How popular is the baby name Iris 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 Iris.

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Popularity of the baby name Iris


Posts that mention the name Iris

What gave the baby name Seth a boost in 1999?

The character Seth from the movie "City of Angels" (1998)
Seth from “City of Angels“

The paranormal romance City of Angels was released in movie theaters in April of 1998.

The film’s main character, Seth (played by Nicolas Cage), was an angel who helped dying humans transition to the next life.

While doing his work in a Los Angeles hospital, Seth took an interest in heart surgeon Maggie Rice (played by Meg Ryan). He made himself visible (and audible) to her, so that they could communicate with one another, and the pair soon fell in love. Seth ultimately decided to give up his immortality in order to live as a human with Maggie.

City of Angels was a success at the box office and, in 1999, the name Seth was the fastest-rising boy name in the country:

  • 2001: 6,223 baby boys named Seth (rank: 68th)
  • 2000: 6,717 baby boys named Seth (rank: 63rd)
  • 1999: 6,304 baby boys named Seth (rank: 65th)
  • 1998: 4,587 baby boys named Seth (rank: 86th)
  • 1997: 4,043 baby boys named Seth (rank: 97th)

The name reached peak usage one year later.

Here’s a visual:

Graph of the usage of the baby name Seth in the U.S. since 1880
Usage of the baby name Seth

The brief-but-steady rise of the name Maggie that began in the late ’90s may have been kicked off by the movie as well:

  • 2000: 1,614 baby girls named Maggie
  • 1999: 1,423 baby girls named Maggie
  • 1998: 1,238 baby girls named Maggie
  • 1997: 1,054 baby girls named Maggie
  • 1996: 1,103 baby girls named Maggie

And one of Seth’s angelic friends, Cassiel (played by Andre Braugher), also had an impact on names. Despite the fact that the character was male, Cassiel debuted in as a girl name in the U.S. baby name data in 1999.

What are your thoughts on the name Seth? (Do you like it more or less than Cassiel?)

P.S. Coincidentally, the movie Universal Soldier: The Return, which came out in mid-1999, also featured characters named Seth and Maggie.

P.P.S. The Goo Goo Dolls’ power ballad “Iris” [vid], which was written for the City of Angels soundtrack, reached #9 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart in December of 1998. Though the name Iris was not mentioned in either the song or the film — vocalist Johnny Rzeznik randomly chose the song’s title after spotting Iris DeMent‘s name in a magazine — the usage of baby name Iris did see an uptick in usage in the late ’90s.

Sources:

Image: Screenshot of City of Angels

Popular and unique baby names in Sweden, 2024

Flag of Sweden
Flag of Sweden

Last year, the Scandinavian country of Sweden welcomed 98,451 babies.

What were the most popular names among these babies? Alma and Noah.

Here are Sweden’s top 50 girl names and top 50+ boy names of 2024:

Girl names

  1. Alma, 568 baby girls
  2. Alice, 565
  3. Olivia, 552
  4. Elsa, 550
  5. Vera, 546
  6. Saga, 486
  7. Selma, 484
  8. Astrid, 473
  9. Ella, 472
  10. Signe, 458
  11. Freja, 455
  12. Ellie, 454
  13. Stella, 427
  14. Alba, 408
  15. Maja, 398
  16. Agnes, 373
  17. Alva, 367
  18. Leah, 350
  19. Hedda, 346
  20. Ebba, 340
  21. Mila, 322
  22. Luna, 319
  23. Lilly, 310
  24. Wilma, 303
  25. Iris, 300
  26. Ines, 291
  27. Juni, 290
  28. Alicia, 288
  29. Sigrid, 283
  30. Ellen, 254
  31. Ester, 251
  32. Leia, 248
  33. Nora, 244
  34. Majken, 242
  35. Lykke, 241
  36. Julia, 238
  37. Lily, 237 (tie)
  38. Molly, 237 (tie)
  39. Edith, 227
  40. Hilma, 224
  41. Elvira, 222
  42. Sally, 216
    • It’s so interesting to see Sally rising in Sweden. (It entered Sweden’s top 100 around 2013.) In the U.S., Sally has never made the top 50 — but it did come close in the late 1930s.
  43. Celine, 211
  44. Clara, 205
  45. Nova, 198
  46. Ingrid, 194
  47. Ilse, 190
  48. Livia, 189
  49. Bonnie, 185 (tie)
  50. Esther, 185 (tie)

Boy names

  1. Noah, 692 baby boys
  2. William, 574
  3. Hugo, 567
  4. Liam, 548
  5. Adam, 538 (tie)
  6. August, 538 (tie)
  7. Nils, 527
  8. Leo, 515
  9. Oliver, 514
  10. Otto, 491
  11. Sam, 490
  12. Alfred, 482
  13. Elias, 478
  14. Malte, 463
  15. Leon, 422
  16. Frans, 420
  17. Charlie, 404
  18. Ludvig, 396
  19. Ted, 377
  20. Theo, 376
  21. Valter, 375
  22. Olle, 371
  23. Gabriel, 347
  24. Arvid, 345
  25. Elliot, 343 (tie)
  26. Lucas, 343 (tie)
  27. Tage, 328
  28. Harry, 320
  29. Henry, 303 (tie)
  30. Theodor, 303 (tie)
  31. Björn, 291
  32. Ebbe, 285
  33. Vincent, 284
  34. Walter, 280
  35. Alexander, 277 (tie)
  36. Adrian, 277 (tie)
  37. Benjamin, 272
  38. Oscar, 264 (tie)
  39. Melker, 264 (tie)
  40. Elton, 260
  41. Jack, 259
  42. Noel, 258
  43. Axel, 251
  44. Kian, 244
  45. Viggo, 229
  46. Albin, 225
  47. Ivar, 224
  48. Lukas, 223
  49. Matteo, 218
  50. Julian, 217 (tie)
  51. Levi, 217 (tie)

In the girls’ top 10, Saga replaced Ellie.

In the boys’ top 10, Leo and Otto replaced Elias and Sam.

Four of the fastest-rising names were Celine and Junie (for girls) and Bo and Björn (for boys).

Lower down in the rankings I spotted…

  • Penny (65 girls)
    • Five more were named Pennie.
  • Tindra (23 girls) – means “to twinkle” in Swedish
  • Buster (10 boys)
  • Tintin (6 girls, 4 boys)
  • Texas (8 boys, 1 girl)
    • Three more boys were named Tex, Texan, and Texaz.
  • Grim (7 boys)
  • Tibelia (5 girls)
  • Fenrir (4 boys) – a giant wolf in Norse mythology
  • Figge (4 boys) – a nickname for Fredrik
  • Styrbjörn (3 boys)
  • Lioness (2 girls)
  • Valiant (2 boys)

And here’s a sampling of the thousands of names that were bestowed just once in Sweden last year:

Unique girl namesUnique boy names
Allikin, Borealis, Cindelle, Darshini, Eldfrid, Frigg, Gizi, Hafdís, Issoria, Javeline, Kiwi, Lupin, Majliss, Ninorta, Orchidée, Päivi, Ririka, Siglind, Tanangoo, Unnati, Vyllma, Wanyin, Yangkyi, ZeelineAlfrid, Brighter, Carwill, Dharav, Ejvind, Fafner, Gizmo, Hjälte, Imron, Jojje, Khangarid, Lindorm, Michigan, Nexus, Orchlon, Prodromos, Reijo, Sigsten, Thimmy, Ulve, Vigor, Wheffy, Yazn, Zirrar

Some definitions/explanations for a few of the above:

  • Allikin is the main character of the Swedish children’s book Allikin (1986) by Runo Lindskog.
  • Borealis is a Latin word meaning “northern.”
  • Frigg is a Norse goddess.
    • The word Friday comes from the Old English word frigedæg, meaning “Frigg’s day.”
  • Hafdís is an Icelandic name made up of elements meaning “sea” and “goddess.”
  • Hjälte means “hero” in Swedish.
  • Jojje is a diminutive of Georg, the Swedish form of George.
  • Khangarid is the Mongolian name for Garuda, a mythical bird-like deity in Hinduism and Buddhism.
    • The emblem of Mongolia’s capital, Ulaanbaatar, features a Khangarid.
  • Lindorm refers to a mythical snake-like creature in Nordic folklore.
  • Päivi is a diminutive of the Finnish name Päivikki, which is based on the word päivä, meaning “day.”
  • Prodromos is an Ancient Greek word meaning “forerunner.”
  • Unnati is a Sanskrit word meaning “ascending” or “advancement.”

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Flag of Sweden (public domain)

Popular baby names in France, 2024

Flag of France
Flag of France

Last year, the European country of France welcomed about 663,000 babies.

What were the most popular names among these babies? Louise and Gabriel.

Here are France’s top 50 girl names and top 50+ boy names of 2024:

Girl names

  1. Louise, 3,125 baby girls (approx.)
  2. Jade, 3,055
  3. Ambre, 2,815
  4. Alba, 2,660
  5. Emma, 2,520
  6. Alma, 2,380
  7. Romy, 2,260
  8. Rose, 2,220
  9. Alice, 2,200
  10. Anna, 2,110
  11. Lou, 2,070
  12. Inaya, 1,990
  13. Mia, 1,945
  14. Adèle, 1,940
  15. Lina, 1,935
  16. Julia, 1,870
  17. Iris, 1,855
  18. Agathe, 1,845
  19. Giulia, 1,740
  20. Charlie, 1,725
  21. Eva, 1,680
  22. Jeanne, 1,635
  23. Olivia, 1,620
  24. Léna, 1,560
  25. Nour, 1,535
  26. Victoire, 1,535
  27. Juliette, 1,510
  28. Luna, 1,490
  29. Léonie, 1,445
  30. Zoé, 1,365
  31. Chloé, 1,360
  32. Nina, 1,345
  33. Sofia, 1,335
  34. Léa, 1,300
  35. Alya, 1,220
  36. Charlotte, 1,190
  37. Romane, 1,185
  38. Victoria, 1,180
  39. Elena, 1,080
  40. Ava, 1,060
  41. Esmée, 1,035
  42. Alix, 1,020
  43. Lucie, 1,015
  44. Lola, 980
  45. Lya, 965
  46. Albane, 925
  47. Margot, 905
  48. Mila, 905
  49. Lyna, 880
  50. Gabrielle, 875

Boy names

  1. Gabriel, 4,550 baby boys (approx.)
  2. Raphaël, 3,470
  3. Louis, 3,335
  4. Léo, 3,325
  5. Noah, 3,260
  6. Arthur, 3,085
  7. Adam, 3,045
  8. Jules, 3,030
  9. Maël, 2,830
  10. Léon, 2,570
  11. Liam, 2,500
  12. Isaac, 2,480
  13. Eden, 2,460
  14. Sacha, 2,420
  15. Marceau, 2,290
  16. Lucas, 2,165
  17. Noé, 2125
  18. Gabin, 2,,025
  19. Mohamed, 1,995
  20. Aaron, 1,975
  21. Ayden, 1,845
  22. Malo, 1,830
  23. Paul, 1,800
  24. Hugo, 1,710
  25. Elio, 1,700
  26. Ethan, 1,660
  27. Ibrahim, 1,600
  28. Marius, 1,595
  29. Nathan, 1,430
  30. Naël, 1,425
  31. Victor, 1,410
  32. Eliott, 1,390
  33. Imran, 1,370
  34. Martin, 1,355
  35. Théo, 1,345
  36. Tom, 1,300
  37. Gaspard, 1,245
  38. Mathis, 1,235
  39. Côme, 1,215
  40. Léandre, 1,185
  41. Amir, 1,175
  42. Augustin, 1,145
  43. Lyam, 1,145
  44. Aylan, 1,120
  45. Nino, 1,120
  46. Ezio, 1,110
  47. Antoine, 1,090
  48. Milo, 1,065
  49. Robin, 1,060
  50. Andrea, 1,045
  51. Valentin, 1,045
  52. Zayn, 1,045

Interestingly, France did not reveal precisely how many babies were given each name this time around. Instead, totals were “rounded to the nearest multiple of 5” and ties were listed in alphabetical order.

The girls’ top 100 included Emy (57th), Ella (69th), Jannah (77th), and Judith (94th).

The boys’ top 100 included Timéo (55th), Pablo (75th), Anas (85th), and Lenny (97th).

Finally, here are France’s 2023 rankings, if you’d like to compare last year to the year before.

Sources: Classement des prénoms en France depuis 1900 – Insee, Demographic report 2024 – Insee

Image: Adapted from Flag of France (public domain)

Popular baby names in Croatia, 2024

Flag of Croatia
Flag of Croatia

Last year, the European country of Croatia welcomed 32,628 babies — 15,733 girls and 16,895 boys.

What were the most popular names among these babies? Mia and Luka, as usual.

Here are Croatia’s top 50 girl names and top 50 boy names of 2024:

Girl names

  1. Mia, 377 baby girls
  2. Rita, 363
  3. Nika, 328
  4. Mila, 296
  5. Lucija, 292
  6. Ema, 290
  7. Marta, 286 (tie)
  8. Sara, 286 (tie)
  9. Eva, 219
  10. Dora, 212
  11. Lara, 210
  12. Iva, 207
  13. Elena, 201
  14. Ana, 195
  15. Klara, 191
  16. Laura, 181
  17. Petra, 180
  18. Marija, 174
  19. Tena, 161
  20. Vita, 158
  21. Lana, 153
  22. Hana, 152
  23. Lea, 148 (tie)
  24. Una, 148 (tie)
  25. Sofia, 147
  26. Franka, 143
  27. Cvita, 139 (tie)
  28. Ena, 139 (tie)
  29. Nora, 136
  30. Maša, 130
  31. Nikol, 126
  32. Leona, 125
  33. Lena, 123
  34. Maris, 116
  35. Magdalena, 113
  36. Iris, 108 (tie)
  37. Tia, 108 (tie)
  38. Lota, 106
  39. Tara, 105
  40. Karla, 104
  41. Emili, 102
  42. Roza, 101
  43. Mara, 100
  44. Aria, 99 (tie)
  45. Sofija, 99 (tie)
  46. Bruna, 95
  47. Aurora, 93
  48. Katja, 92
  49. Kiara, 91 (tie)
  50. Tea, 91 (tie)

Boy names

  1. Luka, 603 baby boys
  2. Jakov, 468
  3. Toma, 426
  4. David, 420
  5. Petar, 376
  6. Niko, 365
  7. Ivan, 359
  8. Mateo, 350
  9. Roko, 349
  10. Matej, 337
  11. Noa, 300
  12. Josip, 298
  13. Fran, 290
  14. Šimun, 274
  15. Teo, 273
  16. Lovro, 262
  17. Vito, 261
  18. Mihael, 240
  19. Borna, 236
  20. Karlo, 235
  21. Marko, 231
  22. Leon, 225
  23. Filip, 223
  24. Jan, 220
  25. Leo, 211
  26. Ante, 206
  27. Gabriel, 185
  28. Ivano, 181
  29. Viktor, 153
  30. Lukas, 151
  31. Bruno, 147 (tie)
  32. Oliver, 147 (tie)
  33. Adrian, 143 (tie)
  34. Noel, 143 (tie)
  35. Rafael, 140
  36. Tin, 126
  37. Dominik, 125 (3-way tie)
  38. Emanuel, 125 (3-way tie)
  39. Liam, 125 (3-way tie)
  40. Marin, 121
  41. Mauro, 117
  42. Nikola, 116
  43. Maro, 114
  44. Toni, 100
  45. Duje, 96
  46. Antonio, 81 (4-way tie)
  47. Franko, 81 (4-way tie)
  48. Jona, 81 (4-way tie)
  49. Lovre, 81 (4-way tie)
  50. Patrik, 78

In the girls’ top 50, Maris, Aria, and Kiara replaced Marla, Luce, and Lora.

In the boys’ top 50, Franko and Jona replaced Erik and Andrej.

I didn’t post about Croatia’s top baby names of 2023, but here are Croatia’s 2022 rankings.

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Civil ensign of Croatia (public domain)