How popular is the baby name Lucifer 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 Lucifer.

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Popularity of the baby name Lucifer


Posts that mention the name Lucifer

Popular and unique baby names in Scotland (UK), 2018

Flag of the United Kingdom
Flag of the United Kingdom

According to National Records of Scotland (NRS), the most popular baby names in the country in 2018 were Olivia and Jack.

Here are Scotland’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2018:

Girl Names

  1. Olivia, 444 baby girls
  2. Emily, 423
  3. Isla, 383
  4. Sophie, 331
  5. Amelia, 312
  6. Ella, 295
  7. Ava, 292
  8. Grace, 286
  9. Aria, 272
  10. Jessica, 262

Boy Names

  1. Jack, 422 baby boys
  2. Oliver, 330
  3. James, 323
  4. Logan, 307
  5. Leo, 300
  6. Lewis, 298
  7. Alexander, 294 (tie)
  8. Harris, 294 (tie)
  9. Noah, 284
  10. Rory, 280

In the girls’ top 10, Grace replaced Charlotte (now 11th).

In the boys’ top 10, Rory replaced Harry (now tied for 11th with Charlie).

Names inspired by Scottish islands include Arran (118 boys; ranked 47th), Iona (83 girls; ranked 56th), Ailsa (37 girls), Islay (11 girls), Coll (3 boys), Jura (3 girls), Gigha (1 girl), and Tiree (1 girl).

And here are some more baby names that, like Gigha and Tiree, were bestowed just once in Scotland last year:

Unique Girl NamesUnique Boy Names
Adora-Belle, Brora, Callumina, Cardi, Clemency, Damily, Delarosa, Embla, Everlyn, Fintry, Frankie-Nirvana, Gigi, Honey-Bee, Iwinosa, Izna, Junu, Kindah, Lhotse, Milliemae, Niska, Omnia, Peculiar, Raffie, Swithy, Tiggy, Tophina, Uljana, Veia, Winry, Xanthippe, Yvie, ZuzuAurimas, Avrick, Baroque-Valentyne, Caisson, Camhanaich, Dome, Dune, Eck, Fitheach, Gighian, Haxton, Indio, Izzeldin, Jeddie, Junlin, Kafka, Lucifer, Monder, Neelix, Ouff, Panashe, Rattakorn, Reave, Stark, Svetozar, Thapish, Ual, Velyo, Wit, Xypher, Yogan, Zostera

Possible explanations for some of the above:

  • Cardi B, American rapper and singer
  • Embla, the first woman (according to Norse mythology)
  • Lhotse, the 4th-highest mountain in the world (means “south peak” in Tibetan)
  • Winry, a manga character from the Fullmetal Alchemist
  • Caisson, an ammunition chest or two-wheeled ammunition wagon (means “box” in French)
  • Camhanaich, the Scottish word for “break of day” or “twilight”
  • Fitheach, the Scottish word for “raven” (and also the title of a children’s adventure game show that premiered on the Scottish-language BBC Alba channel in 2018)
  • Kafka, Czech writer Franz Kafka
  • Neelix, a character from Star Trek: Voyager
  • Zostera, a type of sea grass

In 2017, the top two names were the same.

Sources: Most popular names in Scotland, Babies’ First Names, From A to Zidane… unusual names of newborns revealed, 2018 baby names: Scots babies are Awesome and Adora-Belle

Image: Adapted from Flag of the United Kingdom (public domain)

How is the TV series “Lucifer” influencing baby names?

The character Mazikeen Smith from the TV series "Lucifer" (2016-).
Mazikeen Smith from “Lucifer“

Several Neil Gaiman characters (e.g., Coraline, Yvaine) have influenced baby names in the past, so here are several more that are influencing baby names right now.

These names come courtesy of the TV show Lucifer (2016-), which was loosely based on Gaiman’s comic book series The Sandman (1989-1996).

  • Lucifer: The premise of the show is that the main character, Lucifer (played by Tom Ellis), bored with Hell, has decided to move to Los Angeles and open a night club called “Lux.” (The Latin word lux, meaning “light,” comes directly from Lucifer’s name, meaning “light-bearing.”) In 2017, the baby name Lucifer saw a definitive rise in usage — a fact that would no doubt alarm a large number of Americans.
  • Mazikeen (Maze): Lucifer’s right-hand man is a lady: Mazikeen “Maze” Smith (played by Lesley-Ann Brandt). She’s a demon who followed Lucifer to Earth as his sworn protector. At the start of the series, she worked as a bartender at Lux. The baby name Mazikeen debuted in the U.S. baby name data in 2016, and Maze debuted for girls specifically the next year.
  • Amenadiel: Lucifer’s eldest brother is Amenadiel (played by D. B. Woodside). He’s an archangel (still in God’s good graces) who has a contentious relationship with Lucifer, who he encourages to return to Hell. The baby name Amenadiel debuted in the U.S. baby name data in 2017.

How many U.S. babies have been getting these names lately? Here are the numbers…

LuciferMazikeenMazeAmenadiel
201826 boys42 girls11 boys &
13 girls		8 boys
201724 boys27 girls15 boys &
9 girls*		9 boys*
201613 boys8 girls*11 boys.
20157 boys.14 boys.
201411 boys.10 boys.
*Debut

Though Mazikeen and Amenadiel both sound biblical, neither one is found in the Bible. Mazikeen is based on the Hebrew word mazzikim, meaning “harmful spirits.” Amenadiel’s explanation has eluded me so far, but, like many Hebrew names, it ends with -el, which refers to “God.”

What are your thoughts on these two new names? How about on the rising usage of Lucifer?

P.S. Also on TV right now is American Gods (2017-), based on the Neil Gaiman book of the same name. I thought the show might give the name Shadow a big boost, but so far this isn’t the case.

Update, 2020: Looks like one of debut names of 2019, Axara, can be traced back to a uniquely named single-episode Lucifer character who appeared on the show in March of 2018.

Update, May 2021: Another Lucifer debut! This time it’s Remiel, which was already in the boys’ data before popping up as a girl name last year. In the show, Remiel is Lucifer’s kid sister.

Sources: List of Lucifer characters – Wikipedia, Jewish Concepts: Demons & Demonology, SSA

Popular baby names in Moscow, 2014

Flag of Russia
Flag of Russia

According to Moscow’s civil registration office, the most popular baby names in Moscow in 2014 were Alexander (for the 10th year in a row) and Sofia.

Among the names registered for the first time last year were Byzantium, Jazz, and Sevastopol. (“Russia’s annexation of the Ukrainian port city of Sevastopol in March reinvigorated national pride among many Russians.”) Two other unusual names that made headlines last year were Lucifer and Olimpiyada (a baby girl born several weeks before the start of the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi).

I don’t believe Russia releases country-wide baby name rankings, but the Mercator media agency has gathered a some data (“the first names of 21 million residents of Moscow and the Moscow region”) and created a cool interactive baby name popularity graph covering the 20th century.

Some observations about the Mercator data:

  • Lada “became somewhat popular in 1968 when the Soviet Union began production of a car by the same name. The name debuted on the top-100 list at No. 70, then declined to No. 76 a year later before falling off the chart.” Lada was originally the name of a Slavic goddess.
  • Vladimir “was the second most popular name in 1952 when current President Vladimir Putin was born.”
  • Ninel “debuted on the chart at No. 66 in 1924, the year that Soviet state-founder Vladimir Lenin died. Ninel slid off the list in the mid-1930s.” (See more Revolutionary Russian Baby Names.)

Sources: Muscovites Embrace Avant-Garde Baby Names, Russian Couple Causes Outcry After Naming Baby ‘Lucifer’, Pre-Revolutionary Names Making a Comeback in Russia

Image: Adapted from Flag of Russia (public domain)