How popular is the baby name Cuba 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 Cuba.
The graph will take a few moments to load. (Don't worry, it shouldn't take 9 months!) If it's taking too long, try reloading the page.
Did you know that Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” — one of the most successful country songs of 2024 — borrows heavily from a 20-year-old rap song?
That song, “Tipsy” by J-Kwon, has been described by Rolling Stone as “a raucous rap ode to underage drinking.” It was released in January of 2004 (when J-Kwon was just 17) and peaked at #2 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart in April.
The same year, the baby name Jkwon made its first appearance in the U.S. baby name data:
2006: 27 baby boys named Jkwon
2005: 30 baby boys named Jkwon
2004: 100 baby boys named Jkwon [debut]
2003: unlisted
2002: unlisted
(These babies were likely named “J-Kwon,” but the SSA’s data excludes hyphens and ignores internal capitalization.)
The name dropped back out of the data (i.e., below the five-baby threshold) before the end of the decade, though, because the rapper’s subsequent singles weren’t as successful as “Tipsy” [vid].
J-Kwon was born Jerrell Jones in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1986.
His stage name was initially J-Rell, but he changed it to J-Kwon in the year 2000.
The new name was inspired by the movie Jerry Maguire (1996), in which professional football player Rod Tidwell (played by Cuba Gooding, Jr.) used the invented word kwan — a French pronunciation of the English word “coin” — to refer to something more than money. (“You know, some dudes might have the coin, but they’ll never have the kwan.”) Rod explained the concept to his agent Jerry (played by Tom Cruise) by saying, “It means love, respect, community, and the dollars too — the entire package. The kwan.”
What are your thoughts on the name Jkwon?
P.S. Shaboozey was born Collins Obinna Chibueze to Nigerian immigrants living in Virginia in 1995. When he was a freshman in high school, his football coach misspelled his surname “Shaboozey.” The misspelling turned into a nickname, and the nickname became his stage name.
Back when sea voyages were the only way to reach distant lands, many babies ended up being born aboard ships. And many of these ship-born babies were given names that reflected the circumstances of their birth. A good portion of them, for instance, were named after the ships upon which they were born.
I’ve gathered hundreds of these ship-inspired baby names over the years, and I think it’s finally time to post what I’ve found. You’ll find the first half of the list below. (Here’s the second half.)
A
Abergeldie:
Emma Abergeldie Walsh, born in 1884
Abernyte:
Eva Abernyte Congdon, born in 1875
Abington:
Herbert Bealie Abington Tait, born in 1884
Abyssinia:
Abyssinia Louise Juhansen, born in 1870
Abyssinia Elfkin, born in 1872
Louise Abyssinia Bellanger, born in 1874
Achilles:
John Achilles Denchey, born in 1871
Actoea:
U. Actoea Jones, born in 1868
Adriatic:
John Adriatic Gateley Collins, born in 1879
Adriatic O’Loghlin Gould, born in 1880
Agnes Adriatic Cook, born in 1880
Agamemnon:
Frederick Agamemnon Dingly, born in 1876
Alaska:
Mary Alaska Magee, born in 1884
Alcester:
Gertrude Alcester Dart, born in 1884
Alcinous:
Mary Duncan Alcinosa Greenwood, born in 1887
Aldergrove:
Aldergrove Andrew Fullarton Feathers, born in 1875
The Spanish-American War was a brief war fought between the United States and Spain during 1898.
It began in April, two months after the sinking of the USS Maine.
By the time it ended, in December, Spain had lost “most of its overseas empire” — including Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines — and the U.S. had emerged as a world power.
The war inspired hundreds of patriotic parents in the U.S. to choose war-inspired baby names.
Maine, Havana & Cuba
Wreck of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor
One of the events that led to war was the explosion of the USS Maine in Cuba’s Havana Harbor on February 15. The explosion killed more than 260 men. Many people in the U.S. blamed the explosion on Spain.
The names Maine and Havana both debuted in the U.S. baby name data in 1898, and the name Cuba saw a spike in usage:
(The girl names Maine and Mayne were both one-hit wonders in the data that year.)
According to U.S. Social Security Death Index (SSDI) data — which is more comprehensive than the SSA data for this time period — 25 people named Maine, 12 named Havana, and 79 named Cuba were born in 1898.
George, Dewey, Manila & Olympia
On April 25, the U.S. declared war on Spain.
On May 1, the Battle of Manila Bay took place in the Philippines.
The U.S. fleet, under the command of Commodore George Dewey, defeated Spain. This victory turned Dewey into a national hero.
According to the U.S. baby name data, the number of boys named George, and the number of babies of both genders named Dewey, increased significantly in 1898. (Dewey became a top-20 boy name that year, impressively.) The spelling variants Dewie and Dewy also debuted that year.
Note that, during this time period, many children were not given names right away. That’s why it seems as though the name Dewey began rising in usage ahead of schedule — because dozens of children born in 1897 and 1896 weren’t named until 1898.
This likewise explains the 1897 debut of the baby name Olympia, which corresponds to the name of Dewey’s flagship, the USS Olympia.
Getting back to Dewey…we see even higher numbers in the SSDI data: 6,708 people named Dewey, 36 named Dewie, and 1 named Dewy born in 1898.
An article in the Reading Eagle in 1899 listed ten local babies named for George Dewey, and another article I spotted from decades later joked about starting a George Dewey namesake club.
We see a similar (though less pronounced) spike of in the usage of Manila for baby girls:
1900: 10 baby girls named Manila
1899: 34 baby girls named Manila (rank: 512th)
1898: 104 baby girls named Manila (rank: 306th) [peak usage]
Again, the SSDI’s numbers are even higher — 195 people named Manila and 118 named Manilla were born in 1898.
One writer recounted (in the early 2000s) the story of how his great aunt came to be named both Dewey and Manila:
Four months after [Dewey’s] triumph, a baby was born in Kingsport, Tennessee. The father had his heart set on a boy, and planned to name him Dewey Manila in honor of the admiral and his victory. The child turned out to be a little girl, but the parents named her Dewey Manila anyway.
Here are seven more war-related names that saw higher usage among U.S. babies in 1898, thanks to the events of the Spanish-American War.
Richmond P. Hobson
The baby name Hobson was influenced by Richmond Pearson Hobson, prisoner of war in Cuba
Hobson was a handsome Southerner who became a national celebrity following his month-long imprisonment. He became well known for kissing pretty young women as he toured the country. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch jokingly called him “the champion kisser of the universe.”
1898: 38 baby boys named Hobson (rank: 311th) [debut]
1897: unlisted
1896: unlisted
According to the SSDI, at least 161 babies were named Hobson that year.
The baby name Admiral was the rank of many of the men (e.g. Admiral Dewey, Admiral Sampson, Admiral Schley) who played a part in the war — Dewey especially.
1900: 18 baby boys named Admiral (rank: 579th)
1899: 13 baby boys named Admiral (rank: 549th)
1898: 25 baby boys named Admiral (rank: 394th) [debut]
1897: unlisted
1896: unlisted
According to the SSDI, at least 154 babies were named Admiral that year.
William T. Sampson
The baby name Sampson was influenced by William Thomas Sampson, hero of the Battle of Santiago de Cuba.
According to the SSDI, at least 94 babies were named Sampson that year.
William R. Shafter
The baby name Shafter was influenced by army general William Rufus Shafter, who had command of the U.S. forces in Cuba during the war.
1900: 8 baby boys named Shafter
1899: unlisted
1898: 14 baby boys named Shafter (rank: 604th) [debut]
1897: unlisted
1896: unlisted
This was the first and only time the name Shafter landed in the U.S. top 1,000.
According to the SSDI, at least 58 babies were named Shafter that year.
The baby name Maceo was influenced by Cuban revolutionary Antonio Maceo, “one of the outstanding guerrilla leaders in nineteenth century Latin America.” (He had died in late 1896, actually.)
1900: 8 baby boys named Maceo
1899: 9 baby boys named Maceo (rank: 760th)
1898: 13 baby boys named Maceo (rank: 621st) [debut]
1897: unlisted
1896: unlisted
According to the SSDI, at least 34 babies were named Maceo that year.
Winfield Scott Schley
The baby name Schley was influenced by Winfield Scott Schley, hero of the Battle of Santiago Bay.
1900: unlisted
1899: unlisted
1898: 10 baby boys named Schley (rank: 737th) [debut]
According to the SSDI, at least 39 babies were named Schley that year.
(Winfield Scott Schley — just like Winfield Scott Hancock — had been named in honor of General Winfield Scott (1786-1866), who was a family friend. Scott became Commanding General of the U.S. Army two years after Schley was born.)
Finally, the baby name Philippina, likely inspired by the Philippines, was another one-hit wonder the year of the war:
1900: unlisted
1899: unlisted
1898: 5 baby girls named Philippina [debut]
1897: unlisted
1896: unlisted
Interestingly, only a single Philippina is accounted for in the SSDI data that year.
This website or its third-party tools process personal data.In case of sale of your personal information, you may opt out by using the link Do not sell my personal information.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
.jpg){kind=link}
