How popular is the baby name Per 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 Per.

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Popularity of the baby name Per


Posts that mention the name Per

Popular baby names in Norway, 2014

Flag of Norway
Flag of Norway

According to data from Statistics Norway, the most popular baby names in Norway in 2014 were Nora/Norah and Lucas/Lukas.

Here are Norway’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2014:

Girl NamesBoy Names
1. Nora/Norah, 434 baby girls
2. Emma, 418
3. Sara/Sarah, 404
4. Sofie/Sophie, 388
5. Emilie, 358
6. Anna, 327
7. Linnea/Linea, 326
8. Thea/Tea, 323
9. Maja/Maia/Maya, 323
10. Sofia/Sophia, 315
1. Lucas/Lukas, 448 baby boys
2. William, 438
3. Markus/Marcus, 423
4. Emil, 419
5. Oskar/Oscar, 389
6. Mathias/Matias, 382
7. Magnus, 377
8. Filip/Fillip/Philip, 372
9. Jakob/Jacob, 371
10. Aksel/Axel, 363

Though Mohammad didn’t feature in the national top 10, it was the #1 boy name in the capital city of Oslo. (The #1 girl name there was Nora.)

In contrast with the above, these are Norway’s top 10 female and male names overall:

Female NamesMale Names
1. Anne, 61k females
2. Inger, 31k
3. Kari, 26k
4. Marit, 26k
5. Ingrid, 24k
6. Liv, 23k
7. Eva, 19k
8. Anna, 18k
9. Maria, 18k
10. Ida, 18k
1. Jan, 49k males
2. Per, 38k
3. Bjørn, 38k
4. Ole, 31k
5. Lars, 30k
6. Kjell, 27k
7. Knut, 25k
8. Svein, 25k
9. Arne, 24k
10. Thomas, 24k

The only earlier list I have for Norway is from 2010, but more lists (and more names from the 2014 list) are available via the first link below.

Sources: Navn – SSB, ‘Nora’ and ‘Lucas’ Most Popular Names

Image: Adapted from Flag of Norway (public domain)

Where did the baby name Roxette come from in 1989?

The Swedish band Roxette.
Swedish pop duo Roxette

In the late ’80s, an American exchange student in Sweden named Dean Cushman discovered the Swedish pop duo Roxette. Impressed, he brought a CD of their second album, Look Sharp! (1988), back to the States.

He told a local radio station about the band, and the station began to play the track “The Look” on the air. Other stations soon followed suit. “By the time official promotion began, the song had already soared onto the Feb. 11, 1989, Billboard Hot 100 at No. 50.”

Four singles from Look Sharp! ended up charting: “The Look” hit #1 in April of 1989, “Dressed for Success” peaked at #14 in July, “Listen To Your Heart” became their second #1 song in November, and “Dangerous” reached #2 in March of 1990.

We can see the influence of Roxette’s newfound U.S. popularity on the U.S. baby name charts as well. Nearly 30 baby girls have been named Roxette since in 1989:

  • 1994: unlisted
  • 1993: 6 baby girls named Roxette
  • 1992: 7 baby girls named Roxette
  • 1991: 5 baby girls named Roxette
  • 1990: 6 baby girls named Roxette
  • 1989: 5 baby girls named Roxette [debut]
  • 1988: unlisted
  • 1987: unlisted

Here’s the song that kicked it all off:

Roxette (the name) appeared on the the U.S. baby name charts for almost as long as Roxette (the band) was putting out singles that appeared on the U.S. music charts. The name dropped out of the data in 1994 — the last year that Roxette had a song (“Sleeping In My Car”) in the Hot 100.

Band members Marie Fredriksson and Per* Gessle had formed the band in 1986. The name Roxette came from the 1974 song “Roxette” by British rock band Dr. Feelgood. (Not to be confused with the 1989 song “Dr. Feelgood” by American rock band Mötley Crüe.)

What are your thoughts on the baby name Roxette?

Update: Roxette came back! For one year, anyway. It reappeared in the data in 2012, bringing the grand total of U.S. baby girls named Roxette up to (at least) 35.

Source: Roxette Chart History – Billboard, Rewinding the Charts: In 1989, Roxette Roared Onto the Hot 100 With ‘The Look’

*Per is a form of Peter.