How popular is the baby name Jeffrey 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 Jeffrey.

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Popularity of the baby name Jeffrey


Posts that mention the name Jeffrey

Popular and unique baby names in Quebec (Canada), 2013

Flag of Quebec
Flag of Quebec

Quebec’s top baby names of 2013 were announced yesterday.

According to data from the Régie des rentes du Québec (RRQ), the most popular baby names last year were Lea and William.

Here are Quebec’s top 20 girl names and top 20 boy names of 2013:

Girl NamesBoy Names
1. Lea, 625 baby girls
2. Emma, 500
3. Olivia, 491
4. Florence, 455
5. Alice, 439
6. Zoe, 415
7. Rosalie, 404
8. Juliette, 366
9. Charlie, 343
10. Chloe, 339
11. Charlotte, 332
12. Sofia, 304
13. Jade, 302
14. Mia, 299
15. Eva, 289
16. Camille, 286
17. Victoria, 284
18. Anais, 274
19. Beatrice, 265
20. Laurence, 260 (tie)
21. Maeva, 260 (tie)		1. William, 823 baby boys
2. Nathan, 771
3. Samuel, 704
4. Alexis, 699
5. Olivier, 694
6. Felix, 692
7. Thomas, 692
8. Liam, 683
9. Jacob, 630
10. Gabriel, 602
11. Antoine, 516
12. Logan, 516
13. Raphael, 498
14. Noah, 463
15. Xavier, 441
16. Benjamin, 420
17. Emile, 413
18. Charles, 397
19. Adam, 389
20. Leo, 386

Charlie is new to the girls’ top 10. In 2012, it ranked 12th.

On the boys’ side, Jayden is on the rise as well — from 38th in 2012 to 35th in 2013. (In the U.S., Jayden has been falling for a few years now.)

Finally, here are some baby names that were used only once or twice in Quebec last year:

Rare Girl NamesRare Boy Names
Alaska (1), Alutchainah Winfrey (1), Cheleby-Prettey (1), Divine Jeremiah (1), Etye Tzirl (1), Fanny-Jade (1), Galaxyanne (1), Golding Merly (1), Iokennorehseriio (1), K La (1), Kellixia (1), Khaleesi (2), Khlde (1), Kinda Love (1), Kukuess (1), Libertad-Quillay (1), Luna Love (1), Luxshiny (1), Mamba Gabrielle (1), Marie-Neige (2), Milky (1), Nelricka (1), O-Feely (1), Nermine (2), Peggy Evie Maggie (2), Reness-May (1), Rougui (2), Rulx-Jeffrey (1), Schrolding Sarry (1), Shine Present (1), Skysea (1), Walter-Lynn (1), Zoolee (1)Aggaajuk (1), Best Blessing (1), Beckham (2), Charm Henri (1), Chumly (1), Clarenceford (1), D-Reck (1), Dick-Yan (1), Djeepy (1), Edwidge Lovensky (1), Ettuk (2), Fhitzjericho (1), Fox Henri (1), Frignol (1), Gayden (1), Hunter Chace (1), Indrix (1), Lafleche (2), Lucassie (2), Meyroi Deliver Midy (1), Micipsa (1), Nhel Rein (1), Noonard (1), Nyko (2), Queben (1), Rhodeelny (1), Sampo (1), Shragy (2), Syphax (2), Vwila (1), Warrior (1), Wedgy (1), Woody Tommy (1), Za-Ak (1)

Sources: Most popular baby names for 2013, Lea and William top baby names of 2013, List of Baby Names – Retraite Québec

Image: Adapted from Flag of Quebec (public domain)

How did the movie “Exodus” influence baby names in the early 1960s?

The characters Ari, Jordana and Kitty from the movie "Exodus" (1960).
Ari, Jordana, and Kitty from “Exodus“

The 1960 movie Exodus, which was based on the bestselling book of the same name by Leon Uris, was set in the late 1940s at the time of the establishment of the State of Israel.

The title of this “Zionist epic” may signify departure but, on the baby name charts, the film triggered at least two new arrivals.

Before we get to the debuts, though, let’s look at the name Ari.

The film’s main character was young Israeli activist Ari Ben Canaan (played by Paul Newman). The year after the film came out, the baby name Ari — which was already appearing regularly in the U.S. baby name data — saw a rise in usage:

  • 1963: 32 baby boys named Ari
  • 1962: 35 baby boys named Ari
  • 1961: 52 baby boys named Ari
  • 1960: 32 baby boys named Ari
  • 1959: 13 baby boys named Ari

Ari means “lion” in Hebrew.

The same year, the baby name Akiva debuted thanks to the character Akiva (played by David Opatoshu), who was the leader of a radical resistance group and also Ari’s uncle.

  • 1963: unlisted
  • 1962: unlisted
  • 1961: 5 baby boys named Akiva [debut]
  • 1960: unlisted
  • 1959: unlisted

Akiva, like Jacob, is a form of the Hebrew name Yaakov, which is often defined as “supplanter.”

Finally there’s the baby name Jordana, which corresponds to the “gun-toting, makeup-scorning” character Jordana Ben Canaan (played by Alexandra Stewart), who was Ari’s sister. Despite the film’s relatively late release in mid-December, this name popped up impressively in 1960, possibly due to the early press coverage of the film.

  • 1962: 12 baby girls named Jordana
  • 1961: 24 baby girls named Jordana
  • 1960: 19 baby girls named Jordana [debut]
  • 1959: unlisted
  • 1958: unlisted

Jordana is not a traditional Hebrew name. Jeffrey Goldberg, journalist and editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, notes that the movie “introduced the name ‘Jordana’ to the list of Jewish baby-name possibilities, which was a good thing.” Jordana is a feminized form of the name of the River Jordan.

Sources: Exodus (1960 film) – Wikipedia, The ‘Exodus’ Effect: The Monumentally Fictional Israel That Remade American Jewry

Baby name needed: Boy name for Catherine & Luke’s brother

A reader named Rebecca has two children named Catherine (Cate) and Luke. Both of their names are family names. She says:

We are due with our third, a boy in November and I just can’t think of anything I like that doesn’t sound out of place with those two names.

She’d appreciate some name suggestions, and she’d also like some “recommendations on how to connect with a name.”

I thought that second request was really interesting. It seems to me that most parents who don’t like a name right away usually just need some time to adjust. But there isn’t a lot of time in this case, so here are two tricks that might work:

  • Use the name as if it’s already his name (in your head, so as not to confuse others). For instance, whenever you use the word “baby” in conversation, mentally replay the statement and replace “baby” with the name. See if you can force a perspective shift this way.
  • Look for meaningful associations. Sift through your personal history–favorite friends, teachers, neighbors, authors, artists, public figures–and keep and eye out for the name you’re considering. A positive personal association might help you see the name in a new light.

I can’t wait to see what others ideas people come up with.

Now for the suggestions. Rebecca mentioned that the names Graham, Douglas and William have been disqualified for various reasons, so those three are out. Catherine and Luke are classics, so that’s what I stuck with for the most part:

Adam
Adrian
Anthony
Benjamin
Calvin
Charles
Craig
David
Duncan
Finn
Gabriel		Grant
Gregory
Jeffrey
Joseph
Jude
Kenneth
Mark
Matthew
Nicholas
Noah
Patrick		Paul
Peter
Philip
Richard
Sebastian
Seth
Steven
Theodore
Thomas
Timothy
Vincent

I almost included Nathan, but Nate rhymes with Cate. That won’t work. We want a name, not a nursery rhyme. :)

Which of the above names do you like best for the brother of Cate and Luke? What other boy names would you suggest to Rebecca?

Baby names you can write with a single line in cursive: Cleo, Rhys, Edward, Ursula

Declaration of Independence (detail)

I wrote a letter to a friend not long ago, and the act of writing something longhand (which I rarely do anymore) made me wonder: which baby names can be written in cursive without lifting the pen from the page?

Turns out that many names can be written this way — so long as they don’t contain letters that need crossing/dotting (t, i, x, j) and don’t start with a tricky capital such as W or X.

Here are some examples of names that can be written in script with one continuous line of ink.

  • 3 letters: Ava, Moe, Ned, Rob, Ula
  • 4 letters: Cleo, Elmo, Jada, Rhys, Zane
  • 5 letters: Carla, Jesse, Nancy, Ryder, Yosef
  • 6 letters: Edward, Jazmyn, Morgan, Nelson, Ursula
  • 7 letters: Charles, Eleanor, Jeffrey, Malcolm, Rebecca
  • 8 letters: Alphonso, Emmanuel, Mercedes, Mohammad, Randolph
  • 9 letters: Cleveland, Esperanza, Jefferson, Magdalena, Rosabelle
  • 10 letters: Alessandra, Alessandro, Clarabella, Clarabelle, Jacquelynn

For more onomastic trivia, try this list of baby names that can be typed one-handed on a QWERTY keyboard.

Image: Adapted from United States Declaration of Independence (public domain)