How popular is the baby name Ember 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 Ember.

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Popularity of the baby name Ember


Posts that mention the name Ember

Popular baby names in Wyoming, 2024

Flag of Wyoming
Flag of Wyoming

America’s least populous state, Wyoming, welcomed 6,079 babies last year.

What were the top names among these babies? Charlotte and Theodore, according to the Wyoming Department of Health.

Here are Wyoming’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2024:

Girl names

  1. Charlotte
  2. Eleanor
  3. Emma
  4. Ember
  5. Evelyn
  6. Harper
  7. Amelia
  8. Hazel
  9. Ivy
  10. Sophia

Boy names

  1. Theodore
  2. Oliver
  3. Hudson
  4. James
  5. William
  6. Henry
  7. Grayson
  8. Liam
  9. Noah
  10. Waylon

I wasn’t expecting to see Ember, which ranked 137th last year nationally, among Wyoming’s top five girl names. (Ember ranked 25th in Wyoming one year earlier, according to data from the SSA.)

In 2023, Wyoming’s top names were Evelyn and Henry.

Source: Theodore, Charlotte Lead Wyoming’s Popular Baby Names – Wyoming Department of Health

Image: Adapted from Flag of Wyoming (public domain)

Girl names on the rise in the United States in 2024

hot air balloons

Which girl names increased in usage the most from 2023 to 2024?

Here’s a table of the fastest-rising girl names of 2024. On the left are the top 25 increases in terms of absolute change (number of babies). On the right are the top 25 increases in terms of relative change (percentage of babies).

RankGirl nameAbsolute riseGirl nameRelative rise
1Ailany2,285Lilieth850%
2Lainey1,210Mavie836%
3Eliana1,071Aylany820%
4Scottie1,032Xylani780%
5Aurora837Ailany735%
6Mia718Klarity625%
7Ayla677Kathlyn600%
8Daisy668Jaslin570%
9Adeline635Mahelet567%
10Violet608Aaralyn417%
11Zoe531Ziora400%
12Lucy514Diara392%
13Eloise509Baela388%
14Ember469Ibbie383%
15Elodie458Sanova367%
16Ailani440Solene364%
17Alana437Zaeli363%
18Sofia429Renli360%
19Hallie425Emrielle340%
20Celeste420 (tie)Naziyah315%
21Juliette420 (tie)Xamira309%
22Alanna419Evara300% (3-way tie)
23Clara399Kahani300% (3-way tie)
24Chloe398Maryori300% (3-way tie)
25Amelia388Maysen287%

Lainey, one of the fastest-rising girl names of 2023, is still on the rise thanks to country singer Lainey Wilson.

Scottie may have been influenced by Scotty Lyon, a young female character on the show Fargo.

And Baela was probably influenced by Baela Targaryen of the show House of the Dragon.

If you can explain any of the other rises, please leave a comment!

Source: SSA

Image: Adapted from Turkey-2036 by Dennis Jarvis under CC BY-SA 2.0.

What popularized the baby name Venetia in the late 1950s?

Actress Venetia Stevenson (1938-2022)
Venetia Stevenson

According to the U.S. baby name data, the name Venetia — which was the fastest-rising baby name of 1956 — saw its highest usage in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

  • 1963: 28 baby girls named Venetia
  • 1962: 45 baby girls named Venetia
  • 1961: 56 baby girls named Venetia
  • 1960: 89 baby girls named Venetia
  • 1959: 84 baby girls named Venetia
  • 1958: 99 baby girls named Venetia
  • 1957: 84 baby girls named Venetia
  • 1956: 45 baby girls named Venetia
  • 1955: 7 baby girls named Venetia
  • 1954: 11 baby girls named Venetia

What was drawing attention to the name during those years?

Pin-up model and actress Venetia (pronounced ven-EE-sha) Stevenson.

In August of 1955, several memorable photos of 17-year-old Venetia and her boyfriend, actor Russ Tamblyn, were published in Life magazine. (In all four photos, acrobatic Russ was upside-down, usually in mid-air.)

Russ Tamblyn and Venetia Stevenson (in 1955)
Russ & Venetia

Several months later, on Valentine’s Day of 1956, the couple got married at the Wayfarers Chapel in Palos Verdes, California.

They were in the news again when they divorced in April of the following year.

In mid-1957, television host Ed Sullivan teamed up with Popular Photography magazine to find the “Most Photogenic Girl in the World.” The winner? Venetia Stevenson, who beat out 1,691 other contenders. She was presented with an award on an episode of The Ed Sullivan Show in early August, then featured on the cover of Popular Photography in September.

Venetia Stevenson in "Popular Photography magazine (Sept. 1957)
Venetia in “Popular Photography“

From 1958 to 1961, Venetia appeared on about a dozen TV shows (including Cheyenne, Colt .45, and 77 Sunset Strip) and in around 10 films (including one in which she co-starred with Audie Murphy).

She quit acting upon marrying Don Everly of The Everly Brothers in 1962. (She’d met Don and Phil on Ed Sullivan.)

Venetia Stevenson was born Joanna Venetia Invicta Stevenson in London in 1938 to film director Robert Stevenson and actress Anna Lee. (Her birth was reported in the papers, and there was a corresponding spike in the number of baby girls named Venetia in England and Wales that year.) The Stevenson family relocated to Hollywood in 1939.

The Latin word “Venetia” originally referred to an ancient region in northeastern Italy (roughly equivalent to the modern region of Veneto). The region was named after its inhabitants, the Veneti.

What are your thoughts on name Venetia?

P.S. During the 1960s, Venetia Stevenson and Don Everly welcomed three children: Stacy Dawn, Erin Invicta, and Edan Donald. Erin, who was in a tumultuous relationship with Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose for several years, inspired Rose to write the hit song “Sweet Child o’ Mine” (1988).

P.P.S. Here’s a suspicious fact: In the spring of 1959, Don Everly and his first wife, Mary Sue, welcomed a baby named Venetia Ember. Where did her first name come from? “Venetia Stevenson, whom Don had met in New York when the brothers were there for an Ed Sullivan gig in 1957.”

Sources:

Images: Clippings from Silver Screen magazine (Oct. 1956), Life magazine (1 Aug. 1955), and Popular Photography magazine (Sept. 1957)

Girl names that end with an R-sound

Girl names that end with an R-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 an R-sound, regardless of last letter. The names are ordered by current popularity.

Harper
From the English surname, which originally referred to a person who played the harp. Here’s the popularity graph for Harper.

Eleanor
From the Occitan name Alienor, which may mean “the other Aenor.” Here’s the popularity graph for Eleanor.

Claire
A French form of the name Clara. Here’s the popularity graph for Claire.

Skylar
Based on the Dutch surname Schuyler, meaning “scholar.” Here’s the popularity graph for Skylar.

Piper
From the English surname, which originally referred to a person who played the pipe (a type of wind instrument). Here’s the popularity graph for Piper.

Juniper
From the type of tree. Here’s the popularity graph for Juniper.

Parker
From the English surname, which originally referred to a person employed as the keeper of a hunting park. Here’s the popularity graph for Parker.

Esther
A name from the Hebrew Bible that may be based on the Persian word for “star.” Here’s the popularity graph for Esther.

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

Summer
From the season. Here’s the popularity graph for Summer.

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

Saylor
Based on the English word sailor — though it also happens to be an English surname meaning “dancer.” Here’s the popularity graph for Saylor.

Taylor
From the English surname, which originally referred to a person who worked as a tailor. Here’s the popularity graph for Taylor.

Sawyer
From the English surname, which originally referred to a person who sawed wood. Here’s the popularity graph for Sawyer.

Blair
From the Scottish surname, which is derived from the place name Blair, meaning “field” (often “battlefield”). Here’s the popularity graph for Blair.

Palmer
From the English surname, which originally referred to a pilgrim. Here’s the popularity graph for Palmer.

Winter
From the season. Here’s the popularity graph for Winter.

Jennifer
A Cornish form of the name Guinevere. Here’s the popularity graph for Jennifer.

Briar
From the English vocabulary word that refers to a thorny plant. Here’s the popularity graph for Briar.

Amber
From the type of gemstone (which is actually fossilized tree resin). Here’s the popularity graph for Amber.

Carter
From the English surname, which originally referred to a person who transported goods. Here’s the popularity graph for Carter.

Dior
From the French fashion house Dior, named for founder Christian Dior. Here’s the popularity graph for Dior.

Clover
From the type of small plant. Here’s the popularity graph for Clover.

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

Noor
An Arabic word meaning “light.” Here’s the popularity graph for Noor.

Kimber
A nickname for Kimberly. Here’s the popularity graph for Kimber.

Hunter
From the English and Scottish surname, which originally referred to a huntsman. Here’s the popularity graph for Hunter.

Baylor
From the English surname, which originally referred to a person who delivered goods. Here’s the popularity graph for Baylor.

Denver
From the English surname, which is derived from the place name Denver, meaning “Dane’s ford.” Here’s the popularity graph for Denver.

Sapphire
From the type of gemstone (which is typically blue). Here’s the popularity graph for Sapphire.

Guinevere
Based on the Welsh name Gwenhwyfar, which may mean “white phantom.” Here’s the popularity graph for Guinevere.

Chandler
From the English surname, which originally referred to a person who made or sold candles. Here’s the popularity graph for Chandler.

Spencer
From the English surname, which originally referred to a person who “dispensed provisions or money.” Here’s the popularity graph for Spencer.

Miller
From the English surname, which originally referred to a person who owned or operated a mill. Here’s the popularity graph for Miller.

Ryder
From the English and Irish surname, which originally referred to a horseman (though it also has several other possible derivations). Here’s the popularity graph for Ryder.

Lavender
From the type of plant that produces fragrant flowers. Here’s the popularity graph for Lavender.

Heather
From the type of flowering plant. Here’s the popularity graph for Heather.

Pepper
From the type of spice. Here’s the popularity graph for Pepper.

Jupiter
From the planet (or the Roman god). Here’s the popularity graph for Jupiter.

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

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

Amor
A Spanish and Portuguese word meaning “love.” Here’s the popularity graph for Amor.

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

Flor
A Spanish and Portuguese word meaning “flower.” Here’s the popularity graph for Flor.

Baker
From the English surname, which originally referred either to a person employed as a baker or to “the owner of a communal oven used by the whole village.” Here’s the popularity graph for Baker.

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

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

Jadore
From the French phrase j’adore, meaning “I adore” or “I love.” Here’s the popularity graph for Jadore.

Greer
From the Scottish surname, which is derived from the name Gregor. Here’s the popularity graph for Greer.

Cedar
From the type of tree. Here’s the popularity graph for Cedar.

Less-common girl names that end with an R-sound include Harbor, Tamar, Vesper, Pilar, Hajar, Azure, and Larimar.

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-, S-, T-, V-, and Z-sounds.

Sources:

  • SSA
  • Behind the Name
  • Hanks, Patrick, Kate Hardcastle and Flavia Hodges. (Eds.) A Dictionary of First Names. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.
  • Hanks, Patrick. (Ed.) Dictionary of American Family Names. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.