How popular is the baby name Peregrin 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 Peregrin.

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Popularity of the baby name Peregrin


Posts that mention the name Peregrin

More names from Boston burials: Ziba, Buttolph, Fear

Granary, Boston
Granary Burying Ground, Boston

Last month I posted about interesting names that can be found at King’s Chapel Burying Ground, one of the two cemeteries on Boston’s Freedom Trail.

Today let’s check out interesting names that can be found at the other cemetery on the Trail, Granary Burying Ground (est. 1660).

Here’s what I spotted (using a book of inscriptions):

  • A: Azor, Appoline, Adelbart, Adino, Adna, Affia, Albion, Alfrena, Alithere (female), Alletta, Angalesa, Anjennette, Areton, Aroline, Atsey, Avid
  • B: Barachiah, Bethulia, Buttolph
  • C: Cassander, Clarenia, Collford, Cornwall, Crispus (Crispus Attucks), Cushing
  • D: Danforth, Dering, Duty (male)
  • E: Egatha, Electa, Eudoxa, Euphaime, Eustis
  • F: Fessenden, Fitzwilliam, Fear, Fidealia
  • G: Gad, Geradine, Grisell
  • J: Jacquith, Jenevie, Jennet, Jocastia
  • K: Knight
  • L: Laban, Lately, Lisley, Llewellyn, Lodusky (female), Loungo
  • M: Mahala, Malvina, Maranda, Melatiah (female), Metcalf, Moody
  • N: Nahum
  • O: Olimpia, Olander, Onesiphorus, Orinda, Ozias
  • P: Patterick, Peace (male), Pearly, Peletiah, Pepperell, Peregrin, Person, Philobeth (male), Phineas, Pilgrim, Plummer, Prosillo (female)
  • R: Rasilla, Reconcile, Roxana (“from Roxbury”)
  • S: Samartha, Seath, Seferanna, Sophronia, Stoddard, Stanhope, Sylvender
  • T: Tamer, Theophilus, Thusia, Trueman
  • W: Waitstill, Welthea, Wilhelmina, Winthrop
  • Z: Zera, Ziba (male)

All of the above were listed just once. Notable names that appeared more than once in the book include Almira/Elmira, Bathsheba, Dewitt, Doritha, Elbridge, Epes (relatives of Epes Sargent), Gamaliel, Gershom, Gillam, Increase, Jotham, Keziah, Louisiana, Mehitable/Mehetable, Nabby, Pamelia/Permelia, Persis, Rozamond/Rozamund, Silence, Sylvanus and Tamzen.

Source: Gravestone inscriptions and records of tomb burials in the Granary Burying Ground, Boston, Mass. (1918) by Ogden Codman

Popular and unique baby names in Idaho, 2012

Flag of Idaho
Flag of Idaho

According to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, the state’s top names two years ago were Sophia for girls and Liam for boys.

Here are Idaho’s top 25 girl names and top 25 boy names of 2012:

Girl names

  1. Sophia (115 baby girls)
  2. Olivia (113)
  3. Emma (100)
  4. Ava (79)
  5. Abigail (76)
  6. Elizabeth (71)
  7. Chloe (69)
  8. Emily (62) – tie
  9. Zoey (62) – tie
  10. Brooklyn (61)
  11. Hannah* (60)
  12. Madison (57)
  13. Ella (56) – tie
  14. Isabella (56) – tie
  15. Lily (56) – tie
  16. Avery (54)
  17. Grace (51)
  18. Amelia (50) – tie
  19. Evelyn (50) – tie
  20. Hailey* (48)
  21. Ellie (46) – tie
  22. Natalie (46) – tie
  23. Charlotte* (45) – tie
  24. Paisley* (45) – tie
  25. Addison (44)

Boy names

  1. Liam (133 baby boys)
  2. William (94)
  3. Mason (81)
  4. Jacob (79)
  5. Michael* (78) – tie
  6. Samuel (78) – tie
  7. Wyatt (77)
  8. Logan (76)
  9. Ethan (75)
  10. Carter (73)
  11. Hunter (72)
  12. Aiden (71)
  13. Benjamin (69) – tie
  14. Jackson (69) – tie
  15. Gabriel (68)
  16. Andrew (67)
  17. Henry* (66) – tie
  18. Noah (66) – tie
  19. Cooper* (65) – tie
  20. Elijah (65) – tie
  21. David* (64)
  22. Isaac (63)
  23. Alexander* (57) – tie
  24. Jayden (57) – tie
  25. Joseph* (57) – tie
  26. Owen (57) – tie

*New to the top 25 since 2011.

Idaho’s annual report also includes a small section entitled “Selected Unique Baby Names, Yewneek Baybee Spellings.” Here are all of the single-use names highlighted in the 2012 report:

Unique girl namesUnique boy names
Alixathymia, Aunastasha, Beloved, Blessing, Britannica, Burdyn, Challyss, Echkoe, Exodus, Harlequinn, Idalyz, Killary, Lulubell, Lyrica, Mercy, Miracle, Mystic, Noble, Oasis, Pearadice, Savvy, Secret, Sunshyne, Theory, VersaillesAdamant, Arsin, Awesome, Cactus, Captain, Chipper, Cross, Denym, Dually, Dynamic, Falchion, Glacier, Kasteel, Kazys, Krozlee, Lock, Mehdiullah, Mogley, Natavious, Nyte, Peregrin, Pilot, Torque, Truce, Wild

A few thoughts…

  • A falchion is a type of sword. (Do they talk about falchions in Game of Thrones?)
  • I spotted another baby named Glacier in Quebec several years ago.
  • Killary would make a fantastic roller derby name! (So would the American Gladiator name Hellga.)

And, since I never wrote about the Idaho baby names of 2011, I’ll throw in the unique names from that year as well:

Unique girl names (2011)Unique boy names (2011)
Asma, Ajla, Bandana, Birdie, Candelaria, Cinderella, Courage, Disney-Gin, Elphaba, Jerzi, Kaymin, Khryztale, Kyraeveryn, November, Rainbow, Rockee, Rogue, Ropeer, Satchel, Soliscity, Temperenz, Thunder, Trypzee, Winter, XxoieAdakiss, Aegis Orion, Beauxdarin, Bluesky, Cinch, Coyote, Dagr, Deevo, Diggory, Doc, Eighthin, Flint, Gator, General, Iron, Jayger, John-Wayne, Khryztian, Maverik, Pistol, Pragedis, Rifle, Riot, Slate, Wilderness

Finally, here are earlier lists of Idaho’s unique baby names (2006 through 2010).

Source: Idaho Vital Statistics

Image: Adapted from Flag of Idaho (public domain)

Tolkien-inspired baby names: Arwen to Thorin

The character Éowyn from the movie "The Two Towers" (2002)
Éowyn from “The Two Towers“

The fantasy trilogy The Lord of the Rings (LOTR) by English writer J. R. R. Tolkien was first published in the mid-1950s.

The trilogy started becoming popular in the U.S. in the 1960s, and this is when we first see LOTR character names (like Galadriel and Gandalf) popping up in the U.S. baby name data.

Tolkien’s tale became very popular when director Peter Jackson turned the trilogy into three successful movies: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Two Towers (2002), and The Return of the King (2003).

So how did the books and the movies influence U.S. baby names? Let’s check it out…

Arwen

The name of the female half-elf Arwen debuted in the SSA data in 1968 and saw a steep increase in usage from 2002 to 2004. The character’s name means “noble maiden” in the fictional language Quenya (which Tolkien based largely on Finnish and Latin).

Aragorn & Strider

The name of the human man Aragorn debuted in the SSA data in 1970. The character’s name means “revered king” in the fictional language Sindarin (based largely on Welsh). His nickname, Strider, debuted in 1973.

Eowyn

The name of a human woman Eowyn debuted in the SSA data in 1973 and saw a noticeable increase in usage from 2003 to 2005. The character’s name means “horse joy” in the fictional language Rohirric (based on Old English).

Frodo

The name of the male hobbit Frodo (who was one of the main protagonists of LOTR) has never popped up in the SSA data — but I know of one in England. The character’s name is an English translation of his real name, Maura, which means “wise” or “experienced” in the fictional language Westron (the “common speech” of Middle-earth).

Galadriel

The name of the female elf Galadriel (who was the grandmother of Arwen) debuted in the SSA data in 1969. Peak usage was in 2003. The character’s name means “maiden crowned with a radiant garland” in Sindarin.

Gandalf

The name of the male wizard Gandalf appeared in the SSA data just once, in 1970. (Five baby boys were named Gandalf that year.) The character’s name means “wand-elf” in Westron.

Legolas

The name of the male elf Legolas debuted in the SSA data (and saw peak usage) in 2003. The character’s name means “green foliage” in Sindarin.

Peregrin & Pippin

The name of a male hobbit Peregrin debuted in the SSA data in 2011. The character’s name — an English translation of his Westron name, Razanur — is based on Peregrinus, which means “traveler” or “pilgrim” in Latin. His nickname, Pippin, debuted (as a girl name) in 2009.

Samwise

The name of a male hobbit Samwise debuted in the SSA data in 2002. The character’s name is an English translation of Sam’s real name, Banazîr, which means “halfwise” or “simple” in Westron.

Theoden

The name of the human man Theoden (who was the uncle of Eowyn) debuted in the SSA data in 2004. The character’s name is based on the name Tûrac, which means “king” in Rohirric.

Thorin

The name of the male dwarf Thorin debuted in the SSA data in 1968. The character’s name is based on the Old Norse name Þorinn, which means “bold one.” (Commenter elbowin notes that the name became more popular in the 2010s thanks to the character being featured in the Hobbit movie trilogy from 2012 to 2014.)

Which Tolkien-inspired names do you like most?

  • Update, May 2015: The name Tauriel, though technically not a Tolkien name (it was created for the movies), debuted in the data in 2014.
  • Update, May 2016: The name Beorn, from a character in the second two movies of the Hobbit trilogy, debuted in the data in 2015. (The Vikings name Bjorn may have been an influence as well.)
  • Update, April 2019: The name Tolkien itself debuted in the data in 2017. (The second syllable rhymes with the word keen.)

Sources:

Image: Screenshot of The Two Towers

[Latest update: Apr. 2025]