How popular is the baby name Celesta 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 Celesta.

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Popularity of the baby name Celesta


Posts that mention the name Celesta

“Covered Wagon Babies” named for their birthplaces

"Emigrants crossing the plains" by F. O. C. Darley

In September of 1850, California became the 31st state to enter the Union.

In September of 1925, to celebrate 75 years of statehood, the city of San Francisco hosted a week of festivities. Events included parades, concerts, banquets, balls, exhibitions, automobile races, athletic competitions, a fashion show, a beauty contest, and more.

Charmingly, the organizers of the Diamond Jubilee celebration also rounded up and honored about fifty of California’s “covered wagon babies” — individuals who’d been born in covered wagons en route to California during the pioneer era. A banquet was held for them on the 8th, and they were featured in the Admission Day parade on the 9th.

Among the “babies” were several who’d been named after their birthplaces:

  • Willow Springs Shearer, born in a covered wagon in Willow Springs, Wyoming, on July 16, 1849.
  • William Nebraska Winter, born in a covered wagon near the Platte River in Nebraska on May 12, 1853.
  • Elijah Carson Hart, born in a covered wagon in Carson City, Nevada, on September 9, 1857.
  • Deseret Moe, born in a covered wagon in Deseret, Utah, on September 22, 1862.
  • James Carson Needham, born in a covered wagon in Carson City, Nevada, on September 17, 1864.
    • He went on to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives for seven successive terms (from 1899 to 1913).
  • Truckee Nevada Steward, born in a covered wagon near the Truckee River in Nevada on September 23, 1869.
    • He was born several months after the completion of the first transcontinental railroad.

One of the other “babies” was born in a covered wagon at Sutter’s Fort (in Sacramento) in July of 1849. The gold miners there suggested that she be named Poppy, “for the glorious flower which carpets the hills and valleys of the state,” but her parents “decided that Celesta Ann was more to their liking and Celesta Ann it was.”

P.S. After the Jubilee, a state-wide “Covered Wagon Babies Club,” comprising well over 100 members was organized by J. C. Needham. Meetings were held annually, in September, for about a decade.

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Emigrants crossing the plains (LOC)

Top baby names in Nova Scotia, 1914

Speaking of popular baby names Nova Scotia…did you know that the province’s Open Data site includes birth registration records from the mid-1800s and from the early 1900s? I isolated the records from 1914 — the most recent year in the data — and came up with baby name rankings for about a century ago:

Top Girl Names, 1914

  1. Mary (close to 700 girls)
  2. Margaret
  3. Annie
  4. Marie
  5. Helen
  6. Dorothy
  7. Florence
  8. Elizabeth
  9. Catherine (over 100 girls)
  10. Alice

Top Boy Names, 1914

  1. John (close to 600 boys)
  2. Joseph
  3. James
  4. William
  5. George
  6. Charles
  7. Robert
  8. Arthur
  9. Donald
  10. Edward (over 100 boys)

The rankings represent about about 6,700 baby girls and about 6,800 baby boys born in Nova Scotia in 1914. I’m not sure how many babies were born that year overall, but it looks like the province’s total population in 1914 was roughly 500,000 people.

Hundreds of the names were used just once. Here are some examples:

Unique Girl namesUnique Boy names
Adalta, Adayala, Ailsa, Amilene, Anarina, Aniela, Attavilla, Birdina, Buema, Burance, Caletta, Cattine, Celesta, Claviettee, Deltina, Elta, Erdina, Ethelda, Eudavilla, Evhausine, Fauleen, Genneffa, Gennesta, Heuldia, Hughenia, Iselda, Ivenho, Lanza, Lebina, Lelerta, Loa, Lougreta, Manattie, Meloa, Milnina, Minira, Namoia, Naza, Neitha, Neruda, Olava, Oressa, Prenetta, Ramza, Ruzena, Sophique, Stanislawa, Taudulta, Udorah, Velena, Vola, Vonia, Waldtraut, Willina, YuddisAlbenie, Alpine, Alywin, Alyre, Armenious, Bayzil, Bernthorne, Briercliffe, Carefield, Cicero, Colomba, Craigen, Desire, DeWilton, Docithee, Edly, Enzile, Ethelberth, Ewart, Exivir, Fernwood, Firth, Florincon, Glidden, Gureen, Haliberton, Haslam, Hibberts, Irad, Kertland, Kinsman, Kitchener, Langille, Lemerchan, Lockie, Lubins, Meurland, Murl, Neddy, Nevaus, Niron, Odillon, Olding, Phine, Rexfrid, Roseville, Saber, Sifroi, Sprat, Stannage, Venanties, Waitstill, Wardlo, Wentworth, Wibbert

I also spotted one boy with the first and middle names Earl Gray, and another with the first and middle names “Kermit Roosevelt” (the name of one of Theodore Roosevelt’s six children).

Sources: Open Data Nova Scotia (specifically, Birth Registrations 1864-1877, 1908-1914), Nova Scotia – Population urban and rural, by province and territory