How popular is the baby name John 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 John.

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Popularity of the baby name John


Posts that mention the name John

What gave the baby name Ariel a boost in 1982?

The character Ariel Aldrin from the TV series "As The World Turns" (1956-2010)
Ariel from “As The World Turns“

In 1981, the unisex name Ariel was given to roughly the same number of girls and boys.

Just one year later, it was given to almost twice as many girls as boys:

Girls named ArielBoys named Ariel
1984636 [rank: 362nd]281 [rank: 504th]
1983650 [rank: 348th]315 [rank: 471st]
1982584 [rank: 394th]294 [rank: 497th]
1981228 [rank: 721st]236 [rank: 553rd]
1980181 [rank: 853rd]239 [rank: 554th]

What caused this sudden interest in Ariel as a girl name?

My guess is a television character.

In February of 1982, Swedish-born Ariel Aldrin (played by actress Judith Blazer) was introduced on the long-running CBS soap opera As The World Turns.

During her time on the show, Ariel worked as a model at the local fashion emporium (“Fashions, Ltd.”) and married two different men: Dr. John Dixon (who she’d mistakenly believed was wealthy) and Burke Donovan (who’s son, she’d discovered, was the heir to a fortune). Neither relationship lasted very long. She “left town to pursue a European count” in 1984.

P.S. Earlier in the ’80s, the name may have been influenced (slightly) by Princess Ariel, one of the main characters of the Saturday morning cartoon Thundarr the Barbarian (1980-1981).

Sources:

Image: Screenshot of As The World Turns

Babies named for the Battle of Trafalgar

Battle of Trafalgar (1805)
Battle of Trafalgar

The Battle of Trafalgar — during which an outnumbered Royal Navy fleet (under Horatio Nelson) soundly defeated a combined French and Spanish fleet (under Napoleon Bonaparte) — took place off the south-western coast of Spain, near Cape Trafalgar, on October 21, 1805.

The battle cost Nelson his life, but the decisive victory “cemented Britain’s reputation as ruler of the seas.”

Dozens of babies in England were given the name “Trafalgar,” typically as a middle, over the next few years. Most of them were boys, but several were girls. Some examples…

  • John Trafalgar Black, b. 1806 in England
  • John Trafalgar Cotton, b. 1807 in England
  • Joseph Trafalgar Dowding, b. circa 1806 in England
  • Jane Trafalgar Grapes, b. 1805 in England
    • Among her siblings were William Nile (b. circa 1798), Charles Wellington (b. circa 1811), and Charlotte Waterloo (b. circa 1815) — likely named for the Battle of the Nile, the Duke of Wellington, and the Battle of Waterloo.
  • William Trafalgar Hannah, b. 1806 in England
  • Richard Trafalgar Hillgrove, b. 1807 in England
  • Robert Trafalgar May, b. 1807 in England
  • Louisa Trafalgar Priske, b. 1805 in England
  • John Trafalgar Salmon, b. 1805 in England
  • Samuel Trafalgar Sparks, b. 1807 in England

A good number of these babies — including Nelson Trafalgar Black (b. 1805 in Scotland) and Horatio Trafalgar Taylor (b. 1806 in England) — were also named in honor of the late admiral.

The Spanish place-name Trafalgar can be traced back to a pair of Arabic words. The first, taraf, means “edge, extremity” (in reference to the cape itself), and the second may mean “west.”

Sources: Battle of Trafalgar – Wikipedia, Battle of Trafalgar – Britannica, Battle of Trafalgar Timeline – National Maritime Museum, Cape Trafalgar – Wikipedia, FamilySearch.org

Image: Adapted from Battle of Trafalgar (1836) by William Clarkson Stanfield

Unusual real name: Leicester Railway

train engine

Sometime during the summer of 1863, Ann and Joseph Cope of Derbyshire, England, welcomed their second child, a baby boy.

He was born in the adjacent county of Leicestershire, and when he was baptized in late August, he was given the name Leicester Railway.

Now, Ann and Joseph weren’t partial to inventive names. Their eldest child was named Ann Lucy, and their later children were named Eliza, John William, and Lucy. So they must have had a good reason to choose something as unusual as Leicester Railway.

I wasn’t able to find Leicester Railway’s birth record, or any mention of him in contemporary newspapers, but I do think it’s safe to assume that he was born at the Leicester railway station while his family (or perhaps just his mother) was traveling.

About a decade ago, an article about odd 19th-century baby names that ran in various British newspapers (e.g., Metro, Mirror, Daily Mail) claimed Leicester Railway Cope was born inside a train car specifically. While this could be the case, we have no way of knowing for certain.

P.S. Leicester is pronounced just like the name Lester.

Sources: FamilySearch.org, Family of Joseph Cope and Ann Wain – Glynn Roe’s Ancestors and Family

Image: Adapted from O&W Engine #143 (public domain)

Babies named for Horatio Nelson

Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson (1758-1805)
Horatio Nelson

During his 37-year military career, British naval commander Horatio Nelson was directly responsible for several major victories.

One of them was the Battle of the Nile, in which the Royal Navy defeated Napoleon Bonaparte‘s French Mediterranean fleet off the coast of Egypt in August of 1798.

The destruction of the French fleet not only changed the balance of power in the Mediterranean, but also inspired expectant parents (both in the UK and elsewhere) to name several hundred baby boys after Nelson. Some examples…

  • Horatio Nelson Bakewell, b. 1798 in England
  • Horatio Nelson Davison, b. 1799 in Canada
  • Horatio Nelson Freeman, b. 1799 in the U.S. (Vermont)
  • Horatio Nelson Mallalieu, b. 1799 in England
  • John Horatio Nelson Merryweather, b. 1799 in England
  • Horatio Nelson Thompson, b. 1798 in England

A handful of the names even featured Nelson’s rank:

Nelson’s most famous (and final) engagement was the Battle of Trafalgar, in which the Royal Navy defeated a combined French and Spanish fleet off the coast of Spain in October of 1805.

News of the victory — which ensured Britain’s safety from Napoleonic invasion — and of Nelson’s death by enemy fire brought about a second (and larger) wave of namesakes, including…

  • Horatio Nelson Abbott, b. 1805 in the U.S. (Connecticut)
  • Horatio Nelson Andrews, b. 1806 in Canada
  • Horatio Nelson Chandler, b. 1806 in the U.S. (New Hampshire)
  • Horatio Nelson Crosby, b. 1806 in England
  • Horatio Nelson Dallas, b. 1805 in Scotland
  • Horatio Nelson Edmond, b. 1806 in England
  • Horatio Nelson Gardner, b. 1805 in Canada
  • Horatio Nelson Goddard, b. 1806 in England
  • John Horatio Nelson Houghton, b. 1805 in England
  • Horatio Nelson Hurlbut, b. 1806 in the U.S. (New York)
  • Horatio Nelson Scot, b. 1806 in Scotland
  • Joseph Horatio Nelson Strickland, b. 1806 in England

Again, some of the names featured Nelson’s rank, as well as various titles:

  • Viscount Nelson Ball, b. 1805 in the U.S. (Vermont)
  • Lord Nelson Holt, b. 1807 in England
  • Admiral Nelson Lumbard, b. 1807 in the U.S. (Massachusetts)

Dozens of the second-wave names also commemorated Nelson’s last battle:

  • Nelson Trafalgar McPherson, b. 1805 in Scotland
  • Horatio Trafalgar James Sidaway, b. 1805 in England
  • Horatio Nelson Trafalgar Hope, b. 1806 in Scotland
  • Trafalgar Nelson Francis, b. circa 1807 in England
  • Horatio Trafalgar Beck, b. 1807 in England

Impressively, Horatio Nelson fought the battles of the Nile and Trafalgar after having already lost sight in his right eye (in 1793) and most of his right arm (in 1797).

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Rear-Admiral Sir Horatio Nelson (1799) by Lemuel Francis Abbott