Which boy names emerged in the U.S. baby name data in 2023 for the first time ever?
A total of 583 boy names debuted in the data last year, and the most impressive debut was made by Kaiyr. Here are the top debuts overall:
- Kaiyr, 40 baby boys
- Neteyam, 38
- Tulsen, 21
- Aire, 20
- Shubhdeep, 19
- Rhyzen, 18
- Aysun, 17
- Zakyius, 16
- Kalias, 15
- Namor, 14
- Takrim, 14
- Yeider, 14
Aire comes from a celebrity baby name-change. (In February of 2022, Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott had a baby boy initially named Wolf. In January of 2023, Kylie announced via Instagram that the baby was now called Aire — pronounced just like the word air — and his name was legally changed several months later.)
Namor is a character from the 2022 movie Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. (He’s the cousin of Namora, whose name debuted last year as well.)
Here are some more debuts:
| 13 baby boys | Ahsaias, Azaias, Azire, Syxx |
| 12 baby boys | Amiree, Elhan, Emiri, Jacaerys, Mazieon |
| 11 baby boys | Azaylion, Chrome, Deivis, Iceland, Jahani, Jeyler, Kaizir, Kassaius, Khozen, Muhammadyasin, Rizen, Shedeur, Yeiler |
| 10 baby boys | Ethic, Hassiah, Jazaire, Keyder, Masani, Shritik, Yoridan |
College football player Shedeur Sanders drew people’s attention to the obscure biblical name Shedeur last year. I have to imagine a lot of the usage was in Colorado, as Shedeur is the quarterback of the Colorado Buffaloes. (His famous father, Deion Sanders, is the Buffaloes’ head coach.)
Finally, here’s a sampling of the rest of the debuts:
- 9 baby boys: Aemond, Jesser, Kervenson, Rookie, Yefry
- 8 baby boys: Anirved, Bakhari, Forge, Irham, Kazari, Khimir, Noen, Roic, Royalton, Thorfinn
- 7 baby boys: Access, Daecari, Essiel, Izir, Jerze, Kaziel, Mezekiah, Nine, Omavi, Riggsley, Rza, Sullen, Varrick, Viserys, Yoakin
- 6 baby boys: Ahzai, Aider, Bolt, Camoni, Deriam, Divino, Etson, Everyx, Jakoa, Kotah, Leonhart, Maazin, Murillo, Nkai, Olympus, Richarlison, Rifton, Safa, Valens
- 5 baby boys: Alador, Atigun, Bayou, Bregman, Camino, Damazi, Dawensley, Endry, Ezdan, Franciel, Gudiel, Hazer, Islo, Jhonjairo, Kasden, Menua, Mictlan, Nyte, Oviyan, Pine, Remzi, Sviatoslav, Tecuani, Trophy, Widley, Yasani, Zusha
Thorfinn is a character in the Japanese anime Vinland Saga, and Varrick might come from a character in The Legend of Korra.
Rza comes from celebrity baby RZA, the son of Rihanna and ASAP Rocky. He was born in May of 2022, but his name — inspired by Wu-Tang rapper RZA, whose stage name is pronounced RIZ-uh — wasn’t revealed until May of 2023.
Viserys comes from a character in the TV series House of the Dragon.
Murillo and Richarlison are professional soccer players (both originally from Brazil).
Bregman is likely from baseball player Alex Bregman, who helped the Houston Astros win the World Series in late 2022. My guess is that the usage was mostly (perhaps entirely?) in Texas.
(A few extra facts: Atigun is a river in Alaska, Mictlan is the “land of the dead” in Aztec mythology, and Tecuani is a Nahuatl word often translated as “jaguar,” though it can refer to any non-human creature that bites.)
If you can explain any of the other debuts, please leave a comment!
Sources: SSA, Wikipedia, Online Nahuatl Dictionary
Image: Adapted from LotusBud0048a (public domain) by Frank “Fg2” Gualtieri
