FlowingData recently used SSA data to determine the most regional baby names in the U.S. and create some very cool maps.
The analysis reveals the 10 “most regional” girl names and boy names for each decade-year since 1950, and also for 2012. Here are the lists for 2010 and 2012:
Girl Names, 2010 | Boy Names, 2010 | Girl Names, 2012 | Boy Names, 2012 |
---|---|---|---|
1. Daisy 2. Alexandra 3. Annabelle 4. Julia 5. Presley 6. Paige 7. Mya 8. Cadence 9. Charlotte 10. Lexi | 1. Santiago 2. Theodore 3. Josiah 4. Ryker 5. Connor 6. Colby 7. Justin 8. Ryan 9. Jaxon 10. Jake | 1. Ayla 2. Delilah 3. Sydney 4. Aubree 5. Stephanie 6. Juliana 7. Aria 8. Tessa 9. Natalie 10. Abigail | 1. Santiago (again) 2. Nicolas 3. Josiah (again) 4. Aidan 5. Lane 6. Elias 7. Braylon 8. Gabriel 9. Dalton 10. Jose |
Ryker, 4th on the 2010 boys’ list, is one I’ve been wondering about ever since I noticed it was the 12th most popular boy name in Utah last year.
Here’s more detail on Ryker’s popularity in Utah:
- 2012: 168 baby boys named Ryker in Utah (ranked 12th)
- 2011: 154 baby boys named Ryker in Utah (ranked 19th)
- 2010: 136 baby boys named Ryker in Utah (ranked 26th)
- 2009: 151 baby boys named Ryker in Utah (ranked 24th)
- 2008: 129 baby boys named Ryker in Utah (ranked 37th)
And here are the numbers for Idaho:
- 2012: 51 baby boys named Ryker in Idaho (ranked 32nd)
- 2011: 49 baby boys named Ryker in Idaho (ranked 41st)
- 2010: 53 baby boys named Ryker in Idaho (ranked 33rd)
- 2009: 53 baby boys named Ryker in Idaho (ranked 36th)
- 2008: 34 baby boys named Ryker in Idaho (ranked 84th)
So far I don’t have a good theory about what made Ryker so popular in Utah/Idaho. Blogger Jessie Jensen tells me Ryker fits well with the region’s mix-n-match name trend, but I still wonder if some initiating event (sports? religion?) didn’t jump-start things for Ryker say in the 2003-2008 range. Anyone have a guess?
P.S. While we’re talking Utah mysteries, Claire is another name I’ve been wondering about. It ranked 10th there last year. (Also 12th in D.C. and 20th in MN.) Any ideas on Claire?