How popular is the baby name Andrew 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 Andrew.
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In mid-1879, Notes and Queries published this letter from a reader:
In the register of marriages at Halifax parish church (Dec. 1, 1878) is taken the name of a witness, Charity H. This may be taken in future days as the name of a woman, but it is indeed that of a man. On inquiry into the cause of such a name, it was found that the names Faith and Hope had been given to his sisters; and his father on his deathbed wished the name Charity to be given to a child that was then expected. A boy, however, was born, and friends were puzzled how to carry out the father’s wish, when one ingeniously suggested “And Charity,” perhaps thinking that “And” would serve as a male name, as it did duty sometimes for Andrew. The man said that he was married under the name of And Charity H. On searching the registers afterwards he was found to be correct; but for some cause or other he had dropped the And, and signed himself Charity alone.
Source: C., T. “Curious Christian Names.” Notes and Queries 16 Aug. 1879: 138.
The top baby names in the U.S. in 2011 were Jacob and Sophia! (A new #1 name for girls!)
Here are the full top 20 lists…
Girl Names
Sophia
Isabella
Emma
Olivia
Ava
Emily
Abigail
Madison
Mia
Chloe
Elizabeth
Ella
Addison
Natalie
Lily
Grace
Samantha
Avery
Sofia
Aubrey
Boy Names
Jacob
Mason
William
Jayden
Noah
Michael
Ethan
Alexander
Aiden
Daniel
Anthony
Matthew
Elijah
Joshua
Liam
Andrew
James
David
Benjamin
Logan
My first impression of the boys’ list: “Look at how much Michael dropped!”
My first impression of the girls’ list: “Look at how high Avery is getting!”
More to come later today…
Update: Here’s more from the SSA’s news release:
Mason, a relatively popular name since the 1990s, had never cracked the top 25 until 2010, when it hit number 12. Some may attribute this year’s rise to number two to reality TV star Kourtney Kardashian’s son. We note, moreover, that Mason has been a regular top-five name in Wisconsin for many years, undoubtedly a tribute to strong-legged Green Bay Packer kicker Mason Crosby.
Many pop-culture naming trends appear in a popular feature of Social Security’s baby names website–the “Change in Name Popularity” page. This year’s winners for biggest jump in popularity in the Top 500 are Brantley and Briella.
The fastest riser on the girls’ list may come from Briella Calafiore, the blonde reality star hairdresser from cable TV’s “Jerseylicious” and its spinoff, “Glam Fairy.”
For the boys, there could be some controversy over Brantley – depending on whether you are a fan of college football or country music. Arguments could be made that the popularity of the name comes from John Brantley, the quarterback for perennial powerhouse The University of Florida, or from Brantley Gilbert, the singer with the number one country hit “Country Must Be Country Wide.” If you like both football and country music, you’re a winner either way!
The second fastest riser on the boys’ list is Iker. There may be some international influence here—Iker Casillas Fernandez is the well-known goalkeeper for both Real Madrid and the Spanish National Team. In 2010, Iker led Spain to a World Cup championship, just in time to influence the 2011 baby names list.
On the girls’ side, Angelique is the second biggest climber, but she may have gotten there with some magic. Angelique is the character name of a witch from the cult favorite “Dark Shadows.” She worked her witchcraft just in time for the blockbuster Hollywood remake of the 1960s TV show.
I’ve got some 13th-century English names for you today!
They come from the fine rolls of Henry III of England (1216–1272).
“Fine rolls” were basically financial records. They kept track of money offered to the king in return for concessions and favors. King Henry III wasn’t the first to keep them, but they “expand[ed] considerably in size and content during Henry’s reign.”
For a time, the Henry III Fine Rolls Project — the aim of which was to “democratize the contents” of Henry III’s fine rolls “by making them freely available in English translation to everyone via a website” — hosted a sortable database of all the given names in the rolls. While that database was available, I used it to create lists of the most-mentioned male and female names. (All the names are still online, but they’re no longer sortable.)
The rankings below — which cover a wide range of birth years, and a small segment of society — aren’t the same as the single-year, society-wide baby name rankings we’re accustomed to. But they do give us a general idea of which names were the most popular during the 1200s.
Of the 8,423 male names in the fine rolls, these were the most popular:
William (1,217 mentions)
John (669)
Richard (495)
Robert (434)
Henry (376)
Ralph (365)
Thomas (351)
Walter (346)
Roger (337)
Hugh (297)
Geoffrey (261)
Simon (218)
Adam (200)
Nicholas, Peter (180 each)
Gilbert (157)
Alan (110)
Phillip (109)
Reginald (88)
Stephen (83)
Elias (66)
Alexander (65)
Osbert (52)
Eustace (44)
Andrew, Matthew (42 each)
Ranulf (40)
Other names on the men’s list: Hamo, Fulk, Payn, Waleran, Drogo, Engeram, Amfrid, Ratikin, Walkelin, Bonefey, Fulcher, Hasculf, Herlewin, Joldwin, Lefsi, Marmaduke, Orm, Albizium, Cocky, Deulobene, Gwenwynwyn, Markewart.
Of the 1,314 female names in the fine rolls, these were the most popular:
Other names on the women’s list: Albrea, Amabilia, Eustachia, Idonea, Egidia, Millicent, Amphelisa, Avegaya, Barbata, Comitessa, Frethesenta, Wulveva, Alveva, Dervorguilla, Deulecresse, Elizabeth (just 1!), Flandrina, Oriolda.
A researcher working on the project reported that, of all the men mentioned in the rolls, 14.4% were named William and 7.9% were named John. She also noted that, just like today, the female names showed a greater amount of diversity:
Compared with 57.8 per cent of the men, only 51.8 per cent of the women had one of the top ten names. And 9.44 per cent of the women had names that occurred only once, whereas 3.38 per cent of the men had names that occurred only once.
Below are nearly 40 baby names that have been given a boost by various soap operas — All My Children, The Young and the Restless, General Hospital, One Life to Live, and more.
Adriana The character Adriana Castillo debuted on Santa Barbara on the first day of 1989 as a baby. The baby name Adriana saw a significant usage increase the same year.
1991: 2,241 baby girls named Adriana (rank: 139th)
1990: 2,150 baby girls named Adriana (rank: 144th)
1989: 2,259 baby girls named Adriana (rank: 135th)
1988: 1,447 baby girls named Adriana (rank: 189th)
1987: 1,210 baby girls named Adriana (rank: 218th)
Alanmichael The character Alan-Michael Spaulding debuted on Guiding Light in 1981 as a baby, then was re-introduced in 1987 as a teenager (impossibly). The baby name Alanmichael debuted on the baby name charts the following year, as did variants Allanmichael and Allenmichael.
1990: 29 baby boys named Alanmichael
1989: 16 baby boys named Alanmichael
1988: 13 baby boys named Alanmichael [debut]
1987: unlisted
1986: unlisted
Alexis The character Alexis Colby debuted on Dynasty in 1981. The baby name Alexis saw a significant usage increase the next year.
1983: 3,463 baby girls named Alexis (rank: 83rd)
1982: 3,122 baby girls named Alexis (rank: 93rd)
1981: 1,585 baby girls named Alexis (rank: 172nd)
1980: 1,268 baby girls named Alexis (rank: 204th)
1979: 1,010 baby girls named Alexis (rank: 248th)
Ashley The character Ashley Abbott debuted on The Young and the Restless in 1982. The baby name Ashley saw a significant usage increase that year.
1984: 38,757 baby girls named Ashley (rank: 3rd)
1983: 33,280 baby girls named Ashley (rank: 4th)
1982: 14,844 baby girls named Ashley (rank: 17th)
1981: 8,874 baby girls named Ashley (rank: 34th)
1980: 7,291 baby girls named Ashley (rank: 40th)
Bianca The character Bianca Montgomery — daughter of Erica Kane — was born during a February 1988 episode of All My Children. The baby name Bianca saw a significant usage increase that year.
1990: 3,826 baby girls named Bianca (rank: 84th)
1989: 3,593 baby girls named Bianca (rank: 91st)
1988: 2,636 baby girls named Bianca (rank: 108th)
1987: 919 baby girls named Bianca (rank: 268th)
1986: 830 baby girls named Bianca (rank: 294th)
Britta The character Britta Englund both debuted and died on Days of Our Lives during 1986. The baby name Britta saw peak usage the same year.
1988: 117 baby girls named Britta
1987: 151 baby girls named Britta
1986: 191 baby girls named Britta (rank: 867th)
1985: 77 baby girls named Britta
1984: 66 baby girls named Britta
Ciji The character Ciji Dunne debuted on Knot’s Landing in 1982. The baby name Ciji saw a significant usage increase the following year.
1985: 60 baby girls named Ciji
1984: 150 baby girls named Ciji (rank: 963rd)
1983: 244 baby girls named Ciji (rank: 698th)
1982: 8 baby girls named Ciji
1981: unlisted
Cordero The character Cordero “Cord” Roberts debuted on One Life to Live in 1986. The baby name Cordero debuted on the baby name charts the same year. Cordero was the most impressive newbie name of 1986, in fact. Related names like Corderro, Cordaro, Cordarro, Kordero, Cardero, Cordaryl, Cordario and Codero also debuted.
1988: 236 baby boys named Cordero (rank: 615th)
1987: 340 baby boys named Cordero (rank: 481st)
1986: 173 baby boys named Cordero (rank: 689th) [debut]
1985: unlisted
1984: unlisted
Corvina The character Corvina Lang appeared occasionally on All My Children in the mid-1990s. The baby name Corvina was a one-hit wonder in 1995.
1997: unlisted
1996: unlisted
1995: 5 baby girls named Corvina [debut]
1994: unlisted
1993: unlisted
Decker The character Decker Moss debuted on General Hospital in 1989. The baby name Decker debuted on the baby name charts the following year.
1992: 13 baby boys named Decker
1991: 14 baby boys named Decker
1990: 14 baby boys named Decker [debut]
1989: unlisted
1988: unlisted
Drucilla The character Drucilla Winters debuted on The Young and the Restless in 1990. The baby name Drucilla saw a moderate rise in usage over the following years.
1992: 42 baby girls named Drucilla
1991: 22 baby girls named Drucilla
1990: 13 baby girls named Drucilla
1989: 6 baby girls named Drucilla
1988: unlisted
Echo The character Echo DiSavoy debuted on One Life to Live in 1983. The baby name Echo saw a significant usage increase that year.
1985: 115 baby girls named Echo
1984: 182 baby girls named Echo (rank: 846th)
1983: 181 baby girls named Echo (rank: 844th)
1982: 60 baby girls named Echo
1981: 61 baby girls named Echo
Egypt The character Egypt Jones Masters debuted on Loving in 1988. The baby name Egypt returned to the data the same year.
1990: 37 baby girls named Egypt
1989: 30 baby girls named Egypt
1988: 22 baby girls named Egypt
1987: unlisted
1986: unlisted
Felicia The character Felicia Cummings debuted on General Hospital in 1984. The baby name Felicia saw a significant usage increase the following year.
1987: 2911 baby girls named Felicia (rank: 96th)
1986: 3,081 baby girls named Felicia (rank: 90th)
1985: 2,738 baby girls named Felicia (rank: 101st)
1984: 1,485 baby girls named Felicia (rank: 185th)
1983: 1,502 baby girls named Felicia (rank: 181st)
Frisco The character Andrew “Frisco” Jones debuted on General Hospital in 1984. The baby name Frisco debuted on the baby name charts the same year.
1986: 25 baby boys named Frisco
1985: 16 baby boys named Frisco
1984: 7 baby boys named Frisco [debut]
1983: unlisted
1982: unlisted
Holden The character Holden Snyder debuted on As the World Turns in 1986. The baby name Holden saw a significant usage increase the following year.
1988: 143 baby boys named Holden (rank: 794th)
1987: 107 baby boys named Holden (rank: 910th)
1986: 58 baby boys named Holden
1985: 15 baby boys named Holden
1984: 17 baby boys named Holden
India The character India von Halkein debuted on Guiding Light in 1984. The baby name India saw a significant usage increase the following year.
1986: 603 baby girls named India (rank: 385th)
1985: 754 baby girls named India (rank: 318th)
1984: 329 baby girls named India (rank: 561st)
1983: 178 baby girls named India (rank: 858th)
1982: 141 baby girls named India
Jagger The character Jagger Cates debuted on General Hospital in 1992. The baby name Jagger saw a significant usage increase the following year.
1994: 91 baby boys named Jagger
1993: 105 baby boys named Jagger
1992: 19 baby boys named Jagger
1991: 6 baby boys named Jagger
1990: unlisted
Jillian (added 3/22/20, thanks Marilyn!) The character Jillian Coleridge debuted on Ryan’s Hope in 1975. The baby name Jillian saw a significant usage increase the following year.
1977: 1055 baby girls named Jillian (rank: 246th)
1976: 252 baby girls named Jillian (rank: 620th)
1975: 89 baby girls named Jillian
1974: 85 baby girls named Jillian
1973: 93 baby girls named Jillian
Jimmylee The character Jimmy Lee Holt debuted on General Hospital in 1983. The baby name Jimmylee debuted on the baby name charts the following year.
1985: 11 baby boys named Jimmylee
1984: 19 baby boys named Jimmylee
1983: 12 baby boys named Jimmylee [debut]
1982: unlisted
1981: unlisted
Joyelle The character Joyelle was “born” on How To Survive A Marriage in 1975. The baby names Joyelle, Joyel and Joyell all debuted on the baby name charts the same year.
1977: 15/9/10 baby girls named Joyelle/Joyel/Joyell
1976: 31/23/20 baby girls named Joyelle/Joyel/Joyell
1975: 88/79/51 baby girls named Joyelle/Joyel/Joyell [debuts]
1974: unlisted
1973: unlisted
Katina The character Katina was “born” on Where the Heart Is in 1972. The baby name Katina saw a significant usage increase that year, and related names like Cotina, Katena, Kateena, Cantina and Catena debuted. Cotina was the most impressive newbie name of 1972, in fact. Here’s more on the name Katina.
1974: 765 baby girls named Katina (rank: 307th)
1973: 2,469 baby girls named Katina (rank: 120th)
1972: 2,747 baby girls named Katina (rank: 117th)
1971: 96 baby girls named Katina
1970: 60 baby girls named Katina
Kayla The character Kayla Brady debuted on Days of Our Lives in 1982. The baby name Kayla saw a significant usage increase that year.
1984: 2,681 baby girls named Kayla (rank: 100th)
1983: 3,527 baby girls named Kayla (rank: 81st)
1982: 2,275 baby girls named Kayla (rank: 133rd)
1981: 318 baby girls named Kayla (rank: 581st)
1980: 313 baby girls named Kayla (rank: 594th)
…and when Kayla Brady returned to Days in 1986 (after leaving in 1983), the name Kayla became the fastest-rising girl name of 1987:
1989: 14,902 baby girls named Kayla (rank: 20th)
1988: 13,431 baby girls named Kayla (rank: 20th)
1987: 10,576 baby girls named Kayla (rank: 27th)
1986: 4,657 baby girls named Kayla (rank: 64th)
1985: 2,607 baby girls named Kayla (rank: 108th)
Keemo The character Keemo Volien Abbott debuted on The Young and the Restless in 1994. The baby name Keemo was a one-hit wonder in 1994.
1996: unlisted
1995: unlisted
1994: 7 baby boys named Keemo [debut]
1993: unlisted
1992: unlisted
Krystle The character Krystle Carrington debuted on Dynasty in 1981. The baby name Krystle saw a significant usage increase that year.
1983: 1,067 baby girls named Krystle (rank: 232nd)
1982: 916 baby girls named Krystle (rank: 269th)
1981: 448 baby girls named Krystle (rank: 473rd)
1980: 26 baby girls named Krystle
1979: 14 baby girls named Krystle
Lahoma The character Lahoma Vane debuted on Another World in 1967. The baby name Lahoma saw a usage increase the following year. Here’s more on the name Lahoma.
1969: 44 baby girls named Lahoma
1968: 109 baby girls named Lahoma
1967: 24 baby girls named Lahoma
1966: unlisted
1965: 6 baby girls named Lahoma
Laken The character Laken Lockridge debuted on Santa Barbara in 1984. The baby name Laken debuted on the baby name charts the same year.
1986: 94 baby girls named Laken
1985: 109 baby girls named Laken
1984: 19 baby girls named Laken [debut]
1983: unlisted
1982: unlisted
Marlena The character Marlena Evans debuted on Days of Our Lives in 1976. The baby name Marlena saw a significant usage increase the following year.
1979: 387 baby girls named Marlena
1978: 470 baby girls named Marlena
1977: 423 baby girls named Marlena
1976: 168 baby girls named Marlena
1975: 135 baby girls named Marlena
Mergeron The character Dina Mergeron debuted on The Young and the Restless in 1983. The baby name Mergeron was a one-hit wonder in 1984.
1986: unlisted
1985: unlisted
1984: 5 baby boys named Mergeron [debut]
1983: unlisted
1982: unlisted
Mikkos The character Mikkos Cassadine debuted on General Hospital in 1981. The baby name Mikkos debuted on the baby name charts the same year. Variant name Mikos also debuted that year.
1983: unlisted
1982: 6 baby boys named Mikkos
1981: 15 baby boys named Mikkos [debut]
1980: unlisted
1979: unlisted
Penny The character Penny Hughes debuted on As the World Turns in 1956. The baby name Penny saw a usage increase the following year.
Reva The character Reva Shayne debuted on Guiding Light in 1983. The baby name Reva saw a significant usage increase the following year.
1986: 134 baby girls named Reva
1985: 115 baby girls named Reva
1984: 92 baby girls named Reva
1983: 43 baby girls named Reva
1982: 37 baby girls named Reva
Ridge The character Ridge Forrester debuted on The Bold and the Beautiful in 1987. The baby name Ridge re-entered the baby name charts after a long absence the same year.
1989: 105 baby boys named Ridge (rank: 1,000th)
1988: 99 baby boys named Ridge (rank: 975th)
1987: 26 baby boys named Ridge
1986: unlisted
1985: unlisted
Scorpio The character Robert Scorpio debuted on General Hospital in late 1980. The baby name Scorpio debuted in the baby name data the next year.
1983: 13 baby boys named Scorpio
1982: 5 baby boys named Scorpio
1981: 9 baby boys named Scorpio [debut]
1980: unlisted
1979: unlisted
Sierra The character Sierra Esteban debuted on As the World Turns in 1985. The baby name Sierra saw a significant usage increase that year.
1987: 1,620 baby girls names Sierra (rank: 173rd)
1986: 1,610 baby girls names Sierra (rank: 169th)
1985: 1,199 baby girls names Sierra (rank: 215th)
1984: 230 baby girls names Sierra (rank: 720th)
1983: 193 baby girls names Sierra (rank: 807th)
Skye The character Skye Chandler debuted on All My Children in 1986. The baby name Skye saw a significant increase in usage as a girl name the next year.
1989: 241 baby girls named Skye (rank: 793rd)
1988: 240 baby girls named Skye (rank: 788th)
1987: 240 baby girls named Skye (rank: 748th)
1986: 116 baby girls named Skye
1985: 100 baby girls named Skye
Snapper The character William “Snapper” Foster (played by pre-Knight Rider David Hasselhoff) debuted on The Young and the Restless in 1973. The baby name Snapper debuted on the baby name charts the same year.
1975: 6 baby boys names Snapper
1974: 8 baby boys names Snapper
1973: 5 baby boys names Snapper [debut]
1972: unlisted
1971: unlisted
Tara The character Tara Martin debuted on All My Children in 1970. The baby name Tara saw a significant usage increase that year. Here’s more on the name Tara.
1972: 7,230 baby girls named Tara (rank: 38th)
1971: 6,327 baby girls named Tara (rank: 50th)
1970: 5,334 baby girls named Tara (rank: 69th)
1969: 3,519 baby girls named Tara (rank: 107th)
1968: 2,184 baby girls named Tara (rank: 147th)
Do you know anyone named for a soap opera character?
Update, 5/2021: Here’s a post that mentions Nico and Cecily from All My Children.
Update, 9/2024: And here’s one more: Renata, from Search for Tomorrow.
Source: SSA
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