How popular is the baby name Frank 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 Frank.

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Popularity of the baby name Frank


Posts that mention the name Frank

Popular baby names in Arizona, 2012

Flag of Arizona
Flag of Arizona

The most popular baby names in Arizona were announced recently.

According to the Arizona Department of Health Services, Arizona’s top names are Jacob and Sophia — same as the top names in the nation right now.

Here are Arizona’s top 20 girl names and top 20 boy names of 2012:

Girl NamesBoy Names
1. Sophia
2. Isabella
3. Emma
4. Mia
5. Olivia
6. Emily
7. Ava
8. Abigail
9. Madison
10. Sofia
11. Victoria
12. Camila
13. Natalie
14. Zoey
15. Elizabeth
16. Ella
17. Aaliyah
18. Zoe
19. Charlotte
20. Brooklyn		1. Jacob
2. Ethan
3. Daniel
4. Liam
5. Alexander
6. Anthony
7. Noah
8. Mason
9. Aiden
10. Michael
11. David
12. Jayden
13. Julian
14. Matthew
15. Andrew
16. Elijah
17. Isaac
18. William
19. Gabriel
20. Joshua

(For more, see the full list of Arizona’s top 100 baby names of 2012.)

To compare, here are Arizona’s top names of 1912:

Girl Names (1912)Boy Names (1912)
1. Mary
2. Maria
3. Helen
4. Dorothy
5. Margaret
6. Ruth
7. Mildred
8. Anna
9. Elizabeth
10. Frances		1. John
2. Jose
3. William
4. James
5. Robert
6. Joseph
7. George
8. Charles
9. Edward
10. Frank

José was the second most popular name in the state in 2002 and 2007 as well. It didn’t even make the top 20 in 2012, though.

Source: Arizona’s top baby names of 2012: Sophia, Isabella, Jacob, Ethan

Image: Adapted from Flag of Arizona (public domain)

Unusual real name: Aldaberontophoscophornia

Gravestone of Aldaberonto Fearing (1812-1905)
Aldaberonto’s gravestone

In the late 1700s and early 1800s, Abraham and Ruth Bowen of Massachusetts welcomed at least seven children:

  • John (b. 1797)
  • Amanda (b. 1799)
  • Abraham (b. 1803)
  • Jeannett (b. 1805)
  • Nathan (b. 1808)
  • Aldaberontophoscophornia (b. 1812)
  • Zephaniah (b. 1820)

Where did Aldaberontophoscophornia come from?

The source seems to be the “nonsense verse” play Chrononhotonthologos (1734) by English writer Henry Carey. The play featured a bombastic male character by the name of Aldiborontiphoscophornio.

We’ll never know why Abraham and Ruth chose such a cumbersome name for their baby girl. But we do know that Aldaberontophoscophornia rarely (if ever) used the full version of her first name anywhere. In all the records I’ve seen so far — and even on her headstone — it’s shortened to “Aldaberonto,” “Alda Beronto,” “Alda B.,” or simply “Alda.”

Aldaberontophoscophornia went on to marry a man named Andrew C. Fearing and have at least a dozen children. (The names of eleven of them are Amanda, Ellen, Andrew, George, Thatcher, Henry, Marion, William, Charles, Frank, and Emelyn.) It doesn’t look like her name was passed down to any descendants.

What are your thoughts on this name?

Sources:

Image by Caryn of Find A Grave

Frank Zappa talks about his kids’ names

Musician Frank Zappa (1940-1993)
Frank Zappa (in 1977)

Frank Zappa’s four children are named:

  • Moon Unit (female, born on September 28, 1967)
  • Dweezil (male, b. September 5, 1969)
  • Ahmet Emuukha Rodan (male, b. May 15, 1974, and named for Ahmet Ertegun)
  • Diva Thin Muffin Pigeen (female, b. July 30, 1979)

In this interview from 1975 — years before Diva arrived — Frank Zappa talked a bit about his kids’ unorthodox names:

Scott Cohen: Is one of your children named Moon Unit?

Frank Zappa: Yep.

Cohen: Son or daughter?

Zappa: Daughter.

Cohen: What are your other children’s names?

Zappa: Dweezil and Ahmet.

Cohen: Is Moon Unit the oldest?

Zappa: Yep.

Cohen: What do you call her around the house?

Zappa: I call her Moon and I call Dweezil ‘Dweezil’ and I call Ahmet ‘Ahmet.’

Cohen: I’m wondering what psychological effects a name can have.

Zappa: Well, first of all, I knew that they were going to be unique anyway because of certain other attributes, so why not have a name that goes with it. They all like their names and the kids at school do too. They don’t make fun of them; in fact, most of them are jealous of their names. You know, it always amazes me when someone who is in my age group, or even younger, asks me a question like why did you name your children that. It’s a reactionary kind of question. Why the f*ck not name your kids something like that? They’re having a good time. Besides that, if they ever wanted to change their names they can do it. It only costs about $15.

Cohen: You can’t tell from the name Moon Unit whether it’s a boy or a girl. Had Moon Unit been a boy, would you have named him the same thing?

Zappa: No, I would have named him Motor Head.

Source: Cohen, Scott. “Frank Zappa: Outraged Consumer.” Circus Raves Dec. 1975: 3.
Image: Adapted from Frank Zappa by Helge Øveras under CC BY-SA 4.0.

London babies named for the Boer War

British infantry, Second Boer War

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the two wars were fought in South Africa between the British and the Boers. During the Second Boer War (1899–1902), certain patriotic London parents gave their children names “commemorative of our great generals and victories in South Africa.” Here are some examples:

NameInspiration
James Albert Redvers Kirby
Audrey Buller Lily Wallace		Gen. Redvers Henry Buller
Hector Macdonald MatthewMajor-Gen. Hector MacDonald
Frank Kimberley StuckeySiege of Kimberley
Thomas Elands Laagte WilksBattle of Elandslaagte
Margaret Ellen Ladysmith AngramBattle/Siege/Relief of Ladysmith
Colenso Stuart Dudley MiddletonBattle of Colenso
James Spion Kop SkinnerBattle of Spion Kop

Babies were also named Frere (for Bartle Frere), Glencoe (for the Battle of Glencoe), Kitchener (for Field Marshal Herbert Kitchener), Mafeking (for the Siege of Mafeking), Pretoria, and Tugela (for the Battle of the Tugela Heights).

And, oddly enough, a few London babies were named Kruger for Paul Kruger, President of the South African Republic.

Source: “Boer War Babies.” Leader [Regina, Canada] 31 May 1900: 2.

Image: The Second Boer War, 1899-1902