How popular is the baby name Cordelia 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 Cordelia.

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Popularity of the baby name Cordelia


Posts that mention the name Cordelia

Girl names beyond the top 1,000 of 2022

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Have you seen any of the girl names beyond the U.S. top 1,000 yet? If not, here’s the next thousand for you.

Last year, the 1,000th most popular girl name in the U.S. was Kahlani, given to 260 babies. After that, we find…

1,001st to 1,100th

Jazlynn, 259
Kynlee, 259
Raquel, 259
Tallulah, 258
Jaycee, 257
Kaisley, 257
Maylee, 257
Nataly, 257
Leylani, 256
Lilia, 256
Esperanza, 255
Haylee, 255
Ruthie, 255
Clare, 254
Kailey, 254
Etta, 253
Paisleigh, 253
Essence, 252
Tori, 252
Dana, 251
Ellen, 251
Kaya, 251
Eleanora, 250
Memphis, 250
Crystal, 249
Libby, 249
Tilly, 249
Xena, 249
Zola, 248
Austyn, 247
Emani, 247
Landry, 247
Layan, 247
Reya, 246
Aura, 245
Ayra, 245
Indy, 245
Kimora, 245
Viola, 245
Loyalty, 244
Nathalie, 244
Seraphina, 244
Shea, 244
Whitney, 244
Ayah, 243
Clarissa, 243
Jaylee, 243
Kiera, 242
Lyanna, 242
Giavanna, 241
Soraya, 241
Ailany, 240
Cordelia, 240
Guadalupe, 240
Jaylin, 240
Mattie, 240
Mazikeen, 240
Arden, 239
Dania, 239
Ellison, 239
Giulia, 239
Rubi, 239
Celina, 237
Mazie, 237
Renee, 237
Tara, 237
Amyra, 236
Lizbeth, 234
Maelynn, 234
Amethyst, 233
Aniya, 233
Elouise, 233
Violette, 233
Arisbeth, 232
Ayana, 232
Corinne, 232
Darcy, 232
Everley, 232
Nairobi, 232
Addyson, 231
Emmaline, 231
Ivana, 230
Jillian, 230
Miah, 230
Sandra, 230
Spencer, 230
Micaela, 229
Aminah, 228
Ansley, 228
Ann, 227
Kathleen, 227
Majesty, 227
Winifred, 227
Addisyn, 226
Agnes, 226
Colbie, 226
Harleigh, 226
Solana, 226
Aleia, 225
Claudia, 225

1,101st to 1,200th

Melani, 225
Desiree, 224
Frida, 224
Ida, 224
Ingrid, 224
Malka, 224
Yuna, 223
Hailee, 222
Zyla, 222
Adela, 221
Alisha, 221
Beverly, 221
Patricia, 221
Aiyana, 220
Jaelynn, 220
Yusra, 220
Aliah, 219
Andie, 219
Jewel, 219
Khadija, 219
Braylee, 218
Kollyns, 218
Meghan, 218
Harriet, 217
Raylee, 217
Rhiannon, 217
Christine, 216
Devyn, 216
Elani, 216
Yaritza, 215
Avyanna, 214
Keziah, 214
Marcella, 214
Riya, 214
Aarya, 213
Avani, 213
Jana, 213
Kailany, 213
Kalia, 213
Kodi, 213
Gianni, 212
Miller, 212
Taliyah, 212
Vayda, 212
Abril, 211
Arizbeth, 211
Elowen, 211
Marian, 211
Micah, 211
Quincy, 211
Sia, 211
Dalilah, 210
Evelina, 210
Jhene, 210
Korra, 210
Sonia, 210
Aislinn, 209
Maliah, 209
Betty, 208
Ariadne, 207
Kamora, 207
Paityn, 207
Arely, 206
Janessa, 206
Kaylie, 206
Lettie, 206
Lillianna, 206
Perla, 206
Rae, 206
Ripley, 206
Susan, 206
Cara, 205
Dixie, 205
Karlee, 205
Brynley, 204
Dina, 204
Elayna, 204
Amia, 203
Kyleigh, 203
True, 203
Emberlyn, 202
Emi, 202
Kacey, 202
Leena, 202
Ryder, 202
Ayanna, 201
Aylani, 201
Jaelyn, 201
Jovi, 201
Jubilee, 201
Kinsleigh, 201
Novaleigh, 201
Patience, 201
Aarna, 200
Adrienne, 200
Alyson, 200
Amal, 200
Amiah, 200
Ariadna, 200
Heavenly, 200

1,201st to 1,300th

Wrenleigh, 200
Darla, 199
Ellery, 199
Farrah, 199
Honey, 199
Kingsley, 199
Sharon, 199
Zahara, 199
Addie, 198
Annabella, 198
Evalyn, 198
Honesty, 198
Mirha, 198
Valencia, 198
Zoie, 198
Blessing, 197
Jayde, 197
Jaylene, 197
Lianna, 197
Aleyna, 196
Gaia, 196
Karen, 196
Mariella, 196
Mollie, 196
Zarah, 196
Alba, 195
Annalee, 195
Campbell, 195
Ira, 195
Amiya, 194
Beatrix, 194
Carsyn, 194
Leilah, 194
Madalynn, 194
Nathaly, 194
Aida, 193
Angeline, 193
Antonia, 193
Dalary, 193
Kiyomi, 193
Liz, 193
Robyn, 193
Rylynn, 193
Carolyn, 192
Ciara, 192
Kaylin, 192
Margaux, 192
Mercedes, 192
Salome, 192
Wendy, 192
Cassie, 191
Londynn, 191
Zaira, 191
Aranza, 190
Marlene, 190
Raylynn, 190
Rori, 190
Roslyn, 190
Aanya, 189
Emmalynn, 189
Erika, 189
Lailani, 189
Riverlynn, 189
Ainara, 188
Kassandra, 188
Lavender, 188
Noel, 188
Rilynn, 188
Vivianna, 188
Akira, 187
Azul, 187
Brenda, 187
Jalani, 187
Lorena, 187
Marjorie, 187
Meera, 187
Miya, 187
Myah, 187
Neveah, 187
Tatiana, 187
Kaleah, 186
Ariela, 185
Eleni, 185
Zaya, 185
Dariana, 184
Imogen, 184
Montana, 184
Rayleigh, 184
Aylah, 183
Ehlani, 183
Ivey, 183
Nayla, 183
Rebeca, 183
Rue, 183
Ailyn, 182
Chiara, 182
Kyndall, 182
Bernadette, 181
Kaycee, 181
Kya, 181

1,301st to 1,400th

Lesly, 181
Lindsey, 181
Sailor, 181
Emberlee, 180
Heather, 180
Saniyah, 180
Danica, 179
Giada, 179
Karely, 179
Lailah, 179
Lorraine, 179
Marissa, 179
Sana, 179
Yuri, 179
Zia, 179
Leela, 178
Maizie, 178
Maple, 178
Rita, 178
Siya, 178
Debanhi, 177
Evalynn, 177
Joselyn, 177
Moriah, 177
Venus, 177
Austin, 176
Finnley, 176
Liah, 176
Odette, 176
Vaeda, 176
Xochitl, 176
Bryleigh, 175
Carmella, 175
Erica, 175
Evaluna, 175
Kadence, 175
Mariela, 175
Althea, 174
Ameera, 174
Arwen, 174
Elara, 174
Emilie, 174
Journei, 174
Khari, 174
Sally, 174
Inaaya, 173
Montserrat, 173
Tenley, 173
Brinlee, 172
Isha, 172
Juana, 172
Karma, 172
Renley, 172
Ayesha, 171
Romy, 171
Alisa, 170
Esmae, 170
Maisyn, 170
Onyx, 170
Zinnia, 170
Alannah, 169
Annette, 169
Faigy, 169
Maelyn, 169
Milah, 169
Serafina, 169
Symphony, 169
Alaiyah, 168
Carson, 168
Elinor, 168
Janae, 168
Maribel, 168
Roxanne, 167
Rya, 167
Sterling, 167
Emeri, 166
Katerina, 166
Kaylynn, 166
Kit, 166
Lucie, 166
Yael, 166
Anita, 165
Carina, 165
Kenya, 165
Mireya, 165
Renesmee, 165
Sidney, 165
Adilynn, 164
Atlas, 164
Jenny, 164
Julietta, 164
Kalea, 164
Kelani, 164
Lori, 164
Raine, 164
Jazzlyn, 163
Jurnee, 163
Martina, 163
Silvia, 163
Alessa, 162

1,401st to 1,500th

Denise, 162
Maryjane, 162
Mika, 162
Queen, 162
Rain, 162
Adina, 161
Azari, 161
Cambria, 161
Selina, 161
Laken, 160
Dafne, 159
Elissa, 159
Emilee, 159
Journie, 159
Rowen, 159
Stacy, 159
Ziva, 159
Asiya, 158
Carlee, 158
Joan, 158
Joey, 158
Kailyn, 158
Adilene, 157
Adira, 157
Anayah, 157
Avaya, 157
Kamilla, 157
Maite, 157
Navi, 157
Nelly, 157
Walker, 157
Eliette, 156
Farah, 156
Pepper, 156
Prisha, 156
Rosalind, 156
Roselynn, 156
Susanna, 156
Tillie, 156
Kinzley, 155
Zella, 155
Aryah, 154
Grecia, 154
Jalayah, 154
May, 154
Wrenly, 154
Zadie, 154
Laine, 153
Mirabel, 153
Valkyrie, 153
Alyvia, 152
Eliyanah, 152
Laramie, 152
Lilyanna, 152
Pia, 152
Avalyn, 151
Ireland, 151
Keidy, 151
Milagros, 151
Shoshana, 151
Sofie, 151
Amarah, 150
Caylee, 150
Chava, 150
Janie, 150
Kristina, 150
Blessyn, 149
Gitty, 149
Gwyneth, 149
Jasmin, 149
Mari, 149
Tabitha, 149
Aimee, 148
Alex, 148
Cristina, 148
Emmarie, 148
Fern, 148
Kaira, 148
Liya, 148
Marlie, 148
Theresa, 148
Britney, 147
Dara, 147
Nadine, 147
Skylynn, 147
Yasmine, 147
Hollyn, 146
Inara, 146
Lucero, 146
Safiya, 146
Samiyah, 146
Ziya, 146
Anniston, 145
Briley, 145
Isadora, 145
Kamille, 145
Melania, 145
Sherlyn, 145
Sybil, 145
Aiza, 144

1,501st to 1,600th

Alara, 144
Alya, 144
Damaris, 144
Geneva, 144
Yelena, 144
Yuliana, 144
Cooper, 143
Ema, 143
Kasey, 143
Zya, 143
Adalie, 142
Jael, 142
Karolina, 142
Nila, 142
Reem, 142
Adara, 141
Anaiah, 141
Eila, 141
Jersey, 141
Kayleen, 141
Kenley, 141
Tinley, 141
Aracely, 140
Blayke, 140
Kaelyn, 140
Kapri, 140
Yoselin, 140
Anyla, 139
Areli, 139
Aryanna, 139
Cherish, 139
Leni, 139
Nailah, 139
Sanai, 139
Shayla, 139
Stori, 139
Annelise, 138
Hensley, 138
Iyanna, 138
Izzy, 138
Kailee, 138
Liyana, 138
Merritt, 138
Petra, 138
Tala, 138
Zeynep, 138
Amilia, 137
Ester, 137
Kaelynn, 137
Karlie, 137
Nechama, 137
Addalyn, 136
Clarke, 136
Jaylynn, 136
Jupiter, 136
Keilany, 136
Larissa, 136
Monserrat, 136
Suri, 136
Wilhelmina, 136
Winry, 136
Zion, 136
Annabel, 135
Ashly, 135
Aubri, 135
Chevelle, 135
Diya, 135
Elly, 135
Linnea, 135
Naia, 135
Naila, 135
Noelani, 135
Calla, 134
Emori, 134
Harlyn, 134
Khadijah, 134
Kianna, 134
Klara, 134
Letty, 134
Mayra, 134
Zaina, 134
Aashvi, 133
Adalina, 133
Adhara, 133
Asia, 133
Ayva, 133
Estela, 133
Nicolette, 133
Shirley, 133
Violetta, 133
Yaneli, 133
Asha, 132
Blakelynn, 132
Daylin, 132
Diamond, 132
Elyana, 132
Malak, 132
Adore, 131
Brayleigh, 131
Cecily, 131

1,601st to 1,700th

Dua, 131
Kalina, 131
Kollins, 131
Laynie, 131
Noelia, 131
Paulette, 131
Sahara, 131
Alessi, 130
Ally, 130
Avalon, 130
Baila, 130
Bentley, 130
Camden, 130
Carmela, 130
Eris, 130
Geraldine, 130
Gisselle, 130
Juno, 130
Maeva, 130
Mariyah, 130
Naveah, 130
Noella, 130
Rivky, 130
Tahlia, 130
Tyler, 130
Delia, 129
Dottie, 129
Evangelina, 129
Hollis, 129
Jayden, 129
Kynslee, 129
Laia, 129
Lidia, 129
Romi, 129
Shanaya, 129
Storm, 129
Wesley, 129
Xolani, 129
Aira, 128
Aryana, 128
Harlem, 128
Jude, 128
Kari, 128
Khalia, 128
Namari, 128
Safa, 128
Sedona, 128
Zylah, 128
Aleyah, 127
Alissa, 127
Ayat, 127
Bayleigh, 127
Beckett, 127
Irie, 127
Kelsie, 127
Reece, 127
Rihanna, 127
Sheila, 127
Sunnie, 127
Amaria, 126
Amariah, 126
Eisley, 126
Katarina, 126
Marlow, 126
Rosalynn, 126
Shyla, 126
Stormy, 126
Yarely, 126
Echo, 125
Kinsey, 125
Kylah, 125
Milania, 125
Natalee, 125
Yvette, 125
Addalynn, 124
Amya, 124
Breanna, 124
Dalila, 124
Delani, 124
Gema, 124
Jordynn, 124
Kalayah, 124
Lincoln, 124
Tegan, 124
Temperance, 124
Amberly, 123
Daenerys, 123
Delanie, 123
Georgiana, 123
Janiya, 123
Joslyn, 123
Leticia, 123
Lois, 123
Macey, 123
Skylah, 123
Aviva, 122
Brisa, 122
Emry, 122
Ever, 122
Kaci, 122

1,701st to 1,800th

Karmen, 122
Keeley, 122
Malky, 122
Priya, 122
Rhylee, 122
Sama, 122
Saphira, 122
Sunday, 122
Yazmin, 122
Caitlyn, 121
Cirilla, 121
Courtney, 121
Dalett, 121
Denisse, 121
Judy, 121
Julianne, 121
Magdalene, 121
Marlo, 121
Regan, 121
Ameerah, 120
Arie, 120
Constance, 120
Haizley, 120
Lakyn, 120
Marion, 120
Ahlani, 119
Amor, 119
Ashton, 119
Belinda, 119
Edie, 119
Eiza, 119
Fatimah, 119
Hafsa, 119
Honor, 119
Irina, 119
Jessa, 119
Kenzley, 119
Lane, 119
Liza, 119
Louella, 119
Nyah, 119
Tamara, 119
Addelyn, 118
Alaysia, 118
Blakeleigh, 118
Brenna, 118
Mileena, 118
Raleigh, 118
Rio, 118
Zari, 118
Zhavia, 118
Abrielle, 117
Amerie, 117
Audrina, 117
Cattleya, 117
Charity, 117
Jehilyn, 117
Koa, 117
Kristen, 117
Lindsay, 117
Maura, 117
Nell, 117
Tania, 117
Yamilet, 117
Agatha, 116
Arlene, 116
Ashanti, 116
Coral, 116
Divine, 116
Empress, 116
Estefany, 116
Milly, 116
Vivien, 116
Amaira, 115
Blakelyn, 115
Emme, 115
Gentry, 115
Hermione, 115
Jailyn, 115
Kamiya, 115
Lotus, 115
Marcela, 115
Maven, 115
Yesenia, 115
Zamora, 115
Aoife, 114
Calista, 114
Daria, 114
Emmi, 114
Nahla, 114
Nirvana, 114
Odessa, 114
Rosemarie, 114
Sonya, 114
Arlett, 113
Bryanna, 113
Danika, 113
Elana, 113
Elsy, 113
Hudson, 113

1,801st to 1,900th

Isela, 113
Iva, 113
Mahogany, 113
Nariah, 113
Nuri, 113
Nya, 113
Sahana, 113
Samadhi, 113
Aavya, 112
Adalia, 112
Dolly, 112
Harlie, 112
Isis, 112
Italy, 112
Kaila, 112
Kaliah, 112
Laikyn, 112
Madyson, 112
Margarita, 112
Tia, 112
Avril, 111
Bennett, 111
Cori, 111
Eunice, 111
Indiana, 111
Iqra, 111
Jahzara, 111
Karis, 111
Lillith, 111
Marwa, 111
Oriana, 111
Saira, 111
Vivianne, 111
Yehudis, 111
Zaynab, 111
Angely, 110
Brynnlee, 110
Charlene, 110
Evalina, 110
Evelin, 110
Halston, 110
Hartley, 110
Ines, 110
Isra, 110
Jocelynn, 110
Leora, 110
Maylin, 110
Mckayla, 110
Sidra, 110
Annaleigh, 109
Asher, 109
Bowie, 109
Bryn, 109
Iman, 109
Jaleah, 109
Kaelani, 109
Legaci, 109
Marin, 109
Nami, 109
Taya, 109
Alanis, 108
Anali, 108
Arizona, 108
Armoni, 108
Devorah, 108
Eleanore, 108
Lizeth, 108
Lua, 108
Madden, 108
Madisson, 108
Mildred, 108
Sury, 108
Taelynn, 108
Alita, 107
Dailyn, 107
Darlene, 107
Georgie, 107
Heidy, 107
Jacquelyn, 107
Jamila, 107
Jaslyn, 107
Preslee, 107
Shai, 107
Shannon, 107
Tess, 107
Ashtyn, 106
Audriana, 106
Bracha, 106
Danae, 106
Elif, 106
Estefania, 106
Isabell, 106
Jireh, 106
Kaori, 106
Krystal, 106
Layna, 106
Makena, 106
Rayla, 106
Sheyla, 106
Zelie, 106

1,901st to 2,000th

Blanca, 105
Haddie, 105
Litzy, 105
Luana, 105
Lucinda, 105
Maritza, 105
Misha, 105
Nour, 105
Rochel, 105
Rumi, 105
Ailen, 104
Asma, 104
Cienna, 104
Kailynn, 104
Keylani, 104
Marli, 104
Ridley, 104
Santana, 104
Story, 104
Yana, 104
Adaleigh, 103
Audra, 103
Carleigh, 103
Eimy, 103
Graciela, 103
Hawa, 103
Haya, 103
Janet, 103
Lux, 103
Rhyan, 103
Tamia, 103
Verity, 103
Alaska, 102
Anabella, 102
Arayah, 102
Ayda, 102
Blakelee, 102
Charm, 102
Claira, 102
Isa, 102
Maddox, 102
Millicent, 102
Perry, 102
Raeleigh, 102
Aadya, 101
Alanah, 101
Brynnleigh, 101
Cindy, 101
Donna, 101
Emberleigh, 101
Emmalee, 101
Izabel, 101
Janyla, 101
Josephina, 101
Lenna, 101
Lynlee, 101
Natalya, 101
Pippa, 101
Elliette, 100
Hadassa, 100
Abriella, 99
Alaiah, 99
Anderson, 99
Aylen, 99
Brighton, 99
Dawn, 99
Ela, 99
Elanor, 99
Elysia, 99
Gina, 99
Inez, 99
Katrina, 99
Kenzlee, 99
Lennyn, 99
Prudence, 99
Rynlee, 99
Shae, 99
Susana, 99
Toni, 99
Unique, 99
Adaia, 98
Aries, 98
Camellia, 98
Cosette, 98
Dayanna, 98
Debora, 98
Glory, 98
Kinzlee, 98
Lela, 98
Lula, 98
Maverick, 98
Melek, 98
Navya, 98
Raizy, 98
Samaira, 98
Zamira, 98
Alanni, 97
Charly, 97
Deanna, 97
Ellia, 97

See anything you like?

Source: SSA

Image: Adapted from Scattered stars in Sagittarius by ESA/Hubble under CC BY 4.0.

Name quotes #104: Shanaya, Bluzette, Doug

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Time for the latest batch of name quotes!

From Sanjana Ramachandran’s recent essay “The Namesakes“:

Shanaya Patel’s story, in more ways than one, encapsulated an India opening up to the world. In March 2000, Shanaya’s parents were at a café in Vadodara, Gujarat, when some Shania Twain tunes came on: she was also the artist who had been playing when her father saw her mother for the first time, “during their whole arranged-marriage-thing.” Finally, after eight months of “baby” and “munna,” Shanaya’s parents had found a name for her.

But “to make it different,” Shanaya’s parents changed the spelling of her name slightly. “Before me, all my cousins were named from this or that religious book,” she said. “When my parents didn’t want to go down that road, the elders were all ‘How can you do this!’—but my parents fought for it. There was a small controversy in the family.”

(Her essay also inspired me to write this post about the name Sanjana!)

About the “naming” of a Native American man who was discovered in California in 1911, from a 1996 UC Berkeley news release:

Under pressure from reporters who wanted to know the stranger’s name, [anthropologist] Alfred Kroeber called him “Ishi,” which means “man” in Yana. Ishi never uttered his real name.

“A California Indian almost never speaks his own name,” wrote Kroeber’s wife, “using it but rarely with those who already know it, and he would never tell it in reply to a direct question.”

About street names in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Williamsburg, from the book Names of New York (2021) by Joshua Jelly-Schapiro:

Clymer, Ellery, Hart; Harrison, Hooper, Heyward, Hewes; Ross, Rush, Rutledge, Penn — they’re all names belonging to one or another of those fifty-six men who scrawled their letters at the Declaration [of Independence]’s base. So are Taylor and Thornton, Wythe and Whipple.

[…]

[Keap Street’s] name does not match that of one of the Declaration’s signers, but it tries to: “Keap” is apparently a misrendering of the surname of the last man to leave his mark on it: Thomas McKean of Pennsylvania, whose name’s illegibility was perhaps due to his having rather less space to scrawl it by the time the document reached him than John Hancock did.

From a 2008 CNN article about unusual names:

“At times, for the sake of avoiding an uncomfortable conversation or throwing someone off guard, I answer to the names of ‘Mary’ or ‘Kelly’,” says Bluzette Martin of West Allis, Wisconsin. At restaurants, “the thought of putting an employee through the pain of guessing how to spell and pronounce ‘Bluzette’ just isn’t worth it to me.”

Martin was named after “Bluzette,” an up-tempo jazz waltz written by Jean “Toots” Thielemans. Despite her daily problems with this name, it certainly has its perks, like when she met Thielemans in 1987 at a club in Los Angeles. “When I met [him], he thanked my mother,” she says.

(Here’s “Bluesette” (vid) by Thielemans, who was Belgian.)

From a 2009 article about Microsoft executive J Allard in Boston University’s alumni magazine Bostonia:

Allard still loves video games (his all-time favorite is “Robotron”). And even his name (legally changed from James) is an homage to computers. In the late 1980s, he explains, “it was my log-in on all of the computer systems at school, and it stuck.”

From a BBC article about Doug Bowser becoming president of Nintendo of America in 2019:

In what is surely one of the most charming cases of nominative determinism ever, it has been announced the new head of Nintendo of America will be a man named Doug Bowser.

Bowser, as Nintendo fans will know all too well, has long been Super Mario’s main nemesis — a foe who, for more than three decades now, routinely kidnapped Mario’s girlfriend, Princess Peach.

Mr. Bowser will take over in April from retiring Reggie Fils-Aime, a highly popular figure among Nintendo fans.

“With a name like Bowser, who better to hold the keys to the Nintendo castle?” Mr. Fils-Aime said about his successor in a video message posted on Twitter on Thursday.

From a 1942 item in Time magazine about ‘Roberto’ being used as a fascist greeting:

Last week the authorities ordered 18 Italian-Americans excluded from the San Francisco military area as dangerous to security — the first such action against white citizens. The wonder was that it was not done earlier: everybody heard about the goings on in the North Beach Italian colony. Fascists there used to say RoBerTo as a greeting — Ro for Rome, Ber for Berlin, To for Tokyo. Italy sent teachers, books and medals for the Italian schools. Mussolini won a popularity contest hands down over Franklin Roosevelt.

From an AP news story about the origin of Armand Hammer’s name:

Industrialist Armand Hammer often said he was named after Armand Duval, the hero in Alexandre Dumas’ play “Camille.”

But he conceded later that his father, a socialist, also had in mind the arm-and-hammer symbol of the Socialist Labor Party.

For years, people erroneously thought Hammer was connected to the company that makes Arm & Hammer baking soda.

From an essay about Island Cemetery (on Block Island, in Rhode Island) by Martha Ball:

The cemetery, our own City on a Hill, has always been a place of enchantment, holding stones lacking uniformity even within the same lot, bearing names alien to our time; Philamon Galusha, Icivilli, Darius. It is enhanced by an awareness of the sheer physical accomplishment it embodies, a steep slope terraced long before we had today’s array of earth moving equipment.

[Neither Darius Rucker nor I would agree that the name Darius is “alien to our time.” Looking over the other names at Island Cemetery, I saw all the expected Biblical entries (Peleg, Obed, Barzilla; Zilpah, Huldah, Hepzebah), plenty of fanciful feminines (Lucretia, Cordelia, Sophronia), and a few references to current events: a Martin VanBuren born in 1839, a Cassius Clay born in 1854, an Elsworth (middle name) born in 1861, an Ambrose Everett born in 1862, and a Ulysses born in 1868.]

From an article about early Soviet film director Dziga Vertov at Russia Beyond:

Vertov’s real name was David Kaufman, which unambiguously points to his Jewish origin. But the desire of the talented youth from Bialystok (at the time part of the Russian Empire, today Poland) to change his surname upon arrival in Moscow was unlikely to have been due to anti-Semitism — in the 1920s it was not as developed as in the 1950s. Vertov, like many avant-garde artists, probably just chose a new name to herald “a new life.”

In Ukrainian dziga means whirligig, spinning top, while vertov comes from the verb vertet (to spin). The two form something like “the spinning whirligig,” a name that was entirely fitting for the man who bore it.

From an article in The Economist about the unusual names of Tabasco, Mexico:

[The unusual names] impressed Amado Nervo, a Mexican poet. In every family “there is a Homer, a Cornelia, a Brutus, a Shalmanasar and a Hera,” he wrote in “The Elysian Fields of Tabasco”, which was published in 1896. Rather than scour the calendar for saints’ names, he wrote, parents of newborns “search for them in ‘The Iliad’, ‘The Aeneid’, the Bible and in the history books”. Andrés Iduarte, a Tabascan essayist of the 20th century, concurred. Tabasco is a place “of Greek names and African soul”, he wrote, endorsing the cliche that the state has similarities with Africa.

Quotes about names from books

Cover of the book "Anne of Green Gables" (1908)

A selection of quotes about names from various books…

From the book How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie:

Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.

From the book Anne of Green Gables (1908) by Lucy Maud Montgomery, a conversation about names between characters Anne Shirley and Marilla Cuthbert:

“Well, don’t cry any more. We’re not going to turn you out-of-doors to-night. You’ll have to stay here until we investigate this affair. What’s your name?”

The child hesitated for a moment.

“Will you please call me Cordelia?” she said eagerly.

“Call you Cordelia? Is that your name?”

“No-o-o, it’s not exactly my name, but I would love to be called Cordelia. It’s such a perfectly elegant name.”

“I don’t know what on earth you mean. If Cordelia isn’t your name, what is?”

“Anne Shirley,” reluctantly faltered forth the owner of that name, “but, oh, please do call me Cordelia. It can’t matter much to you what you call me if I’m only going to be here a little while, can it? And Anne is such an unromantic name.”

“Unromantic fiddlesticks!” said the unsympathetic Marilla. “Anne is a real good plain sensible name. You’ve no need to be ashamed of it.”

“Oh, I’m not ashamed of it,” explained Anne, “only I like Cordelia better. I’ve always imagined that my name was Cordelia–at least, I always have of late years. When I was young I used to imagine it was Geraldine, but I like Cordelia better now. But if you call me Anne please call me Anne spelled with an E.”

“What difference does it make how it’s spelled?” asked Marilla with another rusty smile as she picked up the teapot.

“Oh, it makes such a difference. It looks so much nicer. When you hear a name pronounced can’t you always see it in your mind, just as if it was printed out? I can; and A-n-n looks dreadful, but A-n-n-e looks so much more distinguished. If you’ll only call me Anne spelled with an E I shall try to reconcile myself to not being called Cordelia.”

From Anthony S. Kline’s translation of Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Book 9:

When the pains grew, and her burden pushed its own way into the world, and a girl was born, the mother ordered it to be reared, deceitfully, as a boy, without the father realising. She had all that she needed, and no one but the nurse knew of the fraud. The father made good his vows, and gave it the name of the grandfather: he was Iphis. The mother was delighted with the name, since it was appropriate for either gender, and no one was cheated by it.

From the 2008 novel The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (which is narrated by character Katniss Everdeen):

The girl with the arrows, Glimmer I hear someone call her — ugh, the names the people in District 1 give their children are so ridiculous — anyway, Glimmer scales the tree until the branches begin to crack under her feet and then has the good sense to stop.

From the book The Vicar of Wakefield (1766) by Oliver Goldsmith:

Our second child, a girl, I intended to call after her aunt Grissel; but my wife, who during her pregnancy had been reading romances, insisted upon her being called Olivia. In less than another year we had another daughter, and now I was determined that Grissel should be her name; but a rich relation taking a fancy to stand godmother, the girl was, by her directions, called Sophia; so that we had two romantic names in the family; but I solemnly protest I had no hand in it.

From the novel I Shall Wear Midnight (2010) by Terry Pratchett:

[T]he coach door opened again and one dainty good touched the flint. It was her: Angelica or Letitia or something else out of the garden; in fact Tiffany knew full well it was Letitia, but surely she could be excused just a tiny touch of nasty in the privacy of her own head? Letitia! What a name. Halfway between a salad and a sneeze.

From the novel The Notorious Miss Lisle (1911) by Mrs. Baillie Reynolds:

“The notorious Miss Lisle had the most weird Christian name you ever heard of — let’s see now, what was it? Not Guinevere, nor Gwendolen — Oh, yes, I have it. Gaenor! G, a, e, n, o, r! Did you ever hear such a name as that?”

[Latest update: Sept. 2023]

Popular baby names in British Columbia (Canada), 2020

According to British Columbia’s Ministry of Health, the most popular baby names in the province last year were Olivia and Liam.

Here are British Columbia’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2020:

Girl Names

  1. Olivia, 239 baby girls
  2. Emma, 184
  3. Charlotte, 161
  4. Ava, 157
  5. Amelia, 148
  6. Sophia, 138
  7. Isla, 130
  8. Hannah, 128
  9. Chloe, 125
  10. Emily, 111

Boy Names

  1. Liam, 223 baby boys
  2. Oliver, 215
  3. Noah, 206
  4. Lucas, 193
  5. Benjamin, 174 (tie)
  6. Theodore, 174 (tie)
  7. Ethan, 170
  8. Jack, 158
  9. Leo, 154
  10. William, 149

In the girls’ top 10, Hannah and Emily replaced Mia, Evelyn and Ella.

In the boys’ top 10, Jack replaced Logan.

Some of the baby names from lower down in the rankings include…

Girl NamesBoy Names
Arzoi (5 baby girls), Baani (16), Cordelia (5), Della (12), Eunice (8), Fenna (5), Gurasees (9), Holland (7), Izzy (5), Jana (9), Kairi (5), Lina (9), Maple (8), Navy (9), Ophelia (19), Prabhleen (5), Rubani (5), Sahara (5), Tayla (5), Veronica (8), Waverly (8), Yuna (8), Zelda (7)Axton (6 baby boys), Brandt (5), Clyde (7), Dalton (6), Elio (7), Franklin (8), Grey (6), Hendrik (8), Ivan (17), Jerry (7), Kabir (23), Leonidas (5), Merrick (7), Nova (7), Ollie (7), Pearson (5), Rupert (5), Sunny (5), Tegh (9), Viraaj (5), Westley (8), Yuvaan (8), Zoravar (5)

I love how specifically Canadian the names Maple and Pearson are. (Lester B. Pearson served as prime minister of Canada during the 1960s.)

In 2019, the top two names in British Columbia were Olivia and Oliver.

Source: Baby’s Most Chosen Names in British Columbia, 2020