How popular is the baby name Jimmy 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 Jimmy.

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Popularity of the baby name Jimmy


Posts that mention the name Jimmy

Baby name story: Reagan

Mr. and Mrs. Scott Bush of Dallas welcomed a baby boy on November 3, 1980 — the day before the presidential election. They named him Reagan, making his full name Reagan Bush.

“We felt it was a unique opportunity to name him after two great Americans,” said Scott Bush.

The birth prevented Mrs. Bush from getting to the polls, but Mr. Bush voted — “For Reagan, of course.”

Ronald Reagan and George Bush ended up defeating Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale by a wide margin that year. No doubt this pleased the Bush family of Dallas very much.

Source: “Child Named for GOP Ticket.” Rushville Republican 8 Nov. 1980: 1.

Which baby names are banned in Portugal?

Belém Tower, Portugal
Belém Tower

Did you know that certain baby names are illegal in the European country of Portugal?

The Portuguese government maintains an 80-page list of baby names — a mix of the permitted and the forbidden. Here are some of the names (and weirdly specific name combinations) Portuguese parents are not allowed to give their babies:

  • Aidan
  • Albuquerque
  • Allan Brett
  • Anouchka
  • Antoinette
  • Argo Demetrius
  • Ashanti
  • Ashley
  • Babilónia
  • Ben-Hur
  • Brunei
  • Bruce
  • Bryan
  • Charlotte
  • Cheyenne
  • Claret
  • Claude
  • Coltrane (jazz musician)
  • Brilhante (Portuguese for “brilliant”)
  • Britta Nórdica
  • Chianda Kady
  • Dmitri, Dmitriy, Dmitro
  • Do Sorriso
  • Douglas
  • Dylan
  • Farley
  • Faruk
  • Fraternidade
  • Giana Lai
  • Heidi
  • Hendrix
  • Imperatriz
  • Ivanhoe (19th-century novel)
  • Jaiantcumar
  • Jenny
  • Jimmy
  • Jivago (form of Zhivago)
  • Kathleen
  • Kennedy
  • Leeyang
  • Loïc
  • Logan
  • Mabel
  • Magnifica
  • Mar e Sol (Portuguese for “sea and sun”)
  • Marx
  • Mary Ann
  • Melbournia
  • Nazareth Fernandes
  • Nirvana
  • Olaf
  • Pablo
  • Piombina (Italian town Piombino)
  • Portugal
  • Rihanna
  • Rosa Luxemburgo
  • Samora Machel
  • Sandokan (fictional pirate Sandokan)
  • Satélite
  • Sayonara (Japanese for “goodbye”)
  • Tamagnini (Italian surname)
  • Trebaruna (Lusitanian deity)
  • Vasconcelos (Portuguese surname)
  • Viking
  • Virtuosa
  • Viterbo (Italian town)
  • Zingara (Italian for “gypsy”)

Some are foreign names/words, some are locations, some refer to pop culture, and so forth.

Many of the no-no names are simply in the wrong form (according to the government). For instance, parents can use…

  • Aarão, but not Aaron
  • Agata, but not Agatha
  • Baltasar, but not Baltazar
  • Daisi, but not Daisy
  • Dulce do Amparo, but not Dulce Amparo
  • Kévim, but not Kevin
  • Hervé, but not Hervê or Herve (reminds me of the Zöé controversy)
  • Maria de Lurdes, but not Maria de Lourdes
  • Martina, but not Martine
  • Mónica, but not Monique
  • Nuno, or Nuno de Santa Maria, or Nuno do Carmo (Carmelite), but not Nuno Álvares.

To see all the names for yourself, download the Lista de Nomes from the Instituto dos Registos e do Notariado.

Image: Adapted from Tower of Belem by Errabee under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Baby names inspired by car names

Mazda Miata
Mazda Miata

Love cars? Here are some car-related names that have been used as baby names, according to the U.S. baby name data.

  • Allante, from Cadillac Allante.
  • Aston, from Aston Martin. Inspired by Aston Hill in England.
  • Audi, German manufacturer. The name is a Latin translation of Horch, surname of founder August Horch.
  • Avanti, from Studebaker Avanti. The word avanti means “forward” in Italian.
  • Bentley, British manufacturer. Named after founder W. O. Bentley.
  • Camry, from Toyota Camry. The name is based on kanmuri, which means “crown” in Japanese. (Here’s a baby Camryn, born inside a Camry.)
  • Capri, from Lincoln Capri.
  • Caprice, from Chevrolet Caprice. Named after a New York City restaurant.
  • Catera, from Cadillac Catera.
  • Celica, from Toyota Celica. The name is based on caelica, which means “celestial” in Latin.
  • Chevelle, from Chevrolet Chevelle.
  • Chevy, nickname for Chevrolet.
  • Cooper, from MINI Cooper. Named after auto racer John Cooper.
  • Cressida, from Toyota Cressida.
  • DeLorean, from DMC DeLorean.
  • Diamante, from Mitsubishi Diamante.
  • Dino, from Fiat Dino or Ferrari Dino. Both named after V6 engine designer Alfredo “Dino” Ferrari.
  • Dodge, a division of Chrysler. (I know of two babies named after Dodge pickup trucks specifically.)
  • Elantra, from Hyundai Elantra.
  • Elise, from Lotus Elise. Named after Elisa Artioli, granddaughter of Italian entrepreneur Romano Artioli.
  • Elva, British manufacturer. The name is based on elle va, which means “she goes” in French.
  • Florian, from Isuzu Florian. Named after the fictional horse in Florian, the Emperor’s Stallion by Felix Salten.
  • Ford, American manufacturer. Named after founder Henry Ford. (I know of two babies named after Fords.)
  • Hudson, American manufacturer.
  • Jazz, from Honda Jazz.
  • Jeep, a division of Chrysler.
  • Jetta, from Volkswagen Jetta. The name is based on the phrase “jet stream.”
  • Jimmy, from GMC Jimmy.
  • Kia, South Korean manufacturer. (Here’s a baby Kia, born inside a Kia.)
  • Lexus, a division of Toyota. The name has no specific meaning, according to the company.
  • Lincoln, a division of Ford. Named after former U.S. president Abraham Lincoln.
  • Martin, from Aston Martin. Named after founder Lionel Martin.
  • Mercedes, from Mercedes-Benz, a division of Daimler AG. Named after Mercedes Jellinek, daughter of Austrian entrepreneur Emil Jellinek.
  • Miata, from Mazda Miata. Possibly means “reward” in Old High German.
  • Millenia, from Mazda Millenia.
  • Mondeo, from Ford Mondeo. The name is based on mundus, which means “world” in Latin.
  • Morgan, British manufacturer.
  • Nash, American manufacturer. Named after founder Charles W. Nash. (I know of one baby named after a Nash.)
  • Porsche, German manufacturer. Named after founder Ferdinand Porsche.
  • Reatta, from Buick Reatta.
  • Renault, French manufacturer.
  • Royce, from Rolls-Royce. Named after founder Henry Royce.
  • Scion, a Toyota marque.
  • Shelby, from Shelby American. Named for founder Carroll Hall Shelby.
  • Torino, from Ford Torino.
  • Toyota, Japanese manufacturer. Named for founder Kiichiro Toyoda.
  • Wrangler, from Jeep Wrangler.
  • …and VW, short for Volkswagen. :)

Blog readers have also told me about babies named Riviera (after the Buick Riviera) and Axel (because of its similarity to the word axle).

Know any babies that were named for automobiles?

Update, 2016 – Here’s a baby whose middle name, Megan, was inspired by a Renault Megane.

Where did the baby name Shenandoah come from in 1965?

The title character from the TV series "A Man Called Shenandoah" (1965-1966)
Shenandoah from “A Man Called Shenandoah“

The unusual name Shenandoah first popped up (as a boy name) in the U.S. baby name data in the middle of the 1960s:

  • 1967: unlisted
  • 1966: 12 baby boys named Shenandoah
  • 1965: 15 baby boys named Shenandoah [debut]
  • 1964: unlisted
  • 1963: unlisted

Why?

Mainly because of television…though a movie may have helped.

The TV western A Man Called Shenandoah ran from September of 1965 to September of 1966. It starred Robert Horton as a man who, after recovering from a gunshot, forgot his identity. He adopted the name Shenandoah and spent the series wandering the West, searching for clues about himself.

Title of the TV show "A Man Called Shenandoah" (1965-1966)

I’d say this was the main cause, as the title so strongly suggested that “Shenandoah” could be a name (just like A Girl Named Sooner a decade later).

But a secondary cause could have been the film Shenandoah, released in June of 1965. It starred actor Jimmy Stewart as a widowed Virginia farmer who tried unsuccessfully to remain neutral and keep his family together during the Civil War.

The word “Shenandoah” refers to the river, which runs mainly through Virginia. The origin of the name of the river isn’t known for sure, but one theory is that it’s a form of “Senedo,” the name of a Native American group that once existed in that region.

Do you like Shenandoah as a baby name? If so, do you think it works better for boys or for girls?

Source: Do You Remember… “A Man Called Shenandoah”
Image: Screenshot of A Man Called Shenandoah