How popular is the baby name Alexandra 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 Alexandra.

The graph will take a few moments to load. (Don't worry, it shouldn't take 9 months!) If it's taking too long, try reloading the page.


Popularity of the baby name Alexandra


Posts that mention the name Alexandra

What turned Staccato into a baby name in 1959?

The titular character from the TV series "Johnny Staccato" (1959-1960)
Johnny from “Johnny Staccato“

The musical term staccato signifies a note that is played abruptly — disconnected from surrounding notes. In Italian, staccato means “detached, disconnected.”

So why did Staccato suddenly pop up in the U.S. baby name data in 1959 and 1960?

  • 1961: unlisted
  • 1960: 10 boys named Staccato
  • 1959: 6 boys named Staccato [debut]
  • 1958: unlisted
  • 1957: unlisted

The answer is TV’s John Staccato — private detective and jazz pianist!

The titular character of Johnny Staccato (1959-1960) was a hip Greenwich Village jazz pianist who moonlighted as a detective-for-hire. He didn’t have an office, but could often be found at a jazz club called Waldo’s.

The show wasn’t on television long, but it made enough of an impression on viewers that the unusual name Staccato appeared in the U.S. baby name data for two years in a row.

Johnny Staccato was played by actor John Cassavetes, who went on to become an independent film pioneer. He influenced the charts a second time in 1965 with the birth of his daughter Alexandra, nicknamed “Xan.”

What do you think of Staccato as a baby name? Would you use it?

Sources: Johnny Staccato – Wikipedia, SSA

Image: Screenshot of Johnny Staccato

Glitch alert: Why are there truncated names in the 1989 U.S. baby name data?

glitch

While doing some name research recently, I noticed a whole bunch of typos like “Christop” and “Alexandr” among the top 1,000 U.S. baby names of 1989.

I figured all the typos must be coming from a single source, so I checked the SSA’s state-by-state data, starting with the larger states. Didn’t see anything in California, didn’t see anything in Texas…but then I checked New York, and there they were:

Name# in U.S.# in NY% in NY
Christop (m)1,082*†1,082100%
Christin (f)926†49954%
Stephani (f)636†48977%
Elizabet (f)445†41994%
Alexandr (f)301*†301100%
Alexande (m)301†29999%
Katherin (f)277†24890%
*Debut, †Peak usage

A few of the above may not be typos, but the fact that so many are concentrated in a single place suggests that most are.

Given the time period and consistent truncation, my guess is that one of the counties in New York started using a computer system in 1989 that only allowed the input of up to 8 characters per name.

Now the big question: Did this glitch skew the national baby name rankings?

Yes, but only for Alexandra:

Name(s)# in U.S.Rank in U.S.
Alexandra (f)7,67943rd (old)
Alexandra (f) + Alexandr (f)7,98041st (new)

All 301 of the baby girls named Alexandr were born in New York, so it’s likely that all of them are typos. If we add these 301 to the total for Alexandra, the new number nudges Alexandra up two spots to #41. (This would bump the names Brittney and Hannah down one spot each.)

UPDATE, Apr. 2020: I recently combed through the rest of the 1989 baby name data and found even more typos:

Name# in U.S.# in NY% in NY
Jacqueli (f)157*†157100%
Cassandr (f)152*†152100%
Gabriell (f)144†11580%
Christia (m)82*†8098%
Nathanie (m)58†5595%
Elisabet (f)51†2549%
Jacquely (f)50*†4794%
Kristoph (m)44*44100%
Mackenzi (f)422662%
Salvator (m)41†3790%
Johnatha (m)34†3191%
Katharin (f)23†23100%
Anastasi (f)22*†2091%
Francesc (f)19*†19100%
Kimberle (f)171271%
Dominiqu (f)15*†15100%
Nicolett (f)15*1280%
Annemari (f)14*†1393%
Kassandr (f)13*†13100%
Johnatho (m)12*†12100%
Mackenzi (m)11*†982%
Sebastia (m)11*†11100%
Bernadet (f)9*†9100%
Demetriu (m)9*†9100%
Geneviev (f)9*†9100%
Kristofe (m)9*†9100%
Alejandr (m)8*†675%
Antoinet (f)8*†8100%
Cassondr (f)8*†8100%
Constanc (f)8*†8100%
Francisc (m)8*†788%
Priscill (f)7*†7100%
Annamari (f)6*†6100%
Angeliqu (f)5*†5100%
Francesc (m)55100%
*Debut, †Peak usage

Many of the above were one-hit wonders, which makes sense.

P.S. Here are three more glitches I’ve found since writing this post: the Korea/Kansas mis-codes, the New York state data gaps, and Essfa in Vermont.

Image: Adapted from Data loss of image file (public domain)

[Latest update: Feb. 2025]