How popular is the baby name Indiana 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 Indiana.

The graph will take a few moments to load. (Don't worry, it shouldn't take 9 months!) If it's taking too long, try reloading the page.


Popularity of the baby name Indiana


Posts that mention the name Indiana

Girl names beyond the top 1,000 of 2022

stars

Have you seen any of the girl names beyond the U.S. top 1,000 yet? If not, here’s the next thousand for you.

Last year, the 1,000th most popular girl name in the U.S. was Kahlani, given to 260 babies. After that, we find…

1,001st to 1,100th

Jazlynn, 259
Kynlee, 259
Raquel, 259
Tallulah, 258
Jaycee, 257
Kaisley, 257
Maylee, 257
Nataly, 257
Leylani, 256
Lilia, 256
Esperanza, 255
Haylee, 255
Ruthie, 255
Clare, 254
Kailey, 254
Etta, 253
Paisleigh, 253
Essence, 252
Tori, 252
Dana, 251
Ellen, 251
Kaya, 251
Eleanora, 250
Memphis, 250
Crystal, 249
Libby, 249
Tilly, 249
Xena, 249
Zola, 248
Austyn, 247
Emani, 247
Landry, 247
Layan, 247
Reya, 246
Aura, 245
Ayra, 245
Indy, 245
Kimora, 245
Viola, 245
Loyalty, 244
Nathalie, 244
Seraphina, 244
Shea, 244
Whitney, 244
Ayah, 243
Clarissa, 243
Jaylee, 243
Kiera, 242
Lyanna, 242
Giavanna, 241
Soraya, 241
Ailany, 240
Cordelia, 240
Guadalupe, 240
Jaylin, 240
Mattie, 240
Mazikeen, 240
Arden, 239
Dania, 239
Ellison, 239
Giulia, 239
Rubi, 239
Celina, 237
Mazie, 237
Renee, 237
Tara, 237
Amyra, 236
Lizbeth, 234
Maelynn, 234
Amethyst, 233
Aniya, 233
Elouise, 233
Violette, 233
Arisbeth, 232
Ayana, 232
Corinne, 232
Darcy, 232
Everley, 232
Nairobi, 232
Addyson, 231
Emmaline, 231
Ivana, 230
Jillian, 230
Miah, 230
Sandra, 230
Spencer, 230
Micaela, 229
Aminah, 228
Ansley, 228
Ann, 227
Kathleen, 227
Majesty, 227
Winifred, 227
Addisyn, 226
Agnes, 226
Colbie, 226
Harleigh, 226
Solana, 226
Aleia, 225
Claudia, 225

1,101st to 1,200th

Melani, 225
Desiree, 224
Frida, 224
Ida, 224
Ingrid, 224
Malka, 224
Yuna, 223
Hailee, 222
Zyla, 222
Adela, 221
Alisha, 221
Beverly, 221
Patricia, 221
Aiyana, 220
Jaelynn, 220
Yusra, 220
Aliah, 219
Andie, 219
Jewel, 219
Khadija, 219
Braylee, 218
Kollyns, 218
Meghan, 218
Harriet, 217
Raylee, 217
Rhiannon, 217
Christine, 216
Devyn, 216
Elani, 216
Yaritza, 215
Avyanna, 214
Keziah, 214
Marcella, 214
Riya, 214
Aarya, 213
Avani, 213
Jana, 213
Kailany, 213
Kalia, 213
Kodi, 213
Gianni, 212
Miller, 212
Taliyah, 212
Vayda, 212
Abril, 211
Arizbeth, 211
Elowen, 211
Marian, 211
Micah, 211
Quincy, 211
Sia, 211
Dalilah, 210
Evelina, 210
Jhene, 210
Korra, 210
Sonia, 210
Aislinn, 209
Maliah, 209
Betty, 208
Ariadne, 207
Kamora, 207
Paityn, 207
Arely, 206
Janessa, 206
Kaylie, 206
Lettie, 206
Lillianna, 206
Perla, 206
Rae, 206
Ripley, 206
Susan, 206
Cara, 205
Dixie, 205
Karlee, 205
Brynley, 204
Dina, 204
Elayna, 204
Amia, 203
Kyleigh, 203
True, 203
Emberlyn, 202
Emi, 202
Kacey, 202
Leena, 202
Ryder, 202
Ayanna, 201
Aylani, 201
Jaelyn, 201
Jovi, 201
Jubilee, 201
Kinsleigh, 201
Novaleigh, 201
Patience, 201
Aarna, 200
Adrienne, 200
Alyson, 200
Amal, 200
Amiah, 200
Ariadna, 200
Heavenly, 200

1,201st to 1,300th

Wrenleigh, 200
Darla, 199
Ellery, 199
Farrah, 199
Honey, 199
Kingsley, 199
Sharon, 199
Zahara, 199
Addie, 198
Annabella, 198
Evalyn, 198
Honesty, 198
Mirha, 198
Valencia, 198
Zoie, 198
Blessing, 197
Jayde, 197
Jaylene, 197
Lianna, 197
Aleyna, 196
Gaia, 196
Karen, 196
Mariella, 196
Mollie, 196
Zarah, 196
Alba, 195
Annalee, 195
Campbell, 195
Ira, 195
Amiya, 194
Beatrix, 194
Carsyn, 194
Leilah, 194
Madalynn, 194
Nathaly, 194
Aida, 193
Angeline, 193
Antonia, 193
Dalary, 193
Kiyomi, 193
Liz, 193
Robyn, 193
Rylynn, 193
Carolyn, 192
Ciara, 192
Kaylin, 192
Margaux, 192
Mercedes, 192
Salome, 192
Wendy, 192
Cassie, 191
Londynn, 191
Zaira, 191
Aranza, 190
Marlene, 190
Raylynn, 190
Rori, 190
Roslyn, 190
Aanya, 189
Emmalynn, 189
Erika, 189
Lailani, 189
Riverlynn, 189
Ainara, 188
Kassandra, 188
Lavender, 188
Noel, 188
Rilynn, 188
Vivianna, 188
Akira, 187
Azul, 187
Brenda, 187
Jalani, 187
Lorena, 187
Marjorie, 187
Meera, 187
Miya, 187
Myah, 187
Neveah, 187
Tatiana, 187
Kaleah, 186
Ariela, 185
Eleni, 185
Zaya, 185
Dariana, 184
Imogen, 184
Montana, 184
Rayleigh, 184
Aylah, 183
Ehlani, 183
Ivey, 183
Nayla, 183
Rebeca, 183
Rue, 183
Ailyn, 182
Chiara, 182
Kyndall, 182
Bernadette, 181
Kaycee, 181
Kya, 181

1,301st to 1,400th

Lesly, 181
Lindsey, 181
Sailor, 181
Emberlee, 180
Heather, 180
Saniyah, 180
Danica, 179
Giada, 179
Karely, 179
Lailah, 179
Lorraine, 179
Marissa, 179
Sana, 179
Yuri, 179
Zia, 179
Leela, 178
Maizie, 178
Maple, 178
Rita, 178
Siya, 178
Debanhi, 177
Evalynn, 177
Joselyn, 177
Moriah, 177
Venus, 177
Austin, 176
Finnley, 176
Liah, 176
Odette, 176
Vaeda, 176
Xochitl, 176
Bryleigh, 175
Carmella, 175
Erica, 175
Evaluna, 175
Kadence, 175
Mariela, 175
Althea, 174
Ameera, 174
Arwen, 174
Elara, 174
Emilie, 174
Journei, 174
Khari, 174
Sally, 174
Inaaya, 173
Montserrat, 173
Tenley, 173
Brinlee, 172
Isha, 172
Juana, 172
Karma, 172
Renley, 172
Ayesha, 171
Romy, 171
Alisa, 170
Esmae, 170
Maisyn, 170
Onyx, 170
Zinnia, 170
Alannah, 169
Annette, 169
Faigy, 169
Maelyn, 169
Milah, 169
Serafina, 169
Symphony, 169
Alaiyah, 168
Carson, 168
Elinor, 168
Janae, 168
Maribel, 168
Roxanne, 167
Rya, 167
Sterling, 167
Emeri, 166
Katerina, 166
Kaylynn, 166
Kit, 166
Lucie, 166
Yael, 166
Anita, 165
Carina, 165
Kenya, 165
Mireya, 165
Renesmee, 165
Sidney, 165
Adilynn, 164
Atlas, 164
Jenny, 164
Julietta, 164
Kalea, 164
Kelani, 164
Lori, 164
Raine, 164
Jazzlyn, 163
Jurnee, 163
Martina, 163
Silvia, 163
Alessa, 162

1,401st to 1,500th

Denise, 162
Maryjane, 162
Mika, 162
Queen, 162
Rain, 162
Adina, 161
Azari, 161
Cambria, 161
Selina, 161
Laken, 160
Dafne, 159
Elissa, 159
Emilee, 159
Journie, 159
Rowen, 159
Stacy, 159
Ziva, 159
Asiya, 158
Carlee, 158
Joan, 158
Joey, 158
Kailyn, 158
Adilene, 157
Adira, 157
Anayah, 157
Avaya, 157
Kamilla, 157
Maite, 157
Navi, 157
Nelly, 157
Walker, 157
Eliette, 156
Farah, 156
Pepper, 156
Prisha, 156
Rosalind, 156
Roselynn, 156
Susanna, 156
Tillie, 156
Kinzley, 155
Zella, 155
Aryah, 154
Grecia, 154
Jalayah, 154
May, 154
Wrenly, 154
Zadie, 154
Laine, 153
Mirabel, 153
Valkyrie, 153
Alyvia, 152
Eliyanah, 152
Laramie, 152
Lilyanna, 152
Pia, 152
Avalyn, 151
Ireland, 151
Keidy, 151
Milagros, 151
Shoshana, 151
Sofie, 151
Amarah, 150
Caylee, 150
Chava, 150
Janie, 150
Kristina, 150
Blessyn, 149
Gitty, 149
Gwyneth, 149
Jasmin, 149
Mari, 149
Tabitha, 149
Aimee, 148
Alex, 148
Cristina, 148
Emmarie, 148
Fern, 148
Kaira, 148
Liya, 148
Marlie, 148
Theresa, 148
Britney, 147
Dara, 147
Nadine, 147
Skylynn, 147
Yasmine, 147
Hollyn, 146
Inara, 146
Lucero, 146
Safiya, 146
Samiyah, 146
Ziya, 146
Anniston, 145
Briley, 145
Isadora, 145
Kamille, 145
Melania, 145
Sherlyn, 145
Sybil, 145
Aiza, 144

1,501st to 1,600th

Alara, 144
Alya, 144
Damaris, 144
Geneva, 144
Yelena, 144
Yuliana, 144
Cooper, 143
Ema, 143
Kasey, 143
Zya, 143
Adalie, 142
Jael, 142
Karolina, 142
Nila, 142
Reem, 142
Adara, 141
Anaiah, 141
Eila, 141
Jersey, 141
Kayleen, 141
Kenley, 141
Tinley, 141
Aracely, 140
Blayke, 140
Kaelyn, 140
Kapri, 140
Yoselin, 140
Anyla, 139
Areli, 139
Aryanna, 139
Cherish, 139
Leni, 139
Nailah, 139
Sanai, 139
Shayla, 139
Stori, 139
Annelise, 138
Hensley, 138
Iyanna, 138
Izzy, 138
Kailee, 138
Liyana, 138
Merritt, 138
Petra, 138
Tala, 138
Zeynep, 138
Amilia, 137
Ester, 137
Kaelynn, 137
Karlie, 137
Nechama, 137
Addalyn, 136
Clarke, 136
Jaylynn, 136
Jupiter, 136
Keilany, 136
Larissa, 136
Monserrat, 136
Suri, 136
Wilhelmina, 136
Winry, 136
Zion, 136
Annabel, 135
Ashly, 135
Aubri, 135
Chevelle, 135
Diya, 135
Elly, 135
Linnea, 135
Naia, 135
Naila, 135
Noelani, 135
Calla, 134
Emori, 134
Harlyn, 134
Khadijah, 134
Kianna, 134
Klara, 134
Letty, 134
Mayra, 134
Zaina, 134
Aashvi, 133
Adalina, 133
Adhara, 133
Asia, 133
Ayva, 133
Estela, 133
Nicolette, 133
Shirley, 133
Violetta, 133
Yaneli, 133
Asha, 132
Blakelynn, 132
Daylin, 132
Diamond, 132
Elyana, 132
Malak, 132
Adore, 131
Brayleigh, 131
Cecily, 131

1,601st to 1,700th

Dua, 131
Kalina, 131
Kollins, 131
Laynie, 131
Noelia, 131
Paulette, 131
Sahara, 131
Alessi, 130
Ally, 130
Avalon, 130
Baila, 130
Bentley, 130
Camden, 130
Carmela, 130
Eris, 130
Geraldine, 130
Gisselle, 130
Juno, 130
Maeva, 130
Mariyah, 130
Naveah, 130
Noella, 130
Rivky, 130
Tahlia, 130
Tyler, 130
Delia, 129
Dottie, 129
Evangelina, 129
Hollis, 129
Jayden, 129
Kynslee, 129
Laia, 129
Lidia, 129
Romi, 129
Shanaya, 129
Storm, 129
Wesley, 129
Xolani, 129
Aira, 128
Aryana, 128
Harlem, 128
Jude, 128
Kari, 128
Khalia, 128
Namari, 128
Safa, 128
Sedona, 128
Zylah, 128
Aleyah, 127
Alissa, 127
Ayat, 127
Bayleigh, 127
Beckett, 127
Irie, 127
Kelsie, 127
Reece, 127
Rihanna, 127
Sheila, 127
Sunnie, 127
Amaria, 126
Amariah, 126
Eisley, 126
Katarina, 126
Marlow, 126
Rosalynn, 126
Shyla, 126
Stormy, 126
Yarely, 126
Echo, 125
Kinsey, 125
Kylah, 125
Milania, 125
Natalee, 125
Yvette, 125
Addalynn, 124
Amya, 124
Breanna, 124
Dalila, 124
Delani, 124
Gema, 124
Jordynn, 124
Kalayah, 124
Lincoln, 124
Tegan, 124
Temperance, 124
Amberly, 123
Daenerys, 123
Delanie, 123
Georgiana, 123
Janiya, 123
Joslyn, 123
Leticia, 123
Lois, 123
Macey, 123
Skylah, 123
Aviva, 122
Brisa, 122
Emry, 122
Ever, 122
Kaci, 122

1,701st to 1,800th

Karmen, 122
Keeley, 122
Malky, 122
Priya, 122
Rhylee, 122
Sama, 122
Saphira, 122
Sunday, 122
Yazmin, 122
Caitlyn, 121
Cirilla, 121
Courtney, 121
Dalett, 121
Denisse, 121
Judy, 121
Julianne, 121
Magdalene, 121
Marlo, 121
Regan, 121
Ameerah, 120
Arie, 120
Constance, 120
Haizley, 120
Lakyn, 120
Marion, 120
Ahlani, 119
Amor, 119
Ashton, 119
Belinda, 119
Edie, 119
Eiza, 119
Fatimah, 119
Hafsa, 119
Honor, 119
Irina, 119
Jessa, 119
Kenzley, 119
Lane, 119
Liza, 119
Louella, 119
Nyah, 119
Tamara, 119
Addelyn, 118
Alaysia, 118
Blakeleigh, 118
Brenna, 118
Mileena, 118
Raleigh, 118
Rio, 118
Zari, 118
Zhavia, 118
Abrielle, 117
Amerie, 117
Audrina, 117
Cattleya, 117
Charity, 117
Jehilyn, 117
Koa, 117
Kristen, 117
Lindsay, 117
Maura, 117
Nell, 117
Tania, 117
Yamilet, 117
Agatha, 116
Arlene, 116
Ashanti, 116
Coral, 116
Divine, 116
Empress, 116
Estefany, 116
Milly, 116
Vivien, 116
Amaira, 115
Blakelyn, 115
Emme, 115
Gentry, 115
Hermione, 115
Jailyn, 115
Kamiya, 115
Lotus, 115
Marcela, 115
Maven, 115
Yesenia, 115
Zamora, 115
Aoife, 114
Calista, 114
Daria, 114
Emmi, 114
Nahla, 114
Nirvana, 114
Odessa, 114
Rosemarie, 114
Sonya, 114
Arlett, 113
Bryanna, 113
Danika, 113
Elana, 113
Elsy, 113
Hudson, 113

1,801st to 1,900th

Isela, 113
Iva, 113
Mahogany, 113
Nariah, 113
Nuri, 113
Nya, 113
Sahana, 113
Samadhi, 113
Aavya, 112
Adalia, 112
Dolly, 112
Harlie, 112
Isis, 112
Italy, 112
Kaila, 112
Kaliah, 112
Laikyn, 112
Madyson, 112
Margarita, 112
Tia, 112
Avril, 111
Bennett, 111
Cori, 111
Eunice, 111
Indiana, 111
Iqra, 111
Jahzara, 111
Karis, 111
Lillith, 111
Marwa, 111
Oriana, 111
Saira, 111
Vivianne, 111
Yehudis, 111
Zaynab, 111
Angely, 110
Brynnlee, 110
Charlene, 110
Evalina, 110
Evelin, 110
Halston, 110
Hartley, 110
Ines, 110
Isra, 110
Jocelynn, 110
Leora, 110
Maylin, 110
Mckayla, 110
Sidra, 110
Annaleigh, 109
Asher, 109
Bowie, 109
Bryn, 109
Iman, 109
Jaleah, 109
Kaelani, 109
Legaci, 109
Marin, 109
Nami, 109
Taya, 109
Alanis, 108
Anali, 108
Arizona, 108
Armoni, 108
Devorah, 108
Eleanore, 108
Lizeth, 108
Lua, 108
Madden, 108
Madisson, 108
Mildred, 108
Sury, 108
Taelynn, 108
Alita, 107
Dailyn, 107
Darlene, 107
Georgie, 107
Heidy, 107
Jacquelyn, 107
Jamila, 107
Jaslyn, 107
Preslee, 107
Shai, 107
Shannon, 107
Tess, 107
Ashtyn, 106
Audriana, 106
Bracha, 106
Danae, 106
Elif, 106
Estefania, 106
Isabell, 106
Jireh, 106
Kaori, 106
Krystal, 106
Layna, 106
Makena, 106
Rayla, 106
Sheyla, 106
Zelie, 106

1,901st to 2,000th

Blanca, 105
Haddie, 105
Litzy, 105
Luana, 105
Lucinda, 105
Maritza, 105
Misha, 105
Nour, 105
Rochel, 105
Rumi, 105
Ailen, 104
Asma, 104
Cienna, 104
Kailynn, 104
Keylani, 104
Marli, 104
Ridley, 104
Santana, 104
Story, 104
Yana, 104
Adaleigh, 103
Audra, 103
Carleigh, 103
Eimy, 103
Graciela, 103
Hawa, 103
Haya, 103
Janet, 103
Lux, 103
Rhyan, 103
Tamia, 103
Verity, 103
Alaska, 102
Anabella, 102
Arayah, 102
Ayda, 102
Blakelee, 102
Charm, 102
Claira, 102
Isa, 102
Maddox, 102
Millicent, 102
Perry, 102
Raeleigh, 102
Aadya, 101
Alanah, 101
Brynnleigh, 101
Cindy, 101
Donna, 101
Emberleigh, 101
Emmalee, 101
Izabel, 101
Janyla, 101
Josephina, 101
Lenna, 101
Lynlee, 101
Natalya, 101
Pippa, 101
Elliette, 100
Hadassa, 100
Abriella, 99
Alaiah, 99
Anderson, 99
Aylen, 99
Brighton, 99
Dawn, 99
Ela, 99
Elanor, 99
Elysia, 99
Gina, 99
Inez, 99
Katrina, 99
Kenzlee, 99
Lennyn, 99
Prudence, 99
Rynlee, 99
Shae, 99
Susana, 99
Toni, 99
Unique, 99
Adaia, 98
Aries, 98
Camellia, 98
Cosette, 98
Dayanna, 98
Debora, 98
Glory, 98
Kinzlee, 98
Lela, 98
Lula, 98
Maverick, 98
Melek, 98
Navya, 98
Raizy, 98
Samaira, 98
Zamira, 98
Alanni, 97
Charly, 97
Deanna, 97
Ellia, 97

See anything you like?

Source: SSA

Image: Adapted from Scattered stars in Sagittarius by ESA/Hubble under CC BY 4.0.

Top gender-neutral baby names of 2021: Parker, River, Charlie

pink and blue cupcakes

Looking for baby names that work for both genders?

Actually, let me rephrase that: Do you want to see which names are being given to sizeable numbers of baby boys and baby girls in the U.S. right now?

I wanted to ask the question in a more specific way because I think the details matter. Names can be gender-neutral in theory, but that doesn’t mean they’re being given to babies of both genders in practice.

It’s the difference between Evelyn and Everest.

Gender identity is a big topic of conversation these days, so it’s not surprising that an ever-growing number of parents are searching for baby names that aren’t strongly associated with one gender or the other.

To know what’s happening with baby names in real life, though, we need to focus on the data. That’s why I didn’t consider anything but data when I created the list below.

These names were culled from the 2021 U.S. baby name data (provided by the U.S. Social Security Administration). Each one saw usage that was at least one-third female and at least one-third male, making all of them relatively gender-neutral among today’s newborns.

Top gender-neutral baby names

Let’s start with a quick rundown of the 20 most popular gender-neutral baby names in the U.S. right now:

  1. Parker
  2. River
  3. Charlie
  4. Blake
  5. Hayden
  6. Emerson
  7. Amari
  8. Finley
  9. Remington
  10. Phoenix
  11. Oakley
  12. Dakota
  13. Tatum
  14. Rory
  15. Ari
  16. Alexis
  17. Armani
  18. Remy
  19. Reign
  20. Milan

Now here’s the same list again, but this time around I’ve added some details.

Parker (#1)

Last year, the name Parker was given to 6,229 babies. Of these babies, 2,406 (38.63%) were girls and 3,823 (61.37%) were boys. In terms of rankings, Parker placed 115th for girls and 93rd for boys.

Parker is an English surname that originally referred to someone who was employed as the keeper of a hunting park.

River (#2)

Last year, the name River was given to 5,317 babies. Of these babies, 1,862 (35.02%) were girls and 3,455 (64.98%) were boys. In terms of rankings, River placed 151st for girls and 110th for boys.

River, the English word that refers to a flowing body of water, was derived from the Latin word ripa, meaning “riverbank” or “seashore.”

Charlie (#3)

Last year, the name Charlie was given to 4,190 babies. Of these babies, 2,202 (52.55%) were girls and 1,988 (47.45%) were boys. In terms of rankings, Charlie placed 127th for girls and 189th for boys.

Charlie is a diminutive of the male name Charles, which ultimately comes from the Germanic name Karl, which meant “freeman” (i.e., not a serf or slave).

Interestingly, Charlie is a top-10 name for boys in some regions (like New Zealand and Ireland) and a top-10 name for girls in others (like Quebec).

Blake (#4)

Last year, the name Blake was given to 3,337 babies. Of these babies, 1,497 (44.86%) were girls and 1,840 (55.14%) were boys. In terms of rankings, Blake placed 199th for girls and 205th for boys.

Blake is an English surname that can be traced back to either of two Old English words that happen to have opposite meanings — one being “black,” the other being “white.”

Hayden (#5)

Last year, the name Hayden was given to 3,283 babies. Of these babies, 1,096 (33.38%) were girls and 2,187 (66.62%) were boys. In terms of rankings, Hayden placed 290th for girls and 176th for boys.

Hayden is an English surname that originally referred to someone from one of several different like-named locations. In many cases, the place names were made up of elements meaning “hay” and “hill.” (Depending upon the location, though, the first element sometimes meant “fence enclosure,” and the second element sometimes meant “valley.”)

Emerson (#6)

Last year, the name Emerson was given to 2,952 babies. Of these babies, 1,729 (58.57%) were girls and 1,223 (41.43%) were boys. In terms of rankings, Emerson placed 167th for girls and 279th for boys.

Emerson is an English surname that originally referred to the son of someone named Emery.

Amari (#7)

Last year, the name Amari was given to 2,880 babies. Of these babies, 972 (33.75%) were girls and 1,908 (66.25%) were boys. In terms of rankings, Amari placed 333rd for girls and 199th for boys.

Amari is a modern name that doesn’t seem to have a specific origin or meaning.

Finley (#8)

Last year, the name Finley was given to 2,705 babies. Of these babies, 1,407 (52.01%) were girls and 1,298 (47.99%) were boys. In terms of rankings, Finley placed 211th for girls and 265th for boys.

Finley is based on the Gaelic name Fionnlagh, which is made up of elements meaning “white” and “warrior.”

Remington (#9)

Last year, the name Remington was given to 2,475 babies. Of these babies, 890 (35.96%) were girls and 1,585 (64.04%) were boys. In terms of rankings, Remington placed 348th for girls and 231st for boys.

Remington is an English surname that originally referred to someone from the town of Rimington, in Lancashire. (It’s also an American gun brand.)

Phoenix (#10)

Last year, the name Phoenix was given to 2,454 babies. Of these babies, 1,032 (42.05%) were girls and 1,422 (57.95%) were boys. In terms of rankings, Phoenix placed 308th for girls and 248th for boys.

Phoenix, the word that refers the mythological bird that rises from its own ashes, was derived from an ancient Greek word meaning “crimson” or “purple.”

Oakley (#11)

Last year, the name Oakley was given to 2,292 babies. Of these babies, 1,524 (66.49%) were girls and 768 (33.51%) were boys. In terms of rankings, Oakley placed 193rd for girls and 403rd for boys.

Oakley is an English surname that originally referred to someone from one of several different like-named locations. In all cases, the place names were made up of elements meaning “oak” and “clearing.”

Dakota (#12)

Last year, the name Dakota was given to 2,090 babies. Of these babies, 1,147 (54.88%) were girls and 943 (45.12%) were boys. In terms of rankings, Dakota placed 270th for girls and 344th for boys.

Dakota, the name of a Native American tribe, means “friendly” or “allied” in the Siouan language of the Dakota people.

Tatum (#13)

Last year, the name Tatum was given to 1,959 babies. Of these babies, 1,125 (57.43%) were girls and 834 (42.57%) were boys. In terms of rankings, Tatum placed 279th for girls and 385th for boys.

Tatum is an English surname that originally referred to the homestead of someone named Tata.

Rory (#14)

Last year, the name Rory was given to 1,919 babies. Of these babies, 789 (41.12%) were girls and 1,130 (58.88%) were boys. In terms of rankings, Rory placed 396th for girls and 295th for boys.

Rory is an Anglicized form of the Irish name Ruaidhri, which is made up of elements meaning “red” and “king.”

Ari (#15)

Last year, the name Ari was given to 1,598 babies. Of these babies, 649 (40.61%) were girls and 949 (59.39%) were boys. In terms of rankings, Ari placed 478th for girls and 342nd for boys.

Ari has several potential definitions, including: “lion” in Hebrew, “brave” in Armenian, and “eagle” in Icelandic.

Alexis (#16)

Last year, the name Alexis was given to 1,569 babies. Of these babies, 940 (59.91%) were girls and 629 (40.09%) were boys. In terms of rankings, Alexis placed 341st for girls and 472nd for boys.

Alexis comes directly from the ancient Greek (male) name Alexis, which meant “helper” or “defender.”

Armani (#17)

Last year, the name Armani was given to 1,540 babies. Of these babies, 661 (42.92%) were girls and 879 (57.08%) were boys. In terms of rankings, Armani placed 469th for girls and 369th for boys.

Armani is an Italian surname that originally referred to the child of someone named Armano. (It’s also an Italian fashion brand.)

Remy (#18)

Last year, the name Remy was given to 1,451 babies. Of these babies, 550 (37.90%) were girls and 901 (62.10%) were boys. In terms of rankings, Remy placed 550th for girls and 357th for boys.

Remy, written Rémy in French, is based on the Latin name Remigius, which meant “oarsman.”

It’s interesting that both Remy and Remington are on this list. Remy is a standalone name…but it could also be used as a nickname for Remington.

Reign (#19)

Last year, the name Reign was given to 1,338 babies. Of these babies, 884 (66.07%) were girls and 454 (33.93%) were boys. In terms of rankings, Reign placed 349th for girls and 608th for boys.

Reign is an English word that can be traced back to the Latin word regnum, meaning “royal power” or “kingdom.”

Milan (#20)

Last year, the name Milan was given to 1,278 babies. Of these babies, 452 (35.37%) were girls and 826 (64.63%) were boys. In terms of rankings, Milan placed 655th for girls and 388th for boys.

Milan is a Slavic name based on the element milu, meaning “dear, sweet.” (It’s also a city in northern Italy.)

More gender-neutral baby names

What other gender-neutral names made the cut?

Here are the names that were used a bit less often than the twenty above…

Number of babies*Percent girlsPercent boys
Shiloh1,24561.69%38.31%
Legacy1,08666.30%33.70%
Salem97062.99%37.01%
Briar95562.20%37.80%
Denver94138.68%61.32%
Skyler93058.92%41.08%
Drew91337.13%62.87%
Jamie84748.41%51.59%
Bellamy81245.44%54.56%
Justice81246.92%53.08%
Azariah79447.23%52.77%
Layne76143.63%56.37%
Chandler75839.97%60.03%
Ocean67345.77%54.23%
*Male and female usage added together

All of the above ranked among both the top 1,000 girl names and the top 1,000 boy names last year. Two of the below (Robin and Landry) did as well.

Number of babies*Percent girlsPercent boys
Quincy65333.38%66.62%
Murphy61065.25%34.75%
Tru60836.02%63.98%
Kingsley59437.71%62.29%
Robin54653.11%46.89%
Amiri50234.46%65.54%
Landry48955.01%44.99%
Ira46535.91%64.09%
Kacey42548.94%51.06%
Joey42441.75%58.25%
Campbell41450.72%49.28%
True40553.09%46.91%
Everest38534.55%65.45%
Arden38558.70%41.30%
Harlem37937.20%62.80%
Shea37963.85%36.15%
Sol37563.47%36.53%
Bowie37036.76%63.24%
*Male and female usage added together

Most of the above appeared in at least one top-1,000 list last year. The exceptions were Kacey, Campbell, True, Arden, Shea, and Sol.

None of the names from this point onward reached the top 1,000 for either gender.

Number of babies*Percent girlsPercent boys
Hollis36245.03%54.97%
Yael34839.37%60.63%
Joan34045.59%54.41%
Laken31556.19%43.81%
Gentry30245.36%54.64%
Lux29636.15%63.85%
Sidney29355.29%44.71%
Kasey28456.34%43.66%
Kadence28066.43%33.57%
Ever27840.65%59.35%
Camdyn27036.67%63.33%
Jael27048.15%51.85%
Dominique26033.46%66.54%
Montana26057.69%42.31%
Kodi25856.20%43.80%
Ramsey25447.24%52.76%
Perry25342.69%57.31%
Storm24557.14%42.86%
Ashtyn24360.91%39.09%
Honor24047.92%52.08%
Kit23344.64%55.36%
Brighton23246.98%53.02%
Isa22733.48%66.52%
Armoni21050.00%50.00%
Merritt20860.58%39.42%
Jupiter20662.62%37.38%
Arrow20338.42%61.58%
Laine20363.55%36.45%
Jules20143.78%56.22%
*Male and female usage added together

Here are the gender-neutral baby names that saw overall usage ranging from 100 to 199 babies (in descending order):

Yuri, Arie, Ridley, Kobi, Jean, Channing, Linden, Shannon, Indiana, Marlo, Taylin, Divine, Cypress, Iman, Daylin, Aris, Wynn, Jelani, Halston, Rumi, Levy, Camari, Jackie, Austen, Azari, Issa, Lake, Huntley, Amen, Loren, Eastyn, Sora, Everette, Timber, Kaylen, Johnnie, Nikita, Ryver, Lexington, Reilly, Hudsyn, Charleston, Aven, Akari, Koi, Dru, Lou, Kylar, Payson, Finlee, Cove, Halen, Bryar, Royale, Tracy, Eliyah, Larkin, Amarii, Mecca, Britton, Emari, Nazareth, Kamani, Valentine, Ellington, Tenzin, Ryley, Kaidence, and Kirby.

And, finally, here are the gender-neutral names that saw overall usage ranging from 50 to 99 babies (in descending order):

Soul, Gracen, Daelyn, Wisdom, Conley, Arley, Evren, Rogue, Rhythm, Peace, Mykah, Blue, Masyn, Lowen, Golden, Callaway, Phoenyx, Blu, Lael, Rainn, Tommie, Bleu, Jadyn, Alexi, Bennie, Lennix, Choyce, Amaree, Atley, Rei, Crimson, Tristyn, Maeson, Declyn, Honest, Ilya, Amory, Rawlings, Jianni, Jensyn, Teigen, Lynden, Weslee, Maze, Graycen, Zaelyn, Paxtyn, Tennessee, Davey, Marvel, Joud, Rhylan, Deniz, Azure, Davy, Desi, Rhen, Breeze, Arlie, Harlo, Roux, Riven, Lakota, Airam, Denym, Jae, Tayler, Bostyn, Adair, Ciel, Namari, Kodie, Quinlan, Salah, Drue, Kamoni, Kayan, Jordin, Carrington, and Sakari.


Most of the names above don’t have a long history of usage in the U.S., so they aren’t anchored one gender or the other — making them good options for expectant parents who want names that work for both genders.

Note that many fall into a handful of categories, including: nature names, place names, surnames, color names, and virtue names. It may be worthwhile to focus on categories like these as you continue your search, as they’ll tend to naturally contain a good proportion of gender-neutral names.

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Gallery 1 by Sarah Howells under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Babies named for the ships they were born on (M to Z)

SS Earl Dalhousie
SS Earl Dalhousie

Back when sea voyages were the only way to reach distant lands, many babies ended up being born aboard ships. And many of these ship-born babies were given names that reflected the circumstances of their birth. A good portion of them, for instance, were named after the ships upon which they were born.

I’ve gathered hundreds of these ship-inspired baby names over the years, and I think it’s finally time to post what I’ve found. You’ll find the second half of the list below. (Here’s the first half.)


M

  • Macduff:
    • Edward Macduff Thompson, born in 1878
  • Magellan:
    • Magellan Carrahlew, born in 1870
  • Malabar:
    • Emma Malabar Young, born in 1865
  • Malta:
    • Thomas Malta McCafferty, born in 1876
  • Manora:
    • Manora Ida Power, born in 1882
  • Maraval:
    • Maraval White, born in 1878
    • Maraval Hay, born in 1878
    • Robert Maraval Schroder, born in 1879
    • Sarah Maraval McKenzie, born in 1879
  • Marcotis:
    • Marcotis Gallia, born in 1882
  • Margaret Galbraith:
    • Annie Galbraith Dawson, born in 1879
  • Marion:
    • Marion Margaret Ramsay, born in 1854
  • Marlborough:
    • Marlborough Stevens, born in 1883
  • Mary Pleasants:
    • Mary Pleasants Robinson, born in 1857
    • Mary Pleasants Poole, born in 1857
  • Mary Shepherd:
    • Margaret Mary Shepherd Crozier, born in 1865
    • Charley Shepherd Piercy, born in 1866
    • Alice Mary Shepherd Dix, born in 1866
    • Mary Shepherd Miner, born in 1873
  • Mataura:
    • Mataura Welsh, born in 1877
  • Matoaka:
    • Matoaka Atlantic Costa, born in 1864
  • May Queen:
    • May Colville Walker, born in 1881
  • Maxima:
    • Albert Maxima Shaddiek, born in 1873
  • Medford:
    • Medford Colling, born in the mid-19th century.
      • He in turn gave his name to Medford, Minnesota, in the 1850s. His father, Englishman William K. Colling, was an early Minnesota settler who “said that he had a son who was born on board the ship Medford, and was named Medford, in honor of the ship, and proposed that the town should be named Medford in honor of the boy.”
  • Medway:
    • Atalanta Medway Hancock, born in 1871
  • Melpomene:
    • Elizabeth Melpomene Hindley, born in 1882
  • Mennock:
    • Louise Mennock Looney, born in 1885
  • Merkara:
    • Alexander Merkara McLeod, born in 1882
    • Alice Mabel Merkara Atkin, born in 1884
    • Mary Ellen Merkara Mathews, born in 1885
    • Merkara Beier, born in 1887
    • Merkara Smith, born in 1887
    • Merkara Cave Bratz, born in 1890
  • Merope:
    • Merope Pentebow, born in 1879
  • Middlesex:
    • Carter Middlesex Mellows, born in 1866
  • Miltiades:
    • Edward Miltiades Taylor, born in 1874
    • Jessie Miltiades Mary Jennings, born in 1874
  • Mirage:
    • Alice Mirage Osgood, born in 1864
  • Mississippi:
    • Mississippi Petrovitch, born in 1885
  • Mizpah:
    • Joseph Mizpah Bagley, born in 1880
  • Montana:
    • Jane Montana McGuiness, born in 1878
    • Henry Montana Rowson, born in 1879
  • Moravian:
    • Thomas Moravian Carter, born in 1868
    • Ellen K. Moravian Warford, born in 1872
    • Thomas Moravian McElraith, born in 1881
  • Morna:
    • Morna Francis, born in 1887
  • Myrtle:
    • James Myrtle Holme Robertson, born in 1877

N

  • Nackato:
    • Frederick Nackato Dickens, born in 1875
    • Ruth Nackato Bowick, born in 1875
  • Neckar:
    • Petrine Jeanette Hugo Neckar Walls, born in 1887
  • Nemesis:
    • Nemesis Louise Catherine Dupont, born in 1877
  • Nestor:
    • Nestorina Misonsnile, born in 1889
  • Nestorian:
    • Mary Nestorian Cowan, born in 1890
  • Netherby:
    • Netherby Victoria Louisa Cubbin, born in 1866.
      • Technically, she was born on land two days after the Netherby ran aground. But I feel this is close enough to include…
  • Neva:
    • Alice Neva Landham, born in 1886
  • Nevada:
    • Elizabeth Nevada West, born in 1872
    • William Nevada Webster, born in 1873
    • Nevada Atlantic Larsen, born in 1878
    • Mary Nevada Berry, born in 1881
    • Victoria Nevada Johnson, born in 1881
    • Marie Nevada McPhie, born in 1884
    • Nevada Christensen, born in 1887
  • Neville:
    • Gerald Neville Hemsworth, born in 1869
  • Niagara:
    • Fanny Elizabeth Niagara Pickard, 1875
  • Nile:
    • Nilena Thompson, born in 1866
    • Michelina Nilina Derosty, born in 1877
  • Nineveh:
    • Amelia Tabitha Nineveh Johns Adams, born in 1877
    • Nineveh Sydney, born in 1879
  • Norfolk:
    • Lilian Norfolk Beeching, born in 1880
  • Noronha:
    • Alice Noronha Yealland, born in 1878
  • Norseman:
    • Emily Norseman Stepp, born in 1866
  • North:
    • Adelaide North Hossack, born in 1875
  • Northam:
    • John Northam Davies, born in 1876
  • Northampton:
    • James Northampton Maughan, born in 1880
    • Ethel Northampton Jeffrey, born in 1882
    • William Northampton Irvine, born in 1882
  • Northumberland:
    • James Northumberland Byrne, born in 1873
  • Nourmahal:
    • Ellen Nourmahal Morrison, born in 1874
  • Nova Scotian:
    • Charles Nova Scotian Kuseley, born in 1860
    • Sarah Nova Scotia Keating, born in 1858
  • Nubian:
    • Edith Nubian Benwell Wootten, born in 1882
    • Nubian Jane Fisher, born in 1882
  • Nugget:
    • William Nugget Morant, born in 1860
    • Frederick Nugget Hurricks, born in 1860
  • Nyanza:
    • James Fisher Nyanza Allt, born in 1873

O

  • Oaklands:
    • Ivo Oaklands Rowe, born in 1877
    • George Oaklands Southam, born in 1877
    • John Fuller Oaklands Munn, born in 1877
    • Geneva Oaklands Perry, born in 1877
    • Beatrice Sarah Oaklands Simons, born in 1877
  • Oceanic:
    • Catherine Oceanica Bernter, born in 1874
  • Octavia:
    • William Octavius Foster, born in 1857
  • Olago:
    • Olago William Holliday, born in 1883
  • Olbers:
    • Kate Mary Olbers Scott, born in 1878
    • Francisco Olbers Ferera, born in 1879
    • Mary Louisa Olbers Mansell, born in 1884
  • Lady Olive:
    • Eliza Olive Frazer, born in 1881
  • Olympia:
    • Mary Anne Olympia Sullivan, born in 1872
    • Olympia Sanna, born in 1880
    • Olympia Cataneza, born in 1886
  • Lake Ontario:
    • Jennie Ontario Bottomley, born in 1888
  • Opawa:
    • Caroline Opawa Langford, born in 1878
    • George Frederick Opawa Whittlestone, born in 1879
  • Orari:
    • Annie Orari Mosey Andrews Kelly, born in 1876
    • Albert Orari Smith, born in 1876
    • Robert Cotton Orari Garratt, born in 1878
    • Mary Orari Kenney, born in 1879
  • Oregon:
    • James Oregon Tansley, born in 1887
    • Anna Oregonia Larsen, born in 1887
  • Orient:
    • Orient Elizabeth Searle, born in 1871
    • Annie Orient Smith, born in 1889
  • Orizaba:
    • William Orizaba Brown, born in 1887
    • May Orizoba Curtiss, born in 1891
  • Orotava:
    • Ethel Orotavia Morris, born in 1891
  • Oroya:
    • Oroya Fletcher, born in 1889
  • Otago:
    • Otago J. Shearer, born in 1882
    • Otago William Holliday, born in 1883
    • Andrew Otago McCulloch, born in 1884
  • Oxford:
    • William Cuthbert Oxford Morse, born in 1876
    • John William Ackerman Oxford Booth, born in 1877
    • Charles Oxford Stubbs, born in 1881

P

  • Pacific Ocean:
    • Pacific Pearl Myrick, born in 1848
  • Palamcotta:
    • Emily Sarah Palamcotta Russell, born in 1890
  • Palestine:
    • Charles Owen Palestine Harte, born in 1873
  • Palgrave:
    • Edward Palgrave Thomas, born in 1886
  • Parthia:
    • Honora Parthia Moynahan, born in 1877
    • Parthia John George Wills, born in 1882
  • Pathan:
    • James Pathan Laurie, born in 1883
  • Peeress:
    • Elizabeth Peeress Brown, born in 1874
  • Penelope:
    • Penelope Ribeiro, born in 1857
  • Pennsylvania:
    • Pennsylvania Hall Gilman, born in 1869
  • Percy:
    • Percy George Cooper White, born in 1869
    • Thomas Percy Chenney, born in 1870
  • Pericles:
    • Alfred Pericles Maxfield, born in 1877
    • Ernest Pericles Waite, born in 1878
    • James Pericles Greig, born in 1878
    • Alfred Pericles Fletcher, born in 1883
    • Fanny Pericles Craven, born in 1883
    • Elizabeth Pericles Hutchins, born in 1883
    • Kate Pericles Jewell, born in 1883
  • Persia:
    • Henry Persia Mallet, born in 1854
  • Peruvian:
    • Maria Peruvia Hoxer, born in 1872
    • William Henry Peruvian Foster Davies, born in 1972
    • Peruviana Gudbjorg Krisgansson, born in 1891
  • Peter Denny:
    • Richard Pycroft Denny Gough, born in 1874
  • Peterborough:
    • Peterborough Daniel Brown, born in 1884
  • Pioneer:
    • John William Pioneer Wiles, born in 1858
  • Pleiades:
    • Emily Pleiades Hancock, born in 1872
    • Eveline Pleiades Norris, born in 1873
  • Pleione:
    • Effie Pleione Bunting, born in 1883
  • Pounder:
    • Henry Pounder Glory Levistone, born in 1818
  • Potosi:
    • Charlotte Potosi Botterill, born in 1884
    • Matle (?) Potosi Pogorelsky, born in 1891
  • Priam:
    • George Priam Hay, born in 1871
  • Propontis:
    • Wilhemina Propontis Conolly, born in 1854
  • Prussian:
    • Magdalen Prussian Jones, born in 1882
  • Ptolemy:
    • Ann Ptolemy Dancker, born in 1883

Q

  • Quetta:
    • Clara Quetta Green, born in 1885
    • John Quetta Eales, born in 1886
    • May Quetta Hollett, born in 1886

R

  • Raglan:
    • George Raglan Wilson, born in 1858
  • Rakaia:
    • Ann Rakaia Hoberfield, born in 1874
    • Albert Rakaia Dillon, born in 1874
  • Rajasthan:
    • Blythe Atkinson Rajasthan Malcahey, born in 1854
    • Lydia Eliza Rajasthan Rogers, born in 1854
  • Ramsey:
    • Florence Ramsey Hickman, born in 1873
    • Stephen Abbott Ramsey Johnson, born in 1873
  • Rathlin:
    • Alexander Rathlin Cunningham, born in 1879
  • Ravensdale:
    • Norman Ravensdale Smith, born in 1887
  • Remington:
    • Jane Remington Moore, born in 1877
  • Renown:
    • Edwin Renown Chillman, born in 1864
  • Restoria:
    • John Restoria Hamilton, born in 1875
  • Rialto:
    • Rialto Strick, born in 1883
  • Rimutaka:
    • Henry Rimutaka Wilson, born in 1886
  • Rinaldo:
    • William Rinaldo Lawn, born in 1869
    • Hewy Arthur Rinaldo Cox, born in 1869
  • Roma:
    • Roma Douglas Titel Ziell, born in 1882
    • Roma Brown, born in 1883
    • May Roma Kirk, born in 1883
    • Bessie Roma Taylor, born in 1883
  • Roman:
    • Annie Roman McNebo, born in 1887
  • Romsdal:
    • William Romsdal Osborn, born in 1883
  • Rooparell:
    • John Rooparell McGahan, born in 1874
    • J. P. Rooperell Fuller, born in 1874
  • Rosebud:
    • Rosebud Collie, born in 1883
  • Roseneath:
    • Janet Roseneath Gibson, born in 1876
  • Royal Charter:
    • Charterina Campbell, born in 1857
    • Royal Charter Bertha Parl, born in 1858

S

  • Samuel Plimsoll:
    • John Braden Plimsoll Eyre, born in 1875
  • Saraca:
    • Alice Saraca Cross, born in 1877
  • Saracen:
    • Kathleen Saracen Leboeuf, born in 1877
  • Sardinian:
    • William Sardinian Gorman, born in 1857
    • Jane Sardinian Sinclair, born in 1877
  • Sarmatian:
    • Minnie Aird Sarmatia Kealey, born in 1876
  • Sarnia:
    • Sophia Sarnia Yeates, born in 1884
  • Scawfell:
    • Thomas Scawfell Appleby, born in 1874
  • Scandia:
    • Scandia Marta Steiner, born in 1892
  • Scotia:
    • Henry Scotia Steer, born in 1875
  • Scottish Admiral:
    • Charles Louis Admiral Brown, born in 1882
    • Admiral John Kerr Stuart, born in 1883
  • Scottish Hero:
    • Thomas Hero Kelly, born in 1876
    • Elizabeth Jane Hero Fram, born in 1879
  • Scythia:
    • Francis Scythia Cogan, 1889
  • Sepia:
    • Sarah Sepia Parrott, born in 1875
  • Servia:
    • Edith Florence Servia Mace, born in 1890
    • Helena Servia Pedersen, born in 1889
  • Shalimar:
    • Anna Shalimar Rose, born in 1863
  • Shannon:
    • Henry Shannon Smith, born in 1865
    • Annie Shannon McMinn, born in 1883
  • Sherwood:
    • Mary Sherwood Brocklebank, born in 1885
  • Siberian:
    • Robert Shaw Siberian Thomson, born in 1885
  • Sierra Colonna:
    • Sierra Colonna Wildridge, born in 1879
  • Simiote:
    • Cleopatra Simiote Constatino, born in 1883
  • Sirius:
    • John Sirius Hallam, born in 1886
  • Sirsa:
    • Sirsa James Attree, born in 1884
  • Smyrna:
    • Smyrna Jane Hollow, born in 1878
  • Sobraon:
    • May Kyle Sobraon Heron, born in 1867
    • Amy Sobraon Petty, born in 1883
  • Somersetshire:
    • Arthur Somerset Hunter, born in 1879
  • Sorata:
    • Sorata Mary Josephine Schabinger, born in 1884
  • Southern Belle:
    • Belle Glenfield, born in 1874
  • Southesk:
    • Jennie Southesk Bell, born in 1878
    • Alexander Southesk McKenzie, born in 1882
  • Spain:
    • William Grace Spain Jackson, born in 1872
    • Grace Spain Bennett, born in 1882
    • Agnes Spain Gacek, born in 1883
  • Star of India:
    • William Star Bohlsen, born in 1877
  • Star Queen:
    • John Star Pritchard, born in 1873
  • State of Alabama:
    • James Alabama Murkussen, born in 1886
  • State of Florida:
    • Florida Wolkow, born in 1882
  • State of Indiana:
    • Sarah Findley Sadler Indiana Fleming, born in 1881
    • Alexandrine Ivan Indiana Schwartz, born in 1890
    • Georgina Klara Indiana Kriskick, born in 1891
  • St. Clair:
    • Robert Nisbet St. Clair Gill, born in 1885
    • Helen St Clair Higgie, born in 1886
  • St. George:
    • Catherine St. George Dobson, born in 1864
  • St. Kilda:
    • Helena Kilda Atkins, born in 1876
  • St. Patrick:
    • John Stephen Sneddon Patrick Dempster, born in 1871
  • Strathleven:
    • Ann Strathleven Proudlock, born in 1879
  • Suffolk:
    • Grace Suffolk Liddendale Hornell, born in 1866
  • Sultana:
    • Marie Sultana Bartram, born in 1859
  • Surrey:
    • Surrey Bloh, born in 1882
  • Sweden:
    • Erick Donald Sweden Jonasson, born in 1870
  • Sydenham:
    • Bernard Sydenham Berry, born in 1881
    • Humphrey Sydenham Heron, born in 1881
    • Sydenham Roberts, born in 1883

T

  • Tamar:
    • Carlotta Tamar Estevez, born in 1891
  • Tanjire:
    • Charles Tanjire Mylne, born in 1865
  • Taranaki (likely named for Mount Taranaki):
    • Fred William Taranaki Ward, born in 1883
  • Tarifa:
    • Elizabeth Tarifa Wood, born in 1867
    • Tarifa Swish, born in 1870
  • Taroba:
    • Rose Taroba Reid, born in 1888
  • Tasmania:
    • Sarah Edith Tasmania Baines, born in 1881
  • Taymouth Castle:
    • William Adreph Taymouth Schuhardt, born in 1877
  • Temple Bar:
    • Benjamin Temple Vaughan, born in 1887
  • Trefusis:
    • John Trefusis Lamont, born in 1877
  • Trevelyan:
    • Trevelyan Wood, born in 1880
    • Edward Trevelyan Martin, born in 1880
    • Trevelyan Edwardina Roberts Boardman, born in 1883
  • Trinacria:
    • Ann Trinacria Boyle, born in 1872
    • Concetta Trinacria Ermina Filice, born in 1886
  • Trinidad:
    • Maria Trinidad Baz, born in 1866
    • Martha Trinidad Wallace, born in 1883
  • Tripoli:
    • Thomas Tripoli McMahon, born in 1866
  • Trojan:
    • Charles George Trojan Glass, born in 1881
  • Tweed:
    • Tweed Ann Gardner, born in 1870
  • Tyne:
    • Charlotte Tyne Hastler, born in 1857

U

  • Umbria:
    • Umbria Alva Marie Lindh, born in 1889
  • Utopia:
    • Daniel Utopia Thomson Sullivan, born in 1874

V

  • Valetta:
    • Maggie Valetta Riddock, born in 1887
  • Valiant:
    • Valiant (surname unknown), born in 1980
  • Varuna:
    • Varuna Rowe Kennedy, born in 1874
  • Venture:
    • Avis Cygnet Venture Hilliard, born in 1892
  • Verum:
    • Mary Verum Parry, born in 1863
  • Victory:
    • Victoria Gibbon Baird, born in 1863
    • Jane Frances Victoria Mosley, born in 1883
    • Victory Elcoate Dowle, born in 1884
  • Viscata:
    • Elizabeth Sofia Viscata Drummond, born in 1865
  • Voltaic:
    • Elizabeth Moore Voltaic Boyle, born in 1889

W

  • Waikato:
    • Ruth Waikato Eswick, born in 1875
  • Waimate:
    • Annie Rose Waimate James, born in 1874
  • Wainsfell:
    • Eliza Wainsfell Trescoth, born in 1863
    • Hugh Wainsfell Garbride, born in 1863
  • Wairoa:
    • William Wairoa Joss Diffey, born in 1877
    • Joseph Wairoa Hill, born in 1879
  • Waitangi:
    • Alexander Waitangi Danks, born in 1876
    • William George Waitangi Connelly, born in 1877
    • Priscilla Waitangi Rundle, born in 1878
  • Waitara:
    • Emily Waitara Morgan, born in 1876
    • James Waitara Jenkins, born in 1877
    • Anne Waitara Adcock, born in 1879
    • Waitara Sarah Clark, born in 1879
  • Walmer Castle:
    • Charles Walmer Bud, born in 1859
    • Jane Walmer Fergusson, born in 1880
  • Waroonga:
    • Mary Waroonga Cook, born in 1883
    • Rose Waroonga Buchanan, born in 1883
    • Alice Waroonga Poffley, born in 1883
    • Elizabeth Waroonga Brown, born in 1883
    • Margaret Waroonga McLaughlin, born in 1885
    • Emily Waroonga Griffiths, born in 1887
    • Emily Waroonga Finlay, born in 1887
    • David Waroonga Griffiths, born in 1887
  • Warren Hastings:
    • Taylor Hedley Warren Hastings Henley, born in 1863
  • Warwick:
    • Ellen Mary Warwick Bourke, born in 1874
    • Warwick Temperley Skinner, born in 1874
    • Warwick Sexton Clifford Timmins, born in 1879
    • James Warwick Davis, born in 1879
    • Annie Warwick Chappell, born in 1884
    • Warwickina Shields, born in 1884
  • Wellesley:
    • Charles James Wellesey Taylor, born in 1858
  • Wellington:
    • David Cowan Wellington McColl, born in 1876
    • George Edward Wellington Duncan, born in 1878
    • Harry Cowan Wellington Haworth, born in 1879
    • William Wellington Chaplin, born in 1882
    • Ida Wellington Cowan, born in 1884
  • Western Monarch:
    • Thomas Western Radcliffe, born in 1876
  • Westmeath:
    • May Westmeath Wright, born in 1884
  • Westminister:
    • Mary Westminster Lucas, born in 1956
  • Wimmera:
    • George Wimmera Bennett, born in 1874
  • Windsor Castle:
    • Bertha Windsor Schultz, born in 1881
  • Winifred:
    • Winifred Hascher, born in 1881
  • Wisconsin:
    • Francis Owen Wisconsin O’Donald, born in 1879
    • Sarah Wisconsin Whitehead, born in 1879
    • Wisconsin Beardall, born in 1880
    • Jennie Wisconsin Cottrell, born in 1882
    • Wisconsin Ward, born in 1883
    • Wisconsin Wolfer, born in 1886
    • Elizabeth Wisconsin Hanlon, born in 1886
    • James Wisconsin Goodall, born in 1886
    • Johanna Wisconsin Cunningham, born in 1887
    • Edward Wisconsin Cothom, born in 1887
  • Wistow:
    • Wistow Tapp, born in 1885
  • W. J. Pirrie (now part of a marine sanctuary):
    • Nora Pirrie Duckworth, born in 1886
  • Wyoming:
    • Wyoming Grainger, born in 1880
    • Wyoming Liddle, born in 1883

Y

  • Yeoman:
    • Elizabeth Victoria Yeoman Goddard, born in 1887
  • York:
    • Christopher York Gurten, born in 1862
    • John York Lillis, born in 1862
  • Young England:
    • Young England Coleman, born in 1865

Z

  • Zamora:
    • Julia Zamora Fitzgerald, born in 1877
    • Agnes Maria Zamora Gabaluseke, born in 1881
    • Zamora Jane Walker, born in 1881
    • Edward Zamora Bently, born in 1882
    • Joseph Zamora Daly, born in 1882
  • Zeno:
    • Annie Zeno Babin, born in 1876
  • Zealandia:
    • Zealandia Helena Harvey, born in 1875
  • Zephyr:
    • Edith Anjer Zephyr Watson, born in 1878

Do you think any of the ship names above work particularly well as human names?

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Earl Dalhousie (public domain)

[Latest update: Jan. 2025]

Quotes about celebrity baby names

American actress Zooey Deschanel
Zooey Deschanel

From a 2015 Today show interview during which actress Zooey Deschanel explains why she named her daughter Elsie Otter:

Well, we just really liked the name Elsie, and then we both love otters — they’re very sweet, and they’re also smart. They use tools, they keep their favorite tools, they hold hands while they sleep. There are so many amazing things about otters. They’re wonderful animals.

From a 2019 Us Weekly article about the weirdly common celebrity baby name combo “Charlie Wolf“:

Celebrity moms and dads are going wild for the animal-inspired baby name Charlie Wolf.

Zooey Deschanel and her estranged husband, Jacob Pechenik, kicked off the trendy moniker when they welcomed their baby boy in 2017.

[…]

Lauren Conrad and William Tell welcomed their second little one in October 2019 — and named him Charlie Wolf as well.

[…]

The following month, another Charlie Wolf arrived — or rather, Charles Wolfe.

(The third one was born to former Bachelor in Paradise contestants Evan Bass and Carly Waddell.)

From a 2017 Rap Radar interview during which rapper Jay-Z spoke about the names of his twins, Rumi and Sir:

Rumi is our favorite poet, so it was for our daughter. And then Sir was just like, man, like, come out the gate. […] He carries himself like that. He just came out, like, Sir.

From a 2016 Instagram post by singer Darius Rucker:

My daughter Dani with the guy she was named after, Dan Marino.

From a 2013 People interview with singer Dido, whose son Stanley was born in 2011:

Dido’s duet with Eminem […] “Stan,” [was] a collaboration which she never imagined fans would connect to her son’s moniker.

“Stanley was actually our favorite name, coincidentally both of our favorite names. He could never have been called anything else to be honest,” Dido shares. “I’m so stupid, I didn’t think anyone would make the connection.”

From the 2006 article about actress Sandra Bernhard in the weekly NYC newspaper The Villager:

Bernhard […] appropriate[d] from Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest” the name Cicely that graces Bernhard’s daughter born July 4, 1998, nine or so months after the flamethrowing actress/singer/faghag/friend of the famous said to herself one fine day: “Enough! Get real.”

From a 2012 People interview with actress Drew Barrymore:

Asked why she and her husband Will Kopelman chose Olive, the actress says it came from a book — though not one of baby-names.

“I was reading a book with my husband. I was three months pregnant, and they said, ‘Your baby is the size of an olive.’ And that was it. We never looked back,” Barrymore, 37, says in an interview airing Thursday on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

From a 2018 Vice interview with actor Jeff Goldblum:

Vice: Amazing. That’s Charlie Ocean right?

Jeff: Yeah that’s Charlie Ocean! And then our other son [with wife Emilie Livingston, a Canadian aerialist, actress, and former Olympian] who’s now 11 months old is River Joe.

Vice: Any musical streaks in either of them yet?

Jeff: I’ve always sat at the piano these last couple years with Charlie Ocean and he kinda bangs around. But I must say, River Joe, when I play or we put on music, boy he’s just standing up at this point, but he rocks to the music and bounces up and down. He seems to really like it so maybe he’s musical. I’d like to play with them.

From a 2021 New York Times interview with actress Kate Winslet:

[Ms. Winslet] has a son, Bear, 7, with her current husband, who has gone back to his original name, Edward Abel Smith, from his playful pseudonym, Ned Rocknroll.

“He added ‘Winslet’ as one of his middle names, just simply because the children have Winslet,” the actress said. “When we’re all traveling together, to all have that name on the passports makes life easier.” (Bear’s middle name is Blaze, after the fire that Kate and Ned escaped that burned down the British Virgin Islands home of Richard Branson, her husband’s uncle.)

(The article also mentioned that a Delco sandwich shop now sells a hoagie called “The Mare” in honor of Kate’s Mare of Easttown character, Mare Sheehan.)

From a 2015 Yahoo Parenting interview during which TV personality Holly Madison defends her decision to name her daughter Rainbow:

People love to say, “That’s a stripper name.” But I’ve spent a lot of time in Vegas and strippers aren’t named Rainbow. They’re named Amber, Crystal and Jessica.

From a 2007 People interview with film director Robert Rodriguez (whose kids are named Rocket, Racer, Rebel, Rogue, and Rhiannon):

Asked about his children’s unusual names, Robert attributes them to side effects he sustained from his college years when he subjected himself to medical tests to make extra money.

“Rocket is the first one. And once you name your first kid Rocket, you can’t name your next kid Marty. Racer, Rebel, Rogue…I’m just gonna blame this on the medical experiments. But they do have regular middle names in case they don’t want to start their own wrestling team.”

From a 2013 Maxim interview with film director Ron Howard:

Q: Is it true that your kids’ middle names come from the locations where they were conceived?

A: David Letterman got that out of me, and my kids will never let me forget it. My daughter, Bryce [Dallas Howard], was conceived in Dallas, and our twins [Jocelyn Carlyle Howard and Paige Carlyle Howard] were conceived while we were doing a publicity tour at the Carlyle Hotel in New York City. For the last one [Reed Cross Howard], we were on Lower Cross Road, so we decided to go with Cross. “Volvo” wouldn’t be such a good middle name.

From an early 2018 E! Online article about singer Justin Timberlake:

Timberlake’s interview comes weeks before the release of his new album Man of the Woods, which is set to hit stores on February 2. He said his son inspired the name of the record and its title track.

“I literally just went on Google like, ‘meaning of the name Silas,’ and it sent me to this to this site and it said, ‘of Latin origin, meaning ‘Man of the woods,'” he said. “I was like, ‘How serendipitous that my last is Timberlake, like what does that mean?'”

On the origin of the name of George Harrison’s son, Dhani, from The Beatles Encyclopedia (2014) by Kenneth Womack:

Born on August 1, 1978, in Windsor, England, Dhani Harrison is the only son of Harrison and his second wife Olivia Trinidad Arias. His unusual name is a composite of the sixth and seventh notes of the Indian music scale — “dha” and “ni.”

From actress Cloris Leachman‘s autobiography Cloris (2009), a scene set in early 1966, soon after the birth of her daughter Dinah:

Sometime the following week — I think it was five days later — we gave a dinner party, and Dinah Shore was among the guests. She wanted to see the new baby, so we brought her to the crib, and she oohed and aahed about how beautiful she was.

“What’s her name?” she asked as she leaned over the baby.

“Dinah,” I said. Then I thought, Oh, oh.

Dinah Shore turned to us, emotion visible on her face. “You named her after me?” There was a tremble in her voice.

The truth was, we hadn’t thought of Dinah Shore or anybody else while we cruised around for a name. Some very fast footwork was called for.

“Yes,” I said, my eyes mirroring the emotion in hers. “George and I thought you were the perfect role model for our baby.”

I mean, what could I do? She was having something close to a religious experience. I couldn’t slap my forehead and say, “Can you believe it? We never once thought of you when we picked the name.”

From an Instagram post by actor Josh Brolin, whose daughter Chapel Grace was born in 2020:

Everywhere we have traveled the one place Kathryn and I always found a great solace in were chapels. Not being particularly religious, but a God feeling heavily inundating our lives, chapels have always been the sanctuaries where we felt most connectedly free to give thanks. Chapel Grace is, to us, a manifestation of that celestial feeling that was always felt as we meandered and knelt.

From a 2020 People interview with actress Mindy Kaling, whose two children are named Katherine Swati and Spencer Avu:

“I don’t trust my own judgment with those kinds of names,” she admits. “If I name my son River, that connotes a certain kind of person who is very go with the flow, artsy. But what if he’s not like that at all? Will he be furious with me?”

“I just tried to pick classic names that felt like they would have to work really hard to get mad at me about later,” Kaling says, with a laugh.

From a 2016 Tampa Bay Times interview with musician Robin Zander (of Cheap Trick):

In the early ’90s, he and wife, Pam, who grew up in Pinellas County, settled down in the Sunshine State, drawn by family ties and the promise of a nice, safe community in which to raise their son, Robin Taylor, now 23, and daughter, Robin-Sailor, 15. (Zander’s go-to line about his kids’ quirky names: “My wife just calls us Robin, and we all come running.”)

From a 1998 BBC article about English singer Melanie Blatt (of All Saints):

Melanie and her boyfriend, musician Stuart Zender [of Jamiroquai], revealed in a magazine interview that they intend to name their daughter Lily Ella: Lily after the first flowers he bought her during their courtship and Ella after the music legend Ella Fitzgerald.

(Their daughter Lilyella was born in November.)

From a 2020 Entertainment Weekly article about comedian Amy Schumer, who legally changed her son’s name:

The I Feel Pretty star revealed her decision to change her 11-month-old son’s name on the newest episode of her podcast 3 Girls, 1 Keith on Tuesday. Schumer and her husband Chris Fischer named their first child Gene Attell Fischer, born May 5, with his middle name serving as a tribute to their good friend comic Dave Attell.

“Do you guys know that Gene, our baby’s name, is officially changed? It’s now Gene David Fischer. It was Gene Attell Fischer, but we realized that we, by accident, named our son ‘genital.'”

From a 2016 Elle interview during which comedian Alexandra “Ali” Wong spoke about her baby:

Q: What’s her name?

A: Mari, inspired by my hero Marie Kondo, who wrote The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.

…And, as confirmation, from Ali‘s New York Times interview one month later:

Q: Is it true that you named your daughter after the home-organizing expert Marie Kondo?

A: I don’t expect her to be the magical tidying baby, but yeah.

From a 2022 article in People, talk show host Kelly Ripa tells the story behind the name of her daughter Lola (b. 2001):

“Lola was supposed to be Sophia, but on the way to the hospital in the taxi cab, the driver was listening to the radio — the 70s station — and ‘Copacabana’ by Barry Manilow was playing,” the mom of three recalled.

“I heard that [lyric], when he said, ‘Her name was Lola,’ and I said to Mark, ‘Lola Consuelos would be a really cool name.’ And he said, ‘If she’s a girl, let’s name her Lola.’ And that was it,” she shared.

From the book Indiana’s 200: The People Who Shaped the Hoosier State (2016) by James E. St. Clair:

Amid much publicity in the early 1950s, [Herb Shriner and his wife] had given their children names that reflected his Hoosier heritage: They had a daughter named Indiana (known as “Indy”) and a son, Kin, named in honor of Abe Martin creator Frank McKinney “Kin” Hubbard. Kin Shriner became a soap opera actor; his twin brother, Wil (named for Will Rogers, but with one l), became a comedian, television, director, and talk show host with a laid-back style reminiscent of his father.

From a 2008 interview with singer Erykah Badu, whose daughter Puma was born in 2004:

The puma is one of the biggest and strongest cats in the feline family, but it has no roar. I thought that was very unique.

(Thanks to Badu, the name Erykah was the highest-debuting girl name of 1997.)

From a 2012 People interview during which singer Nick Lachey (of 98 Degrees) spoke about the name of his son Camden John:

“It’s kind of a funny story. I’ve always liked the name Colin. We thought that Colin would be the name. And John is my dad’s name. […] But as we got further into it, I learned that Vanessa wasn’t a big fan of the name Colin, so we started looking for another ‘C’ name.”

Nick, who frequented Vanessa’s obstetrician’s office with her on Camden Drive [in Beverly Hills], one day suggested, “Hey, what about Camden?”

At this point, he says, “We didn’t really know anyone else named Camden. It was such a neat name. We fell in love with it and decided on it five or six months ago.”

From a 2017 E! Online article about singer Liam Payne:

The One Direction singer-turned-solo artist explained the origin of son Bear Payne’s name during a Total Access radio interview, which he said was decided upon by mom Cheryl Cole.

“It was an internal battle,” Liam reflected. “I wanted a more traditional name and she wanted a name that was more unusual. “The reason she chose Bear was because Bear is a name that when you leave a room, you won’t forget.”

“And I like that,” the U.K. native decided eventually.

From a 2015 interview with actor Dax Shepard [vid] on The Ellen DeGeneres Show:

Ellen: Where does the name Delta come from, was that something you had thought of before?

Dax: So Delta actually — it was a joke, because our first daughter’s name is Lincoln, which is very masculine, so a friend of mine teasingly texted me, “Oh great, what’s this one gonna be, Navy Seal? Delta Force? Green Beret?” And I was reading this text out loud to Kristen, I’m like, “Oh listen to how funny this is, Steve said, what if we named her Delta Force” and I was like…Delta! Delta Bell Shepard, that’s it! And that’s it.

From a 2019 Instagram post by English singer Stacey Solomon, who explained why she named her son Rex Toby Francis:

Rex because our boys think he sounds like a T-Rex. Francis is Joe’s Nanna’s name and Toby is my Nanna’s name.

Image: Adapted from Zooey Deschanel by Genevieve719 under CC BY 2.0.

[Latest update: Oct. 2023]