How popular is the baby name Billie 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 Billie.

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Popularity of the baby name Billie


Posts that mention the name Billie

Popular and unique baby names in Quebec (Canada), 2022

Flag of Quebec
Flag of Quebec

Of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada, Quebec is the second-largest both in terms of population (after Ontario) and in terms of area (after Nunavut).

Last year, Quebec welcomed more than 80,700 babies. The most popular names among these babies? Emma and Noah.

Here are Quebec’s top 50 girl names and top 50 boy names of 2022:

Girl Names

  1. Emma, 520 baby girls
  2. Olivia, 476
  3. Charlotte, 465
  4. Charlie, 462
  5. Florence, 445
  6. Alice, 433
  7. Lea, 371 (tie)
  8. Livia, 371 (tie)
  9. Rose, 321
  10. Juliette, 315
  11. Romy, 314
  12. Clara, 308
  13. Beatrice, 292
  14. Zoe, 278
  15. Mia, 268
  16. Eva, 261
  17. Chloe, 260 (tie)
  18. Mila, 260 (tie)
  19. Rosalie, 250
  20. Sofia, 249
  21. Victoria, 239
  22. Julia, 234
  23. Leonie, 219
  24. Jade, 214
  25. Maeva, 202 (tie)
  26. Raphaelle, 202 (tie)
  27. Flavie, 182
  28. Jeanne, 182
  29. Amelia, 175
  30. Eleonore, 169
  31. Elena, 168
  32. Billie, 167
  33. Camille, 163 (tie)
  34. Ophelie, 163 (tie)
  35. Adele, 160
  36. Elizabeth, 158
  37. Sophie, 150
  38. Ellie, 145 (tie)
  39. Sophia, 145 (tie)
  40. Lily, 134
  41. Oceane, 125
  42. Flora, 120
  43. Maya, 118 (tie)
  44. Simone, 118 (tie)
  45. Eloise, 117
  46. Alicia, 116
  47. Mathilde, 114 (tie)
  48. Romane, 114 (tie)
  49. Gabrielle, 111 (tie)
  50. Lexie, 111 (tie)

Boy Names

  1. Noah, 650 baby boys
  2. William, 616
  3. Liam, 586
  4. Thomas, 571
  5. Leo, 563
  6. Edouard, 482
  7. Jacob, 451
  8. Arthur, 446 (tie)
  9. Louis, 446 (tie)
  10. Nathan, 430
  11. Emile, 429
  12. Charles, 408
  13. Felix, 400
  14. Theo, 385
  15. Logan, 384
  16. Adam, 369
  17. Arnaud, 349
  18. Raphael, 344
  19. Jules, 315
  20. James, 294
  21. Henri, 290
  22. Victor, 289
  23. Theodore, 277
  24. Lucas, 270
  25. Elliot, 261
  26. Laurent, 260
  27. Jackson, 259
  28. Benjamin, 256
  29. Nolan, 254
  30. Samuel, 247
  31. Alexis, 246
  32. Gabriel, 244
  33. Milan, 226
  34. Olivier, 223
  35. Antoine, 219
  36. Eloi, 218
  37. Ethan, 213
  38. Matheo, 211
  39. Jayden, 203
  40. Axel, 200
  41. Jake, 198
  42. Eli, 197
  43. Zack, 178
  44. Leonard, 164
  45. Robin, 163
  46. Louka, 157
  47. Mathis, 154
  48. Hubert, 148
  49. Zachary, 145
  50. Mayson, 143

The girls’ top 100 included Laurence (53rd), Clemence (71st), Stella (75th), and Dahlia (97th).

The boys’ top 100 included Tristan (55th), Ludovic (61st), Tyler (75th), and Maverick (93rd).

Below are some of the baby names that were bestowed just once in Quebec last year:

Unique Girl NamesUnique Boy Names
Arsaniq, Brythanie, Celestia, Dashnie, Everly-Andalucia, Florabelle, Guerlandine, Halanna, Itzia, Joneer, Kana, Lista, Midland, Namra, Orchina, Paulasie, Qullik, Raffie, Sirpaluk, Thelora, Uashtuashkuan, Veola, Wapikon, Xerra, Yrina, ZoulfaAdonijah, Brivael, Cleamsburg, Dodnerlyn, Enzau, Forty, Glauca, Halprin, Ihaziel, Joanassie, Kittir, Lorio, Mihkwaabin, Napessis, Orso, Pinaskin, Qumanguaq, Roosely, Shmaryahu, Timangiak, Uziar, Valmond, Waastuskun, Wakinyan, Xavyn, Yasten, Zotique

Some possible explanations/associations for a few of the above:

  • Arsaniq means “northern lights” in Inuktitut.
  • Glauca might be a reference to white spruce (Picea glauca), a type of tree found throughout Canada.
  • Napessis is based on napesis, the Cree word for “small boy.”
  • Qullik (like Qulliq in the 2021 data) refers to an Inuit soapstone lamp.
  • Qumanguaq (which was also used in 2020) refers to a mountain in Nunavut.
  • Sirpaluk refers to “one of the seal knucklebones used in an Inuit game.”
  • Uashtuashkuan means “northern lights” in Innu (which is related to Cree).
  • Waastuskun means “northern lights” in Cree.
  • Wakinyan means “thunder” in Lakota.
  • Zotique can be traced back to the ancient Greek word zotikos, meaning “full of life, alive.”

Joanassie and Paulasie (which were mentioned in the post about Canada’s 2021 rankings) are two examples of Inuktitut-influenced Christian names.

And one last name I wanted to throw in was Minokimin, which was part of a longer boy name bestowed in Quebec last year. Minokimin refers to one of the eight Algonquin seasons — specifically, to the period in late spring during which ice thaws and plants begin to grow.

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Flag of Quebec (public domain)

Name quotes #111: Lindy, Hedy, Wyllis

double quotation mark

Here’s the latest batch of name-related quotes…

From the lighthearted obituary of Lindy Gene Rollins (1928-2022) in the Amarillo Globe-News:

He had a lifelong obsession with airplanes which should not be a surprise since he was named after Charles Lindbergh (Lucky Lindy) the first U.S. pilot credited with making a solo, nonstop transatlantic flight. Lindy went on to take flying lessons after he retired as a diesel mechanic. Thankfully, he was not granted his pilot’s license due to his age and the medications he was on. No one in the family would have been brave enough to ride in an airplane he was piloting anyway!

From Ed Sikov’s 2007 book Dark Victory: The Life of Bette Davis (spotted while doing research for the Stanley Ann post):

Manly names for women were all the rage [in Hollywood movies] in 1941: Hedy Lamarr was a Johnny and a Marvin that year, and the eponymous heroines of Frank Borzage’s Seven Sweethearts were called Victor, Albert, Reggie, Peter, Billie, George, and most outrageous of all, Cornelius.

From the footnote of a 1941 Time article about Wyllis Cooper (born Willis Cooper), creator of the late ’40s radio show Quiet, Please!:

He changed his name from Willis to Wyllis to please his wife’s numerological inclinations.

(Incidentally, “Willis” reduces to 3, whereas “Wyllis” reduces to 1.)

Popular baby names in Belgium, 2021

Flag of Belgium
Flag of Belgium

According to data from Statistics Belgium, the country’s most popular baby names last year were Olivia and Noah.

Here are Belgium’s top 50 girl names and top 50 boy names of 2021:

Girl Names

  1. Olivia, 580 baby girls
  2. Emma, 500
  3. Louise, 455
  4. Mila, 435
  5. Alice, 416
  6. Camille, 403
  7. Lina, 394
  8. Sofia, 359
  9. Ella, 352
  10. Juliette, 346
  11. Nora, 342
  12. Mia, 325
  13. Marie, 317
  14. Lucie, 314
  15. Anna, 303
  16. Jade, 296
  17. Elena, 281
  18. Eva, 280
  19. Julia, 279
  20. Noor, 263
  21. Nina, 256
  22. Léa, 252
  23. Victoria, 249
  24. Chloé, 244
  25. Alix, 235
  26. Lou, 232
  27. Elise, 220
  28. Zoé, 215
  29. Giulia, 212
  30. Ellie, 210 (tie)
  31. Luna, 210 (tie)
  32. Liv, 209
  33. Renée, 207
  34. Amélie, 204
  35. Inaya, 202
  36. Rose, 194
  37. Charlotte, 191
  38. Jeanne, 188 (tie)
  39. Lily, 188 (tie)
  40. Lena, 187
  41. Sara, 176
  42. Manon, 171
  43. Julie, 170
  44. Mona, 160
  45. Alba, 159
  46. Livia, 155
  47. Billie, 154 (tie)
  48. Sophia, 154 (tie)
  49. Amira, 146
  50. Clara, 144 (tie)
  51. Stella, 144 (tie)

Boy Names

  1. Noah, 627 baby boys
  2. Arthur, 584
  3. Louis, 558
  4. Liam, 537
  5. Jules, 526
  6. Adam, 474
  7. Lucas, 426
  8. Gabriel, 422
  9. Victor, 416
  10. Oscar, 336
  11. Leon, 310
  12. Mathis, 294 (tie)
  13. Mohamed, 294 (tie)
  14. Finn, 289
  15. Léon, 275
  16. Matteo, 264
  17. Lewis, 251
  18. Hugo, 245
  19. Nathan, 238
  20. Luca, 234
  21. Elias, 225
  22. Raphaël, 223
  23. Théo, 221
  24. Amir, 217 (tie)
  25. Eden, 217 (tie)
  26. Rayan, 209
  27. Lou, 208
  28. Milo, 205
  29. Yanis, 204
  30. Achille, 201
  31. Otis, 194
  32. Sacha, 191 (tie)
  33. Vic, 191 (tie)
  34. Felix, 190
  35. Marcel, 187
  36. Basile, 185
  37. Aaron, 179
  38. Léo, 178
  39. Maurice, 174
  40. Alexander, 173
  41. Maël, 171
  42. Emiel, 168 (tie)
  43. Georges, 168 (tie)
  44. Jack, 167 (tie)
  45. William, 167 (tie)
  46. Emile, 163 (tie)
  47. Vince, 163 (tie)
  48. Samuel, 161
  49. Gaston, 159
  50. Oliver, 158

If Leon and Léon had been counted as a single name, their combined total (585) would have been enough to edge Arthur (584) out of second place on the boys’ list.

And the gender-neutral name Lou managed to pop up on both lists in nearly the same spot: 26th for girls, 27th for boys.

Map of the three regions of Belgium
Belgium’s three regions

The top baby names within each of Belgium’s three regions were…

Girl NamesBoy Names
Flanders
(57.6% of the population)
Language: Dutch		1. Olivia, 328
2. Ella, 303
3. Marie, 275
4. Mila, 266
5. Nora, 261		1. Noah, 399
2. Arthur, 321
3. Jules, 311
4. Leon, 288
5. Louis, 284
Wallonia
(31.8% of pop.)
Languages: French/German		1. Emma, 204
2. Olivia, 203
3. Louise, 190
4. Alice, 188 (tie)
5. Lucie, 188 (tie)		1. Gabriel, 266
2. Louis, 235
3. Liam, 233
4. Arthur, 208
5. Jules, 191
Brussels-Capital
(10.6% of pop.)
Languages: Dutch/French		1. Lina, 89
2. Sofia, 83
3. Emma, 60 (tie)
4. Nour, 60 (tie)
5. Olivia, 49		1. Mohamed, 118
2. Adam, 112
3. Gabriel, 82
4. Amir, 70
5. Noah, 62

And here’s a selection of names from the other end of the spectrum — names that were given to just 5 babies each in Belgium last year:

Rare Girl NamesRare Boy Names
Anabia, Believe, Caro, Dea, Elaïa, Fallone, Gaby, Heike, Iluna, Jennifer, Kessy, Lyssia, Mahsa, Nihal, Otice, Puck, Queen, Ramla, Siloé, Toos, Vlera, Wassila, Yseult, ZuriAloys, Brandon, Celle, Doruk, Erion, Fedde, Gustav, Hazar, Ilyass, Jip, Karsten, Lothar, Maksim, Nellis, Obi, Paulin, Qays, Riff, Silvio, Tille, Vidar, Wiebe, Yavuz, Zjef

(I’m a little surprised that as many as 5 baby girls in Belgium got the English word “believe” as their first name. I wonder if something specific was influencing that usage…?)

This time around, Belgium also highlighted the girl and boy names that saw the largest increases and decreases in usage over the last decade (2011-2021). The top 5 in each category were…

  • Girl names
    • Largest increases: Alba, Ellie, Ellis, Alya, Cilou
    • Largest decreases: Lisa, Laura, Julie, Lotte, Anaïs
  • Boy names
    • Largest increases: Georges, Lio, Gaston, Otis, Lyam
    • Largest decreases: Maxime, Thomas, Simon, Wout, Nathan

Finally, here’s a link to Belgium’s 2020 rankings, if you’d like to compare.

Sources: First names for boys and girls | STATBEL, Demographics of Belgium – Wikipedia

Image: Adapted from Flag of Belgium (public domain)
Map: Adapted from Regions of Belgium by Ssolbergj under CC BY 3.0.

Where did the baby name Bocephus come from in 1986?

Hank Williams, Jr., presenting "Bocephus" on a chalkboard in the "My Name is Bocephus" music video (1987).
From the “My Name is Bocephus” music video

The unusual name Bocephus first appeared in the U.S. baby name data in 1986:

  • 1988: unlisted
  • 1987: unlisted
  • 1986: 7 baby boys named Bocephus [debut]
  • 1985: unlisted
  • 1984: unlisted

Where did it come from?

The 1986 song “My Name Is Bocephus” (pronounced boh-SEE-fuss) by Hank Williams, Jr.

Billboard described the song as “Muddy Waters-style blues” in its review of Hank’s album Montana Cafe, which reached #1 on the Top Country Albums chart in September. The song was also released as the B-side to the single “Mind Your Own Business,” which hit #1 on the Hot Country Songs chart later the same year.

“My Name Is Bocephus” apparently became popular enough on its own, though, to warrant the making of a music video. That video, which came out in early 1987, ended up winning the CMA’s Music Video of the Year award.

So…why would a guy named Hank write a song declaring that his name is “Bocephus”?

Because Bocephus was his childhood nickname. And a rather public one at that.

Hank, Jr., was born Randall Hank Williams in 1949 to country music legend Hiram “Hank” Williams and his first wife Audrey. Hank, Sr., nicknamed his son Bocephus after Grand Ole Opry comedian Rod Brasfield’s ventriloquist dummy.

Hank, Sr., died on the first day of 1953, when his son was three-and-a-half. During the short time they had together, though, he would end his radio performances with a message to his son — something like “Don’t worry, Bocephus, I’m coming home.” In this Feb. 1951 “Mother’s Best” radio show, for instance, you can hear Hank say “Bocephus, see you directly son” at 27:09.

What are your thoughts on the baby name Bocephus?

Sources:

P.S. Hank, Sr.’s second wife was Billie Jean Horton.