How popular is the baby name Eleanor 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 Eleanor.

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Popularity of the baby name Eleanor


Posts that mention the name Eleanor

Popular baby names in Canberra/ACT (Australia), 2020

According to Access Canberra, the most popular baby names in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) in 2020 were Charlotte and Henry.

Here are the ACT’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2020:

Girl Names

  1. Charlotte
  2. Amelia
  3. Matilda
  4. Isla
  5. Emily
  6. Chloe [tie]
  7. Evelyn [tie]
  8. Zoe
  9. Eleanor [3-way tie]
  10. Grace [3-way tie]
  11. Olivia [3-way tie]

Boy Names

  1. Henry
  2. Noah
  3. William
  4. Leo
  5. Charlie [tie]
  6. Oliver [tie]
  7. Theodore
  8. George [tie]
  9. Jack [tie]
  10. Alexander [4-way tie]
  11. Harvey [4-way tie]
  12. James [4-way tie]
  13. Thomas [4-way tie]

These 2020 rankings are based on provisional data covering the year up to December 7th; by that time, the ACT had 5,865 registered births.

In 2019, the top two names were Amelia and Oliver. (I didn’t blog about the 2019 rankings, but I did post the 2018 rankings.)

Update, 12/2021: The finalized 2020 rankings show that Charlotte and William were the top names that year. Henry ended up in second place.

Sources: ACT’s most popular baby names 2020, Pick the ACT’s most popular baby names for 2020, Most popular baby names by year

Was the baby name Arlynne influenced by a roller derby skater in 1951?

Roller Derby competitor Arlynne Buchman (1951)
Arlynne Buchman

The name Arlynne popped up a few times in the U.S. baby name data in the 1930s and ’40s before seeing its highest-ever usage in 1951:

  • 1953: unlisted
  • 1952: unlisted
  • 1951: 15 baby girls named Arlynne [peak]
    • 5 (33%) born in New York specifically
  • 1950: unlisted
  • 1949: unlisted

What caused this isolated spike in usage?

Arlynne Buchmann, a 19-year-old New Jersey roller skater who was voted Roller Derby Beauty Queen of 1950. At least two different photos of her ran in various newspapers in from mid-1950 to mid-1951.

A former model, Arlynne had only been skating for only 14 months in the fledgling National Roller Derby League (NRDL) before being voted “Queen” by fans. At that time, the league consisted of six teams. Arlynne’s was the Jersey Jolters.

In fact, the early 1950s was when Roller Derby itself was at peak popularity. The sport, which had been around since the 1930s, began to be televised locally in New York City in 1948 — back when TV sets could only be found in bars and storefronts. This coverage was enough to kick off a national craze.

For instance, Roller Derby fans included well-known celebrities like Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Milton Berle, Ed Sullivan, Cesar Romero, Sonja Henie, Eddie Cantor, Marilyn Maxwell, Eleanor Powell, George Raft, Jack Benny, W. C. Fields, Cary Grant, George Burns, and Gracie Allen. Many were photographed either at games or socializing with Derby athletes.

Also notable is the fact that a multi-day “Roller Derby World Series” was held annually at Madison Square Garden starting in 1949. Here’s some video footage of the very first one.

By the mid-1950s, the public had grown tired of the sport due to TV overexposure (ironically). Though Roller Derby continues to this day, it has never again achieved the level of popularity that it had for a handful of years in the middle of the 20th century.

What are your thoughts on the baby name Arlynne? Would you use it?

Sources:

Image: Clipping from the Brooklyn Eagle (27 Aug. 1950)

What turned Sway into a baby name in 2001?

The character Sway from the movie "Gone in 60 Seconds" (2000)
Sara “Sway” Wayland from “Gone in 60 Seconds”

The word Sway popped up for the first time in the U.S. baby name data in 2001:

  • 2003: 14 baby girls and 5 baby boys named Sway
  • 2002: 12 baby girls named Sway
  • 2001: 8 baby girls named Sway [debut]
  • 2000: unlisted
  • 1999: unlisted

For a long time I assumed the main influence was MTV personality Sway Calloway. But, while I still think Sway had an influence on male usage, I’ve since discovered a much better explanation for the 2001 debut as a female name.

One of the main characters in the 2000 car heist film Gone in 60 Seconds was mechanic-slash-bartender Sara “Sway” Wayland (played by Angelina Jolie). She was the love interest of protagonist Randall “Memphis” Raines (played by Nicolas Cage), who was tasked with stealing 50 specific, expensive cars inside of 72 hours.

The film didn’t get great reviews, but I do remember appreciating the fact that each of the 50 cars was assigned a feminine code-name:

Mary, Barbara, Lindsey, Laura, Alma, Madeline, Patricia, Carol, Daniela, Stefanie, Erin, Pamela, Olga, Anne, Kate, Vanessa, Denise, Diane, Lisa, Nadine, Angelina, Rose, Susan, Tracey, Rachel, Bernadene, Deborah, Stacey, Josephine, Hillary, Kimberley, Renee, Dorothy, Donna, Samantha, Ellen, Gabriela, Shannon, Jessica, Sharon, Tina, Marsha, Natalie, Virginia, Tanya, Grace, Ashley, Cathy, Lynn, Eleanor

So, how do you feel about the name Sway? If you were having a baby girl, would you be more likely to name her something modern, like Sway, or something traditional, like Sara or Susan?

Sources: Gone in 60 Seconds (2000 film) – Wikipedia, Talk:Gone in 60 Seconds (2000 film) – Wikipedia

Popular baby names in Knox County (Illinois), 2019

Flag of Illinois
Flag of Illinois

According to the County Clerk of Knox County, Illinois, the most popular baby names in 2019 were Charlotte and Benjamin.

A total of 689 babies were born in the county in 2019. Here are the top names per gender:

Girl names

  1. Charlotte – 5 baby girls
  2. Deliah, Eleanor, Ellie, Hope – 4 each
  3. Ava, Caroline, Cora, Evelyn, Everley, Lilly, Molly, Paisley – 3 each

Boy names

  1. Benjamin – 6 baby boys
  2. Jeremiah – 5
  3. Elijah & Liam – 4 each
  4. Charles, Christopher, Grayson, Isaac, Jace, Lincoln, Matthew, Noah, Parker – 3 each

The name Deliah really stands out here. Only a couple dozen baby girls are named Deliah per year nationally, so it’s very curious to see four Deliahs pop up in a single county.

Source: Redfern, Jay. “Charlotte, Benjamin top Knox County baby names in 2019.” Register-Mail 26 Jan. 2020.

Image: Adapted from Flag of Illinois (public domain)