from 1901 to 1910) and George V (from 1910 to 1913).

It’s not too surprising, then, that both of Knollys’ children were named in honor of the royals. His daughter was named Alexandra Louvima Elizabeth (b. 1888) and his son was named Edward George William (b. 1895).

Alexandra, Elizabeth, Edward, George, William — these are all names we know.

But “Louvima”? Where did that come from?

Turns out it’s an acronym. Edward VII (who was still “Albert Edward, Prince of Wales” back in 1888) and his wife Alexandra had six children: Albert Victor, George (later George V), Louise, Victoria, Maud, and Alexander John. “Louvima” was created from the first letters of the names of Edward’s three daughters:

Louvima = Louise + Victoria + Maud

The papers picked up on the interesting birth name right away. Here’s an article that appeared in a New Zealand newspaper in July of 1888:

Few people have noticed the second name bestowed on Sir Francis Knollys’ little daughter, who was baptised on May 5. Sir Francis, as every one knows, is the energetic and popular private secretary of the Prince of Wales, and in a torrent of grateful loyalty he has called his firstborn “Louvima,” a marvellous amalgam of the Christian names of the three young Princesses of Wales, “Louisa [sic], Victoria, Maud.” Since the expectant Mrs. Kenwigs invented the name of Morleena we have had nothing quite so good as this.

(Morleena Kenwig is a character in the Charles Dickens novel Nicholas Nickleby.)

Here’s a second-hand account printed in Notes & Queries that same month:

Louvima, a new Christian Name — It is stated in the newspapers — but it may not be correct; for, as Theodore Hook said to the credulous old lady, “Those rascally newspapers will say anything” — that Sir Francis Knollys, private secretary to H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, has named his first-born Louvima, which is an ingenious amalgam of the names of the three daughters of the Prince — Louise, Victoria, and Maud.

After the news of Louvima Knollys got out, the rare name Louvima was given to baby girls in England (and other English-speaking regions) considerably more often. This lasted until the late 1910s.

Here are some of the Louvimas I found:

  • Hilda Louvima Pritchard, born in 1888 in England
  • Evangeline Louvima Brumbley, born in 1888 in England
  • Louvima Perline Ann Cunningham, born in 1889 in Arkansas
  • Lilian Louvima Daisy Blake, born in 1889 in South Africa
  • Louvima Primrose Massey-Hicks, born in 1890 in South Africa
  • Nina Louvima Shann, born in 1892 in New Zealand
  • Louvima Evelina Youell, born in 1893 in England
  • Louvima Griswold, born in 1894 in Idaho
  • Annie Louvima Brooksband, born in 1895 in England
  • Rita Louvima Faulkner, born in 1898 in Canada
  • Louvima Marie Crosson, born in 1901 in Florida
  • Louvima Naylor, born in 1902 in Iowa
  • Laura Louvima McKenzie, born in 1902 in Michigan
  • Florence Louvima Major, born in 1908 in Canada

I also discovered more than a few horses and boats named Louvima during this period.

One of those horses, in fact, belonged to the royal family itself. Which makes me wonder: who came up with the name originally? Was it Francis Knollys’ invention, or did he get the idea from someone in the royal family? Maybe one of the sisters? (The Romanov sisters — Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia — referred to themselves by the acronym “OTMA.”)

Louvima Knollys grew up very close to the royal family. In this 1897 photo, for instance, she’s posing with Queen Alexandra. The Queen is dressed as Marguerite de Valois, wife of Henry IV of France, and Louvima is dressed as a pageboy.

Louvima married twice, and had a son with her first husband (who died during WWI). Through her son she had four grandchildren and at least six great-grandchildren. As far as I can tell, Louvima’s unique name has not (yet) been passed down to any of her descendants.

Sources:

  • Bede, Cuthbert. “Louvima, a New Christian Name.” Notes & Queries 7 Jul. 1888: 6.
  • Dutt, William Alfred. The King’s Homeland. London: Adam and Charles Black, 1904.
  • Francis Knollys, 1st Viscount Knollys – The Peerage
  • “Ladies’ Gossip.” Otago Witness 6 Jul. 1888: 33.
  • Legge, Edward. King George and the Royal Family. London: Grant Richards Ltd., 1918.
  • “Society Wedding.” Straits Times 20 Dec. 1911: 7.

Image: The three daughters of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra (1883) by Sydney Prior Hall

[Does Louvima remind anyone else of Luzviminda?]