How popular is the baby name Isa in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Find out using the graph below! Plus, check out all the blog posts that mention the name Isa.
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The country of the Netherlands, located in Northwestern Europe, is bordered by both Belgium and Germany.
Last year, from January to November, the Netherlands welcomed more than 168,000 babies — over 82,000 girls and over 86,000 boys.
What were the most popular names among these babies? Emma and Noah.
Here are the Netherlands’ top 50 girl names and top 50 boy names of 2022:
Girl Names
Emma, 677 baby girls
Julia, 655
Mila, 624
Sophie, 620
Olivia, 591
Yara, 559
Saar, 532 – short form of Sarah
Nora, 524
Tess, 509
Noor, 501
Milou, 489
Sara, 486
Liv, 482
Zoë, 473
Evi, 466
Anna, 455
Luna, 451
Lotte, 423 (tie)
Nina, 423 (tie)
Eva, 405
Emily, 389
Lauren, 386
Maeve, 384
Lina, 383
Elin, 379
Maud, 368
Sarah, 350
Nova, 345
Loïs, 340 (tie)
Sofia, 340 (tie)
Mia, 339
Sofie, 332
Lieke, 330
Fleur, 328
Isa, 325
Fien, 324 – short form of Josefien
Lynn, 319
Hailey, 312
Roos, 297
Julie, 290
Livia, 288
Fenna, 284 – feminine form of Fen (a Frisian short form of Ferdinand)
Ella, 279
Sophia, 275
Bo, 274
Lily, 252
Ivy, 248
Romée, 246
Lena, 244
Noé, 241
Boy Names
Noah, 871 baby boys
Liam, 666
Luca, 664
Lucas, 652
Mees, 621 – short form of Bartholomeus
Finn, 596
James, 594
Milan, 591
Levi, 585
Sem, 582
Daan, 538
Noud, 533 – short form of Arnoud (the Dutch form of Arnold)
Luuk, 518
Adam, 508
Sam, 495
Bram, 470
Zayn, 447
Mason, 440
Benjamin, 409
Boaz, 369
Siem, 360 – short form of Simon
Guus, 356
Morris, 353
Olivier, 349 (tie)
Thomas, 349 (tie)
Teun, 346 – short form of Antonius
Gijs, 335 (tie) – short form of Gijsbert
Mats, 335 (tie)
Max, 326
Jesse, 317
Julian, 315
Otis, 314
Floris, 312
Lars, 307
David, 304 (tie)
Jake, 304 (tie)
Moos, 303 – short form of Mozes
Rayan, 300
Jens, 291
Joep, 289
Owen, 286
Thijs, 273
Jan, 270 (3-way tie)
Oliver, 270 (3-way tie)
Willem, 270 (3-way tie)
Mick, 269
Jack, 262
Jurre, 259 – short form of Jurryt (the Frisian form of Gerard)
Abel, 254
Kai, 253
Dutch onomastician Gerrit Bloothooft noted that, if similar names had been counted together, the name-groups Saar/Sara/Sarah and Luca/Lucas/Luuk would have topped the girls’ list and the boys’ list, respectively.
The girls’ top 100 included Cato (55th), Veerle (60th), Puck (75th), and Merel (83rd).
The boys’ top 100 included Jaxx (56th), Sven (64th), Hidde (72nd), and Jip (78th).
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.
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:
Parker
River
Charlie
Blake
Hayden
Emerson
Amari
Finley
Remington
Phoenix
Oakley
Dakota
Tatum
Rory
Ari
Alexis
Armani
Remy
Reign
Milan
Now here’s the same list again, but this time around I’ve added more information: data, rankings, popularity graphs, and definitions.
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.
Usage of the baby name Parker
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.
Usage of the baby name River
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.
Usage of the baby name Charlie
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.
Usage of the baby name Blake
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.
Usage of the baby name Hayden
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.
Usage of the baby name Emerson
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.
Usage of the baby name Amari
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.
Usage of the baby name Finley
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.
Usage of the baby name Remington
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.
Usage of the baby name Phoenix
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.
Usage of the baby name Oakley
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.
Usage of the baby name Dakota
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.
Usage of the baby name Tatum
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.
Usage of the baby name Rory
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.
Usage of the baby name Ari
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.
Usage of the baby name Alexis
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.
Usage of the baby name Armani
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.
Usage of the baby name Remy
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.
Usage of the baby name Reign
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.
Usage of the baby name Milan
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 girls
Percent boys
Shiloh
1,245
61.69%
38.31%
Legacy
1,086
66.30%
33.70%
Salem
970
62.99%
37.01%
Briar
955
62.20%
37.80%
Denver
941
38.68%
61.32%
Skyler
930
58.92%
41.08%
Drew
913
37.13%
62.87%
Jamie
847
48.41%
51.59%
Bellamy
812
45.44%
54.56%
Justice
812
46.92%
53.08%
Azariah
794
47.23%
52.77%
Layne
761
43.63%
56.37%
Chandler
758
39.97%
60.03%
Ocean
673
45.77%
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 girls
Percent boys
Quincy
653
33.38%
66.62%
Murphy
610
65.25%
34.75%
Tru
608
36.02%
63.98%
Kingsley
594
37.71%
62.29%
Robin
546
53.11%
46.89%
Amiri
502
34.46%
65.54%
Landry
489
55.01%
44.99%
Ira
465
35.91%
64.09%
Kacey
425
48.94%
51.06%
Joey
424
41.75%
58.25%
Campbell
414
50.72%
49.28%
True
405
53.09%
46.91%
Everest
385
34.55%
65.45%
Arden
385
58.70%
41.30%
Harlem
379
37.20%
62.80%
Shea
379
63.85%
36.15%
Sol
375
63.47%
36.53%
Bowie
370
36.76%
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 girls
Percent boys
Hollis
362
45.03%
54.97%
Yael
348
39.37%
60.63%
Joan
340
45.59%
54.41%
Laken
315
56.19%
43.81%
Gentry
302
45.36%
54.64%
Lux
296
36.15%
63.85%
Sidney
293
55.29%
44.71%
Kasey
284
56.34%
43.66%
Kadence
280
66.43%
33.57%
Ever
278
40.65%
59.35%
Camdyn
270
36.67%
63.33%
Jael
270
48.15%
51.85%
Dominique
260
33.46%
66.54%
Montana
260
57.69%
42.31%
Kodi
258
56.20%
43.80%
Ramsey
254
47.24%
52.76%
Perry
253
42.69%
57.31%
Storm
245
57.14%
42.86%
Ashtyn
243
60.91%
39.09%
Honor
240
47.92%
52.08%
Kit
233
44.64%
55.36%
Brighton
232
46.98%
53.02%
Isa
227
33.48%
66.52%
Armoni
210
50.00%
50.00%
Merritt
208
60.58%
39.42%
Jupiter
206
62.62%
37.38%
Arrow
203
38.42%
61.58%
Laine
203
63.55%
36.45%
Jules
201
43.78%
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):
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.
If you’d like to see popularity graphs for any of the names in this post, check below for the long list of tags. Each tag is a name, so just find the name you’re interested in and click through. The graph will need a moment to load — it’s grabbing a lot of data — but it will allow you to see at a glance the name’s current gender-balance (and make an informed guess about its near-future gender-balance, given the current trajectories).
The relatively rare name Aissa started appearing in the U.S. data in the early 1960s:
1963: unlisted
1962: 5 baby girls named Aissa
1961: 6 baby girls named Aissa [debut]
1960: unlisted
1959: unlisted
The reason?
Looks to be John Wayne’s daughter Aissa (pronounced ie-EES-ah), who was born in 1956 had a short acting career in the early 1960s. Her first and most notable role was that of Lisa Angelina Dickinson in the movie The Alamo (1960).
Photographs of Aissa also occasionally appeared in the newspapers. Perhaps the most prominent photo of her was the one on cover of Cosmopolitan magazine in March of 1961. It was their “diamond jubilee issue” (marking their 75th year in print) and, according to the caption, Aissa was “wearing $850,000 in Cartier diamonds.”
Aissa’s mother was John Wayne’s third wife, Pilar, and her two full siblings were named John Ethan and Marisa.
I know the story behind John Ethan’s middle name — it came from the character John Wayne played in The Searchers (the movie that launched Pippa) — but I don’t know the story behind “Aissa.” Perhaps the Waynes found it in the 1951 movie Outcast of the Islands, which featured an exotic character named Aissa (played by French actress Kerima)…?
In terms of etymology, “Aissa” comes from the French name Aïssa, which is based on the Arabic name Isa, a form of Jesus.
The name saw peak usage in the U.S. in the early 1990s:
1994: 10 baby girls named Aissa
1993: 20 baby girls named Aissa
1992: 58 baby girls named Aissa [peak]
1991: 20 baby girls named Aissa
1990: 11 baby girls named Aissa
Aissa Wayne’s name was in the news a lot during 1992 due to legal troubles. In April, she testified in court against her ex-husband (a physician who had hired two assailants to attack her in 1988 amid their child custody battle). The ex-husband was convicted in May and sentenced in July. In December, Aissa won full custody of their 5-year-old daughter, Anastasia Pilar.
What are your thoughts on the name Aissa/Aïssa?
Sources:
Coburn, Marcia Froelke. “Legend’s Child.” Chicago Tribune 23 Feb. 1992.
“The John Wayne Family.” Independent Star-News 10 Jan. 1960: 107
P.S. Here are several more “delayed” celebrity baby name debuts, i.e., celebrity baby-inspired names that didn’t appear on the charts at the time of birth.
P.P.S. John Wayne’s second wife was named Esperanza, nicknamed Chata. His first was named Josephine.
Here are hundreds of baby names that have a numerological value of “2.”
I’ve sub-categorized them by overall totals, because I think that some of the intermediate numbers could have special significance to people as well.
Within each group, I’ve listed up to ten of the most popular “2” names per gender (according to the current U.S. rankings).
Beneath all the names are some ways you could interpret the numerological value of “2,” including descriptions from two different numerological systems.
2 via 11
The following baby names add up to 11, which reduces to two (1+1=2).
“11” girl names: Adea, Fe
“11” boy names: Aj
2 via 20
The following baby names add up to 20, which reduces to two (2+0=2).
“20” girl names: Jade, Dana, Jia, Deja, Ara, Nada, Amada, Hiba, Ena, Jai
“20” boy names: Abel, Gage, Adan, Kace, Ean, Jai, Chace, Fahad, Jade, Able
2 via 29
The following baby names add up to 29, which reduces to two (2+9=11; 1+1=2).
The following baby names add up to 155, which reduces to two (1+5+5=11; 1+1=2).
“155” boy names: Krystopher, Chrystopher, Muhammadmustafa
What Does “2” Mean?
First, we’ll look at the significance assigned to “2” by two different numerological sources. Second, and more importantly, ask yourself if “2” or any of the intermediate numbers above have any special significance to you.
Numerological Attributes
“2” (the dyad) according to the Pythagoreans:
“The dyad is the first to have separated itself from the monad, whence also it is called ‘daring. ‘ For when the monad manifests unification, the dyad steals in and manifests separation.”
“Among the virtues, they liken it to courage: for it has already advanced into action. Hence too they used to call it ‘daring’ and ‘impulse.'”
“They also gave it the title of ‘opinion,’ because truth and falsity lie in opinion. And they called it ‘movement,’ ‘generation,’ ‘change,’ ‘division,’ ‘length,’ ‘multiplication,’ ‘addition,’ ‘kinship,’ ‘relativity,’ ‘the ratio in proportionality.’ For the relation of two numbers is of every conceivable form.”
“Apart from recklessness itself, they think that, because it is the very first to have endured separation, it deserves to be called ‘anguish,’ ‘endurance’ and ‘hardship.'”
“From division into two, they call it ‘justice’ (as it were ‘dichotomy’)”
“And they call it ‘Nature,’ since it is movement towards being and, as it were, a sort of coming-to-be and extension from a seed principle”
“Equality lies in this number alone…the product of its multiplication will be equal to the sum of its addition: for 2+2=2×2. Hence they used to call it ‘equal.'”
“It also turns out to be ‘infinity,’ since it is difference, and difference starts from its being set against 1 and extends to infinity.”
“The dyad, they say, is also called ‘Erato’; for having attracted through love the advance of the monad as form, it generates the rest of the results, starting with the triad and tetrad.”
“2” according to Edgar Cayce:
“Two – divided” (reading 261-14).
“Two – the combination, and begins a division of the whole, or the one. While two makes for strength, it also makes for weakness” (reading 5751-1).
Personal/Cultural Significance
Does “2” — or do any of the other numbers above (e.g., 38, 47, 83, 101) — have any special significance to you?
Think about your own preferences and personal experiences: lucky numbers, birth dates, music, sports, and so on. Maybe you like how “101” reminds you of education and learning new things, for example.
Also think about associations you may have picked up from your culture, your religion, or society in general.
If you have any interesting insights about the number 2, or any of the other numbers above, please leave a comment!
Source: Theologumena Arithmeticae, attributed to Iamblichus (c.250-c.330).
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