How popular is the baby name Kiki 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 Kiki.
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.
Both her parents were curlers, members of a tight-knit sport where an intense reverence for the game tends to bleed over into the players’ personal lives. And so it was only natural that Joe and Kristin Polo decided to name their future daughter Ailsa, after the Scottish island where the granite that makes curling rocks is mined.
(Ailsa Craig is an uninhabited islet located about 10 miles off the coast of southwestern Scotland. “Ailsa” may derive from the Old Irish word ail, meaning “rock.”)
After Randall’s birth on Dec. 31, 1982, Ronn wanted to name her Kikki, after Kiki Cutter, the first American skier, male or female, to win a race in a World Cup event, a slalom in 1968. Deborah preferred Meghan. They compromised on Kikkan.
(Kiki Cutter = Christina “Kiki” Cutter.)
From an article about Rose Collom in True West Magazine:
Rose was the perfect name for the Grand Canyon’s first official botanist, because self-taught Rose Collom blossomed when exposed to the state’s flora. … Rose discovered several varieties of plants previously unknown, and each was named after her.
For more quotes about names, check out the name quotes category.
Last month, Canadian singer Bryan Adams and his girlfriend welcomed their second baby girl, Lula RosyLea. Lula’s middle name is a reference to her time of birth, as per this tweet by Adams:
Lula Rosylea arrived @ teatime this wk. a cup of ‘rosie lee’ = ‘cup of tea’ in cockney. Lula comes from Gene Vincent’s song Be-Bop-A-Lula
This is the first baby I know of to be named via Cockney rhyming slang.
What’s Cockney rhyming slang? It involves word substitution based on rhyme. Typically, a word in a sentence is replaced with a rhyming phrase, and then the rhyming part of the phrase is dropped. This makes the resulting sentence hard for those not in-the-know to understand.
Here’s an example: “Use your loaf.” It’s really “use your head,” but the phrase loaf of bread was used instead of head, and then loaf of bread was shortened to just loaf. Hence, “use your loaf.” Get it?
Speaking of bread, if you’ve ever heard people use the slang word bread to mean money, that’s CRS too. Money rhymes with the old expression bread and honey, which shortens to bread.
So that’s how Bryan Adams turned tea into Rosie Lee, which is a common CRS rhyme for tea. (And now, if you’re ever in London and someone asks you if you want a cup of Rosie, you’ll know what they’re talking about!) “Rosie Lee” refers to American burlesque performer Gypsy Rose Lee (1911-1970).
I thought this was a rather cool way to come up with a baby name, so I’ve collected a few dozen other well-known CRS rhymes that involve names. On the left you’ll find the original word, in the middle is the name/phrase substitution, and on the right is the shortened version.
back – rhymes with Cilla Black – shortens to Cilla
ball – rhymes with Albert Hall – shortens to Albert
belly – rhymes with Darby Kelly – shortens to Darby
brake – rhymes with Veronica Lake – shortens to Veronica
cake – rhymes with Sexton Blake – shortens to Sexton
coat – rhymes with Billy goat – shortens to Billy
curry – rhymes with Ruby Murray – shortens to Ruby (if these parents had had a girl instead of a boy, Ruby would have been a great option)
door – rhymes with Rory O’Moore – shortens to Rory
fairy – rhymes with Julian Clairy – shortens to Julian
fish – rhymes with Lillian Gish – shortens to Lillian
gin – rhymes with Anne Boleyn – shortens to Ann
gin – rhymes with Vera Lynn – shortens to Vera
ice – rhymes with Vincent Price – shortens to Vincent
kettle – rhymes with Hansel and Gretel – shortens to Hansel
lisp – rhymes with Quentin Crisp – shortens to Quentin
mess – rhymes with Elliot Ness – shortens to Elliot
neck – rhymes with Gregory Peck – shortens to Gregory
old man (father) – rhymes with Peter Pan – shortens to Peter
rail – rhymes with Toby Ale – shortens to Toby
Stella (brand of beer) – rhymes with Yuri Geller – shortens to Yuri
Stella – rhymes with Nelson Mandela – shortens to Nelson
table – rhymes with Betty Grable – shortens to Betty
tea – rhymes with Bruce Lee – shortens to Bruce
tea – rhymes with Kiki Dee – shortens to Kiki
tea – rhymes with Rosie Lee – shortens to Rosie
telly – rhymes with Liza Minnelli – shortens to Liza (e.g., “What’s on the Liza?”)
trouble – rhymes with Barney Rubble – shortens to Barney
undies – rhymes with Eddie Grundies – shortens to Eddie
wedding – rhymes with Otis Redding – shortens to Otis
I think Darby (for “belly”) might be an especially tempting one baby namers, no? :)
Bryan’s first baby girl, Mirabella Bunny, was born last Easter.
Update, Dec. 2016: A reader named Sam recently told me about the Complete Dictionary of Cockney Rhyming Slang, which contains a bunch more names — like Errol Flynn for “chin,” and Euan Blair for “Leicester Square.” Enjoy!
Years ago, I came up with a list of one-handed baby names — that is, names that are typed with either the left hand or the right hand on a QWERTY keyboard.
Turns out there may be a slight advantage to right-hand names.
According to a study published recently in Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, “the QWERTY keyboard may gradually attach more positive meanings to words with more letters located on the right side of the layout (everything to the right of T, G and B).”
Why?
It has to do with fluency.
We tend to like simplicity over complexity, and the harder-to-type letter pairs are on a QWERTY keyboard’s left side — these two facts together may lead people to prefer words (and names) that are typed on the right.
Which names are typed by the right hand only? My original list:
Time for more pageantry! Pageantry names, that is.
Thousands of young women, including Jenny Craig (Miss Georgia 1996) and Robin Williams (Miss New Jersey 2001), have competed for the title of Miss USA since the contest was established in 1952.
Going through the Miss USA Delegates Gallery, I noted the following names:
*Tanquil (Miss Virginia 1983) appeared in a 1991 issue of Playboy under the name Tai.
**Ku’ualoha (Miss Hawaii 1996) is now a weather reporter who goes by the name Aloha.
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.