How popular is the baby name Hannibal in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Find out using the graph below! Plus, check out all the blog posts that mention the name Hannibal.

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Popularity of the Baby Name Hannibal


Posts that Mention the Name Hannibal

Boy names falling in the U.S. in 2022

fallen leaves

Which boy names decreased in usage the most from 2021 to 2022?

Here’s a table of the fastest-falling boy names of 2022. On the left are the top 25 decreases in terms of absolute change (numbers of babies). On the right are the top 25 decreases in terms of relative change (percentages of babies).

RankBoy nameAbsolute fallBoy nameRelative fall
1Logan-1,241Kiko-77%
2Jackson-1,181Philemon-76%
3Mason-1,086Aakash-75%
4Lincoln-1,083Deklen-74%
5Benjamin-1,017Chaos-73%
6Jaxon-900Aarvik-71%
7Wyatt-878Khairi-71%
8Carter-863Maki-71%
9William-862Kadon-70%
10Jacob-855Vyan-69%
11Elijah-795Dameir-68%
12Alexander-725Azariyah-67%
13Jack-659Daivon-67%
14Lucas-654Darel-67%
15Colton-646Darryn-67%
16Hunter-628Deshun-67%
17Landon-587Eivin-67%
18Ethan-571Jacory-67%
19Connor-558Jestin-67%
20Jaxson-520Javaris-65%
21Aiden-490Aaric-65%
22Kingston-490Bashar-65%
23Easton-478Moxen-65%
24Andrew-474Sherwin-65%
25Greyson-467Ashad*-64%

*Also at -64% were Aceston, Akeel, Babyboy, Bran, Drey, Griff, Kysin, Naaman, and Nevaan.

And here are the boy names that saw the steepest dives out of the data (i.e., to below 5 instances of usage) in 2022:

  • Alvey was given to 23 babies in 2021
  • Gediz was given to 23 babies in 2021
  • Demetric was given to 20 babies in 2021
  • Hannibal was given to 18 babies in 2021
  • Soryn was given to 17 babies in 2021

Do you have thoughts/insights about any of the above names?

Source: SSA
Image by Geoffrey Hyland from Pixabay

Popular male names in England, 1560-1621

A while back, I stumbled upon a register of people who were associated with Oxford University in the late 1500s and early 1600s.

Interestingly, the author of the register decided to include a chapter dedicated to first names and surnames, and that chapter included a long list of male forenames and their frequency of occurrence from 1560 to 1621.

The author claimed that, for several reasons, these rankings were “probably…more representative of English names than any list yet published” for that span of time. One reason was that the names represented men from “different grades of English society” — including peers, scholars, tradesmen, and servants.

So, are you ready for the list?

Here’s the top 100:

  1. John, 3,826 individuals
  2. Thomas, 2,777
  3. William, 2,546
  4. Richard, 1,691
  5. Robert, 1,222
  6. Edward, 957
  7. Henry, 908
  8. George, 647
  9. Francis, 447
  10. James, 424
  11. Nicholas, 326
  12. Edmund, 298
  13. Anthony, 262
  14. Hugh, 257
  15. Christopher, 243
  16. Samuel, 227
  17. Walter, 207
  18. Roger, 195
  19. Ralph, 182
  20. Peter (and Peirs/Pers), 175
  21. Humphrey, 168
  22. Charles, 139
  23. Philip, 137
  24. David, 129
  25. Matthew, 116
  26. Nathaniel, 112
  27. Michael, 103
  28. Alexander, 98 (tie)
  29. Arthur, 98 (tie)
  30. Laurence, 90
  31. Giles, 88
  32. Stephen, 86
  33. Simon, 83
  34. Daniel, 79
  35. Joseph, 78 (tie)
  36. Lewis, 78 (tie)
  37. Andrew, 69
  38. Roland, 65
  39. Griffith (and Griffin), 60
  40. Evan, 55
  41. Abraham, 54 (tie)
  42. Leonard, 54 (tie)
  43. Owen, 53
  44. Gilbert, 52
  45. Morris (and Maurice), 51
  46. Bartholomew, 46 (3-way tie)
  47. Oliver, 46 (3-way tie)
  48. Timothy, 46 (3-way tie)
  49. Morgan, 45
  50. Martin, 44 (tie)
  51. Rice, 44 (tie)
  52. Gabriel, 41
  53. Benjamin, 40
  54. Jeffrey/Geoffrey, 38
  55. Ambrose, 36
  56. Adam, 35
  57. Toby (and Tobias), 34
  58. Jerome, 33
  59. Ellis, 30
  60. Paul, 29
  61. Bernard, 28 (3-way tie)
  62. Gregory, 28 (3-way tie)
  63. Isaac, 28 (3-way tie)
  64. Jasper (and Gaspar), 26 (3-way tie)
  65. Josiah (and Josias), 26 (3-way tie)
  66. Randall (and Randolph), 26 (3-way tie)
  67. Miles, 24
  68. Lancelot, 23
  69. Austin (and Augustine), 22 (tie)
  70. Jarvis (and Gervase), 22 (tie)
  71. Brian, 21
  72. Matthias, 20 (tie)
  73. Reginald (and Reynold), 20 (tie)
  74. Jeremy, 19
  75. Theophilus, 19
  76. Joshua 18 (3-way tie)
  77. Marmaduke, 18 (3-way tie)
  78. Valentine, 18 (3-way tie)
  79. Fulke, 17 (tie)
  80. Sampson (and Samson), 17 (tie)
  81. Clement, 16 (4-way tie)
  82. Ferdinando, 16 (4-way tie)
  83. Herbert, 16 (4-way tie)
  84. Zachary, 16 (4-way tie)
  85. Cuthbert, 15 (3-way tie)
  86. Emanuel, 15 (3-way tie)
  87. Vincent, 15 (3-way tie)
  88. Adrian, 14 (3-way tie)
  89. Elias, 14 (3-way tie)
  90. Jonah (and Jonas), 14 (3-way tie)
  91. Tristram, 13
  92. Allan, 12 (6-way tie)
  93. Ames, 12 (6-way tie)
  94. Barnaby (and Barnabas), 12 (6-way tie)
  95. Gerard (and Garret), 12 (6-way tie)
  96. Lionel, 12 (6-way tie)
  97. Mark, 12 (6-way tie)
  98. Abel, 11 (3-way tie)
  99. Erasmus, 11 (3-way tie)
  100. Roderic, 11 (3-way tie)

Did the relative popularity of any of these names surprise you?

The author did note that “the more common names occur more frequently than they ought to…from the tendency to confuse less common names with them.”

For example, a person called ‘Edmund,’ if he is frequently mentioned in the Register, is almost certain to be somewhere quoted as ‘Edward,’ ‘Gregory’ as ‘George,’ ‘Randall’ or ‘Raphael’ as ‘Ralph,’ ‘Gilbert’ as ‘William,’ and so on.

Now here are some of the less-common names, grouped by number of appearances in the register:

10 appearancesIsrael, Luke
9 appearancesCadwalader, Jenkin, Percival
8 appearancesBennet/Benedict, Godfrey, Howell, Jonathan, Raphael, Theodore
7 appearancesBaldwin, Gawen/Gavin, Hercules, Job, Kenelm, Meredith, Silvester, Solomon, Watkin
6 appearancesAlban, Basil, Caleb, Cornelius, Dennis, Guy, Jacob, Patrick
5 appearancesDudley, Edwin, Eustace, Ezechias/Hezekiah, Ezekiel, Hannibal, Joel, Moses, Peregrine, Simeon, Thurstan, Zacchaeus
4 appearancesFelix, Maximilian, Phineas
3 appearancesAaron, Abdias, Amos, Arnold, Baptist, Barten, Devereux, Diggory, Eleazer, Elisha, Ely, Ephraim, Euseby, German, Hamnet, Hilary, Hopkin, Jevan (“a form for Evan”), Justinian, Lemuel, Osmund, Pexall, Shakerley, Swithin
2 appearancesAngell, Audley, Avery, Bruin, Caesar, Calcot, Carew, Carr, Cecil, Cheyney, Clare, Collingwood, Conon/Conan, Darcy, Dominic, Elkanah, Emor, Ethelbert, Fitz-William, Frederic, Gamaliel, Gideon, Gifford, Goddard, Gray, Hamlet, Hammond, Harvey, Hastings, Hatton, Hector, Isaiah, Jethro, Joscelyn, Julius, Knightley, Mordecai, Morton, Nathan, Nevell, Obadiah, Otho, Pascho, Philemon, Polydor, Price, Raleigh, Raymond, Reuben, Rouse, Sabaoth, Sebastian, Seth, Silas, Silvanus, Tertullian, Umpton, Warren, Wortley, Zouch

Finally, lets check out some of the single-appearance names.

Over 250 names were in the register just once. I won’t include all of them, but here are about half:

  • Accepted, Aegeon, Albinus, Alford, Algernon, Ammiel, Arcadius, Arundel, Atherton, Aubrey, Aunstey, Aymondesham*
  • Bamfield, Beauforus, Bezaliel, Blaise, Bulstrod, Burgetius
  • Cadoc, Calvin, Candish, Cannanuel, Chiddiock, Chilston, Chrysostom, Conrad (“probably a foreigner”), Cosowarth, Creswell, Cyprian
  • Dabridgcourt, Darby, Delvus, Deodatus, Dier, Donwald, Dunstan
  • Elihu, Erisy, Esdras, Everard
  • Fernand, Fettiplace, Fines, Florice, Fogge, Fulbert
  • Geraint, Gerald, Glidd, Gourneus, Granado, Grange, Gratian
  • Hattil, Haut, Hercius, Hodges
  • Jarniot, Jephson, Jerameel, Jeremoth, Jolliffe
  • Kelamus, Killingworth, Kingsmell
  • Lambard, Leoline, Levinus, Leyson, Livewell
  • Maior, Maniewe, Marchadine, Mardocheus, Mattathias, Moyle
  • Nargia, Nizael, Norwich, Noye
  • Ogier, Olliph, Otwell
  • Pancras, Peleger, Periam, Person, Phatnell, Poynings, Purify
  • Renewed, Rheseus (“a Latinism for Rice”), Rimprum, Rollesley, Rotheram, Rumbold
  • Sabinus, Scipio, Sefton, Slaney, Snappe, Southcot, St. John, Stockett, Stukeley
  • Tanfield, Thekeston, Thrasibulus, Timoleon, Tournie, Tupper
  • Ulpian, Utred
  • Wallop, Walsingham, Warian, Warnecombe, Whorwood, Willgent
  • Yeldard
  • Zorobabel

*Could “Aymondesham” be a typo for Agmondesham?

Which of these uncommon names do you find the most intriguing?

Source: Register of the University of Oxford, vol. 2, part 4, edited by Andrew Clark, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1889.

[Latest update: 12/2022]

What turned Alias into a baby name in 1971?

The characters Kid Curry and Hannibal Heyes from the TV series "Alias Smith and Jones" (1971-1973)
Kid Curry and Hannibal Heyes

Curiously, the word Alias — which refers to an assumed name — became a name itself in the early 1970s, when it popped up for the first time in the U.S. baby name data:

  • 1973: 5 baby boys named Alias
  • 1972: 6 baby boys named Alias
  • 1971: 7 baby boys named Alias [debut]
  • 1970: unlisted
  • 1969: unlisted

What put it there?

The TV western Alias Smith and Jones, which premiered on ABC in 1971 and lasted until 1973.

The lead characters were a pair of former outlaws trying to reform, so they used aliases:

  • Hannibal Heyes (played initially by actor Pete Duel) went by “Joshua Smith”
  • Jedediah “Kid” Curry (played by actor Ben Murphy) went by “Thaddeus Jones”

To be clear, none of the show’s characters were actually named Alias. The show’s title did make the word seem like a name, though, and that made all the difference.

Title of the TV series "Alias Smith and Jones" (1971-1973)
“Alias Smith and Jones”

The English word alias ultimately comes from the Latin word alius, meaning “other” or “another.”

This makes the rare name Alias a distant cousin of the more familiar name Eleanor. How? Because the name Eleanor evolved out of the Occitan phrase alia Aenor, meaning “other Aenor.” (The very first Eleanor, Aliénor d’Aquitaine, was the daughter of a woman named Aenor, and hence she was the other Aenor.)

So…if your real name was Alias, would you use it, or would you go by an alias? :)

Sources: Alias – Online Etymology Dictionary, Alias Smith and Jones – Wikipedia, Eleanor – Behind the Name