How popular is the baby name Persephone 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 Persephone.

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 Persephone


Posts that mention the name Persephone

How did “The Matrix” influence U.S. baby names?

The character Trinity from the movie "The Matrix" (1999)
Trinity from “The Matrix

The Matrix — widely considered to be one of the greatest science-fiction movies of all time — was released in March of 1999. It was the fourth-highest-grossing film of the year, and went on to win four Oscars (including Best Visual Effects) in early 2000.

In The Matrix, the majority of humanity is unknowingly trapped inside a simulated reality created by sentient machines. This simulation is called “the Matrix” by the (relatively few) humans who live outside of it.

At the start of the story, a man living inside the simulation — a computer programmer named Thomas Anderson (who is also a hacker known as “Neo”) — becomes vaguely aware of the Matrix.

Neo (played by Keanu Reeves) is soon contacted by Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) — two resistance fighters who have been freed from the Matrix. They offer him a chance to escape the simulation and join them in the war against the machines.

The character Neo from the movie "The Matrix" (1999)
Neo from “The Matrix

So, how did The Matrix impact U.S. baby names?

Neo

After returning to U.S. baby name data in 1999, the name Neo more than quadrupled in usage in 2000:

  • 2001: 111 baby boys named Neo
  • 2000: 116 baby boys named Neo
  • 1999: 24 baby boys named Neo
  • 1998: unlisted
  • 1997: unlisted

Neo’s name is not only a match to the Greek prefix neo-, meaning “new,” but also an anagram of the word one, which is significant because Morpheus believes Neo is “the One” — the person who, according to prophecy, will destroy the Matrix and liberate mankind.

Morpheus

The rare name Morpheus debuted in the data in 2000:

  • 2001: unlisted
  • 2000: 5 baby boys named Morpheus
  • 1999: unlisted
  • 1998: unlisted
  • 1997: unlisted

The character’s name comes from the mythological figure of Morpheus, one of the dream-shaping sons of the Greek god of sleep, Hypnos. According to Ovid, Morpheus’ specialty was appearing in dreams as a human. (His bothers specialized in taking other forms.)

Trinity

Already being given to hundreds of baby girls per year, the name Trinity more than tripled in usage in 1999, then nearly tripled again (jumping straight into the girls’ top 100) in 2000:

  • 2001: 4,481 baby girls named Trinity [rank: 67th]
  • 2000: 4,284 baby girls named Trinity [rank: 74th]
  • 1999: 1,481 baby girls named Trinity [rank: 209th]
  • 1998: 481 baby girls named Trinity [rank: 525th]
  • 1997: 437 baby girls named Trinity [rank: 543rd]

The word trinity, which refers to a group of three, is strongly associated with the concept of the Holy Trinity in Christian theology.

(Another name based on a religious concept, Nevaeh, became trendy around the same time.)

Matrix

Like Neo, the name Matrix returned to the data in 1999:

  • 2001: unlisted
  • 2000: 6 baby boys named Matrix
  • 1999: 12 baby boys named Matrix (peak usage)
  • 1998: unlisted
  • 1997: unlisted

The word matrix refers to a place where something originates or takes form. Before the mid-16th century, it meant “uterus” specifically. In ancient Rome, the word referred to “a female animal kept for breeding.” It ultimately derives from mater, the Latin word for “mother.”

The character Niobe from the movie "The Matrix Reloaded" (2003)
Niobe from “The Matrix Reloaded

The Matrix was followed by three sequels — not to mention three video games, several comic books, and more.

The first sequel, The Matrix Reloaded, and the first video game, Enter the Matrix, both came out in May of 2003. The second sequel, The Matrix Revolutions, was released six months later, in November.

Reloaded and Revolutions became the third- and the eighth-highest-grossing films of the year, respectively, and they (along with the game) featured a number of new characters, including…

Niobe

Noibe (played by Jada Pinkett Smith) was a Zion-born resistance fighter who captained the hovercraft Logos.

The name Niobe debuted in the data in 2003:

  • 2005: 20 baby girls named Niobe
  • 2004: 33 baby girls named Niobe
  • 2003: 21 baby girls named Niobe [debut]
  • 2002: unlisted
  • 2001: unlisted

The character’s name comes from the Greek mythological figure of Niobe, who was punished by the gods for her hubris.

Persephone

Persephone (played by Monica Bellucci) was a human-like computer program living inside the Matrix with her husband, the Merovingian.

Usage of the name Persephone more than doubled in 2003:

  • 2005: 47 baby girls named Persephone
  • 2004: 43 baby girls named Persephone
  • 2003: 45 baby girls named Persephone
  • 2002: 19 baby girls named Persephone
  • 2001: 22 baby girls named Persephone

The character’s name comes from the Greek mythological figure of Persephone, the wife of Hades and (thereby) the queen of the underworld.

Link

Link (played by Harold Perrineau) was the Zion-born operator of Morpheus’ hovercraft, the Nebuchadnezzar.

The name Link saw slightly elevated usage in 2003:

  • 2005: 7 baby boys named Link
  • 2004: 15 baby boys named Link
  • 2003: 13 baby boys named Link
  • 2002: 8 baby boys named Link
  • 2001: 6 baby boys named Link

Sati

Sati (played by Tanveer K. Atwal) was, like Persephone, a sentient computer program. Introduced in the second sequel, Sati was a little girl whose parents (also programs) had created her without a purpose, putting her at risk of deletion.

The rare name Sati returned to the data briefly in 2004:

  • 2006: unlisted
  • 2005: unlisted
  • 2004: 7 baby girls named Sati
  • 2003: unlisted
  • 2002: unlisted

The character’s name comes from the Hindu goddess Sati, whose name means “truthful” or “virtuous” in Sanskrit.

Zion

Zion wasn’t a character, but a place — the last human settlement on planet Earth. The vast underground city was depicted onscreen in both Reloaded and Revolutions (after having been only mentioned in the original film).

Usage of the name Zion, which had been declining for several years, began increasing again in 2003:

Boys named ZionGirls named Zion
20051,120 (rank: 293rd)248 (rank: 988th)
20041,008 (rank: 311th)212
2003879 (rank: 329th)137
2002828 (rank: 333rd)125
2001867 (rank: 324th)143

Of all the Matrix-related names above, which one would you be most likely to use in real life?

P.S. Blade Runner, Star Wars, and 2001: A Space Odyssey are also considered to be among the greatest science-fiction movies of all time.

Sources:

Images: Screenshots of The Matrix and The Matrix Reloaded

Baby names with ONE: Onella, Lionel, Boone

one

Are you a name-seeker on the hunt for “the one”?

Have you considered baby names that contain the word ONE? :)

Below you’ll find a long list of names that contain the letter sequence “o-n-e.” Most of these names come directly from the U.S. SSA’s baby name data.

  • Aaronette
  • Adones
  • Aidoneus
  • Alphones
  • Anemone
  • Anjonette
  • Anousone
  • Anthone
  • Anthonette
  • Anthoney, Anthonee
  • Antigone
  • Antione
  • Antionette, Antionett, Anntionette, Anntonette
  • Antone
  • Antonea
  • Antonella, Antonela
  • Antonello
  • Antoneo
  • Antonese
  • Antonesha
  • Antonetta
  • Antonette, Antonett
  • Antoney
  • Antoneyo
  • Antrone
  • Antwone, Antwione
  • Antwonette
  • Arione
  • Arlone
  • Armone
  • Armonee
  • Audrone
  • Avione
  • Avonelle, Avonell, Avonel
  • Bloneva
  • Boneita
  • Bonell
  • Bonetta, Boneta
  • Boneva
  • Boney
  • Boone
  • Brione
  • Capone
  • Cemone
  • Cerrone, Cerone
  • Chavone
  • Cherone
  • Chione
  • Ciboney
  • Cimone, Cymone
  • Cleone
  • Colonel
  • Conelia
  • Conell
  • Coner
  • Conesha
  • Coney
  • Corleone
  • Damione
  • Damone
  • Dashone
  • Davione
  • Davone
  • Deione
  • Delone
  • Demone
  • Deone
  • Derone
  • Derrione
  • Deshone
  • Desmone
  • Devone
  • Devoney, Devonee
  • Diamone
  • Diavione
  • Dione
  • Dionel
  • Doneen, Donene
  • Doneisha
  • Doneka
  • Donel, Donell
  • Doneld
  • Donelda
  • Donella
  • Donelle
  • Donese
  • Donesha
  • Doneshia
  • Donesia, Donecia
  • Donetta, Doneta
  • Donette
  • Doneva
  • Donevan, Donevin
  • Doney
  • Dymone
  • Ebone
  • Eboney, Ebonee
  • Emone
  • Emonee, Emonei
  • Evone, Eyvone
  • Falone
  • Fashionette
  • Froney
  • Gerone
  • Gladstone
  • Guarionex
  • Harmone
  • Harmonee, Harmonei
  • Hermione
  • Honest
  • Honesty, Honestie, Honesti, Honestii
  • Honey
  • Idonea
  • Indonesia
  • Ione, Iyone
  • Ironesha
  • Ivone
  • Jacione
  • Jamone
  • Jarone
  • Jasmone
  • Javione
  • Javone
  • Jermone
  • Jerone
  • Jone
  • Jonea
  • Joneen, Jonene
  • Joneisha
  • Joneka
  • Jonella
  • Jonelle, Jonell, Jonel
  • Jonerik, Joneric
  • Jones
  • Jonesha
  • Joneshia
  • Jonessa
  • Jonesy
  • Jonet
  • Jonetta
  • Jonette
  • Joney, Jonee
  • Jovone
  • Kapone
  • Kavone
  • Kemone
  • Keone
  • Kevone
  • Keyone
  • Kione, Khione
  • Kleone
  • Koner
  • Konesha
  • Koneta
  • Kotone
  • Kyrone
  • Laione
  • Lamone
  • Larone
  • Lashone, Lachone
  • Latrone
  • Lavone
  • Leone
  • Leonel, Leonell
  • Leonella, Leonela
  • Leoner
  • Leonetta
  • Leonette
  • Lerone
  • Levone
  • Lionel, Lionell, Lyonel
  • Lone
  • Lonell
  • Lones
  • Lonetta, Loneta
  • Lonette
  • Loney
  • Looney
  • Malone
  • Marionette
  • Marlone
  • Meloney, Melonee, Melloney
  • Michone
  • Mignonette
  • Mone
  • Monea
  • Moneca, Moneka
  • Monecia
  • Monee
  • Moneeb
  • Moneeka
  • Moneer
  • Monekia
  • Monelle, Monell
  • Moneque, Moneke, Moneek, Moneak, Moneik
  • Monesha
  • Moneshia
  • Monet
  • Monetta, Moneta
  • Monette
  • Money
  • Monez
  • Moonee
  • Natrone
  • Ngone
  • Oenone
  • Oneatha
  • Oneda
  • Onedia
  • Oneeda
  • Oneida
  • Oneika
  • Oneil, Oneal, Oneill
  • Oneisha
  • Oneita
  • Oneka
  • Onekki
  • Onelia
  • Onell, Onel
  • Onella
  • Onesimo, Onecimo
  • Onesimus
  • Onesty, Onesti
  • Oneta, Onetta
  • Onetha
  • Onetia
  • Oneva
  • Oney
  • Oneyda
  • Onezia
  • Persephone
  • Petronella
  • Phonesavanh
  • Ramone
  • Rashone
  • Raymone
  • Rayshone
  • Rayvone
  • Remone
  • Romone
  • Rone, Rhone
  • Ronee
  • Roneisha
  • Roneka
  • Ronekia
  • Ronel
  • Ronelda
  • Ronella, Ronell
  • Ronelle
  • Ronen
  • Ronesha, Rhonesha
  • Roneshia
  • Ronesia, Ronecia
  • Ronessa
  • Ronetta
  • Ronette
  • Roney
  • Rooney
  • Salone
  • Samone
  • Savone
  • Semone
  • Shalone
  • Shamone
  • Shannone
  • Sharone, Sharrone
  • Sharonette
  • Shavone
  • Sherone, Sherrone
  • Shevone
  • Shone
  • Shoneen
  • Shonell
  • Shonetta
  • Shonette, Shonett
  • Shoney
  • Shyrone
  • Siboney
  • Simone, Simmone, Symone
  • Simonetta
  • Simonette
  • Sione
  • Slone
  • Solomone
  • Sone
  • Sonequa
  • Sooner
  • Stallone
  • Stephone, Stefone
  • Stone
  • Stonewall
  • Stoney
  • Tarone
  • Tavone
  • Terone
  • Theone
  • Therone
  • Thyrone
  • Timone
  • Tione
  • Tionee
  • Tirone
  • Tone
  • Tonea
  • Tonee
  • Toneesha
  • Toneisha
  • Toneka
  • Tonesha
  • Toneshia
  • Tonesia
  • Tonetta
  • Tonette
  • Toney
  • Tramone
  • Travone
  • Tremone
  • Trevione
  • Treyvone
  • Trone
  • Tylone
  • Tyone
  • Tyrone
  • Tyshone
  • Tyvone
  • Vashone
  • Verone
  • Vione
  • Vionette
  • Voneda
  • Vonell
  • Vonessa
  • Vonetta, Voneta
  • Vonette
  • Yone
  • Yoneko
  • Yonel
  • Yoneo
  • Yvone
  • Zione

Several of the above are non-traditional spellings of more common names such as Antoine, Donald, Melanie, and Yvonne.

Of all the ONE names above, which one do you like most? Let me know in the comments!

P.S. You might also want to check out names with a numerological value of 1, or names starting with the letter I, as the Roman numeral I (“unus” in Latin) has a value of 1. Here are long lists of girl names and boy names starting with I.

Source: SSA

Image: Adapted from One (6086756594) by Tony Hisgett under CC BY 2.0.

Most popular baby girl names (length by length) in the U.S. in 2023

Lengths of baby girl names in the U.S. in 2023

Going length by length (e.g., 2 letters long, 3 letters long, 4 letters long…), what were last year’s most popular baby girl names?

Before we get to the lists, a few quick facts:

  • The most common length for girl names in 2023 was 6 letters (used 28.67% of the time), followed by 5 letters (22.02%).
  • The length that increased the most in usage for girl names (from 2022 to 2023) was 5 letters.
  • The length that decreased the most in usage for girl names (from 2022 to 2023) was 7 letters.

Top girl names with 2 letters:

  1. Jo, 46 baby girls
  2. An, 40
  3. Vy, 28
  4. Bo, 22
  5. Zo, 16
  6. Vi, 14
  7. Lu, 11 (tie)
  8. Yi, 11 (tie)
  9. Io, 10
  10. Eh, 9

Top girl names with 3 letters:

  1. Mia, 11,359 baby girls
  2. Ava, 9,682
  3. Zoe, 5,160
  4. Ivy, 5,036
  5. Eva, 2,405
  6. Ada, 1,647
  7. Amy, 1,483
  8. Lia, 1,425
  9. Ana, 1,327
  10. Gia, 1,155

Top girl names with 4 letters:

  1. Emma, 13,527 baby girls
  2. Luna, 7,811
  3. Lily, 6,146
  4. Aria, 5,996
  5. Nora, 5,994
  6. Mila, 5,895
  7. Ella, 5,643
  8. Isla, 5,357
  9. Nova, 5,248
  10. Lucy, 4,858

Top girl names with 5 letters:

  1. Sofia, 7,641 baby girls
  2. Emily, 6,154
  3. Hazel, 6,154
  4. Chloe, 5,960
  5. Ellie, 5,951
  6. Avery, 5,859
  7. Layla, 5,678
  8. Grace, 4,886
  9. Riley, 4,617
  10. Naomi, 4,456

Top girl names with 6 letters:

  1. Olivia, 15,270 baby girls
  2. Amelia, 12,311
  3. Sophia, 11,944
  4. Evelyn, 9,082
  5. Harper, 7,769
  6. Camila, 7,565
  7. Violet, 6,342
  8. Gianna, 6,129
  9. Aurora, 6,054
  10. Eliana, 5,329

Top girl names with 7 letters:

  1. Eleanor, 6,739 baby girls
  2. Abigail, 5,661
  3. Madison, 5,160
  4. Delilah, 4,031
  5. Lillian, 3,927
  6. Paisley, 3,727
  7. Genesis, 3,651
  8. Madelyn, 3,632
  9. Leilani, 3,543
  10. Addison, 3,520

Top girl names with 8 letters:

  1. Isabella, 10,808 baby girls
  2. Scarlett, 6,288
  3. Penelope, 6,041
  4. Victoria, 4,434
  5. Caroline, 2,859
  6. Brooklyn, 2,850
  7. Savannah, 2,739
  8. Madeline, 2,726
  9. Serenity, 2,548
  10. Samantha, 2,363

Top girl names with 9 letters:

  1. Charlotte, 12,596 baby girls
  2. Elizabeth, 6,566
  3. Valentina, 4,075
  4. Josephine, 3,347
  5. Gabriella, 2,782
  6. Everleigh, 1,920
  7. Mackenzie, 1,737
  8. Genevieve, 1,734
  9. Anastasia, 1,725
  10. Katherine, 1,697

Top girl names with 10 letters:

  1. Evangeline, 1,407 baby girls
  2. Alessandra, 788
  3. Alexandria, 755
  4. Jacqueline, 560
  5. Clementine, 554
  6. Persephone, 376
  7. Bernadette, 185
  8. Montserrat, 169
  9. Evangelina, 149
  10. Wilhelmina, 139

Top girl names with 11 letters:

  1. Christianna, 17 baby girls
  2. Anavictoria, 15
  3. Heavenleigh, 13
  4. Alejandrina, 11 (tie)
  5. Oliviagrace, 11 (tie)
  6. Aadhyareddy, 10
  7. Anjolaoluwa, 9 (6-way tie)
  8. Charlierose, 9 (6-way tie)
  9. Mariahelena, 9 (6-way tie)
  10. Mariaisabel, 9 (6-way tie)
  11. Oluwanifemi, 9 (6-way tie)
  12. Stellamarie, 9 (6-way tie)

(I’m excluding the longer names because they’re quite rare overall.)

Source: SSA

Baby names with PH: Phoenix, Ophelia, Joseph

pheasant

Looking for baby names that feature the appealing letter-pair PH?

I’ve collected hundreds of options for you in this post!

Before we get to the names, though, let’s get one big question out of the way…

Why does PH sound like “F”?

In English, PH is a digraph, which means that it’s a pair of letters that make a single sound. (It’s interesting that the word “digraph” contains a digraph, isn’t it?)

Most of the English words that have PH were derived from Greek — specifically, from Greek words that included the Greek letter phi:

Greek letter phi (uppercase)
Phi (uppercase)

In ancient times, the Greek letter phi made an aspirated p-sound. (The unaspirated p-sound, on the other hand, was made by the Greek letter pi.)

When Greek was transliterated into Latin, the letter phi was written as “ph” to denote this aspiration — that is, to signal that the letter “p” was accompanied by a brief puff of air.

So, what happened?

In the first several centuries A.D., the pronunciation of the Greek letter phi changed. It slowly evolved from an aspirated p-sound into an f-sound.

As a result, the letter-pair “ph” underwent a corresponding (though somewhat illogical) pronunciation change. It, too, came to represent an f-sound — and still does to this day.

Now, on to the names!

Names with PH

Below you’ll find a long list of names that contain the letter-pair PH. Many of these names come directly from the U.S. SSA’s baby name data. Others are ancient names that aren’t used much (if at all) in modern times.

  • Aleph
  • Alpha
  • Alphaeus
  • Alpharetta
  • Alphie
  • Alphonsa
  • Alphonse
  • Alphonsine
  • Alphonso
  • Alphonsus
  • Amphion
  • Amphirho
  • Amphithea
  • Aphaea
  • Aphra
    • Seventeenth-century writer Aphra Behn was one of the first English women to earn her living by writing.
  • Aphrodite
  • Apphia
  • Asaph
  • Caliph
  • Cephas, Cephus
  • Christoph, Christophe
  • Christopher, Kristopher
  • Christophine
  • Cleopha
  • Cléophée
  • Cleophas, Cleophus
  • Cypher
  • Daphna
  • Daphne, Daphnie, Daphney, Daphni, Daphnee
  • Delpha
  • Delphi
  • Delphia
  • Delphin
  • Delphina
  • Delphine
  • Delphinus
  • Demophon
  • Dolph
  • Dolphus
  • Dymphna
  • Elaphia
  • Eliphalet, Eliphelet
  • Eliphas, Eliphaz
  • Elpha
  • Ephesius
  • Ephraim
  • Ephram
  • Ephratah
  • Ephrem
  • Epiphanius
  • Epiphany
  • Eugraphia
  • Eugraphius
  • Euphemia
  • Euphemius
  • Euphoria
  • Euphranor
  • Euphrasia
  • Euphrasie
  • Euphrasius
  • Glaphyra
  • Gryphon
  • Hephaestus
  • Hephzibah
  • Humphrey
  • Ildephonse
  • Iphigenia
  • Iphis
  • Japheth, Japhet, Yaphet
  • Jehoshaphat
  • Jephthah ,Jephtha
  • Josaphat
  • Joseph, Ioseph
  • Josepha
  • Josephina
  • Josephine
  • Josephus
  • Memphis
  • Morpheus
  • Murphy, Murphie, Murphee, Murphey
  • Mustapha, Moustapha
  • Naphtali, Nephtali
  • Nephele
  • Nephi
  • Nephthys
  • Nicéphore
  • Onuphrius
  • Ophelia
  • Ophélie
  • Ophir
  • Ophira
  • Ophrah
  • Orpha
  • Orpheus
  • Orphia
  • Pamphilus
  • Persephone, Persephonie, Persephony
  • Phaedra
  • Phaedrus
  • Phaenna
  • Phanuel
  • Pharaildis
  • Pharamond
  • Pharaoh
  • Pharez
  • Pharrell
  • Phelan
  • Phelim
  • Philbert, Philibert
  • Phileas
  • Philemon
  • Philetus
  • Philia
  • Philinda
  • Philina, Philena
  • Philine, Philene
  • Philip, Phillip, Philipp
  • Philippa, Phillipa
  • Philippe
  • Philo
  • Philomel
  • Philomela
  • Philomena
  • Philon
  • Philopateer, Philopater
  • Philotera
  • Phineas, Phinehas
  • Phoebe, Phebe
  • Phoenicia
  • Phoenix
  • Photina
  • Photine
  • Photius
  • Phronsie
  • Phryne
  • Phylicia
  • Phyllida
  • Phyllis, Phillis
  • Porphyrius
  • Prophet
  • Ralph
  • Ralphie
  • Ralphine
  • Randolph
  • Rapha
  • Raphael
  • Raphaela
  • Raphaëlle
  • Rodolph
  • Rolph
  • Rudolph
  • Saphina
  • Saphira, Sapphira, Saphyra
  • Sapphire
  • Sephira
  • Sephiroth
  • Sephora
  • Seraph
  • Seraphia
  • Seraphim
  • Seraphin
  • Seraphina, Saraphina
  • Seraphine
  • Shiphrah
  • Sophia, Sophya
  • Sophie, Sophi, Sophee
  • Sophilia
  • Sophina
  • Sophonie
  • Sophonisba
  • Sophron
  • Sophronia
  • Sophronius
  • Sophus
  • Stephania
  • Stephanie, Stephany, Stephani
  • Sylphrena
  • Sypha
  • Symphony
  • Télesphore
  • Theophanes
  • Theophania
  • Theophila
  • Theophilia
  • Theophilus
  • Triumph
  • Tryphena
  • Tryphon
  • Tryphosa
  • Xenophon
  • Zelpha
  • Zephan
  • Zephaniah
  • Zephyr
  • Zephyra
  • Zephyria
  • Zéphyrine
  • Zephyrus
  • Zilpha
  • Zilphia

Which of the PH names above to do you like most? Let me know in the comments!

Sources: Phee-phi-pho-phum – The Grammarphobia Blog, SSA

Image: Adapted from Fasan3 by Ragnhild & Neil Crawford under CC BY-SA 2.0.