How popular is the baby name Euphemia 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 Euphemia.

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Popularity of the baby name Euphemia


Posts that mention the name Euphemia

Oddball English names, 17th and 18th centuries

One of the sources I used for yesterday’s post on Ono Titchiner was a book full of 17th and 18th century marriage records from Surrey.

In the introduction, the author listed some of the more notable names to be found in the book:

There are some curious and uncommon Christian names from Biblical and Classical sources; amongst those of females, Achsa, Adeliza, Aphara, Anastasia, Aquila, Avarillar, Bathana, Bedia, Bethia, Cassandra, Caroline-Shepherdess, Celeste, Clementia, Damaris, Dionisia, Dufiner, Dulcibella, Eleanor, Emmaritta, Emlin, Euphemia, Grachauna, Gratitude, Hephzibah, Israel, Jacobinea, Jaminia, Juliana, Kimbra, Melior, Milbrough, Pamelia, Parthenia, Paterniller, Pleasant-Furs, Protesia, Silvestria, Sina, Statira, Tamar, Tempearance, Theodosia, Tryphena, “Virgin” [Price]; and amongst males those of Ananias, Bivel, Calverley, Chrusophilus, Demetrius, Deodatus, Derik, Emmet, Eusebius, Ezekiel, Fretwill, Gershom, Haman, Haseldine [Crab-tree], Jonah, Lazarus, Nazareth, “Offspring” [Brown], Ono, Prew, Purchas, Redhead [Eagle], Rulove, Sills [Gibbons], Theophilus, Truth, Uphill, Ward, Wintz, Zacheus, Zenas, Zeuler.

It’s interesting to note that a few of the above (like Juliana and Jonah) are now commonplace.

And I could imagine a few others (Tamar? Lazarus?) becoming trendy in the near future.

Which of these names do you like best?

Source: Bax, Alfred Ridley. Allegations for Marriage Licences Issued by the Commissary Court of Surrey Between 1673-1770. Norwich: Goose & Son, 1907.

Will the baby name Sparkle make a comeback?

sparkle, movie, 1976

The 1976 movie Sparkle is set the late ’50s/early ’60s and follows three sisters — Sparkle (played by Irene Cara), Sister and Delores — as they form a girl group and try to find fame. It’s loosely based on the story of the Supremes, though set in Harlem instead of Detroit.

Did Sparkle have an influence on U.S. baby names? Yes — the baby name Sparkle, bestowed infrequently before the release of the movie, was given to dozens (and, later, hundreds) of baby girls starting in the mid-1970s:

  • 1980: 110 baby girls named Sparkle
  • 1979: 125 baby girls named Sparkle
  • 1978: 71 baby girls named Sparkle
  • 1977: 89 baby girls named Sparkle
  • 1976: 44 baby girls named Sparkle
  • 1975: not listed

And actress Dwan Smith, who portrayed Delores in the film, boosted the visibility (and usage) of the baby name Dwan:

  • 1978: 39 baby girls named Dwan
  • 1977: 61 baby girls named Dwan
  • 1976: 47 baby girls named Dwan
  • 1975: 12 baby girls named Dwan

Lately, Sparkle’s numbers have been much less impressive…but that could soon change, as a remake of Sparkle starring Whitney Houston and Jordin Sparks is set to be released on August 17.

Tika is another Sparkle name we should watch for. Delores is played by Tika Sumpter in the remake, so it’s possible that Tika could get a boost in 2012 the way Dwan did in 1976.

Do you think the new movie could spark a Sparkle comeback? Could Tika take off?

P.S. Tika Sumpter’s birth name was Euphemia. Ironically, the sisters’ mother in the movie was named Effie — a nickname for Euphemia. (And Effie was played by actress Mary Alice, whose mother had the very interesting name Ozelar.)

110+ Hidden gems: Rare baby girl names

gems

Want a girl name that’s not popular, but also not unheard of?

I looked through the names at the bottom of SSA’s 2011 mega-list and found a bunch of hidden gems:

  1. Alberta (9 baby girls)
  2. Alexandrina (6)
  3. Amity (28)
  4. Apollonia (21)
  5. Augusta (31)
  6. Augustina (15)
  7. Avelina (34)
  8. Bernadine (6)
  9. Bertha (45)
  10. Bettina (8)
  11. Blanche (6)
  12. Bryony (5); Briony (16)
  13. Carlotta (20)
  14. Celestina (19)
  15. Celestine (7)
  16. Cicely (14)
  17. Claribel (19)
  18. Clarice (37)
  19. Clarity (17)
  20. Claudette (9)
  21. Claudine (9)
  22. Clementina (7)
  23. Constantina (5)
  24. Coretta (5)
  25. Corinna (37)
  26. Cornelia (17)
  27. Damiana (10)
  28. Davida (10)
  29. Delphine (26)
  30. Dinah (44)
  31. Dolores (39)
  32. Dorothea (15)
  33. Edwina (8)
  34. Eloisa (42)
  35. Enid (15)
  36. Ernestina (5)
  37. Eugenia (29)
  38. Eugenie (8)
  39. Eulalia (25)
  40. Euphemia (5)
  41. Evita (13)
  42. Fabiana (47)
  43. Faustina (21)
  44. Flavia (12)
  45. Floriana (6)
  46. Florina (6)
  47. Georgette (24)
  48. Gertrude (16)
  49. Gloriana (22)
  50. Golda (34)
  51. Goldie (37)
  52. Heloise (8)
  53. Henrietta (34)
  54. Hilda (40)
  55. Imelda (23)
  56. Io (9)
  57. Ione (26)
  58. Isidora (13)
  59. Jeanne (39)
  60. Josette (27)
  61. Junia (17)
  62. Linnaea (12)
  63. Lucette (7)
  64. Lucienne (43)
  65. Lucilla (12)
  66. Marietta (22)
  67. Maude (9)
  68. Mavis (38)
  69. Minerva (38)
  70. Nanette (8)
  71. Nell (32)
  72. Nella (38)
  73. Nicola (30)
  74. Nicoletta (19)
  75. Nicolina (29)
  76. Odette (48)
  77. Olympia (22)
  78. Orla (28); Orlagh (6)
  79. Phillipa (10)
  80. Philomena (41)
  81. Phyllis (20)
  82. Rhoda (28)
  83. Romana (6)
  84. Rosabella (46)
  85. Rosalba (17)
  86. Rosaline (20)
  87. Rosella (26)
  88. Rosetta (25)
  89. Rosette (5)
  90. Rosina (17)
  91. Rowena (15)
  92. Rubina (5)
  93. Rue (13)
  94. Sebastiana (5)
  95. Seraphine (19)
  96. Sigrid (15)
  97. Stephania (32)
  98. Sybilla (5)
  99. Talulla (5)
  100. Therese (47)
  101. Thomasina (6)
  102. Thora (19)
  103. Tova (43)
  104. Ulyssa (8)
  105. Ursula (25)
  106. Vashti (16)
  107. Verity (38)
  108. Violetta (46)
  109. Vita (36)
  110. Wanda (23)
  111. Winifred (30)
  112. Winona (20)
  113. Xanthe (7)
  114. Zenaida (36)
  115. Zenobia (22)
  116. Zillah (9)
  117. Zipporah (41); Tzipporah (12)

(In some cases, a different spelling of the name is more popular than what’s shown here. For instance, Isidora is rare, but Isadora is more common.)

Like any of these?

Did you spot any other great end-of-the-list names?

P.S. Here’s the boys’ list.

Image: Adapted from Birmanian rock crystals by Mauro Cateb under CC BY-SA 3.0.

“Good” Greek names: Eugenia, Eunice, Euphemia, Eusebia

Most parents I know think Eu-names are, well, ewww.

That’s too bad. I can see why Eu-names might not have the appeal of names like Jayden and Ashley, but they’re still great names–especially if you’re searching for something unusual but still legitimate (i.e. not a modern creation).

The prefix means “well; good; easy” and is featured in Greek names such as the ones below. (I stuck to feminine versions just to keep things consistent.)

Euangeliagood news
Eudoxiagood fame
Eugeniawell-born
Eulaliagood talk
Eunicegood victory
Eunomiagood order
Euodiagood odor
Euphemiagood speech
Euphrasiagood cheer
Euphroniagood state of mind
Eupraxiagood practice
Eusebiagood reverence
Eustaciagood harvest
Eustathiawell-built
Eustorgiagood family-love
Euthaliagood bloom
Euthymiagood mood
Eutropiagood bend
Eutychiagood fortune

English-speakers tend to pronounce that first syllable “yoo,” but I’m pretty sure the Greeks articulated each vowel in the diphthong separately. Maybe English-speakers would find Eu-names more intriguing if we returned to that original “eh-oo” pronunciation? Hm.