How popular is the baby name Elizabeth 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 Elizabeth.

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Popularity of the baby name Elizabeth


Posts that mention the name Elizabeth

Where did the baby name Vendela come from in 1993?

Fashion model Vendela Kirsebom
Vendela

The rare baby name Vendela both debuted and saw peak usage in the U.S. in 1993:

  • 1995: 7 baby girls named Vendela
  • 1994: 7 baby girls named Vendela
  • 1993: 9 baby girls named Vendela [debut]
  • 1992: unlisted
  • 1991: unlisted

Why?

Because of supermodel Vendela (pronounced VEHN-deh-lah) — born Vendela Kirsebom in Sweden in 1967.

After modeling in Europe for several years, she relocated to New York City to become “the face” of American cosmetics company Elizabeth Arden in 1989.

Though she was often featured in advertisements and on magazine covers, her name didn’t pop up in the U.S. baby name data until she became a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue covergirl in early 1993. Importantly, her name was also on the cover:

Vendela's name on the cover of Sports Illustrated (Feb. 1993)
Vendela’s name

Speaking with Glamour magazine in the late ’80s about her name, she said:

I’ve never met anybody else with my first name. It’s old-fashioned and people don’t use it much anymore. When I was younger I didn’t like it because everyone always had to ask again, “What was your name?” Now I like that it’s different.

The name Vendela is a Swedish feminine form of the Germanic name Wendel, which was derived from a Germanic word referring to the Vandals (an ancient Germanic tribe).

What are your thoughts on the name Vendela?

Sources:

Images: Clippings from the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine (22 Feb. 1993)

Popular and unique baby names in Alberta (Canada), 2023

Flag of Alberta
Flag of Alberta

Alberta — Canada’s westernmost prairie province — welcomed 47,263 babies last year.

What were the most popular names among these babies? Olivia and Noah, yet again.

Here are Alberta’s top 50+ girl names and top 50 boy names of 2023:

Girl names

  1. Olivia, 210 baby girls
  2. Amelia, 145
  3. Sophia, 138
  4. Charlotte, 135
  5. Emma, 133
  6. Isla, 120
  7. Evelyn, 114
  8. Chloe, 101 (tie)
  9. Violet, 101 (tie)
  10. Ava, 99 (tie)
  11. Emily, 99 (tie)
  12. Hannah, 98 (tie)
  13. Hazel, 98 (tie)
  14. Abigail, 95
  15. Lily, 92
  16. Ella, 91 (tie)
  17. Harper, 91 (tie)
  18. Aurora, 90
  19. Grace, 88
  20. Aria, 87
  21. Mia, 86 (tie)
  22. Nora, 86 (tie)
  23. Ivy, 85
  24. Sophie, 84
  25. Mila, 82
  26. Ellie, 81
  27. Isabella, 79
  28. Eleanor, 78 (tie)
  29. Elizabeth, 78 (tie)
  30. Avery, 73
  31. Georgia, 71 (tie)
  32. Sofia, 71 (tie)
  33. Maya, 67
  34. Naomi, 66
  35. Lucy, 65
  36. Scarlett, 64
  37. Maeve, 62 (3-way tie)
  38. Quinn, 62 (3-way tie)
  39. Sadie, 62 (3-way tie)
  40. Luna, 60
  41. Kinsley, 57 (4-way tie)
  42. Layla, 57 (4-way tie)
  43. Stella, 57 (4-way tie)
  44. Zoey, 57 (4-way tie)
  45. Hailey, 56
  46. Zoe, 55
  47. Paisley, 54 (tie)
  48. Penelope, 54 (tie)
  49. Alice, 53 (6-way tie)
  50. Amira, 53 (6-way tie)
  51. Audrey, 53 (6-way tie)
  52. Eliana, 53 (6-way tie)
  53. Eva, 53 (6-way tie)
  54. Wren, 53 (6-way tie)

Boy names

  1. Noah, 276 baby boys
  2. Liam, 181
  3. Oliver, 178
  4. Theodore, 173
  5. Jack, 153
  6. Henry, 146
  7. Lucas, 140
  8. Benjamin, 137
  9. James, 136
  10. William, 133
  11. Ethan, 131
  12. Owen, 129
  13. Adam, 123
  14. Levi, 117
  15. Bennett, 114 (tie)
  16. Leo, 114 (tie)
  17. Daniel, 111
  18. Maverick, 107
  19. Elijah, 106
  20. Muhammad, 100
  21. Asher, 96
  22. Hudson, 95
  23. Alexander, 94 (tie)
  24. Thomas, 94 (tie)
  25. Nathan, 92
  26. Beau, 90
  27. Jackson, 89
  28. Grayson, 87 (3-way tie)
  29. Luke, 87 (3-way tie)
  30. Wyatt, 87 (3-way tie)
  31. Caleb, 83
  32. Elias, 80
  33. Jacob, 79
  34. Ezra, 78 (3-way tie)
  35. Logan, 78 (3-way tie)
  36. Rowan, 78 (3-way tie)
  37. David, 77 (3-way tie)
  38. Myles, 77 (3-way tie)
  39. Theo, 77 (3-way tie)
  40. Lincoln, 76 (tie)
  41. Luca, 76 (tie)
  42. Isaac, 74 (tie)
  43. Wesley, 74 (tie)
  44. Carter, 73
  45. Arthur, 72 (tie)
  46. Gabriel, 72 (tie)
  47. Michael, 71 (tie)
  48. Samuel, 71 (tie)
  49. Aiden, 70 (tie)
  50. Joseph, 70 (tie)

Thousands of other names were given to a single baby each in Alberta last year. Here’s a small selection of those single-use names:

Unique girl namesUnique boy names
Adonica, Birille, Curly-Anne, Dalanda, Eleojo, Flaxee, Garance, Hailstorm-Leone, Ianah, Jina, Kimowan, Liala, Mihkokwaniy, Mulberry, Nîpsîy, Ozya, Parfaite, Pinkbella, Prism-Rose, Quenzy, Rhya, Simdi, Toriola, Uzira, Vhea, Wapakwaniy, Xeya, Yovela, ZhilaAuxter, Baffin, Chancel, Dezio, Edbert, Firekeeper, Graysky, Hashké, Iron, Jandro, Kalahari, Kisâkihitin, Kittiwake, Ludacris, Mardochée, Mîtos, Nightsong, Omâciw, Pelvin, Qudus, Rastko, Stoic, Tazler, Uros, Vyron, Wynn-Fortune, Xyno, York, Zaffarjot

Some possible explanations and/or influences for a few of the above:

  • Baffin is both an island and a bay in Canada. (Both were named after English explorer William Baffin.)
  • Hashké means “warrior” in Navajo.
  • Kalahari is a desert in Southern Africa.
  • Kimowan means “it is raining” in Cree.
    • The related name Kimiwan, meaning “rain,” was given to 2 baby girls.
  • Kisâkihitin means “I love you” (or, “you are loved by me”) in Cree.
  • Kittiwake refers to a type of seagull.
  • Ludacris is the stage name of American rapper Christopher Bridges.
    • I hope this baby’s family caught Ludacris in Usher’s Super Bowl halftime show earlier this year!
  • Mihkokwaniy means “rose” in Cree.
  • Mîtos means “poplar [tree]” in Cree.
  • Nîpsîy means “willow” in Cree.
  • Omâciw means “moose hunter” or “big game hunter” in Cree.
  • Parfaite means “perfect” in French.
  • Wapakwaniy is one letter away from wapikwaniy, the Cree word for “flower.”

Finally, here’s a link to Alberta’s 2022 rankings, if you’d like to compare last year to the year before.

Sources: Alberta’s top baby names – Alberta.ca, Alberta’s baby name superstar steals the show again – Alberta.ca, Online Cree Dictionary, You always come first with me: kisâkihitin and “Order of Persons” in Cree – Cree Literacy Network

Image: Adapted from Flag of Alberta (public domain)

Girl names that end with a Z-sound

Girl names that end with a Z-sound

In the U.S., most of the names given to baby girls end with a vowel sound. And many of the remaining names end with an N-sound.

So, what about girl names that end with other sounds?

Below is a selection of girl names that end with a Z-sound, regardless of last letter. The names are ordered by current popularity.

Eloise
An English form of the French name Héloïse, which may be derived from a Germanic name made up of elements meaning “healthy, whole” and “wide.” Here’s the popularity graph for Eloise.

Rose
From the type of flower. Here’s the popularity graph for Rose.

Collins
From the surname, which has various possible derivations. Here’s the popularity graph for Collins.

Liz
A nickname for Elizabeth. Here’s the popularity graph for Liz.

Inez
An English form of the Spanish name Inés. Here’s the popularity graph for Inez.

Aries
From the zodiacical constellation (whose name means “ram” in Latin). Here’s the popularity graph for Aries.

Hayes
From the surname, which has various possible derivations. Here’s the popularity graph for Hayes.

Primrose
From the type of flower. Here’s the popularity graph for Primrose.

Praise
From the English vocabulary word. Here’s the popularity graph for Praise.

Blaise
The French form of the Roman name Blasius, meaning “lisping.” Here’s the popularity graph for Blaise.

Melrose
From the Scottish surname, which is derived from a place name made up of elements meaning “bare” and “moor.” Here’s the popularity graph for Melrose.

Rivers
A variant of the English surname River, which has several possible derivations. Here’s the popularity graph for Rivers.

Jewels
A form of the name Jules influenced by the English word jewel. Here’s the popularity graph for Jewels.

Rawlings
A variant of the English surname Rawling, which is derived from the name Raul. Here’s the popularity graph for Rawlings.

Harnaaz
A Hindi name made up of elements meaning “every” and “pride.” Here’s the popularity graph for Harnaaz.

Less-common girl names that end with a Z-sound include Mills, Rhodes, Jazz, Ceres, Mumtaz, Rollins, and Turquoise.

Which of the above do you like most? What others can you think of?

P.S. Here are lists of girl names that end with D-, K-, L-, M-, R-, S-, T-, and V-sounds.

Sources: SSA, Behind the Name, Aries – Wiktionary

Most popular baby girl names (length by length) in the U.S. in 2023

Lengths of baby girl names in the U.S. in 2023

Going length by length (e.g., 2 letters long, 3 letters long, 4 letters long…), what were last year’s most popular baby girl names?

Before we get to the lists, a few quick facts:

  • The most common length for girl names in 2023 was 6 letters (used 28.67% of the time), followed by 5 letters (22.02%).
  • The length that increased the most in usage for girl names (from 2022 to 2023) was 5 letters.
  • The length that decreased the most in usage for girl names (from 2022 to 2023) was 7 letters.

Top girl names with 2 letters:

  1. Jo, 46 baby girls
  2. An, 40
  3. Vy, 28
  4. Bo, 22
  5. Zo, 16
  6. Vi, 14
  7. Lu, 11 (tie)
  8. Yi, 11 (tie)
  9. Io, 10
  10. Eh, 9

Top girl names with 3 letters:

  1. Mia, 11,359 baby girls
  2. Ava, 9,682
  3. Zoe, 5,160
  4. Ivy, 5,036
  5. Eva, 2,405
  6. Ada, 1,647
  7. Amy, 1,483
  8. Lia, 1,425
  9. Ana, 1,327
  10. Gia, 1,155

Top girl names with 4 letters:

  1. Emma, 13,527 baby girls
  2. Luna, 7,811
  3. Lily, 6,146
  4. Aria, 5,996
  5. Nora, 5,994
  6. Mila, 5,895
  7. Ella, 5,643
  8. Isla, 5,357
  9. Nova, 5,248
  10. Lucy, 4,858

Top girl names with 5 letters:

  1. Sofia, 7,641 baby girls
  2. Emily, 6,154
  3. Hazel, 6,154
  4. Chloe, 5,960
  5. Ellie, 5,951
  6. Avery, 5,859
  7. Layla, 5,678
  8. Grace, 4,886
  9. Riley, 4,617
  10. Naomi, 4,456

Top girl names with 6 letters:

  1. Olivia, 15,270 baby girls
  2. Amelia, 12,311
  3. Sophia, 11,944
  4. Evelyn, 9,082
  5. Harper, 7,769
  6. Camila, 7,565
  7. Violet, 6,342
  8. Gianna, 6,129
  9. Aurora, 6,054
  10. Eliana, 5,329

Top girl names with 7 letters:

  1. Eleanor, 6,739 baby girls
  2. Abigail, 5,661
  3. Madison, 5,160
  4. Delilah, 4,031
  5. Lillian, 3,927
  6. Paisley, 3,727
  7. Genesis, 3,651
  8. Madelyn, 3,632
  9. Leilani, 3,543
  10. Addison, 3,520

Top girl names with 8 letters:

  1. Isabella, 10,808 baby girls
  2. Scarlett, 6,288
  3. Penelope, 6,041
  4. Victoria, 4,434
  5. Caroline, 2,859
  6. Brooklyn, 2,850
  7. Savannah, 2,739
  8. Madeline, 2,726
  9. Serenity, 2,548
  10. Samantha, 2,363

Top girl names with 9 letters:

  1. Charlotte, 12,596 baby girls
  2. Elizabeth, 6,566
  3. Valentina, 4,075
  4. Josephine, 3,347
  5. Gabriella, 2,782
  6. Everleigh, 1,920
  7. Mackenzie, 1,737
  8. Genevieve, 1,734
  9. Anastasia, 1,725
  10. Katherine, 1,697

Top girl names with 10 letters:

  1. Evangeline, 1,407 baby girls
  2. Alessandra, 788
  3. Alexandria, 755
  4. Jacqueline, 560
  5. Clementine, 554
  6. Persephone, 376
  7. Bernadette, 185
  8. Montserrat, 169
  9. Evangelina, 149
  10. Wilhelmina, 139

Top girl names with 11 letters:

  1. Christianna, 17 baby girls
  2. Anavictoria, 15
  3. Heavenleigh, 13
  4. Alejandrina, 11 (tie)
  5. Oliviagrace, 11 (tie)
  6. Aadhyareddy, 10
  7. Anjolaoluwa, 9 (6-way tie)
  8. Charlierose, 9 (6-way tie)
  9. Mariahelena, 9 (6-way tie)
  10. Mariaisabel, 9 (6-way tie)
  11. Oluwanifemi, 9 (6-way tie)
  12. Stellamarie, 9 (6-way tie)

(I’m excluding the longer names because they’re quite rare overall.)

Source: SSA