How popular is the baby name Charlotte 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 Charlotte.

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Popularity of the baby name Charlotte


Posts that mention the name Charlotte

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

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, 2010Boy Names, 2010Girl Names, 2012Boy 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.

Baby name Ryker, regional popularity, 2010
© 2013 FlowingData

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?

Popular baby names in California, 2012

Flag of California
Flag of California

The most popular baby names in California have been released.

According to the California Department of Public Health, the state’s top names were Jacob for boys and Sophia for girls.

Here are the top 25 girl names and top 25 boy names of 2012:

Girl NamesBoy Names
1. Sophia, 3,610 baby girls
2. Isabella, 3,073
3. Emma, 2,423
4. Emily, 2,416
5. Mia, 2,307
6. Olivia, 1,894
7. Sofia, 1,669
8. Abigail, 1,638
9. Samantha, 1,440
10. Ava, 1,404
11. Camila, 1,394
12. Victoria, 1,289
13. Natalie, 1,288
14. Elizabeth, 1,094
15. Chloe, 1,091
16. Evelyn, 1,037
17. Genesis, 1,029
18. Ashley, 997
19. Madison, 985
20. Zoe, 980
21. Charlotte, 908
22. Hailey, 897
23. Melanie, 885
24. Audrey, 854
25. Kimberly, 847		1. Jacob, 2,955 baby boys
2. Jayden, 2,848
3. Ethan, 2,659
4. Daniel 2,654
5. Matthew, 2,623
6. Noah, 2,491
7. Alexander, 2,412
8. Anthony, 2,408
9. Nathan, 2,230
10. Andrew, 2,134
11. David, 2,134
12. Michael, 1,985
13. Aiden, 1,979
14. Angel, 1,940
15. Isaac, 1,857
16. Julian, 1,840
17. Mason, 1,823
18. Adrian, 1,782
19. Jonathan, 1,722
20. Joshua, 1,714
21. Christopher, 1,713
22. Benjamin, 1,663
23. Joseph, 1,633
24. Liam, 1,602
25. Dylan, 1,565

The biggest jumps within the top 25 were Zoe (25th in 2011) and Noah (11th in 2011).

The SSA’s list of California’s top baby names of 2012 is roughly the same.

Source: Statistics – California Department of Public Health

Image: Adapted from Flag of California (public domain)

Popular baby names in Washington state, 2012

Flag of Washington
Flag of Washington

The most popular baby names in Washington state have been released.

According to the state’s Health Department, Washington’s top names are Liam for boys and Sophia for girls.

Here are the top 25 girl names and top 25 boy names of 2012:

Girl NamesBoy Names
1. Sophia, 473 baby girls
2. Emma, 456
3. Olivia, 438
4. Isabella, 324
5. Ava, 310
6. Emily, 303
7. Abigail, 275
8. Elizabeth, 254
9. Mia, 230
10. Ella, 229
11. Evelyn, 222
12. Chloe, 210
13. Charlotte, 205 (tie)
14. Natalie, 205 (tie)
15. Avery, 202
16. Madison, 200
17. Amelia, 196
18. Grace, 193
19. Lillian, 191 (tie)
20. Zoey, 191 (tie)
21. Lily, 186
22. Hannah, 182
23. Brooklyn, 175
24. Zoe, 173
25. Harper, 172		1. Liam, 409 baby boys
2. Mason, 408
3. Ethan, 394
4. Alexander, 357
5. Benjamin, 336
6. Noah, 329
7. William, 317
8. Jacob, 314
9. James, 313 (tie)
10. Michael, 313 (tie)
11. Daniel, 311
12. Logan, 305
13. Elijah, 296
14. Jackson, 288
15. Lucas, 285
16. Aiden, 284
17. Samuel, 284
18. Henry, 282
19. Wyatt, 271
20. Jayden, 266
21. Gabriel, 258
22. Andrew, 257
23. Owen, 256
24. Isaac, 253
25. David, 249

Sources: Liam, Sophia most popular baby names in Washington, Baby Names – Vital Statistics – Washington State Dept. of Health

Image: Adapted from Flag of Washington (public domain)

When did baby name stealing begin?

The character Charlotte from the TV series "Sex and the City" (1998-2004)
Charlotte from “Sex and the City”

A few months ago, UK parenting site Netmums polled more than 6,000 parents. One interesting thing they discovered was that 5% of those parents had reconsidered using a baby name they liked because it had been “stolen” by someone else.

That stat got me wondering: When did this whole “name stealing” thing, well, become a thing?

I thought pop culture might provide some insight, so I set out to find the earliest pop culture mention of baby name stealing that I could. This wouldn’t necessarily answer my question, but it would at least give me a feel for when the concept started going mainstream.

The earliest pop culture reference I’ve found so far? A first-season Sex and the City episode called “The Baby Shower” that originally aired in August of 1998.

The show’s four main characters (Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda) are at a baby shower for a woman named Laney, a childhood friend. At one point, Charlotte learns that Laney has “stolen” her secret baby name. Here’s the dialogue:

Charlotte (to Laney): Stop it! You are not gonna clean up at your own shower.

Woman: Yeah, relax, cause once little Todd or Shayla comes around you’ll never stop cleaning up.

Charlotte: Shayla? Did you say Shayla?

Woman: It’s so unique, isn’t it?

Charlotte: It’s so my name.

Woman: I thought your name was Charlotte.

Charlotte: No, it’s not my name, it’s my name! My secret baby name that I made up when I was 11 years old for my daughter when I had her. I told you, don’t tell me you don’t remember.

Laney: No, I’m sorry, I- I really don’t.

Narrator/Carrie: A complete lie. She remembered. We all remembered. Charlotte had made us all swear never to use it.

Laney: Anyway, I think my husband heard it somewhere else.

Charlotte: Really, where? Because I didn’t tell him.

Laney: I can’t believe you’re freaking out over a name.

Woman: I mean, you’re not even pregnant.

Charlotte: That’s not the point!

Samantha: What’s going on?

Charlotte: She stole my baby name.

Samantha: You b*tch. Let’s go.

So mid-1998 is the earliest I’ve got so far. Can you think of any earlier pop culture mentions of baby name stealing?

Sources:

Image: Screenshot of the Sex and the City episode “The Baby Shower”