How popular is the baby name Kobe in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Find out using the graph below! Plus, check out all the blog posts that mention the name Kobe.
The graph will take a few seconds to load, thanks for your patience. (Don't worry, it shouldn't take nine months.) If it's taking too long, try reloading the page.
Which boy names decreased in usage the most from 2020 to 2021?
Here’s a table of the fastest-falling boy names of 2021. On the left are the top 25 decreases in terms of absolute numbers of babies, and on the right are the top 25 decreases in terms of relative numbers of babies.
Rank
Boy name
Absolute fall
Boy name
Relative fall
1
Mason
-1,035
Aldair
-70%
2
Alexander
-880
Vinson
-64%
3
Jacob
-860
Rishik
-64%
4
Michael
-742
Sylar
-62%
5
Ethan
-717
Kassian
-62%
6
Matthew
-685
Babyboy
-62%
7
Connor
-650
Adrain
-61%
8
Ryan
-613
Kiari
-61%
9
Hunter
-595
Princeston
-60%
10
William
-525
Graycen
-58%
11
Joshua
-509
Teagen
-58%
12
Emmanuel
-491
Mister
-58%
13
Jaxson
-489
Josyah
-58%
14
Christian
-487
Jaysean
-57%
15
Colton
-477
Janoah
-57%
16
Andrew
-466
Waseem
-57%
17
Brayden
-452
Shloime
-57%
18
Jaxon
-440
Siddhant
-56%
19
Karter
-434
Abdurahman
-56%
20
Carson
-430
Jabriel
-56%
21
Elijah
-428
Aran
-56%
22
Benjamin
-418
Januel
-55%
23
Daniel
-411
Dian
-55%
24
Kobe
-399
Trysten
-55%
25
Carter
-389
Greysin
-55%
Kobe was 2020’s largest absolute increase by a good margin. (The second name on that list, Theodore, broke into the top 10 in 2021.)
Here are the boy names that saw the steepest dives out of the data (i.e., to below 5 instances of usage) in 2021:
given to 26 babies in 2020: Burhanuddin
given to 20 babies in 2020: Bader
given to 18 babies in 2020: Hyatt, Reylan
given to 17 babies in 2020: Abdelrahman
given to 16 babies in 2020: Kymeir
Do you have thoughts/insights about any of the above names?
And here are the late bloomers — names that were part of the 2019 game, but didn’t rise/debut until 2020.
Donna increased by 20%.
Nipsey debuted with 7 baby boys.
Luce returned to the data with 7 baby girls.
Maleficent returned to the data with 5 baby girls.
Miren returned to the data with 5 baby girls.
Finally, regarding our theories about how Covid might have affected 2020’s names…I didn’t notice anything definitive. For instance, both Gheba and Skizzo mentioned “prestige” names (e.g., King, Legend, Major, Messiah and Royal). What I found was that some went up, some went down. Same with the modern virtue names (e.g., Courage, Honor, Brave, Bravery, Freedom).
What are your thoughts on these results? Which name surprised you the most?
[Disclaimer: Some of the names above were already moving in the direction indicated. Others were influenced by more than a single pop culture person/event. In all cases, I leave it up to you to judge the degree/nature of pop culture influence.]
Henry and Alexander replaced Mason (now ranked 11th) and Ethan (13th).
The boy names that saw the largest increases in usage in terms of absolute numbers of babies were…
Kobe, increased by 998 babies
Theodore, 685
Luka, 618
Asher, 592
Enzo, 490
Adriel, 471
Archer, 451
Kylo, 424
River, 410
Beau, 398
Kobe was influenced by the untimely death of basketball great Kobe Bryant (whose daughter, Gianna, had an equally strong influence on girl names.)
Theodore and Luka were also among the fastest risers of 2019.
The boy names that saw the largest increases in usage in terms of relative numbers of babies were…
Omere, increased by 460%
Ripp, 342%
Hardin, 300%
Vardaan, 280%
Rip, 260%
Alekai, 260%
Sharvil, 255%
Evian, 253%
Neizan, 243%
Barkon, 240%
Omere could be from Omere Harris, son of YouTubers (and former Love & Hip Hop-ers) Mendeecees Harris and Yandy Smith.
Ripp was a debut name just one year earlier. Speaking of debuts…
Here are the boy names that debuted most impressively in the 2020 data:
Aarnik, debuted with 14 baby boys
Itzan, 14
Azhir, 13
Carin, 13
Jahkor, 13
Krown, 13
Amavi, 12 (a double-debut with 30 girls as well)
Deluka, 12
Ezrin, 12
Hardyn, 12
Some explanations…
Itzan is probably from Spanish actor Itzan Escamilla, who stars in the Netflix series Élite.
Carin could be from Mexican singer Carin Leon (whose real name is Oscar; “Carin” is a shortening of his nickname, Oscarin.)
Jahkor was the name of a character in the Netflix movie All Day and a Night (2020).
The boy names that saw the largest decreases in usage in terms of absolute numbers of babies were…
Ethan, decreased by 1,801 babies
Jacob, -1,525
Logan, -1,434
Mason, -1,407
Matthew, -1,170
Lucas, -1,164
Carter, -1,141
Jaxon, -1,132
Isaac, -1,121
Alexander, -1,113
The boy name that saw the largest decrease in usage in terms of relative numbers of babies was Daer (-80%), and the boy name that saw the steepest drop off the list was Montae (from 20 babies in 2019 to fewer than 5 in 2020).
If you can explain any of these rises (or drops), please leave a comment!
The girl names that saw the largest increases in usage in terms of absolute numbers of babies were…
Gianna, increased by 4,414 babies
Alaia, 654
Nova, 635
Isla, 500
Haisley, 451
Oaklynn, 406
Kehlani, 387
Ariella, 374
Maeve, 337
Natalia, 332
Gianna was influenced by the tragic death of Gianna Bryant, daughter of Kobe Bryant.
The girl names that saw the largest increases in usage in terms of relative numbers of babies were…
Ehlani, increased by 2,100%
Anayra, 483%
Nihan, 482%
Xiamara, 460%
Kiora, 440%
Yahri, 420%
Alessi, 418%
Eryss, 400%
Gianina, 400%
Giannina, 400%
Some explanations…
Ehlani is the daughter of social media influencer Elsy Guevara. (Commenter alex called this one months ago. Here’s Ehlani’s “name reveal” video, from May 2020.)
Anayra could be from Anayra Sharma, the baby of Indian comedian/celebrity Kapil Sharma (who has 32 million Instagram followers and 18 million twitter followers).
Alessi is the the daughter of Siesta Key cast member Alex Kompothecras.
Eryss is the daughter of Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta cast member Erica Dixon.
Giannina was a contestant on the reality TV show Love is Blind.
Here are the girl names that debuted most impressively in the 2020 data:
Dalett, debuted with 94 baby girls
Cennet, 84
Ulanni, 44
Souline, 36
Amavi, 30 (this one double-debuted, actually, with 12 boys as well)
Ayzal, 30
Brixleigh, 19
Kazleigh, 19
Yoatzi, 19
Morwenna, 16
Some explanations…
Dalett is the third child (born in May, 2020) of Larrymania stars Larry and Kenia Hernandez. (Their older daughters are Daleyza and Dalary.)
Cennet is the main character of the Telemundo show Cennet, which looks to be a remake of a Turkish show (Cennet’in Gözyaslari) from a few years earlier. The name means “heaven” in Turkish.
Morwenna might be from the most recent adaptation of Poldark. (Supporting evidence: the name Demelza returned to the data a few years ago.)
The girl names that saw the largest decreases in usage in terms of absolute numbers of babies were…
Harper, decreased by 1,686 babies
Emma, -1,574
Ava, -1,390
Emily, -1,373
Abigail, -1,317
Mia, -1,295
Isabella, -1,278
Victoria, -1,103
Aria, -994
Olivia, -973
The girl name that saw the largest decrease in usage in terms of relative numbers of babies was Diala (-81%), and the girl name that saw the steepest drop off the list was Yarishna (from 28 babies in 2019 to fewer than 5 in 2020).
If you can explain any of the rises (or drops), please leave a comment!
It’s hard to put into words just how bizarre 2020 was.
Despite this…people still had babies in 2020, and people still paid attention to pop culture in 2020. (In fact, thanks to quarantine, many people probably paid a lot more attention to pop culture than usual last year.) So, let’s put the seriousness of 2020 aside for a second and kick off the annual Pop Culture Baby Name Game!
Of course, “pop culture” includes not just things like movies and music and social media, but also anything that was in the news — including COVID-19, Black Lives Matter, and the U.S. presidential election.
Which baby names will see higher usage — or appear for the very first time — in the 2020 SSA baby name data thanks to pop culture?
Here are some initial ideas (plus some context):
Aalam, DJ Khaled’s baby
Ahmaud, shooting of Ahmaud Arbery
Amala, Doja Cat album
Azula, character from Avatar: The Last Airbender (made available on Netflix in mid-2020)
Some of the names from the 2019 game could be applicable to the 2020 data as well.
Also, feel free to zoom out and consider name trends this year. Here are a few ways in which baby-naming may have been influenced by our collective experience of COVID-19, for instance:
“In my opinion this unprecedented situation will affect naming towards something “bolder” or “more badass” baby names and so you’ll probably see a spike of certain names like King, Major or Royal.” (Gheba)
“I’d bet on the rise of virtue names, or at least modern version of virtue names, like Brave/Bravery, Courage, Honor, etc. And I’d say names like Legend, Messiah, Legacy, Major, King, will probably rise some more too.” (Skizzo)
“I think it will also affect which media influence names this year. Eg we’ll miss out on names inspired by Olympic athletes, but might see even more from Netflix and YouTube.” (Clare)
What other names (or name trends) should we add to the list? Let me know by leaving a comment below. Just remember to make a note of the pop culture influence!
I’ll post the results as soon as I can after the SSA releases the 2020 data (in May of 2021, hopefully).
*Did you know that the actress who played Kamiyah in that Lifetime movie is named Rayven Symone Ferrell? Certainly a nod to Raven-Symoné…
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
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.