How popular is the baby name Penelope 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 Penelope.

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Popularity of the Baby Name Penelope


Posts that Mention the Name Penelope

Popular and unique baby names in Sonoma County (California), 2022

Sonoma

Sonoma County, located north of San Francisco, is part of California’s famous Wine Country region.

Last year, Sonoma welcomed 4,583 babies. What were the most popular names among these babies? Camila and Mateo.

Here are Sonoma’s top 50+ girl names and top 50+ boy names of 2022:

Girl Names

  1. Camila, 28 baby girls
  2. Emma, 25
  3. Sofia, 22
  4. Isabella, 21 (tie)
  5. Mia, 21 (tie)
  6. Amelia, 20
  7. Luna, 18
  8. Elizabeth, 17 (tie)
  9. Olivia, 17 (tie)
  10. Charlotte, 15 (tie)
  11. Penelope, 15 (tie)
  12. Maya, 14
  13. Evelyn, 13 (4-way tie)
  14. Gianna, 13 (4-way tie)
  15. Natalie, 13 (4-way tie)
  16. Riley, 13 (4-way tie)
  17. Ella, 12 (6-way tie)
  18. Emily, 12 (6-way tie)
  19. Nora, 12 (6-way tie)
  20. Ruby, 12 (6-way tie)
  21. Samantha, 12 (6-way tie)
  22. Sophia, 12 (6-way tie)
  23. Aria, 11 (4-way tie)
  24. Mila, 11 (4-way tie)
  25. Scarlett, 11 (4-way tie)
  26. Zoey, 11 (4-way tie)
  27. Catalina, 10 (5-way tie)
  28. Victoria, 10 (5-way tie)
  29. Violet, 10 (5-way tie)
  30. Ximena, 10 (5-way tie)
  31. ???, 10 (5-way tie)
    • The dataset included a blank entry with 10 babies. Perhaps the name was accidentally deleted, or this entry represents 10 Sonoma babies that have yet to be named…?
  32. Abigail, 9 (6-way tie)
  33. Audrey, 9 (6-way tie)
  34. Ava, 9 (6-way tie)
  35. Avery, 9 (6-way tie)
  36. Hazel, 9 (6-way tie)
  37. Lucia, 9 (6-way tie)
  38. Chloe, 8 (5-way tie)
  39. Layla, 8 (5-way tie)
  40. Natalia, 8 (5-way tie)
  41. Piper, 8 (5-way tie)
  42. Zoe, 8 (5-way tie)
  43. Aaliyah, 7 (17-way tie)
  44. Alina, 7 (17-way tie)
  45. Athena, 7 (17-way tie)
  46. Bella, 7 (17-way tie)
  47. Cora, 7 (17-way tie)
  48. Daisy, 7 (17-way tie)
  49. Eleanor, 7 (17-way tie)
  50. Eliana, 7 (17-way tie)
  51. Ellie, 7 (17-way tie)
  52. Genesis, 7 (17-way tie)
  53. Harper, 7 (17-way tie)
  54. Isla, 7 (17-way tie)
  55. June, 7 (17-way tie)
  56. Kira, 7 (17-way tie)
  57. Madison, 7 (17-way tie)
  58. Sadie, 7 (17-way tie)
  59. Willow, 7 (17-way tie)

Boy Names

  1. Mateo, 26 baby boys
  2. Liam, 24
  3. Henry, 20 (3-way tie)
  4. Hudson, 20 (3-way tie)
  5. Santiago, 20 (3-way tie)
  6. Noah, 19 (tie)
  7. Sebastian, 19 (tie)
  8. Oliver, 17
  9. Aiden, 16 (3-way tie)
  10. Daniel, 16 (3-way tie)
  11. Lucas, 16 (3-way tie)
  12. James, 15 (4-way tie)
  13. Levi, 15 (4-way tie)
  14. Theodore, 15 (4-way tie)
  15. Wyatt, 15 (4-way tie)
  16. Angel, 14 (4-way tie)
  17. Isaac, 14 (4-way tie)
  18. Jack, 14 (4-way tie)
  19. Jackson, 14 (4-way tie)
  20. Damian, 13 (7-way tie)
  21. Emiliano, 13 (7-way tie)
  22. Emilio, 13 (7-way tie)
  23. Ian, 13( 7-way tie)
  24. Juan, 13 (7-way tie)
  25. Julian, 13 (7-way tie)
  26. Luca, 13 (7-way tie)
  27. Adrian, 12 (8-way tie)
  28. Adriel, 12 (8-way tie)
  29. Jayden, 12 (8-way tie)
  30. Jose, 12 (8-way tie)
  31. Leo, 12 (8-way tie)
  32. Mason, 12 (8-way tie)
  33. Theo, 12 (8-way tie)
  34. William, 12 (8-way tie)
  35. Aaron, 11 (6-way tie)
  36. Anthony, 11 (6-way tie)
  37. Cameron, 11 (6-way tie)
  38. Logan, 11 (6-way tie)
  39. Michael, 11 (6-way tie)
  40. Roman, 11 (6-way tie)
  41. Christopher, 10 (6-way tie)
  42. Kai, 10 (6-way tie)
  43. Lorenzo, 10 (6-way tie)
  44. Miguel, 10 (6-way tie)
  45. Owen, 10 (6-way tie)
  46. Quinn, 10 (6-way tie)
  47. Axel, 9 (9-way tie)
  48. Caleb, 9 (9-way tie)
  49. Dominic, 9 (9-way tie)
  50. Ezekiel, 9 (9-way tie)
  51. Felix, 9 (9-way tie)
  52. Gabriel, 9 (9-way tie)
  53. Maverick, 9 (9-way tie)
  54. Rowan, 9 (9-way tie)
  55. Samuel, 9 (9-way tie)

Lower down on the list, we find 3 boys named Oslo and 2 named Kawika (the Hawaiian form of David).

And here’s a sampling of the many names that were bestowed just once in Sonoma last year:

Unique Girl NamesUnique Boy Names
Alofa, Baylor, Calgary, Dechen, Etsai, Fleury, Gabbanelli, Heather, Inayaat, Josiebelle, Ka Iulani, Liska, Morelia, Nasira, Oa, Pejuta, Quetzal, Riviera, Salanieta, Tenley, Unity, Vylana, Wendy, Yubicela, ZoaAimeson, Braulio, Coatney, Daizel, Ekansh, Filberto, Gadiel, Helios, Iroh, Javelin, Kaleo, Lars, Mayaken, Nikolai, Osoleo, Pedro, Quentin, Reverand, Sterling, Torrello, Ulices, Voyager, Wolfie, Yonik, Zayjoun

Some possible explanations/influences for a few of the above:

  • Alofa means “love” in Samoan.
  • Dechen means “great bliss” in Tibetan.
  • Etsai means “devil” in Basque.
  • Iroh is a character from the animated TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender.
  • Javelin originally referred to a light spear used in hunting, but today it’s more closely linked to either the Olympic sport or the missile used by the military.
  • Ka Iulani could be a reference to Hawaii’s last heir apparent, Princess Ka’iulani.
  • Kaleo means “the voice” or “the sound” in Hawaiian. (It’s also the name of an Icelandic rock band.)
  • Pejuta means “medicine” in Lakota.
  • Quetzal refers to the quetzal bird.

P.S. Just for fun, here are some of the names that have only popped up a single time in Sonoma’s baby name data, which goes back to the 1800s.

  • 2013: Ethereal, Meadowlark
  • 2012: Six
  • 2011: Four, Aubergine
  • 2009: Limber, Nightlynn, Pepperwood
  • 2008: Honeymoon, Teancum
  • 2006: Luminescence, Memphis Dreamwolf, Ozomatli, Skylarshine
    • Ozomatli is the Nahuatl word for “monkey.” (It’s also the name of a Grammy-winning Latin Rock band from Los Angeles.)
  • 2000: Ocean Wind, Millennium, Millennium Christopher
  • 1999: Chrysler
  • 1997: Return
  • 1996: Riverwind
  • 1995: Brazil, Cedar River, Talisman
  • 1994: Namibia, Northern
  • 1993: Tiffani Amber, Vancouver
  • 1992: Sunwater
  • 1991: Modesto, Sparkles
  • 1988: Smokey
  • 1985: Juror, Redcloud
  • 1984: Little Fawn
  • 1982: Otineb
    • Otineb is “Benito” spelled backwards
  • 1981: Connemara
  • 1976: Sonrisa
  • 1975: Little Star
  • 1974: Buffalo, Evenstar, Kipkino
  • 1973: Apricot, Coriander, Summertime
  • 1970: Starfinder
  • 1965: Honey Bee
  • 1958: Zebra
  • 1951: Starlite
  • 1937: Grape
    • I appreciate that a baby born in a wine-making region was named “Grape” :)
  • 1921: Senator
  • 1915: Sequestre
  • 1914: Eldorado

Sonoma’s two-hit wonder names include Strawberry (1971, 1973) and Fairlight (1974, 1976).

Sources: Sonoma County Baby Names | Open Data | Sonoma County, Sonoma County Births by Year | Open Data | Sonoma County, Wiktionary, Online Nahuatl Dictionary

Image by Trent Erwin from Unsplash

What gave the baby name Soleil a boost in 1985?

The character Punky Brewster (played by Soleil Moon Frye) from the TV series "Punky Brewster" (1984-1988)
Soleil Moon Frye as Punky Brewster

In 1985, the usage of the baby name Soleil — which is pronounced soh-lay, roughly — nearly quintupled:

  • 1987: 18 baby girls named Soleil
  • 1986: 19 baby girls named Soleil
  • 1985: 29 baby girls named Soleil
  • 1984: 6 baby girls named Soleil
  • 1983: unlisted

Why?

Because of young actress Soleil Moon Frye.

She was the star of the memorable children’s TV series Punky Brewster, which began airing on NBC in September of 1984.

The show was about a feisty, colorfully-dressed young girl named Penelope “Punky” Brewster. After being abandoned by her parents, Punky was begrudgingly taken in by a cranky widower named Henry Warnimont (played by George Gaynes). Henry eventually warmed to Punky and, in the penultimate* episode of the second season, he legally adopted her.

In mid-1985, the Washington Post called Soleil Moon Frye’s name “peculiar” and offered this explanation:

Soleil’s mother said her daughter was scheduled for a July birthday. When she showed up in August, Frye said she picked “Soleil” (French for “sun”) because “August was the month of the sun” and “Moon” because she liked the lyrics from a song in “Annie Get Your Gun”: “I’ve got the sun in the morning and the moon at night.”

Recently, Frye was quoted as saying: “I love having a unique name.”

Indeed, she’s continued the tradition with her own four children: daughters Poet and Jagger, and sons Lyric and Story.

What are your thoughts on the name Soleil?

*The final episode of Punky Brewster‘s second season dealt with the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger, which had occurred fewer than six weeks earlier. The episode featured astronaut Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin (as himself).

Sources:

P.S. Punky Brewster’s dog Brandon was named after Brandon Tartikoff, who was the president of NBC’s entertainment division during the 1980s.

What popularized the baby name Arianny in the early 2010s?

UFC "Ring Girl" Arianny Celeste
Arianny Celeste

The name Arianny, which started popping up in the U.S. baby name data in the 1990s, began rising in usage around 2008 and peaked in 2013:

  • 2014: 126 baby girls named Arianny
  • 2013: 158 baby girls named Arianny [peak]
  • 2012: 147 baby girls named Arianny
  • 2011: 149 baby girls named Arianny
  • 2010: 120 baby girls named Arianny
  • 2009: 55 baby girls named Arianny
Graph of the usage of the baby name Arianny in the U.S. since 1880
Usage of the baby name Arianny

Why?

I’d say the most direct influence was model and “octagon girl” Arianny (pronounced ahr-ee-AH-nee) Celeste, who was born (as Penelope López Márquez) in Las Vegas in 1985.

She started working as a ring girl with the mixed martial arts promotion company UFC in 2006, and she was declared “Ringcard Girl of the Year” four times in a row (2008-2011) by the World MMA Awards. (She has since won the award two more times, in 2014 and 2015.)

That said…the prevailing trendiness of names like Arianna and Ariana must have made the name Arianny sound particularly appealing to expectant parents around that time. (Interesting fact: Both of those names saw peak usage the year after Ariana Grande released her 2013 debut album, then immediately started slipping.)

What are your thoughts on the name Arianny?

Sources: Arianny Celeste – Wikipedia, SSA

P.S. Another UFC-related name, Chael, peaked the very same year…

Popular baby names in Austin (Texas), 2017

Austin, Texas

A few days ago, I stumbled upon a set of baby name data for Austin, Texas, for the year 2017. While it isn’t current, it does seem to be complete — so it includes hundreds of rare and single-use names (which are always fascinating!).

The data accounts for nearly 19,900 births (9,733 girls and 10,163 boys), and features nearly 6,100 names (3,431 given to girls, 2,656 given to boys).

According to this data, which comes from the City of Austin’s Open Data Portal, the top baby names in the capital of Texas five years ago were Emma and James.

Here are Austin’s top 50 girl names and top 50 boy names of 2017:

Girl Names

  1. Emma, 98 baby girls
  2. Isabella, 88
  3. Olivia, 84
  4. Mia, 81
  5. Evelyn, 77
  6. Sophia, 75
  7. Ava, 73
  8. Abigail, 59 (tie)
  9. Charlotte, 59 (tie)
  10. Emily, 58
  11. Camila, 56 (tie)
  12. Elizabeth, 56 (tie)
  13. Harper, 53
  14. Amelia, 52
  15. Penelope, 51 (tie)
  16. Sofia, 51 (tie)
  17. Scarlett, 46
  18. Ella, 45
  19. Avery, 43 (tie)
  20. Zoe, 43 (tie)
  21. Lillian, 41
  22. Layla, 40 (tie)
  23. Madison, 40 (tie)
  24. Eleanor, 39
  25. Victoria, 38
  26. Allison, 37
  27. Claire, 36 (3-way tie)
  28. Elena, 36 (3-way tie)
  29. Luna, 36 (3-way tie)
  30. Aria, 35 (tie)
  31. Chloe, 35 (tie)
  32. Ellie, 34 (tie)
  33. Katherine, 34 (tie)
  34. Samantha, 33
  35. Hannah, 30 (4-way tie)
  36. Hazel, 30 (4-way tie)
  37. Mila, 30 (4-way tie)
  38. Stella, 30 (4-way tie)
  39. Leah, 29
  40. Cora, 28 (5-way tie)
  41. Genesis, 28 (5-way tie)
  42. Grace, 28 (5-way tie)
  43. Natalie, 28 (5-way tie)
  44. Ximena, 28 (5-way tie)
  45. Clara, 27 (3-way tie)
  46. Eliana, 27 (3-way tie)
  47. Ruby, 27 (3-way tie)
  48. Audrey, 26 (tie)
  49. Sarah, 26 (tie)
  50. Alexa, 25 (3-way tie)
  51. Everly, 25 (3-way tie)
  52. Lily, 25 (3-way tie)

Boy Names

  1. James, 104 baby boys
  2. Noah, 85
  3. Daniel, 83
  4. Benjamin, 82
  5. William, 80
  6. Oliver, 75
  7. Liam, 74
  8. Alexander, 73
  9. Sebastian, 70
  10. Henry, 67
  11. Elijah, 66 (tie)
  12. Mateo, 66 (tie)
  13. Ethan, 65
  14. Jackson, 63
  15. Anthony, 61
  16. Jacob, 60
  17. Aiden, 59 (tie)
  18. Luke, 59 (tie)
  19. David, 58 (tie)
  20. Samuel, 58 (tie)
  21. John, 56
  22. Isaac, 55 (tie)
  23. Julian, 55 (tie)
  24. Michael, 54
  25. Charles, 53 (3-way tie)
  26. Jack, 53 (3-way tie)
  27. Matthew, 53 (3-way tie)
  28. Jose, 52 (tie)
  29. Joshua, 52 (tie)
  30. Wyatt, 50
  31. Aaron, 49 (4-way tie)
  32. Grayson, 49 (4-way tie)
  33. Joseph, 49 (4-way tie)
  34. Levi, 49 (4-way tie)
  35. Dylan, 48
  36. Hudson, 47
  37. Josiah, 46 (3-way tie)
  38. Logan, 46 (3-way tie)
  39. Santiago, 46 (3-way tie)
  40. Jayden, 45
  41. Nathan, 44
  42. Christopher, 43 (tie)
  43. Thomas, 43 (tie)
  44. Andrew, 42 (4-way tie)
  45. Gabriel, 42 (4-way tie)
  46. Luis, 42 (4-way tie)
  47. Owen, 42 (4-way tie)
  48. Lucas, 41
  49. Adrian, 40 (3-way tie)
  50. Axel, 40 (3-way tie)
  51. Christian, 40 (3-way tie)

On the girls’ list, Allison caught my eye. It ranked 26th in Austin in 2017, but 61st nationally the same year. Interesting.

Further down on the boys’ list was Austin itself, in 95th place — vs. 75th nationally — with 21 baby boys. Much further down was Texas, with 2 baby boys.

And now it’s time for the unique names!

One-of-a-kind names were given to 24% of the baby girls and 17% of the baby boys born in Austin in 2017. Here’s a sampling of the names that were bestowed just once:

Unique Girl NamesUnique Boy Names
Aubrion, Autry, Blue Jay, Cadeau, Ceiba, Dulceluna, Eeriemoon, Fiza, Gilana, Holleen, Itzigueri, Jill, Kasleen, Lillabee, L’Oreal, Mauzie, Millioni, Nincye, Nobelina, Orchid, Princess Plethora, Qiwei, Roshnee, Scepter, Shanze, Thais, Tsumugi, Umutoni, Vyga, Wengiel, Xyzla, Ynafets, ZieglindAshton Alchimist, Bruges, Cayenne, Dalbus, Eames, Fenghua, Ganesh, Getsai, Hackett, Itzae, Jizael, Kavelli Kaine, Linnaeus, Linux, Mazoree, Mistral, Naranna, Nimbus, Olince, Penn, Qhing, Rigveda, Shooter, Syphax, Tavoric, Templar, Urfan, Vetri, Wajahat, Xavi, Yoonbin, Zaxton

Some possible explanations/associations for a few of the above:

  • Cadeau is the French word for “present, gift.”
  • Ceiba is a type of tree.
  • Tsumugi Shirogane is a character from the 2017 video game Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony.
  • Ynafets is “Stefany” spelled backwards.
  • Bruges is the capital of West Flanders (a province of Belgium).
  • Mistral is a strong late-winter wind in southern France.
  • The Rigveda is a sacred Hindu text.

I’ve never posted rankings for Austin before, but I have posted rankings recently for two nearby Texas cities: Houston (which is more than twice the size of Austin, population-wise) and College Station (which is about an eighth of the size of Austin).

Sources: From Aadhav to Zyva: 6,087 Names of Babies Born in Austin in 2017 | Open Data | City of Austin Texas, Wiktionary
Image by MJ Tangonan on Unsplash