How popular is the baby name Angharad 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 Angharad.

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Popularity of the baby name Angharad


Posts that mention the name Angharad

How did “Poldark” influence U.S. baby names in the late 1970s?

The characters Ross Poldark and Demelza Carne from the British TV series "Poldark" (1975-1977).
Ross and Demelza from “Poldark

The curious name Demelza first appeared in the U.S. baby name data in 1978:

  • 1980: unlisted
  • 1979: 6 baby girls named Demelza
  • 1978: 6 baby girls named Demelza [debut]
  • 1977: unlisted
  • 1976: unlisted

Where did it come from?

The character Demelza Carne from the BBC television series Poldark, which aired in the U.S. — as part of Masterpiece Theater, on PBS — from 1977 to 1978. (It was originally broadcast in the UK from 1975 to 1977.)

The 29-episode series, based on the Poldark novels by author Winston Graham, was set in Cornwall during the last two decades of the 1700s.

The protagonist was Ross Poldark (played by Robin Ellis), who, at the start of the story, had just returned to Cornwall after fighting for the British in the American Revolutionary War.

The character Demelza Carne from the British TV series "Poldark" (1975-1977).
Demelza Carne from “Poldark

In the second episode, Ross impulsively hired 13-year-old Demelza Carne (played by actress Angharad Rees) as a housemaid.

Over the next several episodes (which cover several years), Demelza grew to become a “smart and vivacious and charming” young woman. She and Ross eventually got married.

Demelza’s name is not a traditional Cornish personal name. Instead, it’s a Cornish place name. The meaning isn’t known for certain, but one theory holds that it refers to an “eel house” (which would be a fitting definition, given the history of the fishing industry in Cornwall).

Other Poldark characters also influenced U.S. baby names. Thanks to Ross Poldark, for instance, the baby name Ross started rising again in 1977. And Ross’s cousin, the good-natured Verity Poldark, boosted the virtue name Verity to then-peak usage the same year.

Boys named RossGirls named Verity
19791,002 [rank: 227th]17
1978919 [rank: 229th]13
1977823 [rank: 250th]20
1976680 [rank: 279th]7
1975678 [rank: 283rd].

During the second half of the 2010s, the BBC released a brand new, five-season adaptation of Poldark.

The name Demelza re-emerged in the U.S. data (after a absence of nearly four decades) in 2018. The same year, the name Verity, which was already on the rise, saw a higher-than-expected increase in usage.

And in 2020, the traditional Cornish name Morwenna, which is based on an Old Cornish word meaning “maiden,” made its first appearance in the U.S. data:

  • 2022: unlisted
  • 2021: 8 baby girls named Morwenna
  • 2020: 16 baby girls named Morwenna [debut]
  • 2019: unlisted
  • 2018: unlisted

Character Morwenna Chynoweth, introduced at the start of the third season, was the governess of one of Ross Poldark’s young relatives.

What are your thoughts on these Poldarkian names? Would you use any of them?

P.S. An earlier BBC show, The Forsyte Saga, also had an influence on U.S. baby names…

Sources:

Images: Screenshots of Poldark

Interesting one-hit wonder names in the U.S. baby name data

single flower

They came, they went, and they never came back!

These baby names are one-hit wonders in the U.S. baby name data. That is, they’ve only popped up once, ever, in the entire dataset of U.S. baby names (which accounts for all names given to at least 5 U.S. babies per year since 1880).

There are thousands of one-hit wonders in the dataset, but the names below have interesting stories behind their single appearance, so these are the one-hits I’m writing specific posts about. Just click on a name to read more.

2020s

  • (none yet)

2010s

2000s

1990s

1980s

1970s

1960s

1950s

1940s

1930s

1920s

1910s

1900s

  • (none yet)

1890s

As I discover (and write about) more one-hit wonders in the data, I’ll add the names/links to this page. In the meanwhile, do you have any favorite one-hit wonder baby names?

Image: Adapted from Solitary Poppy by Andy Beecroft under CC BY-SA 2.0.

[Latest update: Dec. 2023]

How did “How Green Was My Valley” influence baby names in the early 1940s?

Richard Llewellyn’s 1939 novel How Green Was My Valley told the story of a Welsh coal-mining family during the late 19th century.

The story’s narrator was schoolboy Huw Morgan, eighth of nine* siblings, and the symbolic greenness of the valley referred to the fact that, over the course of the Huw’s life, the valley where he lived changed color from green to black due to the mining.

In 1940, How Green Was My Valley was the best-selling book of the year, and it won the National Book Award for fiction.

In late 1941, a Hollywood film based on the book was released. It was nominated for ten Academy Awards and ended up winning in five categories, including Best Picture.

Thanks to the book and the movie, two Welsh names (and one sort-of Welsh name) ended up appearing in the U.S. baby name data.

Angharad (Maureen O'Hara) in the 1941 film "How Green Was My Valley."
Angharad

Let’s go alphabetically, starting with Angharad (pronounced ahn-HAHR-ahd). In the story, Angharad (played by Maureen O’Hara in the film) was Huw’s older sister.

The name Angharad was a one-hit wonder in the data in 1943:

  • 1945: unlisted
  • 1944: unlisted
  • 1943: 5 baby girls named Angharad [debut]
  • 1942: unlisted
  • 1941: unlisted
  • 1940: unlisted

While the name didn’t catch on in the U.S., one name-book notes that it “has been strongly revived in Wales since the 1940s.”

The middle element of Angharad has the same root as the Welsh word caru, meaning “love.”

Bronwyn (Anna Lee) in the 1941 film "How Green Was My Valley."
Bronwyn

Next we have the names Bronwen and Bronwyn. The first appeared in 1941:

  • 1945: 10 baby girls named Bronwen
  • 1944: 8 baby girls named Bronwen
  • 1943: 9 baby girls named Bronwen
  • 1942: 8 baby girls named Bronwen
  • 1941: 7 baby girls named Bronwen [debut]
  • 1940: unlisted

And the second followed in 1942:

  • 1945: 20 baby girls named Bronwyn
  • 1944: 9 baby girls named Bronwyn
  • 1943: 10 baby girls named Bronwyn
  • 1942: 9 baby girls named Bronwyn [debut]
  • 1941: unlisted
  • 1940: unlisted

In the story, Bronwen/Bronwyn was Huw’s sister-in-law (the wife of his brother Ivor).

For the book, the name was spelled Bronwen, which is the traditional form of the name. It can be traced back to Welsh elements meaning “breast” (bron) and “white, fair; blessed, holy” (gwen).

But for the movie, the name was respelled Bronwyn, inexplicably. The film character Bronwyn (played by Anna Lee**) was typically called “Bron.”

Notably, one of the babies named after the character was Maureen O’Hara’s only child, Bronwyn, born in 1944. Her birth is likely what boosted the -wyn spelling ahead of the -wen spelling in 1945.

Which Welsh name do you like more, Angharad or Bronwen?

*The nine Morgan siblings in order were Ivor, Ianto, Davy, Owen, Gwilym Jr., Angharad, Ceridwen, Huw, and Olwen.
**Anna Lee’s five children were named Joanna Venetia, Caroline, John, Stephen, and Timothy.

Sources:

Popular baby names in England and Wales (UK), 2014

Flag of the United Kingdom
Flag of the United Kingdom

According to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the most popular baby names in England and Wales last year were Amelia and Oliver.

Here are the top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2014:

Girl NamesBoy Names
1. Amelia, 5,327 baby girls
2. Olivia, 4,724
3. Isla, 4,012
4. Emily, 3,991
5. Poppy, 3,273
6. Ava, 3,171
7. Isabella, 3,022
8. Jessica, 2,995
9. Lily, 2,965
10. Sophie, 2,905
1. Oliver, 6,649 baby boys
2. Jack, 5,804
3. Harry, 5,379
4. Jacob, 5,050
5. Charlie, 4,642
6. Thomas, 4,405
7. George, 4,320
8. Oscar, 4,269
9. James, 4,167
10. William, 4,134

In the girls’ top 10, Lily replaced Mia (now 13th).

The boys’ top 10 includes the same names in a different order.

The ONS report also highlighted a few seasonal favorites, such as…

  • Holly, which ranked 5th in December but 70th in June. Overall, it was 39th.
  • Summer, which ranked 25th in June but 105th in December. Overall, it was 58th.

Here are some of last year’s rare baby names, each given to either 3, 4 or 5 babies:

Rare Girl NamesRare Boy Names
Ambreen, Angharad, Arinola, Arzoo, Astala, Boux, Cagla, Cliodhna, Darasimi, Delyth, Dolsie, Elliw, Eslem, Flourish, Harper-Lee, Heulwen, Heyabel, Honeysuckle, Ilinca, Io, Iris-Rose, Jedidiah, Kitty-Rose, Lili-Haf, Loveday, Luul, L’Wren, Makatendeka, Maxima, Moksha, Morsal, Nainsi, Peach, Poppy-Willow, Ritaj, Sailor, Shailene, Tavleen, Topsy, Tuppence, Uxia, Vaneeza, Venba, Zennor, ZiggyAldion, Alias, Archimedes, Bevon, Boycie, Bright, Buzz, Caelum, Calix, Cloud, Coast, Cove, Crispin, Denley, Diesel, Dipson, Grantas, Gwern, Hanzala, Harrington, Jensen-James, Jolyon, Jonjoe, Jorel, Kebba, Keita, Khattab, Klaidas, Marceau, Metodi, Oaklen, Osazee, Peregrine, Refoel, Re’Kai, Romarni, Sanchez, Seweryn, Sheriff, Stanleigh, Swayley, Timurs, Ugnius, Vasco, Velizar, Ynyr

Finally, here are all of my previous posts on baby names in England and Wales: 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, and 2008.

Source: Baby Names, England and Wales, 2014 – ONS

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