How popular is the baby name Neil 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 Neil.

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Popularity of the baby name Neil


Posts that mention the name Neil

Baby names from ‘American Gods’?

"American Gods"

Neil Gaiman’s award-winning book American Gods is going to be made into a TV series. Here’s a quick synopsis, courtesy of Nerdist:

For those of you who haven’t read the novel, American Gods centers around a war brewing between old and new gods; the traditional gods of biblical and mythological roots from around the world, who are now steadily losing believers to an upstart pantheon of gods reflecting society’s modern love of money, technology, media, celebrity, and drugs. The lead character, Shadow Moon, is an ex-con who becomes bodyguard and traveling partner to Mr. Wednesday. Mr. Wednesday is a con man who is in reality one of the older gods on a cross-country mission to gather his forces in preparation to battle the new deities.

I don’t know when the show will be on the air (2016?) but Shadow’s name is already being thrown around a lot on social media, thanks to the #CastingShadow social media campaign.

Do you think we’ll see an uptick in the number of babies named Shadow the year the show comes out?

(At least two other Gaiman character names, Coraline and Yvaine, saw increased usage after the books Stardust and Coraline were made into movies.)

Update, July 2020: The show ended up debuting in April of 2017, and the usage of Shadow did indeed increase a bit that year:

  • 2018: 8 baby girls & 10 baby boys named Shadow
  • 2017: 12 baby girls & 19 baby boys named Shadow
  • 2016: 8 baby girls & 7 baby boys named Shadow
  • 2015: 10 baby girls & 11 baby boys named Shadow

Sources: Starz Greenlights Neil Gaiman’s American Gods Television Series, American Gods (TV series) – Wikipedia

What popularized the baby name Coraline?

Coraline

Neil Gaiman’s fantasy book Coraline (2002) tells the story of young Coraline Jones. The book was turned into a movie in 2009.

The book did inspire a few baby names, but watch what happens when the movie comes out:

  • 2013: 385 baby girls named Coraline
  • 2012: 325 baby girls named Coraline
  • 2011: 224 baby girls named Coraline
  • 2010: 237 baby girls named Coraline
  • 2009: 120 baby girls named Coraline
  • 2008: 11 baby girls named Coraline
  • 2007: 5 baby girls named Coraline
  • 2006: 7 baby girls named Coraline
  • 2005: unlisted
  • 2004: unlisted

Since 2012, the name Coraline has been among the top 1,000 baby girl names in the U.S.

How did Gaiman come up with the name? Here’s how he explained it during a recent commencement speech:

Fourthly, I hope you’ll make mistakes. If you make mistakes, it means you’re out there doing something. And the mistakes in themselves can be very useful. I once misspelled Caroline in a letter, transposing the A and O. And I thought, “Coraline…looks almost like a real name.”

What are your thoughts on the name Coraline? Do you like it more or less than Caroline?

P.S. Yvaine is another Neil Gaiman character name…

Sources:

How did Jacqueline Kennedy pronounce her name?

First Lady Jacqueline "Jackie" Kennedy (1929-1994)
Jacqueline “Jackie” Kennedy

Last week, audio recordings of Jacqueline Kennedy talking with historian Arthur Schlesinger were released under the title Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy.

In an interview about the recordings, Caroline Kennedy noted that most people pronounce “Jacqueline” incorrectly. At least, they aren’t saying it the way her mother used to say it. Jackie pronounced her first name JAK-uh-leen [vid], according to Caroline.

Interesting, no?

I’m trying to find video/audio of Jackie introducing herself, just for confirmation, but haven’t had any luck yet.

So, instead, here are a few Jackie-related name facts:

  • Jackie’s daughter Caroline is the inspiration behind Neil Diamond’s song “Sweet Caroline” (1969).
  • Sources claim that Jackie’s first child, who was stillborn, would have been named Arabella. One source states the name was inspired by the ship Arbella, which carried Puritans to New England during the Great Migration.
  • Jackie’s maiden name, Bouvier, has appeared in the SSA’s baby name data once — in 1963. Five baby boys were named Bouvier that year. This may have been due to the death of baby Patrick Bouvier in August, or the death of JFK in November.
  • Jackie’s second married name, Onassis, has appeared on the SSA’s baby name list three times. The first was in 1968, when she wed Aristotle Onassis. Six baby boys were named Onassis that year.

Source: Pottker, Jan. Janet and Jackie: The Story of a Mother and Her Daughter, Jacqueline Kennedy. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2001.

Baby name story: Caroline

Remember Invicta, the baby name inspired by a childhood memory of steamrollers and “the smell of thick, black tar”?

Well, I’ve found another baby name that can be traced back to a vivid childhood memory. This memory belongs to writer Mary Schneider:

Her name came to me when I was seven months pregnant and still trying to think of something suitable to call her. At the time, I was walking down a flight of stairs when I became aware of the sunlight streaming through a side window.

Suddenly, I was transported back in time. I was sixteen years old and enjoying the long summer break from school. I’d just cleared all my household chores for the day and was getting ready to visit a friend when I heard the front door slamming – it was my mother coming in from the garden.

I came out of my room and went to the top of the stairs, just in time to see her vigorously unfurling a rug on the floor behind the front door.

As she hurried away, I watched the dust motes rising upwards, made visible by the shafts of sunlight that streamed through the little window at the side of the door. As the motes reached their apex and slowly began to float downwards through the thick air, I stopped mid-step on the staircase, mesmerized.

Just then, the sound of Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” came drifting out of the living room to mingle with the dust motes. Illuminated all the more by a sudden increase in sunlight, the motes took on even more of a magical effect as they continued their downward dance.

A few minutes later, the show was over, and I was left on the staircase with Neil Diamond.

That song stuck with me long after the summer sun had disappeared from the Scottish sky. And now I have my own sweet Caroline.

If you come across any other great name stories like this one, please let me know!

Source: Schneider, Mary. “What’s in a name?” Star [Malaysia]. 11 Sep. 2006.