How popular is the baby name Katie 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 Katie.
The graph will take a few moments to load. (Don't worry, it shouldn't take 9 months!) If it's taking too long, try reloading the page.
Once the SSA releases the 2019 baby name data, we’ll know just how high the name Eilish — an anglicized form of Eilís, the Irish Gaelic form of Elizabeth or Alice — climbed during Billie Eilish’s breakout year.
While we wait, though, we can go back in time to learn why the Irish name Eilish saw its strongest usage in the U.S. in the mid-1990s.
The year Eilish debuted in the data, 1977, it was given to a mere five babies. The year it reappeared, 1993, it was given to nearly two dozen babies. (The same year, we see the reappearance of Ailish and the debut of one-hit wonderIlish.) And when Eilish peaked in usage three years later, the number had climbed to nearly three dozen.
1997: 27 baby girls named Eilish
1996: 35 baby girls named Eilish [peak]
1995: 17 baby girls named Eilish
1994: 14 baby girls named Eilish
1993: 23 baby girls named Eilish [return]
1992: unlisted
1991: unlisted
So what brought Eilish back?
Eilish Holton, a conjoined twin who (along with her sister Katie) was born in County Kildare, Ireland, in August of 1988. The pair were “joined from shoulder to hip, with four arms and two shared legs. Each had her own heart and spinal column but shared one pelvis, one large bowel, one bladder and one kidney.” Eilish was on the right-hand side, Katie on the left-hand side.
The girls came to the attention of Americans thanks to the British TV documentary Katie and Eilish (1992), which aired in the U.S. in May of 1993.
The Peabody Award-winning documentary followed the 3-year-old twins over the twelve months leading up to their 15-hour separation surgery, which took place in London in April of 1992. The film concluded after the operation had taken place and Katie had passed away (due to heart failure, just days after the separation) leaving Eilish as the sole surviving twin.
The documentary’s follow-up, Eilish: Life Without Katie (1995), which aired in the U.S. in July of 1996, is what pushed the name to peak usage three years later.
The second film followed 6-year-old Eilish, who was now getting around with the help of a prosthetic leg (dubbed “Katie,” poignantly). Unlike the first film, though, this one wasn’t well-received by reviewers; one person described it as “maddeningly unchallenging, uninformative and undemanding.”
What are your thoughts on the baby name Eilish? Would you use it?
From the 2011 movie Bridesmaids, drunk bridesmaid Annie (played by Kristen Wiig) being kicked out of first class by flight attendant Steve:
Annie: Whatever you say, Stove.
Steve: It’s Steve.
Annie: “Stove” — what kinda name is that?
Steve: That’s not a name. My name is Steve.
Annie: Are you an appliance?
Steve: No I’m a man, and my name is Steve.
From the 1995 movie Clueless, high school student Cher on the similarity between her name and that of her best friend Dionne:
We were both named after great singers of the past who now do infomercials.
(Dionne’s name comes from Dionne Warwick.)
From the 1984 movie This is Spinal Tap, Marty DiBergi interviewing David St. Hubbins:
Marty: David St. Hubbins…I must admit I’ve never heard anybody with that name.
David: It’s an unusual name. Well, he was an unusual saint. He’s not a very well known saint.
Marty: Oh, there actually is, uh, there was a Saint Hubbins?
David: That’s right, yes.
Marty: What was he the saint of?
David: He was the patron saint of quality footwear.
From the 2006 movie Casino Royale, James Bond commenting on Vesper Lynd’s first name:
Vesper. I do hope you gave your parents hell for that.
From the 1984 movie Splash, character Allen (played by Tom Hanks) talking with his then-nameless lady friend (played by Daryl Hannah) as they walk around New York City:
Woman: What are English names?
Allen: Well, there’s millions of them, I guess. Jennifer, Joanie, Hilary. (Careful, hey, those are hot!) See names, names… Linda, Kim– (Where are we? Madison.) Uh, Elizabeth, Samantha–
Woman: Madison…I like Madison!
Allen: Madison’s not a name… Well, all right, ok, fine, Madison it is. Good thing we weren’t at 149th Street.
From the 1991 movie LA Story, a conversation between Harris (played by Steve Martin) and SanDeE* (played by Sarah Jessica Parker):
Harris: What was your name again?
Sandee: SanDeE*
Harris: I’m sorry, Sandy, Sandy… It’s a nice name. Everybody has such weird names now, it’s like Tiffany with a P-H-I, and instead of Nancy it’s Nancine. [He begins to write her name down.]
Sandee: Big S, small A, small N, big D, small E, big E.
Harris: What?
Sandee: Big S, small A, small N, big D, small E, big E. [She grabs his hand and writes directly on it.] Big S, small A, small N, big D, small E, big E. Then there’s a little star at the end.
From the 1999 movie Superstar, character Mary Katherine Gallagher talking to schoolmate Evian:
You know what, Evi? You should be really embarrassed, because your parents named you after bottled water.
From the 2004 movie Mean Girls, high school principal Mr. Duvall introducing new student Cady Heron:
Mr. Duvall: Her name is Caddie, Caddie Heron. Where are you Caddie?
Cady: That’s me. It’s pronounced like Katie.
Mr. Duvall: My apologies. I have a nephew named Anfernee, and I know how mad he gets when I call him Anthony. Almost as mad as I get when I think about the fact that my sister named him Anfernee.
From the 2010 movie Sex and the City 2, characters Carrie and Aidan talk about Aidan’s three sons:
Carrie: My god, three?
Aidan: Homer, Wyatt, Tate.
Carrie: Sounds like a country music band.
From the 1949 movie Mother Is a Freshman, about a 35-year-old widow, Abigail (played by Loretta Young), who starts attending the college that her daughter Susan goes to:
Abigail: I mean about the Abigail Fortitude Memorial Scholarship.
Susan: The one they give to any girl whose first two names are Abigail Fortitude?
Abigail: Yes.
Susan: Clara Fettle says no one’s applied for it since 1907, and there’s zillions piling up.
Abigail: And you never told me!
Susan: Of course not.
Abigail: It never occurred to you that my first names are Abigail Fortitude–that I’ve had to put up with them all my life!
Susan: I know, Mom. It must have been awful.
Abigail [struck by thought]: Maybe that’s why my mother gave me those names. Maybe she know about the scholarship.
(Turns out the scholarship had been set up by Abigail’s grandmother, also named Abigail Fortitude.)
From the 2000 movie Where the Heart Is, character Lexie (Ashley Judd) talking about her kids’ names:
I call my kids after snack foods: Brownie, Praline, Cherry and Baby Ruth.
From the 1986 movie Pretty in Pink, part of a heated conversion between Andie (played by Molly Ringwald) and Duckie (played by Jon Cryer)
Andie: You know you’re talking like that just because I’m going out with Blane.
Duckie: Blane? His name is Blane? That’s a major appliance, that’s not a name!
From the 2013 animated movie Despicable Me 2:
Gru: Goodnight Margo…whoa, hold your horses. Who are you texting?
Margo: My friend Avery.
Gru: Avery. Avery? Is that a girl’s name or a boy’s name?
Margo: Does it matter?
Gru: No, no, it doesn’t matter…unless it’s a boy!
(Incidentally, Gru’s first name is Felonious.)
From the 1980 disaster movie spoof Airplane!:
Dr. Rumack: Can you fly this plane and land it?
Ted Striker: Surely you can’t be serious.
Dr. Rumack: I am serious. And don’t call me Shirley.
Images: Screenshots of Bridesmaids, LA Story, and Pretty in Pink
If you’re on the hunt for baby names with a numerological value of 1, you’re in luck! Because today’s post features hundreds of 1-names.
Before we get to the names, though — how do we know that they’re “ones” in numerology?
Turning names into numbers
Here’s how to calculate the numerological value of a name.
First, for each letter, come up with a number to represent that letter’s position in the alphabet. (Letter A would be number 1, letter B would be number 2, and so forth.) Then, add all the numbers together. If the sum has two or more digits, add the digits together recursively until the result is a single digit. That single digit is the name’s numerological value.
For instance, the letters in the name Taylor correspond to the numbers 20, 1, 25, 12, 15, and 18. The sum of these numbers is 91. The digits of 91 added together equal 10, and the digits of 10 added together equal 1 — the numerological value of Taylor.
Baby names with a value of 1
Below you’ll find the most popular 1-names per gender, according to the latest U.S. baby name data. I’ve further sub-categorized them by total sums — just in case any of those larger numbers are significant to anyone.
1 via 10
The letters in the following baby names add up to 10, which reduces to one (1+0=1).
Girl names (1 via 10)
Boy name (1 via 10)
Eda, Dea, Ebba, Adda, Ade
Ade
1 via 19
The letters in the following baby names add up to 19, which reduces to one (1+9=10; 1+0=1).
Girl names (1 via 19)
Boy names (1 via 19)
Mae, Ema, Abbie, Alea, Aela
Adam, Jace, Dan, Jed, Jah
1 via 28
The letters in the following baby names add up to 28, which reduces to one (2+8=10; 1+0=1).
There’s no definitive answer, unfortunately, because various numerological systems exist, and each one has its own interpretation of the number one. That said, if we look at a couple of modern numerology/astrology websites, we see 1 being described as “leader,” “independent,” “determined,” “creative,” and “self-assured.”
We can also look at associations, which are a bit more concrete. Here are a few things that are associated with the number 1:
Unity
Uniqueness
First place (as in sports)
Unicorn
Monolith
I kept the list short because you can associate the number 1 with just about anything. It’s universal, you might say. (See what I did there?)
What does the number 1 mean to you? What are your strongest associations with the number?
P.S. To see names with other numerological values, check out the posts for the numbers two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, and nine.
A few weeks ago, I got an email from a reader looking for lists of old-fashioned double names. She was aiming for names like Thelma Dean, Eula Mae, and Gaynell — names that would have sounded trendy in the early 1900s. She also mentioned that she’d started a list of her own.
So I began scouring the interwebs. I tracked down lists of old-fashioned names, and lists of double names…but I couldn’t find a decent list of double names that were also old-fashioned.
I loved the idea of such a list, though, so I suggested that we work together to create one. She generously sent me the pairings she’d collected so far, and I used several different records databases to find many more.
I restricted my search to names given to girls born in the U.S. from 1890 to 1930. I also stuck to double names that I found written as single names, because it’s very likely that these pairings were used together in real life (i.e., that they were true double names and not merely first-middle pairings).
Pairings that seemed too timeless, like Maria Mae and Julia Rose, were omitted. I also took out many of the pairings that feature now-trendy names — think Ella, Emma, and Lucy — because they just don’t sound old-fashioned anymore (though they would have a few decades ago).
The result isn’t exhaustive, but it’s a decent sampling of real-life, old-fashioned double names. I’ve organized them by second name, and I also added links to popularity graphs for names that were in the SSA data during the correct time period (early 1900s).
I spotted plenty of other combinations that just didn’t happen to be written as single names in the records, so here’s a handy dandy little table to cover some of the other existing combinations…
This website or its third-party tools process personal data.In case of sale of your personal information, you may opt out by using the link Do not sell my personal information.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.