How popular is the baby name Modesty 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 Modesty.

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 Modesty


Posts that mention the name Modesty

Girl names falling in the U.S. in 2022

fallen leaves

Which girl names decreased in usage the most from 2021 to 2022?

Here’s a table of the fastest-falling girl names of 2022. On the left are the top 25 decreases in terms of absolute change (numbers of babies). On the right are the top 25 decreases in terms of relative change (percentages of babies).

RankGirl nameAbsolute fallGirl nameRelative fall
1Ava-1,791Ciena-78%
2Olivia-1,225Eveny-76%
3Emma-1,075Baby-75%
4Gianna-1,074Rosey-74%
5Ella-772Josabet-74%
6Abigail-715Kaidynce-74%
7Zoey-709Tzirel-72%
8Amelia-674Ulanni-72%
9Avery-563Yasma-71%
10Addison-538Ysabel-71%
11Aubrey-527Josabeth-69%
12Everly-502Aairah-69%
13Madison-473Danasia-69%
14Bella-464Elainna-69%
15Skylar-456Grayli-69%
16Charlotte-445Harlin-69%
17Savannah-441Klaudia-69%
18Allison-437Samisha-69%
19Kennedy-378Blaike-68%
20Peyton-377Modesty-68%
21Audrey-348Evryn-68%
22Brooklyn-339Kalyse-68%
23Claire-335Kassia-68%
24Aaliyah-333Eleonore-68%
25Riley-324Adelai*-67%

*Also at -67% were Alayziah, Eliot, Jaimee, Jayli, Jeslynn, Jlynn, Luciella, Mazzie, Oralia, William, and Zenia.

And here are the girl names that saw the steepest dives out of the data (i.e., to below 5 instances of usage) in 2022:

  • Keilana was given to 21 babies in 2021
  • Rhyder was given to 18 babies in 2021
  • Brixleigh was given to 17 babies in 2021
  • Kyleigha was given to 17 babies in 2021
  • Zemora was given to 17 babies in 2021

Do you have thoughts/insights about any of the above names?

Source: SSA

Image: Adapted from Fall (6282684630) by Kenny Louie under CC BY 2.0.

Where did the baby name Kiz come from in 1961?

The character Kiz Bouchet from the TV series "Maverick" (1957-1962).
Kiz Bouchet from “Maverick

A while back we talked about the name Maverick, which was put on the onomastic map thanks to the TV western Maverick (1957-1962).

Since then, I’ve discovered that a handful of minor female characters from Maverick also influenced baby names in the late ’50s and early ’60s. I’ll go in chronological order…

First there’s Samantha, which saw higher usage around the time recurring character Samantha Crawford (played by Diane Brewster) was on the show. She appeared a total of four times: once in 1957, three more times in 1958. (This was still a few years before Bewitched came along.)

  • 1959: 111 baby girls named Samantha
  • 1958: 109 baby girls named Samantha [rank: 999th]
  • 1957: 38 baby girls named Samantha
  • 1956: 29 baby girls named Samantha
  • 1955: 27 baby girls named Samantha

Second there’s Modesty, which debuted around the time recurring character Modesty Blaine was on the show. She appeared a total of three times. In her first two appearances, in 1959 and 1960, she was played by Mona Freeman.

  • 1962: unlisted
  • 1961: unlisted
  • 1960: 5 baby girls named Modesty [debut]
  • 1959: unlisted
  • 1958: unlisted

Third there’s Kiz, which debuted the year after character Kiz Bouchet (played by Kathleen Crowley) appeared in the episode “Kiz” (December, 1960).

  • 1963: 5 baby girls named Kiz
  • 1962: 7 baby girls named Kiz
  • 1961: 21 baby girls named Kiz [debut]
  • 1960: unlisted
  • 1959: unlisted

Fourth there’s Caprice, which doubled in usage the year the character Caprice Rambeau (played by Dawn Wells) appeared in the episode “The Deadly Image” (March, 1961).

  • 1963: 31 baby girls named Caprice
  • 1962: 43 baby girls named Caprice
  • 1961: 48 baby girls named Caprice
  • 1960: 24 baby girls named Caprice
  • 1959: 15 baby girls named Caprice

And finally there’s Tawney, which saw higher usage the year the Native American character Tawney (played by Sharon Hugueny) appeared in the 2-part episode, “The Devil’s Necklace” (April, 1961).

  • 1963: 6 baby girls named Tawney
  • 1962: 9 baby girls named Tawney
  • 1961: 27 baby girls named Tawney
  • 1960: 5 baby girls named Tawney
  • 1959: unlisted

Which one of these names — Samantha, Modesty, Kiz, Caprice, or Tawney — do you like best?

Sources: