How popular is the baby name Carey 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 Carey.

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Popularity of the baby name Carey


Posts that mention the name Carey

Contrarian baby names: Cliff, Janet, Steve, Wanda…

corn

“Everly” is hot…”Beverly” is not. It’s a one-letter difference between fashionable and fusty.

If you’re sensitive to style, you’ll prefer Everly. It fits with today’s trends far better than Beverly does.

But if you’re someone who isn’t concerned about style, or prefers to go against style, then you may not automatically go for Everly. In fact, you may be more attracted to Beverly because it’s the choice that most modern parents would avoid.

If you’ve ever thought about intentionally giving your baby a dated name (like Debbie, Grover, Marcia, or Vernon) for the sake of uniqueness within his/her peer group — if you have no problem sacrificing style for distinctiveness — then this list is for you.

Years ago, the concept of “contrarian” baby names came up in the comments of a post about Lois. Ever since then, creating a collection of uncool/contrarian baby names has been on my to-do list.

Finally, last month, I experimented with various formulas for pulling unstylish baby names out of the SSA dataset. Keeping the great-grandparent rule in mind, I aimed for names that would have been fashionable among the grandparents of today’s babies. The names below are the best results I got.

Contrarian Baby Names: Girls

Alberta
Anita
Ann
Annetta
Annette
Bambi
Becky
Benita
Bertha
Bessie
Beth
Betty
Beverley
Beverly
Blanche
Bobbie
Bobby
Bonita
Candy
Caren
Carlene
Carol
Carole
Cary
Caryn
Cathleen
Cathy
Charla
Charlene
Charmaine
Cheri
Cherie
Cheryl
Chris
Christi
Cindy
Claudette
Coleen
Colleen
Connie
Dale
Danette
Danita
Darlene
Dawn
Dawna
Deanne
Debbie
Debora
Debra
Deirdre
Delores
Denice
Denise
Diane
Dianna
Dianne
Dollie
Dolores
Dona
Donna
Doreen
Dori
Doris
Dorthy
Eddie
Edwina
Ernestine
Ethel
Gail
Gayle
Gena
Geralyn
Germaine
Gilda
Glenda
Glenna
Harriett
Jackie
Janet
Janice
Janis
Jayne
Jean
Jeanette
Jeanie
Jeanine
Jeanne
Jeannette
Jeannie
Jeannine
Jeri
Jerri
Jerry
Jill
Jimmie
Jo
Joan
Joann
Joanne
Jodi
Jody
Joellen
Joni
Juanita
Judi
Judy
Juli
Kandi
Karin
Kathie
Kathy
Kay
Kaye
Kerrie
Kerry
Kim
Kimberley
Kitty
Kris
Kristi
Ladonna
Laureen
Lauretta
Laurie
Lavonne
Lee
Leesa
Lois
Lorene
Lori
Lorie
Lorinda
Lorna
Lorraine
Lorrie
Lou
Louann
Lu
Luann
Luanne
Lucretia
Lupe
Lyn
Lynda
Lynn
Lynne
Madonna
Marcia
Marcy
Margie
Mariann
Marianne
Marla
Marsha
Maryjo
Maureen
Meg
Melba
Melinda
Melva
Michele
Migdalia
Mitzi
Myrna
Nanette
Nelda
Nicki
Nita
Norma
Pamela
Patrice
Patsy
Patti
Patty
Pauline
Peggy
Pennie
Phyllis
Randy
Reba
Rene
Rhonda
Rita
Robbie
Robbin
Roberta
Robin
Rochelle
Ronda
Rosanne
Roseann
Roxane
Roxann
Sandy
Saundra
Sharon
Sheila
Shelia
Shelley
Shelly
Sheri
Sherri
Sherry
Sheryl
Shirley
Sondra
Sue
Susanne
Suzan
Suzanne
Tammie
Tammy
Tena
Teri
Terri
Terry
Thelma
Theresa
Therese
Tina
Tonia
Tonya
Tracey
Traci
Tracie
Tracy
Treva
Trina
Trudy
Velma
Verna
Vicki
Vickie
Vicky
Wanda
Wendy
Willie
Wilma
Yolanda
Yvonne

Contrarian Baby Names: Boys

Adolph
Al
Alford
Alphonso
Arne
Arnie
Arnold
Artie
Barry
Barton
Bennie
Bernard
Bernie
Bert
Bill
Billie
Bob
Bobbie
Brad
Bradford
Brent
Bret
Britt
Bud
Buddy
Burl
Burt
Butch
Carey
Carleton
Carlton
Carmen
Carroll
Cary
Cecil
Chester
Chuck
Clarence
Claude
Cletus
Cleveland
Cliff
Clifford
Clifton
Columbus
Curt
Curtiss
Dale
Dan
Dana
Dannie
Darrel
Darryl
Daryl
Dave
Davie
Del
Delbert
Dell
Delmer
Denny
Derwin
Dewey
Dirk
Don
Donnie
Donny
Doug
Douglass
Doyle
Duane
Dudley
Duwayne
Dwain
Dwaine
Dwane
Dwight
Earl
Earnest
Ed
Edsel
Elbert
Ernie
Farrell
Floyd
Fred
Freddie
Fredric
Gale
Garland
Garry
Garth
Gene
Geoffrey
Gerard
Gerry
Gilbert
Glen
Glenn
Greg
Gregg
Greggory
Grover
Guy
Hal
Haywood
Herbert
Herman
Homer
Horace
Howell
Hubert
Irwin
Jackie
Jame
Jeff
Jefferey
Jeffry
Jerald
Jerold
Jess
Jim
Jimmie
Jodie
Jody
Johnie
Johnnie
Karl
Kelly
Ken
Kenney
Kennith
Kent
Kermit
Kerry
Kim
Kirk
Kraig
Kurt
Laurence
Lawrance
Len
Lenard
Lennie
Les
Leslie
Lester
Lindell
Lindsay
Lindsey
Linwood
Lloyd
Lonnie
Lonny
Loren
Lorin
Lowell
Loyd
Lynn
Marion
Marty
Matt
Maxie
Mel
Merle
Merrill
Mickel
Mickey
Millard
Milton
Mitch
Mitchel
Monty
Neal
Ned
Nicky
Norbert
Norman
Norris
Orville
Perry
Pete
Phil
Ralph
Randal
Randel
Randell
Randolph
Rayford
Rick
Rickey
Rickie
Rob
Robby
Robin
Rock
Rodger
Rogers
Rojelio
Rolf
Ron
Roosevelt
Rudolfo
Rudolph
Rufus
Russ
Rusty
Sal
Sammie
Sandy
Sanford
Scot
Sherman
Sherwood
Skip
Stan
Stanford
Steve
Stevie
Stewart
Stuart
Sylvester
Tad
Ted
Terence
Thurman
Tim
Timmothy
Timmy
Tod
Todd
Tom
Tommie
Toney
Tracey
Tracy
Val
Vernell
Vernon
Waymon
Wendell
Wilbert
Wilbur
Wilford
Wilfred
Willard
Willis
Winfred
Woody

Interestingly, thirteen of the names above — Bobbie, Cary, Dale, Jackie, Jimmie, Jody, Kerry, Kim, Lynn, Robin, Sandy, Tracey, Tracy — managed to make both lists.

Now some questions for you…

Do you like any of these names? Would you be willing to use any of them on a modern-day baby? Why or why not?

Saintly surnames: Bosco, Neri, Sheen, Talbot

Looking for a surname-inspired baby name with a connection to Catholicism?

Here are more than 200 options, most of which come from Catholic Englishmen martyred during the 16th and 17th centuries.

Because the goal was to include as many realistic baby names as possible, I interpreted “surname” and “saint” liberally in some cases. Xavier is not technically a surname, for instance, and many of the folks below are not yet full-fledged saints.

  • Abel, for Bl. Thomas Abel (d. 1540) of England.
  • Abbot, for Bl. Henry Abbot (d. 1597) of England.
  • Albert, for Bl. Federico Albert (d. 1876) of Italy.
  • Almond, for St. John Almond (d. 1612) of England.
  • Amias, for Bl. John Amias (d. 1589) of England.
  • Ancina, for Bl. John Juvenal Ancina (d. 1604) of Italy.
  • Andleby, for Bl. William Andleby (d. 1597) of England.
  • Aquinas, for St. Thomas Aquinas (d. 1274) of Italy.
  • Arrowsmith, for St. Edmund Arrowsmith (d. 1628) of England.
  • Ashley, for Bl. Ralph Ashley (d. 1606) of England.
  • Ashton, for Ven. Roger Ashton (d. 1592) of England.
  • Atkinson, for Bl. Thomas Atkinson (d. 1616) of England.
  • Aufield, for Bl. Thomas Aufield (d. 1585) of England.
  • Barlow, for St. Ambrose Barlow (d. 1641) of England.
  • Baylon, for St. Paschal Baylon (d. 1592) of Spain.
  • Becket, from St. Thomas Becket (d. 1170) of England.
  • Beesley, for Bl. George Beesley (d. 1591) of England.
  • Belson, for Bl. Thomas Belson (d. 1589) of England.
  • Bertie, for Servant of God Andrew Bertie (d. 2008) of England/Malta.
  • Bertrand, for St. Louis Bertrand (d. 1581) of Spain/South America.
  • Bessette, for St. André Bessette (d. 1937) of Canada.
  • Bonzel, for Bl. Maria Theresia Bonzel (d. 1905) of Germany.
  • Bosco, for St. John Bosco (d. 1888) of Italy.
  • Bosgrave, for Bl. Thomas Bosgrave (d. 1594) of England.
  • Bowes, for Bl. Marmaduke Bowes (d. 1585) of England.
  • Briant, for St. Alexander Briant (d. 1581) of England.
  • Britton, for Bl. John Britton (d. 1598) of England.
  • Buxton, for Bl. Christopher Buxton (d. 1588) of England.
  • Cabrini, for St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (d. 1917) of Italy/U.S.
  • Campion, for St. Edmund Campion (d. 1581) of England.
  • Carey, for Bl. John Carey (d. 1594) of England.
  • Carter, for Bl. William Carter (b. 1584) of England.
  • Casey, for Ven. Solanus Casey (d. 1957) of the U.S. (His religious name “Solanus” comes from St. Francis Solanus, below.)
  • Cassant, for Bl. Pierre-Joseph Cassant (d. 1903) of France.
  • Catherick, for Bl. Edmund Catherick (d. 1642) of England.
  • Chanel, for St. Peter Chanel (d. 1841) of France.
  • Claver, for St. Peter Claver (d. 1654) of Spain.
  • Claxton, for Bl. James Claxton (d. 1588) of England.
  • Collins, for Bl. Dominic Collins (d. 1602) of Ireland.
  • Cope, for St. Marianne Cope (d. 1918) of Germany/U.S.
  • Corbie, for Ven. Ralph Corbie (d. 1644) of Ireland.
  • Cornelius, for Bl. John Cornelius (d. 1594) of England.
  • Dalby, for Bl. Robert Dalby (d. 1589) of England.
  • Daniel, for St. Antoine Daniel (d. 1648) of France/Canada.
  • David, for Bl. Vicente Vilar David (1937) of Spain or Bl. Toros Oghlou David (d. 1895) of Armenia
  • Davy, for Bl. John Davy (d. 1537) of England or Bl. Charlotte Davy (d. 1794) of France.
  • Dean, for Bl. William Dean (d. 1588) of England.
  • Dorie, for Bl. Pierre Henri Dorie (d. 1866) of France.
  • Douglas, for Bl. George Douglas (d. 1587) of Scotland.
  • Drexel, for St. Katharine Drexel (d. 1955) of the U.S.
  • Drury, for Bl. Robert Drury (d. 1607) of England.
  • Duff, for Servant of God Frank Duff (d. 1980) of Ireland.
  • Duke, for Bl. Edmund Duke (d. 1590) of England.
  • Durando, for Bl. Marco Antonio Durando (d. 1880) of Italy.
  • Dutton, for Servant of God Joseph Dutton (d. 1931) of the U.S.
  • Ebner, for Bl. Margareta Ebner (d. 1351) of Germany.
  • Emmerich, for Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich (d. 1824) of Germany.
  • Errico, for St. Gaetano Errico (d. 1860) of Italy.
  • Errington, for Bl. George Errington (d. 1596) of England.
  • Evans, for St. Philip Evans (d. 1679) of Wales.
  • Faber, for St. Peter Faber (d. 1546) of France.
  • Falzon, for Bl. Nazju Falzon (d. 1865) of Malta.
  • Farina, for St. Giovanni Antonio Farina (d. 1888) of Italy.
  • Fasani, for St. Francis Anthony Fasani (d. 1742) of Italy.
  • Felton, for Bl. John Felton (d. 1570) in England.
  • Fenn, for Bl. James Fenn (d. 1584) in England.
  • Fenwick, for Bl. John Fenwick (d. 1679) of England.
  • Ferrari, for Bl. Andrea Carlo Ferrari (d. 1921) of Italy.
  • Ferrer, for St. Vincent Ferrer (d. 1419) of Spain.
  • Filby, for Bl. William Filby (d. 1582) of England.
  • Frassati, for Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati (d. 1925) of Italy.
  • Fulthrop, for Bl. Edward Fulthrop (d. 1597) of England.
  • Finch, for Bl. John Finch (d. 1584) of England.
  • Fisher, for Bl. John Fisher (d. 1535) of England.
  • Foley, for Servant of God Theodore Foley (d. 1974) of the U.S.
  • Fontaine, for Bl. Marie-Madeleine Fontaine (d. 1794) of France.
  • Forest, for Bl. John Forest (d. 1538) of England.
  • Garnet, for St. Thomas Garnet (d. 1608) of England.
  • Gavan, for Bl. John Gavan (d. 1679) of England.
  • Gennings, for St. Edmund Gennings (d. 1591) of England.
  • Gerard, for Bl. Jeanne Gerard (d. 1794) of France or Bl. Joseph Gérard, (d. 1914) of France/South Africa.
  • Gerosa, for St. Vincentia Gerosa (d. 1847) of Italy.
  • Gervase, for Bl. George Gervase (d. 1608) of England.
  • Gibson, for Bl. William Gibson (d. 1596) of England.
  • Goretti, for St. Maria Goretti (d. 1902) of Italy.
  • Grove, for Bl. John Grove (d. 1679) of England.
  • Gwyn, for St. Richard Gwyn (d. 1584) of Wales.
  • Harrington, for Bl. William Harrington (d. 1594) of England.
  • Heath, for Bl. Henry Heath (d. 1643) of England.
  • Hewitt, for Bl. John Hewitt (d. 1588) of England.
  • Higgins, for Bl. Peter Higgins (d. 1642) of Irish.
  • Houghton, for St. John Houghton (d. 1535) of England.
  • Howard, for St. Philip Howard (d. 1595) of England or for his grandson, Bl. William Howard (d. 1680) of England.
  • Humphrey, for St. Lawrence Humphrey (d. 1590) of England.
  • Hunt, for Bl. Thurston Hunt (d. 1601) of England.
  • Ingleby, for Bl. Francis Ingleby (d. 1586) of England.
  • Ingram, for Ven. John Ingram (d. 1594) of England.
  • Janssen, for St. Arnold Janssen (d. 1909) of Germany.
  • Kemble, for St. John Kemble (d. 1679) of England.
  • Kern, for Bl. Jakob Kern (d. 1924) of Austria.
  • Kirby, for St. Luke Kirby (d. 1582) of England.
  • Kolbe, for St. Maximilian Kolbe (d. 1941) of Poland.
  • Konrad, for Bl. Nicholas Konrad (d. 1941) of Ukraine.
  • Lakota, for Bl. Gregor Lakota (d. 1950) of Ukraine.
  • Langley, for Bl. Richard Langley (d. 1586) of England.
  • Lanteri, for Ven. Bruno Lanteri (d. 1830) of Italy.
  • Larke, for Bl. John Larke (d. 1544) of England.
  • Laval, for Bl. Jacques-Désiré Laval (d. 1864) of France/Mauritius.
  • Lawrence, for St. Robert Lawrence (d. 1535) of England.
  • Leigh, for Bl. Richard Leigh (d. 1588) of England.
  • Lewis, for St. David Lewis (d. 1679) of Wales
  • Liguori, for St. Alphonsus Liguori (d. 1787) of Italy.
  • Lilli, for Bl. Salvatore Lilli (d. 1895) of Italy.
  • Lloyd, for St. John Lloyd (d. 1679) of Wales.
  • Lockwood, for Bl. John Lockwood (d. 1642) of England.
  • Lucas, for Bl. Charlotte Lucas (d. 1794) of France.
  • MacKillop, for St. Mary MacKillop (d. 1909) of Australia.
  • Majali, for Bl. Giuliano Majali (d. 1470) of Sicily.
  • Majella, for St. Gerard Majella (d. 1755) of Italy.
  • Manna, for Bl. Paolo Manna (d. 1952) of Italy.
  • Marchand, for St. Joseph Marchand (d. 1835) of France.
  • Marella, for Ven. Olinto Marella (d. 1969) of Italy.
  • Mareri, for Bl. Philippa Mareri (d. 1236) of Italy.
  • Margil, for Ven. Antonio Margil (d. 1726) of Spain/Central America.
  • Mari, for Servant of God Ida Mari (d. 1981) of Italy.
  • Martin, for St. Louis Martin (d. 1894) of France or Bl. Richard Martin (d. 1588) of England.
  • Marsden, from Bl. William Marsden (d. 1586) of England.
  • Marto, for Bl. Francisco Marto (d. 1919) of Portugal.
  • Mason, for Bl. John Mason (d. 1591) of England.
  • Massey, for Bl. René-Julien Massey (d. 1792) of France.
  • Maxfield, for Bl. Thomas Maxfield (d. 1616) of England.
  • Munden, for Bl. John Munden (d. 1584) of England.
  • Mayer, for Bl. Rupert Mayer (d. 1945) of Germany.
  • McAuley, for Ven. Catherine McAuley (d. 1841) of Ireland.
  • Meehan, for Bl. Charles Meehan (d. 1679) of Ireland.
  • Merlo, for Ven. Thecla Merlo (d. 1964) of Italy.
  • Medina, for Bl. Manuel Medina y Olmos (d. 1936) of Spain.
  • Mela, for Ven. Itala Mela (d. 1957) of Italy.
  • Merton, for Fr. Thomas Merton (d. 1968) of the U.S.
  • Mesina, for Bl. Antonia Mesina (d. 1935) of Italy.
  • Miki, for St. Paul Miki (d. 1597) of Japan.
  • Molina, for Bl. Mercedes de Jesús Molina y Ayala (d. 1883) of Ecuador.
  • Molla, for St. Gianna Beretta Molla (d. 1962) of Italy.
  • Mora, for Bl. Elisabeth Canori Mora (d. 1825) of Italy.
  • Morse, for St. Henry Morse (d. 1645) of England.
  • Nelson, for Bl. John Nelson (d. 1578) of England.
  • Neri, for St. Philip Neri (d. 1595) of Italy.
  • Newman, for Bl. John Henry Newman (d. 1890) of England.
  • Nichols, for Bl. George Nichols (d. 1589) fo England.
  • Nolasco, for St. Peter Nolasco (d. 1256) of France.
  • Ogilvie, for St. John Ogilvie (d. 1615) of Scotland.
  • Owen, for St. Nicholas Owen (d. 1606) of England.
  • Page, for Bl. Anthony Page (d. 1593) of England or Bl. Francis Page (d. 1602) of England.
  • Percy, for Bl. Thomas Percy (d. 1572) of England.
  • Potter, for Ven. Mary Potter (d. 1913) of England.
  • Powell, for Bl. Edward Powell (d. 1540) of Wales.
  • Quinn, for Ven. Edel Quinn (d. 1944) of Ireland.
  • Rawlins, for Bl. Alexander Rawlins (d. 1595) of England.
  • Regis, for St. John Francis Regis (d. 1640) of France.
  • Reynolds, for St. Richard Reynolds (d. 1535) of England or Bl. Thomas Reynolds (d. 1560) of England.
  • Richardson, for Bl. Lawrence Richardson (d. 1582) of England or Bl. William Richardson (d. 1603) of England.
  • Rigby, for St. John Rigby (d. 1600) of England
  • Rivi, for Bl. Rolando Rivi (d. 1945) of Italy.
  • Robinson, for St. Christopher Robinson (d. 1598) of England.
  • Rochester, for Bl. John Rochester (d. 1537) of England.
  • Roe, for St. Alban Roe (d. 1642) of England.
  • Romano, for Bl. Vincent Romano (d. 1831) of Italy.
  • Rossello, for St. Maria Giuseppa Rossello (d. 1880) of Italy.
  • Sala, for Bl. Maria Anna Sala (d. 1891) of Italy.
  • Savio, for St. Dominic Savio (d. 1857) of Italy.
  • Scott, for Bl. Montford Scott (d. 1591) of England or Bl. Maurus Scott (d. 1612) of England.
  • Serra, for St. Junipero Serra (d. 1784) of Spain/New Spain.
  • Seton, for St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (d. 1821) of the U.S.
  • Sheen, for Ven. Fulton J. Sheen (d. 1979) of the U.S.
  • Shelley, for Bl. Edward Shelley (d. 1588) of England.
  • Sherwin, for St. Ralph Sherwin (d. 1581) of England.
  • Sherwood, for Bl. Thomas Sherwood (d. 1578) of England.
  • Sinclair, for Ven. Margaret Anne Sinclair (d. 1925) of Scotland.
  • Slade, for Bl. John Slade (d. 1583) of England.
  • Solanus, for St. Francis Solanus (d. 1610) of Spain.
  • Southwell, for St. Robert Southwell (d. 1595) of England.
  • Southworth, for St. John Southworth (d. 1654) of England.
  • Steno, for Bl. Nicolas Steno (d. 1686) of Denmark.
  • Spenser, for Bl. William Spenser (d. 1589) of England.
  • Spencer, for Ven. Ignatius Spencer (d. 1864) of England.
  • Stefani, for Bl. Irene Stefani (d. 1930) of Italy.
  • Stein, for St. Edith Stein (d. 1942) of Germany.
  • Stone, for St. John Stone (d. 1539) in England.
  • Sullivan, for Ven. John Sullivan (d. 1933) in Ireland.
  • Sutton, for Bl. Robert Sutton (d. 1587) of England.
  • Talbot, for Ven. Matt Talbot (d. 1925) of Ireland or Bl. John Talbot (d. 1600) of England.
  • Tansi, for Bl. Cyprian Michael Tansi (d. 1964) of Nigeria.
  • Taylor, for Bl. Hugh Taylor (d. 1585) of England, Francis Taylor (d. 1621) of Ireland, or Ven. Frances Margaret Taylor (d. 1900) of England.
  • Tezza, for Bl. Luigi Tezza (d. 1923) of Italy.
  • Thirkeld, for Bl. Richard Thirkeld (d. 1583) in England.
  • Thompson, for Bl. James Thompson (d. 1582) of England.
  • Thorne, for Bl. John Thorne (d. 1539) of England.
  • Thorpe, for Bl. Robert Thorpe (d. 1591) of England.
  • Tirry, for Bl. William Tirry (d. 1654) of Ireland.
  • Tomasi, for St. Giuseppe Maria Tomasi (d. 1713) of Italy.
  • Tunstall, for Bl. Thomas Tunstall (d. 1616) of England.
  • Turner, for Bl. Anthony Turner (d. 1679) of England.
  • Vega, for Servant of God Pablo Muñoz Vega (d. 1994) of Ecuador.
  • Venard, for St. Jean-Théophane Vénard (d. 1861) of France.
  • Vera, for Ven. Jacinto Vera y Durán (d. 1881) of Uruguay.
  • Verna, for Bl. Antonia Maria Verna (d. 1838) of Italy.
  • Vianney, for St. Jean Vianney (d. 1859) of France.
  • Ward, for St. Margaret Ward (d. 1588) of England.
  • Webster, for St. Augustine Webster (d. 1535) of England.
  • Wells, for St. Swithun Wells (d. 1591) of England.
  • Wharton, for Bl. Christopher Wharton (d. 1600) of England.
  • Whitaker, for Bl. Thomas Whitaker (d. 1646) of England.
  • Wilson, for Ven. Mary Jane Wilson (d. 1916) of British India.
  • Wright, for Bl. Peter Wright (d. 1651) of England.
  • Xavier, for St. Francis Xavier (d. 1552) of Spain.
  • Zaccaria, for St. Antonio Maria Zaccaria (d. 1539) of Italy.
  • Zola, for Bl. Giovanni Batista Zola (d. 1626) of Italy.

Which of the above do you like best?

And, what other saint-inspired surnames would make good baby names? I’m sure I missed a few. Let me know in the comments!

The “most unisex” baby names in the U.S.

pink and blue bricks

Last month, FlowingData crunched some numbers to come up with the 35 most unisex baby names in the U.S. since 1930. Here’s the list:

  1. Jessie
  2. Marion
  3. Jackie
  4. Alva
  5. Ollie
  6. Jody
  7. Cleo
  8. Kerry
  9. Frankie
  10. Guadalupe
  11. Carey
  12. Tommie
  13. Angel
  14. Hollis
  15. Sammie
  16. Jamie
  17. Kris
  18. Robbie
  19. Tracy
  20. Merrill
  21. Noel
  22. Rene
  23. Johnnie
  24. Ariel
  25. Jan
  26. Devon
  27. Cruz
  28. Michel
  29. Gale
  30. Robin
  31. Dorian
  32. Casey
  33. Dana
  34. Kim**
  35. Shannon

I’m not sure exactly what criteria were used to create the rankings, but it looks like the top unisex names on this list were the top-1,000 names that “stuck around that 50-50 split” the longest from 1930 to 2012.

The FlowingData post also mentions that, though the data is pretty noisy, there might be “a mild upward trend” over the years in the number of babies with a unisex name.

**In 1957, Johnny Carson’s 5-year-old son Kim had his name changed to Richard because he’d been having “a little trouble over his name being mistaken for a girl’s.”

[Update, 11/7/2013: Changed Michael to Michel]

Source: The most unisex names in US history

Image by Erol Ahmed from Unsplash

Baby names with CAR: Carter, Scarlett, Oscar

Are you a car-lover looking for baby names that contain the word CAR?

If so, you’re in luck!

Because below you’ll find a long list of names that contain the letter sequence “c-a-r.” Most of these names come directly from the U.S. SSA’s baby name data.

  • Aboubacar
  • Alcario
  • Alucard
  • Amilcar
  • Boubacar
  • Cara, Carra, Carah, Carrah, Caragh
  • Carabella
  • Caradoc
  • Caraline, Caralina
  • Caralyn, Caralynn
  • Caramia
  • Carbon
  • Cardale
  • Cardarius
  • Cardea
  • Cardel, Cardell
  • Cardelia
  • Cardella
  • Carden, Cardin, Cardon, Cardyn
  • Carder
  • Cardero
  • Cardi
  • Cardinal
  • Careem
  • Careen, Carreen
  • Carel, Carell, Carrel, Carrell
  • Careli
  • Caren, Carin, Caron, Caryn
  • Carena
  • Caressa, Caresa, Carressa
  • Caresse, Caress
  • Caretha
  • Caretta
  • Carice
  • Caricia
  • Caridad
  • Carilee
  • Carina, Careena
  • Carine, Carinne, Carrine
  • Cario
  • Carisma
  • Carissa, Carisa, Caryssa, Carrisa, Carrissa
  • Carita
  • Carl
  • Carla
  • Carlasia
  • Carlene, Carleen, Carlean
  • Carletha, Carlethia
  • Carlia, Carlea, Carleah, Carliya, Carliyah
  • Carlier
  • Carlin, Carlon
  • Carlina, Carlena, Carleena
  • Carline
  • Carlis, Carliss
  • Carlisa
  • Carlissa
  • Carlisle, Carlyle
  • Carlito
  • Carlitos
  • Carlo
  • Carlos
  • Carlota, Carlotta
  • Carlson
  • Carly, Carlee, Carley, Carleigh, Carlie, Carli, Carlei
  • Carlton, Carleton
  • Carlynn, Carlyn
  • Carma
  • Carmani
  • Carmel
  • Carmela, Carmella
  • Carmelia
  • Carmelo, Carmello
  • Carmen
  • Carmesha, Carmeshia
  • Carmi, Carmie
  • Carmilla
  • Carmin
  • Carmina
  • Carmine
  • Carmisha
  • Carmo
  • Carnation
  • Carnel, Carnell
  • Carnelia
  • Carnella
  • Carnetta
  • Carney, Carnie
  • Carnesha, Carneshia
  • Carnisha
  • Carnita
  • Carol, Carole, Carrol, Carroll, Caryl
  • Carola
  • Carolann, Carolanne
  • Carold
  • Caroldean, Caroldine
  • Carolee, Caralee
  • Caroleen, Carolene
  • Carolen,
  • Caroletta, Carolette
  • Carolina, Caroleena, Carolena
  • Caroline, Carolyne
  • Carolus
  • Carolyn, Carolynn, Carolin
  • Carpenter
  • Carper
  • Carr
  • Carranza
  • Carrera
  • Carrick
  • Carriana, Carrianna, Carianna, Cariana
  • Carrie, Carri, Carey, Cary, Carie, Cari
  • Carrieann, Carrieanne, Carriann, Carrianne, Cariann, Carianne
  • Carrigan
  • Carrington
  • Carshena
  • Carson, Carsen, Carsin, Carsyn, Carsynn
  • Carsten, Carston
  • Cartavious
  • Carter
  • Cartez
  • Cartha
  • Carthel
  • Carti
  • Cartier
  • Cartina
  • Cartisha
  • Cartrell
  • Caruso
  • Carvel, Carvell
  • Carver
  • Carvin
  • Carwyn, Carwin
  • Carys, Caris, Carris
  • Carzell
  • Dacari
  • Decari
  • Encarna
  • Encarnación
  • Escarlett, Escarlet, Escarleth
  • Giancarlo
  • Giscard
  • Hamilcar
  • Icarus
  • Jacari, Jhacari
  • Jocari
  • Licarayén
  • Lucario
  • Macarena
  • Macari
  • Macaria
  • Macario
  • Macarius
  • McArthur, MacArthur
  • McCartney
  • Policarpia
  • Policarpio
  • Ricarda, Riccarda
  • Ricardo, Riccardo
  • Tocara, Tocarra, Toccara, Toccarra
  • Zacarias
  • Zacariah, Zacaria
  • Zacari, Zacary
  • Zaccaria

Some of these names could be considered variants of the more popular CAR names, though it’s hard to tell. For instance, Caralynn — is it a form of Caroline? Is it Cara + Lynn? (Maybe a bit of both?) Others are non-traditional spellings of more common names, such as Karim, Karen, and Cornelia.

Which CAR name do you like most? Let me know in the comments!

P.S. I just wanted to note — for all my fellow lefties out there — that both Cara and Carter are typed entirely with the left hand on a standard QWERTY keyboard. :)

Image: Adapted from AvMalecon-LaHabanaCuba by Ezarate under CC BY-SA 4.0.

[Latest update: Dec. 2023]