How popular is the baby name Samuel 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 Samuel.

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Popularity of the baby name Samuel


Posts that mention the name Samuel

Popular baby names in the United States, 2013

Flag of the United States
Flag of the United States

The new names are out! The #1 names in the nation now are Sophia (again) and Noah (new!).

Here are the full top 50 lists:

Girl NamesBoy Names
1. Sophia, 21075 baby girls
2. Emma, 20788
3. Olivia, 18256
4. Isabella, 17490
5. Ava, 15129
6. Mia, 13066
7. Emily, 13044
8. Abigail, 12313
9. Madison, 10529
10. Elizabeth, 9345
11. Charlotte, 9232
12. Avery, 9121
13. Sofia, 9108
14. Chloe, 8714
15. Ella, 8370
16. Harper, 8222
17. Amelia, 7979
18. Aubrey, 7927
19. Addison, 7677
20. Evelyn, 7616
21. Natalie, 7430
22. Grace, 7296
23. Hannah, 7222
24. Zoey, 7187
25. Victoria, 7155
26. Lillian, 7017
27. Lily, 6935
28. Brooklyn, 6837
29. Samantha, 6453
30. Layla, 6440
31. Zoe, 5920
32. Audrey, 5567
33. Leah, 5554
34. Allison, 5405
35. Anna, 5315
36. Aaliyah, 5195
37. Savannah, 5192
38. Gabriella, 5173
39. Camila, 5127
40. Aria, 5085
41. Kaylee, 5079
42. Scarlett, 5031
43. Hailey, 4994
44. Arianna, 4956
45. Riley, 4902
46. Alexis, 4741
47. Nevaeh, 4716
48. Sarah, 4635
49. Claire, 4626
50. Sadie, 4614		1. Noah, 18090 baby boys
2. Liam, 18002
3. Jacob, 17976
4. Mason, 17591
5. William, 16495
6. Ethan, 16127
7. Michael, 15366
8. Alexander, 14771
9. Jayden, 14656
10. Daniel, 14140
11. Elijah, 13626
12. Aiden, 13527
13. James, 13416
14. Benjamin, 13373
15. Matthew, 13226
16. Jackson, 12488
17. Logan, 12270
18. David, 12226
19. Anthony, 12164
20. Joseph, 12095
21. Joshua, 11680
22. Andrew, 11568
23. Lucas, 11451
24. Gabriel, 11112
25. Samuel, 10957
26. Christopher, 10765
27. John, 10588
28. Dylan, 10058
29. Isaac, 10005
30. Ryan, 9808
31. Nathan, 9620
32. Carter, 9512
33. Caleb, 9500
34. Luke, 9497
35. Christian, 9261
36. Hunter, 8887
37. Henry, 8802
38. Owen, 8702
39. Landon, 8679
40. Jack, 8506
41. Wyatt, 8490
42. Jonathan, 8478
43. Eli, 7867
44. Isaiah, 7754
45. Sebastian, 7495
46. Jaxon, 7479
47. Julian, 7469
48. Brayden, 7384
49. Gavin, 7379
50. Levi, 7339

I know the big news is Noah, but check out Liam! 6th last year, 2nd this year.

And Michael bounced back a spot this year, surprisingly — up from 8th to 7th. Nope! Just noticed that the SSA also updated the 2012 rankings, and Michael was upgraded from 8th to 7th place for 2012. So, no bounce-back after all.

On the girls’ side, Charlotte hopped up from 19th to 11th.

Have you spotted any other interesting rises/drops so far?

More from the SSA’s news release:

Each year, the list reveals the effect of pop-culture on naming trends. This year’s winners for biggest jump in popularity in the Top 1,000 are Jayceon and Daleyza. The fastest riser for boys, Jayceon, gained popularity as it is the birth name of VH1’s cable reality series “Marrying The Game” star and award-winning rapper The Game. The show follows the life of Jayceon “The Game” Taylor, as a rapper and father of three. The show premiered in late 2012 and obviously had its effect on naming trends throughout 2013.

On the girls’ side, Daleyza, may have been influenced by a popular Spanish-language cable TV series, “Larrymania,” which airs on mun2. Daleyza is the young daughter of Larry Hernandez, an American regional Mexican singer and reality TV star. The name increased in popularity by more than 3,000 spots, so the show undoubtedly had an influence.

The second fastest riser for boys was Milan, and for girls, Marjorie.

Here are the announcement posts for 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, and 2006.

U.S. Baby Names 2013: Most popular names, Top girl-name debuts, Top boy-name debuts, Biggest girl-name changes, Biggest boy-name changes, Top first letters, Top lengths, Top girl names by letter, Top boy names by letter

Sources: SSA, Noah and Sophia Win Social Security’s Most Popular Baby Names for 2013 – SSA

Image: Adapted from Flag of the United States (public domain)

What turned Maverick into a baby name in 1957?

Title of the TV series "Maverick" (1957-1962)
Title of the TV series “Maverick”

The baby name Maverick is more popular than ever in the U.S. these days. Where did this name come from, and how has pop culture helped make it so trendy?

Maverick the surname

Maverick began as an English surname. Its etymology is unknown, but there are several theories. Some think the origin is Welsh. Others think it’s related to the name Maurice.

The surname traveled with settlers to the New World as early as the 1620s.

Maverick the noun/adjective

One of the descendants of those 17th-century settlers was Texas cattle owner Samuel Augustus Maverick (1803-1870).

When he returned permanently to San Antonio with his family, Maverick left a small herd of cattle originally purchased in 1847 on Matagorda Peninsula with slave caretakers. It was this herd that was allowed to wander and gave rise to the term maverick, which denotes an unbranded calf.

The earliest recorded use of “maverick” in this sense comes from 1867.

The earliest recorded use of “maverick” to refer to a human — someone who does not follow rules, someone who is unconventional — comes from 1886.

Maverick on television

The TV Western Maverick debuted in 1957 and ran until 1962. The series featured card player Bret Maverick and sometimes other family members, like brother Bart Maverick.

This show is what put the baby name Maverick on the map:

  • 1963: 14 baby boys named Maverick
  • 1962: 21 baby boys named Maverick
  • 1961: 26 baby boys named Maverick
  • 1960: 46 baby boys named Maverick
  • 1959: 61 baby boys named Maverick [rank: 989th]
  • 1958: 88 baby boys named Maverick [rank: 800th]
  • 1957: 33 baby boys named Maverick [debut]
  • 1956: unlisted
  • 1955: unlisted

The U.S. baby name data only includes names that were given to at least 5 U.S. babies (of one gender or the other) per year, so 1957 was the first year that more than five baby boys were named Maverick. In fact, so many boys were named Maverick that the name was one of the top debut names of the year. And it entered the top 1,000 for the very first time the following year.

(The show also gave a very big boost to the baby name Bret, and to variant spelling Brett. And it had an influence on a handful of female names, including Samantha and Tawney.)

Maverick in the movies

The character Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (played by Tom Cruise) from the movie "Top Gun" (1986)
Maverick from “Top Gun“

Usage of the name stayed flat until the popular movie Top Gun was released in 1986. The film starred Tom Cruise as a navy pilot Lt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell.

  • 1988: 48 baby boys named Maverick
  • 1987: 44 baby boys named Maverick
  • 1986: 19 baby boys named Maverick
  • 1985: 16 baby boys named Maverick
  • 1984: 6 baby boys named Maverick

(Also around this time we see the debut of the baby name Cruise.)

The character Bret Maverick (played by Mel Gibson) from the movie "Maverick" (1994).
Bret Maverick from “Maverick“

Another movie that may have added to the momentum was Maverick (1994), which starred Mel Gibson and was based on the original television series.

  • 1996: 167 baby boys named Maverick [rank: 843rd]
  • 1995: 148 baby boys named Maverick [rank: 910th]
  • 1994: 128 baby boys named Maverick [rank: 978th]
  • 1993: 101 baby boys named Maverick
  • 1992: 76 baby boys named Maverick

Maverick in sports

The name has really picked up steam in the last few years, perhaps due in part to the success of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team, which made it to the finals during the 2005-06 season and won the finals in 2010-2011. (Texas was the state with the most baby Mavericks in both 2006 and in 2010, incidentally.)

Maverick in the future

Given the current trajectory, the name set to become increasingly popular in the next few years.

How high do you think it will go?

And, what do you think of the baby name Maverick?

Update, 5/30/2022: Look how high Maverick has climbed since this post went live in 2014!

Usage of the baby name Maverick in the U.S. since 1880
Usage of the baby name Maverick

Here are the latest numbers (and rankings):

  • 2021: 6,548 baby boys named Maverick [rank: 47th]
  • 2020: 6,114 baby boys named Maverick [rank: 50th]
  • 2019: 5,754 baby boys named Maverick [rank: 58th]
  • 2018: 5,032 baby boys named Maverick [rank: 73rd]
  • 2017: 4,724 baby boys named Maverick [rank: 85th]
  • 2016: 2,956 baby boys named Maverick [rank: 139th]
  • 2015: 2,274 baby boys named Maverick [rank: 184th]
  • 2014: 1,878 baby boys named Maverick [rank: 206th]
  • 2013: 1,300 baby boys named Maverick [rank: 272nd]

Maverick reached the top 100 in 2017, then the top 50 just a few years later, in 2020. And with the newly released movie Top Gun: Maverick seeing early success at the theaters, who knows how high it could go.

Do you think it will reach the top 20? Top 10?

Sources: Maverick – Online Etymology Dictionary, Maverick, Samuel Augustus – The Handbook of Texas Online – TSHA

[Latest update: May 2022]

Popular and unique baby names in Quebec (Canada), 2013

Flag of Quebec
Flag of Quebec

Quebec’s top baby names of 2013 were announced yesterday.

According to data from the Régie des rentes du Québec (RRQ), the most popular baby names last year were Lea and William.

Here are Quebec’s top 20 girl names and top 20 boy names of 2013:

Girl names

  1. Lea, 625 baby girls
  2. Emma, 500
  3. Olivia, 491
  4. Florence, 455
  5. Alice, 439
  6. Zoe, 415
  7. Rosalie, 404
  8. Juliette, 366
  9. Charlie, 343
  10. Chloe, 339
  11. Charlotte, 332
  12. Sofia, 304
  13. Jade, 302
  14. Mia, 299
  15. Eva, 289
  16. Camille, 286
  17. Victoria, 284
  18. Anais, 274
  19. Beatrice, 265
  20. Laurence, 260 (tie)
  21. Maeva, 260 (tie)

Boy names

  1. William, 823 baby boys
  2. Nathan, 771
  3. Samuel, 704
  4. Alexis, 699
  5. Olivier, 694
  6. Felix, 692
  7. Thomas, 692
  8. Liam, 683
  9. Jacob, 630
  10. Gabriel, 602
  11. Antoine, 516
  12. Logan, 516
  13. Raphael, 498
  14. Noah, 463
  15. Xavier, 441
  16. Benjamin, 420
  17. Emile, 413
  18. Charles, 397
  19. Adam, 389
  20. Leo, 386

Charlie is new to the girls’ top 10. In 2012, it ranked 12th.

On the boys’ side, Jayden is on the rise as well — from 38th in 2012 to 35th in 2013. (In the U.S., Jayden has been falling for a few years now.)

Finally, here are some baby names that were used only once or twice in Quebec last year:

Rare girl namesRare boy names
Alaska (1), Alutchainah Winfrey (1), Cheleby-Prettey (1), Divine Jeremiah (1), Etye Tzirl (1), Fanny-Jade (1), Galaxyanne (1), Golding Merly (1), Iokennorehseriio (1), K La (1), Kellixia (1), Khaleesi (2), Khlde (1), Kinda Love (1), Kukuess (1), Libertad-Quillay (1), Luna Love (1), Luxshiny (1), Mamba Gabrielle (1), Marie-Neige (2), Milky (1), Nelricka (1), O-Feely (1), Nermine (2), Peggy Evie Maggie (2), Reness-May (1), Rougui (2), Rulx-Jeffrey (1), Schrolding Sarry (1), Shine Present (1), Skysea (1), Walter-Lynn (1), Zoolee (1)Aggaajuk (1), Best Blessing (1), Beckham (2), Charm Henri (1), Chumly (1), Clarenceford (1), D-Reck (1), Dick-Yan (1), Djeepy (1), Edwidge Lovensky (1), Ettuk (2), Fhitzjericho (1), Fox Henri (1), Frignol (1), Gayden (1), Hunter Chace (1), Indrix (1), Lafleche (2), Lucassie (2), Meyroi Deliver Midy (1), Micipsa (1), Nhel Rein (1), Noonard (1), Nyko (2), Queben (1), Rhodeelny (1), Sampo (1), Shragy (2), Syphax (2), Vwila (1), Warrior (1), Wedgy (1), Woody Tommy (1), Za-Ak (1)

Sources: Partenariat Données Québec, List of Baby Names – Retraite Québec

Image: Adapted from Flag of Quebec (public domain)

The woman who buys this shirt: How old is she?

A few days before last week’s road trip, I went shopping. I didn’t find much, but I did spot this shirt while wandering aimlessly around Forever 21:

shirt from forever 21

The shirt says:

I (heart)
Brad
Dave
Sam
Ryan

What caught my eye specifically, beyond the fact that it’s a product with names on it, was the inclusion of the name Dave.

Names used in marketing (or on products themselves, as in this case) can give you a lot of information about the type of customer a company is targeting. A commercial featuring people named Madison and Tyler, for instance, is aimed at a different demographic than one featuring Debra and Gary, or Camila and Diego.

To me, Dave seems a bit old for the teens and 20-somethings shopping at Forever 21.

Here’s why:

forever-21-graph

The graph above indicates how many babies were named Bradley, David, Samuel, and Ryan from 1950 to 2000.

David was a top-10 boy name from the mid-1930s until the early 1990s, but it was really big pre-1970. It was the #1 boy name in the country in 1960, in fact.

Today’s oldest 20-somethings were born circa 1985. David was still more popular than Bradley, Samuel and Ryan in 1985, but it wasn’t as massively popular the 1980s as it had been in previous decades.

This might not seem like a big deal, but I find it really curious. Someone chose the name Dave for this shirt instead of Josh, or Matt, or Justin. Why?

There may not be an answer, but after doing some research, I’m wondering whether the choice of Dave wasn’t intentional. Here’s what I found in a Business Insider article about Forever 21 published a year ago:

Forever 21 is expanding its customer base — Forever 21 is becoming a fashion department store that caters to all members of the family — not just teens.

That means a broader set of customers are being gobbled up by the retailer as it releases new lines targeting men and older demographics. Yet, at its core, Forever 21 still has a similar target as the big teen retailers — 18- to 24-year-olds.

Maybe Dave was included to catch the attention of me and all the other 30-somethings and 40-somethings wandering aimlessly through the store?

And now the question of the day!

Let’s say you’re in Forever 21 and you see this shirt. And then you see someone — a female — walk up, take it off the rack, and buy it. In your visualization, what age is this person? And why do you think your brain automatically chose that age?