How popular is the baby name Legal 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 Legal.

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.


Popularity of the baby name Legal


Posts that mention the name Legal

Babies named for Elbridge Gerry

American politician Elbridge Gerry (1744-1814)
Elbridge Gerry

When you think of politician Elbridge Gerry (1744-1814), what comes to mind?

Probably the political portmanteau gerrymander, which was mockingly coined by a newspaper cartoonist in 1812.

But Gerry was one of the founding fathers of the United States.

He signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation. He refused to sign the Constitution, though, because it didn’t include a Bill of Rights. He promptly helped draft and pass a Bill of Rights (i.e., the first ten amendments) while serving as a member of the inaugural House of Representatives.

He went on to serve as the eighth governor of Massachusetts (1810-1812), and died while in office as the fifth vice president of the United States (1813-1814) under James Madison.

Hundreds of baby boys were named after Elbridge Gerry. Most were born in Gerry’s home state of Massachusetts. The rest came from nearby states, particularly Maine (which was part of Massachusetts from the 1650s to 1820). Some examples…

My favorite namesake, a Mainer named Elbridge Gerry Berry, wasn’t born until 1822.

P.S. Elbridge Gerry is to gerrymandering as Ambrose Burnside is to sideburns…

Sources: Elbridge Gerry – Wikipedia, FamilySearch.org, Find a Grave
Image: Elbridge Gerry (1861) by James Bogle

What turned Silver into a baby name in 1896?

“Silver Lunatics”

The name Silver — which regularly appears in the U.S. baby name data these days — first popped up way back in the 1890s, when it suddenly debuted with an impressive 10 baby boys:

  • 1898: unlisted
  • 1897: unlisted
  • 1896: 10 baby boys named Silver [debut]
  • 1895: unlisted
  • 1894: unlisted

If we look at the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) data, we see a similar spike in the number of people named Silver in 1896:

  • 1898: 8 people named Silver
  • 1897: 6 people named Silver
  • 1896: 18 people named Silver
  • 1895: 6 people named Silver
  • 1894: 8 people named Silver

Can you guess the cause?

I’ll give you two hints. First, look what happens to the name Bryan that year:

  • 1898: 57 baby boys named Bryan
  • 1897: 97 baby boys named Bryan
  • 1896: 157 baby boys named Bryan
  • 1895: 27 baby boys named Bryan
  • 1894: 9 baby boys named Bryan

Now check out how the name Jennings peaks a year later:

  • 1898: 28 baby boys named Jennings
  • 1897: 50 baby boys named Jennings
  • 1896: 40 baby boys named Jennings
  • 1895: 9 baby boys named Jennings
  • 1894: 5 baby boys named Jennings

No doubt you’ve pieced it together: 1896 was the year William Jennings Bryan ran for president, and the central issue for Democrats that year was Free Silver.

The U.S. was in the middle of a depression, and Free Silver supporters (the “Silverites”) thought the depression could be alleviated via the coinage of silver.

“For true believers,” the Encyclopedia Britannica states, “silver became the symbol of economic justice for the mass of the American people.”

And those “true believers” were very likely the ones naming their kids Silver back in 1896.

But Bryan’s opponent, William McKinley, was able to convince voters that Free Silver was a bad thing — that the resultant inflation would harm the economy — and won the election.

What do you think of the baby name Silver?

Sources: William Jennings Bryan – Wikipedia, Free Silver – Wikipedia, Free Silver Movement – Britannica.com, SSA
Image: A down-hill movement – LOC

P.S. Want to see other money-inspired monikers? Try Legal Tender, Silver Dollar, Free Silver, Gold Standard, and Depression.

Unique noun-names

I’m fascinated by personal names that, out of context, don’t appear to be names at all. Especially when said names are created from everyday nouns and proper nouns — places, foods, animals, objects, brands, ideas, events, institutions, organizations, qualities, phenomena, and so forth.

My fascination kicked into high gear after I wrote about noun-names earlier this year. Ever since, I’ve kept my eyes peeled for noun-names.

So far, I’ve collected hundreds. But it’s going to take me a while to blog about all of them. In the meanwhile, I thought I’d list some of the strangest ones I’ve already talked about:

Did I skip any good ones? Let me know in the comments!

Unusual noun-names

In 1971, the editors of American Heritage asked readers to tell them about people who were “named after places, institutions, and events.” They offered examples like Wilmot Proviso Ragsdale, Legal Tender Coxey, Monongahela de Beaujeau and Illinois Central Wilson.

In 1972, the best of the submitted names were published. Here’s most of that list (with a few extra details):

Boston Raspberry, born circa 1900. While playing in a sandlot baseball game in Florida, he “clubbed the opposing shortstop to death with a bat after an argument over a called third strike.” He was sentenced to life in prison, but was later pardoned by Gov. Millard Fillmore Caldwell, “who said that anybody with a name like Boston Raspberry should have a full pardon.”

(Gov. Caldwell was named for his father, who was named for Millard Fillmore, 13th President of the United States.)

Budweiser Hawkins and Falstaff Hawkins. Brothers from Arkansas. Budweiser Hawkins upheld the tradition by naming his children Budweiser Jr., Falstaff, Virginia Dare (wine), Ron Rico (rum), Jose Cuervo (tequila), and Courvoisier (cognac). Bud Jr. is now Dr. Budweiser, and he has a website called Weiser Living.

Carbon Petroleum Dubbs, 1881-1962. Named “Carbon P” at birth by his father, oil magnate Jesse Dubbs. He extended his middle name (the letter P) to “Petroleum” as an adult.

Easter Lily Gates, born on Easter Sunday (April 21) in 1889. She was the Supervisor of Elections in Broward County, FL, from 1929 to 1969. “Hats were her trademark.”

Eiffel Tower Sutherland, 1894-1961. On October 10, 1952, the Miami News mentioned her in this one-sentence story: “Danville, Ind. — When Betty Jean Weesney, home from a recent European trip, brought back a souvenir replica of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, it was the logical gift for just one friend — Eiffel Tower Sutherland.”

Mordecai Peter Centennial Brown, 1876-1948. Major League Baseball pitcher from Indiana. Born the year of the centennial. Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1949.

States Rights Gist, 1831-1864, and States Rights Jones, Jr., 1920-2002. The first was a Confederate brigadier general from South Carolina. His father, Nathaniel, was a fan of John C. Calhoun’s nullification politics (i.e., he thought states should have the right to nullify federal laws they deemed unconstitutional). The second was a USMC Colonel from Mississippi.

Through Trial And Tribulation We Enter Into The Kingdom Of Heaven Lindloff, 1881-1947. Known as “Trib.” Son of German immigrants.

Sources: