How popular is the baby name Kimberly 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 Kimberly.

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Popularity of the baby name Kimberly


Posts that mention the name Kimberly

Mississippi quadruplets: Kenleigh, Kristen, Kayleigh, Kelsey

quadruplets and stork

In February of 2014, Kimberly Fugate of Mississippi went into labor. She was expecting triplets, but learned in the delivery room that she would be having quadruplets.

What did she name the four identical baby girls?

Kenleigh Rosa, Kristen Sue, Kayleigh Pearl, and Kelsey Roxanne. (Kelsey was the “hidden surprise.”)

Kimberly’s first child, a daughter named Katelyn, was 10 when the quads were born.

(I’ve also blogged about quads with Sh-names and quads with Ch-names.)

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Multiplication (1905) by Gordon Ross

D.C. sextuplets: Emily, Richard, Octavia, Stella, Ann-Marie, Alison

Thompson sextuplets
The five surviving Thompson sextuplets

In May of 1997, Washington, D.C., couple Linden and Jacqueline “Jackie” Thompson welcomed sextuplets.

What were the names of all six babies? Here are their firsts and middles:

  • Emily Elizabeth
  • Richard Linden
  • Octavia Daniella
  • Stella Kimberly
  • Ann-Marie Amanda
  • Alison Nicole (stillborn)

Richard was named after Linden’s late brother, Octavia after Jackie’s mother, Stella after Jackie’s grandmother, and Ann-Marie after Jackie’s sister. The name of the fifth surviving sextuplet, Emily, was one that Jackie simply liked. (Emily was the #1 girl name in the nation from 1996 to 2007.)

Despite being the first black family in the U.S. to have sextuplets, the Thompsons didn’t receive much in the way of publicity or material assistance.

Six months later, the white McCaughey family of Iowa welcomed septuplets. The McCaugheys received not just media attention but “a 12-seat Chevrolet van, baby food, Pampers, clothes, car seats, strollers, milk, groceries and even funding for the children’s college education.”

Eventually — thanks to “the rage of the black community, echoing through black radio talk shows” — the mainstream media covered the Thompson family, and this “exposure forced the corporate community and others to intervene and assist the Thompsons.”

Sources:

Image: Clipping from the cover of Jet magazine (29 Dec. 1997)

Popular and unique baby names in Sonoma County (California), 2024

Flag of California
Flag of California

Last year, the California county of Sonoma welcomed about 2,500 babies.

What were the most popular names among these babies? Liam for boys and a three-way tie between Amelia, Camila, and Mia for girls.

Here are Sonoma’s top 50+ girl names and top 50+ boy names of 2024:

Girl names

  1. Amelia, 13 baby girls (3-way tie)
  2. Camila, 13 (3-way tie)
  3. Mia, 13 (3-way tie)
  4. Emma, 12
  5. Charlotte, 11
  6. Luna, 10 (tie)
  7. Scarlett, 10 (tie)
  8. Charlie, 8 (6-way tie)
  9. Elena, 8 (6-way tie)
  10. Eliana, 8 (6-way tie)
  11. Gianna, 8 (6-way tie)
  12. Lucy, 8 (6-way tie)
  13. Valentina, 8 (6-way tie)
  14. Grace, 7 (9-way tie)
  15. Isabella, 7 (9-way tie)
  16. Isla, 7 (9-way tie)
  17. Lucia, 7 (9-way tie)
  18. Madison, 7 (9-way tie)
  19. Maya, 7 (9-way tie)
  20. Natalia, 7 (9-way tie)
  21. Quinn, 7 (9-way tie)
  22. Sophia, 7 (9-way tie)
  23. Ava, 6 (15-way tie)
  24. Ella, 6 (15-way tie)
  25. Evelyn, 6 (15-way tie)
  26. Hazel, 6 (15-way tie)
  27. Layla, 6 (15-way tie)
  28. Leah, 6 (15-way tie)
  29. Lillian, 6 (15-way tie)
  30. Olivia, 6 (15-way tie)
  31. Riley, 6 (15-way tie)
  32. River, 6 (15-way tie)
  33. Ruby, 6 (15-way tie)
  34. Sofia, 6 (15-way tie)
  35. Victoria, 6 (15-way tie)
  36. Violet, 6 (15-way tie)
  37. Willow, 6 (15-way tie)
  38. Amari, 5 (7-way tie)
  39. Genesis, 5 (7-way tie)
  40. Hannah, 5 (7-way tie)
  41. Harper, 5 (7-way tie)
  42. Itzel, 5 (7-way tie)
  43. Penelope, 5 (7-way tie)
  44. Sophie, 5 (7-way tie)
  45. Amaya, 4 (19-way tie)
  46. Ariel, 4 (19-way tie)
  47. Athena, 4 (19-way tie)
  48. Aubrey, 4 (19-way tie)
  49. Cecilia, 4 (19-way tie)
  50. Emery, 4 (19-way tie)
  51. Georgia, 4 (19-way tie)
  52. Hadley, 4 (19-way tie)
  53. Jade, 4 (19-way tie)
  54. Josephine, 4 (19-way tie)
  55. Kimberly, 4 (19-way tie)
  56. Leilani, 4 (19-way tie)
  57. Lia, 4 (19-way tie)
  58. Lily, 4 (19-way tie)
  59. Maeve, 4 (19-way tie)
  60. Mila, 4 (19-way tie)
  61. Nevaeh, 4 (19-way tie)
  62. Sienna, 4 (19-way tie)
  63. Zoey, 4 (19-way tie)

Boy names

  1. Liam, 22 baby boys
  2. Sebastian, 17
  3. Noah, 14
  4. James, 13 (tie)
  5. Santiago, 13 (tie)
  6. Dylan, 12 (tie)
  7. Mateo, 12 (tie)
  8. Damian, 11 (tie)
  9. Luca, 11 (tie)
  10. Ivan, 10 (3-way tie)
  11. Julian, 10 (3-way tie)
  12. Leo, 10 (3-way tie)
  13. Ethan, 9 (5-way tie)
  14. Mason, 9 (5-way tie)
  15. Miles, 9 (5-way tie)
  16. Theodore, 9 (5-way tie)
  17. William, 9 (5-way tie)
  18. Angel, 8 (3-way tie)
  19. Christian, 8 (3-way tie)
  20. Lucas, 8 (3-way tie)
  21. Adriel, 7 (9-way tie)
  22. Asher, 7 (9-way tie)
  23. Emiliano, 7 (9-way tie)
  24. Hudson, 7 (9-way tie)
  25. Jackson, 7 (9-way tie)
  26. John, 7 (9-way tie)
  27. Joshua, 7 (9-way tie)
  28. Levi, 7 (9-way tie)
  29. Logan, 7 (9-way tie)
  30. Benjamin, 6 (9-way tie)
  31. Cameron, 6 (9-way tie)
  32. Emilio, 6 (9-way tie)
  33. Henry, 6 (9-way tie)
  34. Jaxon, 6 (9-way tie)
  35. Jesus, 6 (9-way tie)
  36. Jonathan, 6 (9-way tie)
  37. Lorenzo, 6 (9-way tie)
  38. Roman, 6 (9-way tie)
  39. Adrian, 5 (19-way tie)
  40. Alejandro, 5 (19-way tie)
  41. Bodhi, 5 (19-way tie)
  42. Cooper, 5 (19-way tie)
  43. David, 5 (19-way tie)
  44. Dean, 5 (19-way tie)
  45. Diego, 5 (19-way tie)
  46. Javier, 5 (19-way tie)
  47. Leonardo, 5 (19-way tie)
  48. Luke, 5 (19-way tie)
  49. Matteo, 5 (19-way tie)
  50. Michael, 5 (19-way tie)
  51. Milan, 5 (19-way tie)
  52. Oliver, 5 (19-way tie)
  53. Owen, 5 (19-way tie)
  54. Ryan, 5 (19-way tie)
  55. Ryder, 5 (19-way tie)
  56. Waylon, 5 (19-way tie)
  57. Wyatt, 5 (19-way tie)

And here’s a sampling of the many names that were bestowed just once in Sonoma last year:

Unique girl namesUnique boy names
Alitzel, Brithany, Clary, Daylin, Erandi, Frida, Gielah, Hera, Iana, Janellie, Kalia, Leeba, Marbie, Nevayla, Olema, Ponderosa, Quincy, Roshi, Salacia, Souvenir, Spider Gwen, Trillium, Upsana, Vaila, Wilma, Xiamara, Yanis, ZulaAiram, Branimir, Cinco, Court, Divaldo, Dorje, Essiel, Fidel, Gabino, Heriberto, Isai, Jesiah, Kipono, Laszlo, Macklin, Nelson, Ove, Percival, Quinlan, Rifton, Sylo, Tanjiro, Uriah, Viliamu, Wiley, Xiveer, Yariel, Zaelyn

Some possible explanations/influences for a few of the above:

  • Airam is “Maria” spelled backwards.
  • Cinco is the Spanish word for “five.”
  • Dorje is a Tibetan name that refers to a diamond, a thunderbolt, “or an indestructible phenomenon.” (Its literal translation is “lord of stone.”)
  • Erandi is the Purépecha word for “dawn.”
  • Ponderosa is a type of North American pine tree (Pinus ponderosa). The name refers to the tree’s heavy (or “ponderous”) wood.
  • Salacia was the Roman goddess of saltwater. Her name is based on sal, the Latin word for “salt.”
  • Spider-Gwen is the fan-created nickname of comic book character Spider-Woman (a.k.a. Gwen Stacy).
  • Trillium is a type of flower with three petals and three sepals.
  • Viliamu is the Samoan form of William.

Finally, here are Sonoma’s 2023 rankings, if you’d like to compare last year to the year before.

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Flag of California (public domain)

What gave the baby name Delilah a boost in 2007?

The Plain White T's song "Hey There Delilah" (2005)
“Hey There Delilah” single

According to the U.S. baby name data, Delilah began rising in popularity around the turn of the century. The name finally broke into the girls’ top 100 in 2018.

Along the way, though, there was a conspicuous jump in usage from 2006 to 2008:

  • 2009: 1,704 baby girls named Delilah [rank: 191st]
  • 2008: 1,739 baby girls named Delilah [rank: 193rd]
  • 2007: 1,136 baby girls named Delilah [rank: 297th]
  • 2006: 539 baby girls named Delilah [rank: 547th]
  • 2005: 487 baby girls named Delilah [rank: 585th]
  • 2004: 473 baby girls named Delilah [rank: 595th]

Here’s a visual:

Graph of the usage of the baby name Delilah in the U.S. since 1880
Usage of the baby name Delilah

Several variant forms (including Delila, Dalilah, and Delyla) saw peak usage in 2008 specifically.

What was drawing extra attention to the name around that time?

The catchy love song “Hey There Delilah” by the band Plain White T’s.

The version of the song that became popular was released as a single in May of 2006. It didn’t appear on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart, however, until nearly a year later — April of 2007. The sleeper hit finally climbed to the #1 spot during the summer of 2007.

Here’s what it sounds like:

The band’s vocalist, Tom Higgenson, had written the song back in 2003 after meeting a woman named Delilah DiCrescenzo.

“I thought she was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen,” he says. “I told her, ‘I have a song about you already.’ Obviously, there was no song. But I thought it was smooth.”

DiCrescenzo was in a relationship at the time, so she and Tom never dated. But they did attend the Grammy Awards together (as friends) in early 2008 when “Hey There Delilah” was nominated for both Song of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.

The specific variant Dlila, which debuted in 2007, may also have a secondary influence: a celebrity baby. Rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs and his longtime girlfriend, Kimberly Porter, welcomed twin girls in December of 2006. The babies were named D’Lila Star and Jessie James after their great-grandmothers Lila Mae Star (Porter’s grandmother) and Jessie Smalls (Combs’ grandmother).

What are your thoughts on the name Delilah?

P.S. The name’s slightly higher usage in 1969 and 1970 could be due to another name-song performed by another Tom: “Delilah” by Tom Jones. The murder ballad was released at the end of 1967 and peaked at #15 on the Hot 100 in June of 1968.

Sources: