Which girl names emerged in the U.S. baby name data in 2022 for the first time ever?
A total of 676 girl names debuted in the data last year, and the most impressive debut was made by Jazaiyah. Here are the top debuts overall:
- Jazaiyah, 46 baby girls
- Yahritza, 44
- Rhaenyra, 31
- Brisley, 29
- Navany, 28
- Jhersi, 27
- Aidanna, 22
- Soleen, 21
- Jeizy, 20
- Aizal, 19
- Yasani, 19
- Ayuri, 15
- Kheumani, 15
- Yasaniy, 15
- Lextyn, 14
Yahritza could be from the band Yahritza y Su Esencia, which was nominated for a couple of Latin Grammy Awards last year. And Rhaenyra is no doubt from Rhaenyra Targaryen, the character from House of the Dragon (the Game of Thrones prequel).
Here are some more debuts:
13 baby girls | Arnaaz, Malenia, Nogivenname, Ridge, Taqdeer, Wrenlynn |
12 baby girls | Debani, Keyoir, Sirey, Yavani |
11 baby girls | Ezmeray, Makkari, Vihika, Xalani |
10 baby girls | Ahmiri, Arhareddy, Audin, Bonnibelle, Debahni, Illiyeen, Mariahelena, Monaco, Ozzlyn, Pualena, Zenni |
9 baby girls | Gwynnevere, Keylany, Meilanni, Miyuri, Nyloni, Raihan, Ratza, Reza, Satouri, Silayah, Xile, Xoemi, Zamiri |
8 baby girls | Adaleigha, Ahilany, Eivor, Elladora, Elyanis, Ensly, Ermani, Heimy, Iversyn, Izlani, Jaiyori, Kaelanni, Kaiomi, Kheilani, Kiptynn, Leialani, Lulwah, Malonii, Manraj, Miyomi, Myori, Ozma, Rishy, Rivie, Rufaida, Rynnlee, Wrenlyn, Wrennly, Xyelle, Yesbeth, Yulibeth |
Debani, Debahni, and all similar names are spelling variants of Debanhi, one of the fastest-rising girl names of 2022. (“Nogivenname,” of course, is just a placeholder. I wonder which U.S. state it’s coming from…)
Finally, here’s a selection of the rest of the debuts:
- 7 baby girls: Amias, Atla, Bibiaisha, Chiloh, Dazari, Effat, Fall, Ihlani, Kovi, Nelin, Sersi, Tomyris, Vaylynn, Yumeko, Zephra
- 6 baby girls: Amni, Bauer, Debhani, Eana, Energi, Granger, Hallow, Harleaux, Idelette, Jaspen, Kanvi, Leomi, Masoka, Nanala, Phyre, Racelynn, Rush, Skipper, Taiga, Tiabeanie, Zouri
- 5 baby girls: Akame, Anacaona, Apricity, Bardot, Castalia, Cloudy, Coyote, Cyxx, Finch, Genendel, Hecate, Iga, Illumi, Kawehilani, Klonni, Losaline, Lunar, Moonlight, Nynaeve, Ozra, Pendo, Plumeria, Posh, Raavee, Ryu, Seoul, Skylark, Tissaia, Tsiyon, Velour, Velzy, Yildiz, Zalora
Sersi is a character from the movie Eternals (2021), Tiabeanie is a character from the animated series Disenchantment, Nynaeve is a character from the series The Wheel of Time, and Tissaia is a character from the series The Witcher.
Apricity, intriguingly, is an obscure noun that refers to the warmth of the sun in winter. I’m not sure why parents are using at as a name now, though.
If you can explain any of the other debuts, please leave a comment!
Source: SSA
Image: Adapted from LotusBud0048a (public domain) by Frank “Fg2” Gualtieri