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

Popular baby names in Iceland, 2023

Flag of Iceland
Flag of Iceland

Last year, the island nation of Iceland welcomed over 4,200 babies.

What were the most popular names among these babies? Emilía and Birnir.

Below are Iceland’s top 50+ girl names and top 50+ boy names of 2023. (Please note that I created these two gendered sets of rankings from the single non-gendered set of rankings that Iceland released.)

Girl names

  1. Emilía, 23 baby girls
  2. Sara, 22
  3. Aþena, 21 (3-way tie)
  4. Embla, 21 (3-way tie)
  5. Sóley, 21 (3-way tie)
  6. Emma, 20
  7. Katla, 19
  8. Eva, 18 (4-way tie)
  9. Lilja, 18 (4-way tie)
  10. Una, 18 (4-way tie)
  11. Viktoría, 18 (4-way tie)
  12. Anna, 16 (3-way tie)
  13. Bríet, 16 (3-way tie)
  14. Hekla, 16 (3-way tie) – inspired by Hekla, the name of one of Iceland’s most active volcanoes.
  15. Matthildur, 15 (tie)
  16. Salka, 15 (tie)
  17. Birta, 14 (3-way tie)
  18. Hafdís, 14 (3-way tie)
  19. Katrín, 14 (3-way tie)
  20. Andrea, 13 (3-way tie)
  21. Freyja, 13 (3-way tie)
  22. Natalía, 13 (3-way tie)
  23. Íris, 12 (4-way tie)
  24. Iðunn, 12 (4-way tie)
  25. Kristín, 12 (4-way tie)
  26. Móeiður, 12 (4-way tie)
  27. Ástrós, 11 (5-way tie)
  28. Fanney, 11 (5-way tie) – modern coinage created from elements meaning “snowdrift” and “island.”
  29. Hrafntinna, 11 (5-way tie)
  30. Saga, 11 (5-way tie)
  31. Ylfa, 11 (5-way tie)
  32. Elín, 10 (5-way tie)
  33. Heiðdís, 10 (5-way tie)
  34. Hildur, 10 (5-way tie)
  35. Júlía, 10 (5-way tie)
  36. Laufey, 10 (5-way tie)
  37. Amelía, 9 (12-way tie)
  38. Aría, 9 (12-way tie)
  39. Dagbjört, 9 (12-way tie)
  40. Glódís, 9 (12-way tie) – modern coinage created from elements meaning “to shine” and “goddess.”
  41. Helena, 9 (12-way tie)
  42. Ísabella, 9 (12-way tie)
  43. Karítas, 9 (12-way tie)
  44. Klara, 9 (12-way tie)
  45. Máney, 9 (12-way tie)
  46. María, 9 (12-way tie)
  47. Sigrún, 9 (12-way tie)
  48. Sóldís, 9 (12-way tie)
  49. Alexandra, 8 (9-way tie)
  50. Edda, 8 (9-way tie)
  51. Eldey, 8 (9-way tie)
  52. Harpa, 8 (9-way tie)
  53. Írena, 8 (9-way tie)
  54. Margrét, 8 (9-way tie)
  55. Rakel, 8 (9-way tie)
  56. Ronja, 8 (9-way tie)
  57. Þórdís, 8 (9-way tie)

Boy names

  1. Birnir, 30 baby boys
  2. Emil, 28
  3. Elmar, 25 (tie)
  4. Jón, 25 (tie)
  5. Óliver 24
  6. Aron, 23
  7. Viktor, 22
  8. Jökull, 21
  9. Alexander, 20
  10. Atlas, 19
  11. Gunnar, 18
  12. Baldur, 17 (tie)
  13. Mikael, 17 (tie)
  14. Breki, 16 (3-way tie) – derived from an Old Norse word meaning “breaker.”
  15. Styrmir, 16 (3-way tie)
  16. Theodór, 16 (3-way tie)
  17. Arnar, 15 (3-way tie)
  18. Kári, 15 (3-way tie)
  19. Óðinn, 15 (3-way tie)
  20. Baltasar, 14 (3-way tie)
  21. Elías, 14 (3-way tie)
  22. Huginn, 14 (3-way tie)
  23. Daníel, 13 (4-way tie)
  24. Hilmir, 13 (4-way tie)
  25. Ísak, 13 (4-way tie)
  26. Úlfur, 13 (4-way tie)
  27. Gabríel, 12 (4-way tie)
  28. Guðmundur, 12 (4-way tie)
  29. Ólafur, 12 (4-way tie)
  30. Tómas, 12 (4-way tie)
  31. Ari, 11 (11-way tie)
  32. Benedikt, 11 (11-way tie)
  33. Benjamín, 11 (11-way tie)
  34. Björn, 11 (11-way tie)
  35. Brynjar, 11 (11-way tie)
  36. Dagur, 11 (11-way tie)
  37. Erik, 11 (11-way tie)
  38. Kristján, 11 (11-way tie)
  39. Kristófer, 11 (11-way tie)
  40. Matthías, 11 (11-way tie)
  41. Sigurður, 11 (11-way tie)
  42. Anton, 10 (7-way tie)
  43. Atli, 10 (7-way tie)
  44. Ágúst, 10 (7-way tie)
  45. Hinrik, 10 (7-way tie)
  46. Jóhann, 10 (7-way tie)
  47. Magnús, 10 (7-way tie)
  48. Stefán, 10 (7-way tie)
  49. Adam, 9 (8-way tie)
  50. Bergur, 9 (8-way tie)
  51. Birkir, 9 (8-way tie)
  52. Leó, 9 (8-way tie)
  53. Máni, 9 (8-way tie)
  54. Óskar, 9 (8-way tie)
  55. Stormur, 9 (8-way tie)
  56. Tristan, 9 (8-way tie)

Interesting names from outside the top 50 include…

  • Rökkvi (masculine name, given to 8 babies), which may mean “twilight.”
  • Kolbrá (fem., 5 babies), a modern coinage created from elements meaning “black, dark” and “eyelash.”
  • Hrafnkatla (fem., 3 babies), the feminine form of Hrafnkell, which is made up of elements meaning “raven” and “cauldron.”
  • Tindur (masc., 3 babies), derived from an Old Norse word meaning “spike,” “tooth,” “mountain peak.”
  • Þráinn (masc., 3 babies), based on an Old Norse word meaning “obstinacy.”
  • Krummi (masc., 2 babies), which could mean either “bent, crooked” or “raven.”

And what about the single-use names?

Over 980 names were bestowed just once in Iceland last year. Here’s a sampling of Iceland’s unique baby names of 2023:

Apolonia, Broteva, Dofri, Esjar, Friðþjófur, Gígja, Gíslason, Hlín, Indriði, Jóvin, Kjalar, Myrkár, Náttey, Ösp, Possible, Röskva, Spói, Torfi, Undína, Völundur, Yndís, Zebbý

Here are simplified definitions for a few of the above…

  • Friðþjófur (masc.), made up of elements meaning “peace” and “thief”
    • A name that means “peace thief” seems very appropriate for a newborn baby. :)
  • Gígja (fem.), meaning “fiddle.”
  • Ösp (fem.), meaning “aspen tree.”
  • Röskva (fem.), meaning “vigorous,” “brave.”
  • Spói (masc.), from the Icelandic word spói, which refers to the whimbrel (a type of bird).

Gíslason — a surname that was likely used as a masculine forename (given that -son ending) — may have been inspired by Icelandic soccer player Rúrik Gíslason.

I didn’t post about Iceland’s top baby names of 2022, but here are Iceland’s 2021 rankings.

Sources: Vinsælustu nöfnin 2023 – Þjóðskrá, Births – Statistics Iceland, Nordic Names, Wiktionary

Image: Adapted from Flag of Iceland (public domain)

Most popular baby girl names (letter by letter) in the U.S. in 2023

First letter usage for baby girl names in the U.S. in 2023

Going letter by letter, what were last year’s most popular baby girl names?

Before we get to the lists, a few quick facts:

  • The most common first letter for girl names in 2023 was A (used 16.48% of the time), followed by E (9.49%) and M (9.17%).
  • The least common first letter for girl names in 2023 was U (used 0.04% of the time), followed by Q (0.24%) and X (0.32%).
  • The first letter that increased the most in usage for girl names (from 2022 to 2023) was D.
  • The first letter that decreased the most in usage for girl names (from 2022 to 2023) was A.

Top girl names starting with A:

  1. Amelia, 12,311 baby girls
  2. Ava, 9,682
  3. Aurora, 6,054
  4. Aria, 5,996
  5. Avery, 5,859
  6. Abigail, 5,661
  7. Addison, 3,520
  8. Alice, 3,336
  9. Adeline, 3,074
  10. Audrey, 3,032

Top girl names starting with B:

  1. Brooklyn, 2,850 baby girls
  2. Bella, 2,540
  3. Brielle, 2,064
  4. Brianna, 1,875
  5. Blakely, 1,854
  6. Bailey, 1,678
  7. Blake, 1,346
  8. Blair, 1,263
  9. Brynlee, 1,210
  10. Brooke, 1,032

Top girl names starting with C:

  1. Charlotte, 12,596 baby girls
  2. Camila, 7,565
  3. Chloe, 5,960
  4. Claire, 3,195
  5. Caroline, 2,859
  6. Cora, 2,738
  7. Clara, 2,648
  8. Charlie, 2,235
  9. Cecilia, 2,050
  10. Catalina, 1,928

Top girl names starting with D:

  1. Delilah, 4,031 baby girls
  2. Daisy, 2,412
  3. Diana, 1,307
  4. Delaney, 1,283
  5. Daphne, 1,257
  6. Daniela, 1,230
  7. Dahlia, 1,219
  8. Dakota, 1,183
  9. Danna, 1,052
  10. Dream, 920

Top girl names starting with E:

  1. Emma, 13,527 baby girls
  2. Evelyn, 9,082
  3. Eleanor, 6,739
  4. Elizabeth, 6,566
  5. Emily, 6,154
  6. Ellie, 5,951
  7. Ella, 5,643
  8. Eliana, 5,329
  9. Emilia, 4,670
  10. Elena, 4,261

Top girl names starting with F:

  1. Freya, 2,061 baby girls
  2. Faith, 1,256
  3. Finley, 1,106
  4. Fatima, 893
  5. Francesca, 820
  6. Fiona, 764
  7. Frances, 755
  8. Felicity, 676
  9. Fernanda, 653
  10. Faye, 610

Top girl names starting with G:

  1. Gianna, 6,129 baby girls
  2. Grace, 4,886
  3. Genesis, 3,651
  4. Gabriella, 2,782
  5. Georgia, 2,157
  6. Genevieve, 1,734
  7. Gemma, 1,649
  8. Gracie, 1,237
  9. Gia, 1,155
  10. Gabriela, 1,041

Top girl names starting with H:

  1. Harper, 7,769 baby girls
  2. Hazel, 6,154
  3. Hannah, 4,102
  4. Hailey, 2,776
  5. Hadley, 2,304
  6. Hallie, 1,553
  7. Haven, 1,353
  8. Harmony, 1,297
  9. Harlow, 1,266
  10. Hope, 1,011

Top girl names starting with I:

  1. Isabella, 10,808 baby girls
  2. Isla, 5,357
  3. Ivy, 5,036
  4. Iris, 2,921
  5. Isabelle, 1,785
  6. Isabel, 1,743
  7. Itzel, 839
  8. Imani, 645
  9. Izabella, 630
  10. Ivory, 581

Top girl names starting with J:

  1. Josephine, 3,347 baby girls
  2. Jade, 2,908
  3. Josie, 2,504
  4. Juniper, 2,382
  5. Julia, 2,290
  6. Juliette, 1,785
  7. June, 1,694
  8. Jasmine, 1,585
  9. Journee, 1,423
  10. Juliana, 1,240

Top girl names starting with K:

  1. Kinsley, 3,188 baby girls
  2. Kennedy, 3,069
  3. Kehlani, 1,854
  4. Katherine, 1,697
  5. Kaylee, 1,641
  6. Kaia, 1,608
  7. Kylie, 1,439
  8. Khloe, 1,381
  9. Kimberly, 1,329
  10. Kailani, 1,315

Top girl names starting with L:

  1. Luna, 7,811 baby girls
  2. Lily, 6,146
  3. Layla, 5,678
  4. Lucy, 4,858
  5. Leah, 3,953
  6. Lainey, 3,928
  7. Lillian, 3,927
  8. Leilani, 3,543
  9. Liliana, 2,787
  10. Lydia, 2,716

Top girl names starting with M:

  1. Mia, 11,359 baby girls
  2. Mila, 5,895
  3. Madison, 5,160
  4. Maya, 4,067
  5. Madelyn, 3,632
  6. Maeve, 3,046
  7. Maria, 2,893
  8. Madeline, 2,726
  9. Millie, 2,559
  10. Melody, 2,557

Top girl names starting with N:

  1. Nora, 5,994 baby girls
  2. Nova, 5,248
  3. Naomi, 4,456
  4. Natalie, 3,418
  5. Natalia, 2,717
  6. Nevaeh, 2,326
  7. Norah, 1,479
  8. Noelle, 1,451
  9. Nyla, 1,236
  10. Noa, 1,041

Top girl names starting with O:

  1. Olivia, 15,270 baby girls
  2. Oakley, 1,874
  3. Oaklynn, 1,815
  4. Olive, 1,640
  5. Ophelia, 1,166
  6. Octavia, 1,123
  7. Oaklee, 685
  8. Opal, 624
  9. Oakleigh, 596
  10. Oaklyn, 514

Top girl names starting with P:

  1. Penelope, 6,041 baby girls
  2. Paisley, 3,727
  3. Parker, 2,293
  4. Piper, 2,066
  5. Peyton, 1,953
  6. Phoebe, 1,580
  7. Presley, 1,517
  8. Palmer, 1,129
  9. Poppy, 1,072
  10. Payton, 990

Top girl names starting with Q:

  1. Quinn, 2,846 baby girls
  2. Quincy, 263
  3. Queen, 128
  4. Quetzaly, 72
  5. Quinley, 50
  6. Quetzalli, 44
  7. Qamar, 40
  8. Quetzali, 37
  9. Quinnley, 28
  10. Quincey, 27

Top girl names starting with R:

  1. Riley, 4,617 baby girls
  2. Ruby, 3,333
  3. Raelynn, 2,406
  4. Rylee, 2,328
  5. Rose, 2,237
  6. Remi, 2,170
  7. Reagan, 1,721
  8. Reese, 1,663
  9. Rosalie, 1,640
  10. Ruth, 1,594

Top girl names starting with S:

  1. Sophia, 11,944 baby girls
  2. Sofia, 7,641
  3. Scarlett, 6,288
  4. Stella, 4,357
  5. Sadie, 3,586
  6. Sophie, 3,578
  7. Sarah, 2,749
  8. Savannah, 2,739
  9. Serenity, 2,548
  10. Skylar, 2,522

Top girl names starting with T:

  1. Tatum, 1,314 baby girls
  2. Taylor, 1,185
  3. Talia, 1,181
  4. Teagan, 996
  5. Thea, 970
  6. Tessa, 960
  7. Trinity, 866
  8. Thalia, 520
  9. Tiana, 488
  10. Taytum, 430

Top girl names starting with U:

  1. Unique, 103 baby girls
  2. Ulani, 80
  3. Uma, 72
  4. Una, 48
  5. Unity, 46
  6. Unknown, 41
  7. Ursula, 39
  8. Uriyah, 22
  9. Uriah, 21
  10. Urvi, 19

Top girl names starting with V:

  1. Violet, 6,342 baby girls
  2. Victoria, 4,434
  3. Valentina, 4,075
  4. Vivian, 2,801
  5. Valerie, 1,944
  6. Valeria, 1,860
  7. Vera, 1,328
  8. Vivienne, 1,283
  9. Vanessa, 1,010
  10. Viviana, 844

Top girl names starting with W:

  1. Willow, 4,727 baby girls
  2. Wrenley, 1,654
  3. Wren, 1,537
  4. Winter, 826
  5. Wynter, 801
  6. Willa, 717
  7. Wrenlee, 512
  8. Winnie, 485
  9. Whitley, 383
  10. Waverly, 305 (tie)
  11. Winona, 305 (tie)

Top girl names starting with X:

  1. Ximena, 1,809 baby girls
  2. Xiomara, 761
  3. Xyla, 275
  4. Xena, 233
  5. Xochitl, 214
  6. Xolani, 176
  7. Xitlali, 135
  8. Xylah, 96
  9. Xenia, 75
  10. Xareni, 69

Top girl names starting with Y:

  1. Yaretzi, 547 baby girls
  2. Yara, 485
  3. Yareli, 388
  4. Yasmin, 309
  5. Yamileth, 292
  6. Yusra, 201
  7. Yuna, 198
  8. Yaritza, 183
  9. Yaneli, 162
  10. Yasmine, 158

Top girl names starting with Z:

  1. Zoe, 5,160 baby girls
  2. Zoey, 4,040
  3. Zuri, 1,471
  4. Zara, 1,282
  5. Zariah, 740
  6. Zahra, 543
  7. Zariyah, 457
  8. Zelda, 401
  9. Zaniyah, 382
  10. Zaria, 371

Source: SSA

Girl names that end with an S-sound

Girl names that end with an S-sound

In the U.S., most of the names given to baby girls end with a vowel sound. And many of the remaining names end with an N-sound.

So, what about girl names that end with other sounds?

Below is a selection of girl names that end with an S-sound, regardless of last letter. The names are ordered by current popularity.

Grace
From the English vocabulary word. Here’s the popularity graph for Grace.

Genesis
An Ancient Greek word meaning “origin, creation.” Here’s the popularity graph for Genesis.

Iris
The Ancient Greek word for “rainbow,” as well as an ancient Greek goddess (the personification of the rainbow) and a type of flower (that is often purple). Here’s the popularity graph for Iris.

Reese
An Anglicized form of the Welsh name Rhys, meaning “ardor.” Here’s the popularity graph for Reese.

Frances
The feminine form of Francis, which is derived from the late Roman name Franciscus, meaning “Frenchman.” Here’s the popularity graph for Frances.

Paris
From the capital of France. Here’s the popularity graph for Paris.

Florence
From the late Roman name Florentia, meaning “blooming.” Here’s the popularity graph for Florence.

Dallas
From either the Scottish surname (derived from a place name meaning “meadow dwelling”) or the English surname (derived from a place name meaning “valley house”). Here’s the popularity graph for Dallas.

Mavis
From the type of bird. Here’s the popularity graph for Mavis.

Ellis
From the English surname, which is derived from the name Elias. Here’s the popularity graph for Ellis.

Promise
From the English vocabulary word. Here’s the popularity graph for Promise.

Anaïs
May be a French variant of the name of the Iranian goddess Anahita. Here’s the popularity graph for Anaïs.

Cadence
From the English vocabulary word. Here’s the popularity graph for Cadence.

Justice
From the English vocabulary word. Here’s the popularity graph for Justice.

Artemis
From the name of the ancient Greek goddess Artemis. Here’s the popularity graph for Artemis.

Amaris
Might be based on Amaro, the name of a legendary 13th-century Catholic saint. Here’s the popularity graph for Amaris.

Princess
The feminine form of the royal title prince. Here’s the popularity graph for Princess.

Joyce
From an Old Breton word meaning “prince, ruler, lord.” Here’s the popularity graph for Joyce.

Essence
From the English vocabulary word. Here’s the popularity graph for Essence.

Memphis
From the name of the ancient Egyptian city Men-nefer. Here’s the popularity graph for Memphis.

Agnes
From the Ancient Greek word for “chaste.” Here’s the popularity graph for Agnes.

Patience
From the English vocabulary word. Here’s the popularity graph for Patience.

Venus
From the name of the Roman goddess Venus. Here’s the popularity graph for Venus.

Milagros
A Spanish word meaning “miracles” (from the Marian title La Virgen de los Milagros). Here’s the popularity graph for Milagros.

Damaris
May be derived from an Ancient Greek word meaning “calf.” Here’s the popularity graph for Damaris.

Eris
From the name of the ancient Greek goddess Eris. Here’s the popularity graph for Eris.

Hollis
From the English surname, which originally referred to a person who lived by holly trees. Here’s the popularity graph for Hollis.

Temperance
From the English vocabulary word. Here’s the popularity graph for Temperance.

Daenerys
Invented by writer George R. R. Martin for a character in the high fantasy book series A Song of Ice and Fire (upon which the TV series Game of Thrones was based). Here’s the popularity graph for Daenerys.

Lois
An Ancient Greek name of unknown meaning. Here’s the popularity graph for Lois.

Constance
From the English vocabulary word. Here’s the popularity graph for Constance.

Empress
The feminine form of the royal title emperor. Here’s the popularity graph for Empress.

Lotus
From the type of flower. Here’s the popularity graph for Lotus.

Isis
From the name of the ancient Egyptian goddess Isis. Here’s the popularity graph for Isis.

Eunice
From an Ancient Greek name made up of elements meaning “good” and “victory.” Here’s the popularity graph for Eunice.

Karis
May be based on the Welsh name Carys or the Ancient Greek name Charis. Here’s the popularity graph for Karis.

Yehudis
From the Hebrew name Yehudit, meaning “Jewish woman.” Here’s the popularity graph for Yehudis.

Inés
A Spanish form of the name Agnes. Here’s the popularity graph for Inés.

Alanis
A feminine form of Alan. Here’s the popularity graph for Alanis.

Tess
A nickname for Theresa. Here’s the popularity graph for Tess.

Prudence
From the English vocabulary word. Here’s the popularity graph for Prudence.

Janice
Based on Jane, which can be traced back to a (masculine) Hebrew name meaning “Yahweh is gracious.” Here’s the popularity graph for Janice.

Doris
An Ancient Greek name meaning “Dorian woman.” Here’s the popularity graph for Doris.

Precious
From the English vocabulary word. Here’s the popularity graph for Precious.

Dolores
A Spanish word meaning “sorrows” (from the Marian title La Virgen de los Dolores). Here’s the popularity graph for Dolores.

Kelis
Popularized by singer Kelis. Here’s the popularity graph for the name Kelis.

Bryce
Might be based on the Gaulish name Briccus, meaning “speckled.” Here’s the popularity graph for Bryce.

Amaryllis
From the type of flower. Here’s the popularity graph for Amaryllis.

Candace
From Kandake, the title of the queen in the ancient Kingdom of Kush (in northeastern Africa). Here’s the popularity graph for Candace.

Gladys
Based on the Welsh name Gwladus (which belonged to a legendary Welsh saint). Here’s the popularity graph for Gladys.

Less-common girl names that end with an S-sound include Clarice, Bliss, Lamees, Solstice, Maris, Briseis, and Cypress.

Which of the above do you like most? What others can you think of?

P.S. Here are lists of girl names that end with D-, K-, L-, M-, R-, T-, V-, and Z-sounds.

Sources:

  • SSA
  • Behind the Name
  • Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources: Jodocus & Brice
  • Hanks, Patrick, Kate Hardcastle and Flavia Hodges. (Eds.) A Dictionary of First Names. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.
  • Hanks, Patrick. (Ed.) Dictionary of American Family Names. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2022.

Popular and unique baby names in Scotland (UK), 2023

Flag of the United Kingdom
Flag of the United Kingdom

Last year, the country of Scotland — which covers the northern third of the island of Great Britain — welcomed nearly 46,000 babies.

What were the most popular names among these babies? Isla and Luca.

Here are Scotland’s top 50+ girl names and top 50+ boy names of 2023:

Girl names

  1. Isla, 274 baby girls
  2. Olivia, 266
  3. Freya, 254
  4. Emily, 232
  5. Amelia, 225
  6. Ella, 213
  7. Charlotte, 210
  8. Millie, 206
  9. Grace, 205
  10. Ava, 203
  11. Lily, 201
  12. Aria, 190
  13. Sophie, 189
  14. Orla, 173
  15. Maisie, 166
  16. Sophia, 164
  17. Rosie, 155
  18. Ivy, 149
  19. Evie, 146
  20. Lucy, 141
  21. Sofia, 140
  22. Harper, 139
  23. Willow, 138
  24. Bonnie, 128
  25. Jessica, 123
  26. Eilidh, 122 [tie]
  27. Ellie, 122 [tie]
  28. Maya, 119
  29. Mia, 118
  30. Daisy, 117
  31. Elsie, 116
  32. Poppy, 115
  33. Esme, 114
  34. Hallie, 111 [tie]
  35. Zara, 111 [tie]
  36. Ruby, 107
  37. Mila, 102
  38. Isabella, 101
  39. Anna, 96 [tie]
  40. Maeve, 96 [tie]
  41. Lottie, 95
  42. Robyn 92
  43. Emma, 90 [2-way tie]
  44. Georgia, 90 [2-way tie]
  45. Ada, 88 [2-way tie]
  46. Phoebe, 88 [2-way tie]
  47. Erin, 85 [2-way tie]
  48. Sienna, 85 [2-way tie]
  49. Layla, 84
  50. Eva, 80 [tie]
  51. Gracie, 80 [tie]

Boy names

  1. Luca, 344 baby boys
  2. Noah, 336
  3. Leo, 288
  4. Jack, 285
  5. Harris, 266
  6. Rory, 254
  7. Oliver, 250
  8. Theo, 238
  9. Archie, 235
  10. Finlay, 231
  11. Muhammad, 225
  12. James, 223
  13. Brodie, 220 [tie]
  14. Finn, 220 [tie]
  15. Alexander, 214
  16. Thomas, 195
  17. Jude, 193
  18. Lucas, 186
  19. Alfie, 182
  20. Lewis, 180
  21. Freddie, 172
  22. Arlo, 164
  23. Max, 155
  24. Charlie, 151
  25. Tommy, 149
  26. Arthur, 147
  27. Mason, 143
  28. Oscar, 139
  29. Logan, 134
  30. Blake, 129
  31. Sonny, 127
  32. Kai, 122
  33. Roman, 121
  34. Caleb, 120 [3-way tie]
  35. Cameron, 120 [3-way tie]
  36. Harrison, 120 [3-way tie]
  37. Adam, 118 [tie]
  38. Jacob, 118 [tie]
  39. Louie, 111
  40. Ethan, 110
  41. Ollie, 108
  42. Harry, 106
  43. Reuben, 104
  44. Albie, 103 [2-way tie]
  45. Angus, 103 [2-way tie]
  46. Daniel, 102 [2-way tie]
  47. Liam, 102 [2-way tie]
  48. Hudson, 100
  49. Aaron, 98
  50. Arran, 95 [tie] – likely inspired by Scotland’s Isle of Arran.
    • The similar names Aaron and Arran have been neck and neck for several years in a row.
  51. Carter, 95 [tie]

The fastest-rising names in the girls’ top 100 were Mabel, Delilah, Mollie, and Lottie.

The fastest-rising names in the boys’ top 100 were Oakley, Rowan, Ruairidh, and Muhammad.

And what about the names at the other end of the spectrum? Here’s a selection of the baby names that were bestowed just once in Scotland last year:

Unique girl namesUnique boy names
Angharad, Babel, Camellia, Doileag, Ellerby, Fenn, Griva, Hubavena, Iris-Davinia, Jafina, Kinvara, Linamandla, Mhuilinn, Neven, Orlie, Pollaidh, Quinza, Rhumer, Senga, Tweedie, Uxia, Vhairi, Welwitschia, Xiwei, Yolandra, ZarminaAonghas, Brandonlee, Caoimhin-Caolan, Dubhlainn, Excellent, Fragkiskos, Gibby, Howl, Ivaylo, Jophil, Kenai, Lavish, Malverde, Oakes, Padruig, Quinlann, Riordan, Seocaidh, Talorcan, Ultan, Venkata, Wullie, Xabier, Yuan, Zuriel

Possible explanations/associations for several of the above:

  • Pollaidh comes from the name of the Scottish mountain Stac Pollaidh (pronounced “stack polly”). The Scottish name is based on the Norse name for the mountain, Stakkr Pollå, which means “the pinnacle of the pool river.”
  • Senga could be Agnes backwards…or it could be based on the Scottish word seang, meaning “slender.” (Here’s a post about Scotland’s Senga syndrome.)
  • Talorcan is a Pictish name that belonged to several Pictish kings. It’s often spelled Talorgan.
  • Welwitschia (pronounced vel-VIH-chee-uh) is the name of a genus of plants that includes a single species, Welwitschia mirabilis, endemic to the Namib desert in Africa. The genus was named after Austrian physician/botanist Friedrich Welwitsch (1806-1872).

Here’s what Welwitschia mirabilis — often referred to as a “living fossil” — looks like:

Welwitschia mirabilis
Welwitschia mirabilis

(I haven’t been this fascinated by a science-y baby name since Petrichor popped up in Alberta in 2016!)

Finally, here are Scotland’s 2022 rankings, if you’d like to compare last year to the year before.

Sources:

Images: