How popular is the baby name Poppy 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 Poppy.

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Popularity of the baby name Poppy


Posts that mention the name Poppy

Popular baby names in Scotland (UK), 2024

Flag of the United Kingdom
Flag of the United Kingdom

Last year, the country of Scotland — which takes up the northern third of Great Britain — welcomed 45,779 babies.

What were the most popular names among these babies? Olivia and Noah.

Here are Scotland’s top 50 girl names and top 50 boy names of 2024:

Girl names

  1. Olivia, 266 baby girls
  2. Isla, 264
  3. Freya, 244
  4. Lily, 231
  5. Millie, 222
  6. Sophia, 214
  7. Amelia, 198 (tie)
  8. Emily, 198 (tie)
  9. Ella, 195
  10. Charlotte, 191
  11. Ava, 188 (tie)
  12. Bonnie, 188 (tie)
  13. Grace, 183
  14. Evie, 180 (tie)
  15. Ivy, 180 (tie)
  16. Rosie, 167
  17. Sophie, 164
  18. Maisie, 161
  19. Maya, 159 (tie)
  20. Orla, 159 (tie)
  21. Harper, 149
  22. Sofia, 147
  23. Aria, 142
  24. Poppy, 135
  25. Maeve, 129
  26. Mia, 126
  27. Daisy, 123
  28. Lucy, 113
  29. Willow, 106
  30. Mila, 105
  31. Elsie, 104 (tie)
  32. Hallie, 104 (tie)
  33. Esme, 102
  34. Ruby, 100
  35. Ellie, 99
  36. Zara, 98
  37. Lottie, 97
  38. Eilidh, 91 – pronounced EH-lee
  39. Ayla, 90 (tie)
  40. Chloe, 90 (tie)
  41. Layla, 89 (3-way tie)
  42. Sienna, 89 (3-way tie)
  43. Violet, 89 (3-way tie)
  44. Ada, 87
  45. Skye, 83
  46. Phoebe, 82
  47. Callie, 81
  48. Jessica, 80 (tie)
  49. Robyn, 80 (tie)
  50. Isabella, 79

Boy names

  1. Noah, 366 baby boys
  2. Muhammad, 293
  3. Rory, 275
  4. Theo, 270
  5. Leo, 260
  6. Luca, 255
  7. Jack, 247 (tie)
  8. Oliver, 247 (tie)
  9. Harris, 243
  10. Archie, 228
  11. Finlay, 220
  12. Alexander, 208 (tie)
  13. Jude, 208 (tie)
  14. James, 203
  15. Alfie, 196
  16. Brodie, 195
  17. Finn, 190
  18. Arlo, 177
  19. Charlie, 159
  20. Thomas, 154 (tie)
  21. Tommy, 154 (tie)
  22. Oscar, 151
  23. Lucas, 147
  24. Arthur, 145
  25. Freddie, 144 (tie)
  26. Mason, 144 (tie)
  27. Jacob, 141
  28. Lewis, 136
  29. Logan, 132 (tie)
  30. Max, 132 (tie)
  31. Harry, 124
  32. Albie, 123
  33. Cameron, 117
  34. Ollie, 116
  35. Myles, 111
  36. Callan, 108 (tie)
  37. Theodore, 108 (tie)
  38. Angus, 106 (tie)
  39. Reuben, 106 (tie)
  40. Harrison, 105
  41. Blake, 102
  42. Adam, 101 (tie)
  43. Caleb, 101 (tie)
  44. Sonny, 100
  45. Louie, 99
  46. Roman, 98
  47. Liam, 93
  48. George, 91
  49. Isaac, 90
  50. Luke, 89

Muhammad, which entered the boys’ top 100 in 2008, jumped from 11th to 2nd place.

And the bonny name Bonnie, which entered the girls’ top 100 in 2018, now sits just outside the top 10.

Last year’s fastest-rising girl names already in the top 100 were Violet, Arabella, Myla, and Chloe, while the fastest-rising girl names entering the top 100 for the first time were Eliza, Romy, and Nora.

The fastest-rising boy names already in the top 100 were Myles, Callan, Ruairidh, and Lochlan, while the fastest-rising boy name entering the top 100 for the first time was Reggie.

Una and Ernie, two of the top names in the Scottish archipelago of Orkney, were given to 19 baby girls and six baby boys (respectively) nation-wide.

Here’s a selection of the names that were given to just three babies each in Scotland last year:

Rare girl namesRare boy names
Aizal, Beira, Ceilidh, Davina, Este, Fleur, Greta, Hadley, Ines, Jemimah, Kassie, Lavinia, Merida, Nicola, Opal, Peach, Roxy, Safiyyah, Tully, Verity, Yuna, ZarishArgyll, Bruce, Cobi, Derek, Ernest, Frazer, Graham, Harbaaz, Innis, Justin, Korey, Lawrie, Malachi, Niven, Orran, Percy, Rui, Somhairle, Thorfinn, Uzair, Wilder, Zahir

Beira is a modern Scottish name for the Gaelic mythological figure Cailleach, and Innis is a Scottish Gaelic word meaning “small island, islet.”

(I can’t give you the usual sampling of Scotland’s single-use names because, as of 2024, the country has decided to stop releasing names given to fewer than three babies. The news release noted that “the exclusion of the names given to one or two babies is consistent with policies in England and Wales and Northern Ireland.”)

Finally, here are Scotland’s 2023 rankings, if you’d like to compare last year to the year before.

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Flag of the United Kingdom (public domain)

What do you think of the name Poplar?

Eastern cottonwood tree

Earlier this month, a Mississippi newspaper ran a short item about a young girl named Poplar:

Precious little Poplar Murphy spent Christmas on Poplar Avenue with her grandparents, Steve and Jenny Lynn Wilkerson, in their Philadelphia [Mississippi] home. She was named after the street where her mother, Lacie Wilkerson Murphy, grew up.

I’ve come across the names Peuplier (“poplar” in French) and Mîtos (“poplar” in Cree) before, but I believe this is the first time I’ve spotted the name Poplar itself.

Interestingly, the word poplar refers not just to poplar trees, but also to aspens and cottonwoods. All three are part of the genus Populus.

What are your thoughts on the name Poplar? Considering the current trendiness of names like Aspen and Poppy, do you think Poplar could start seeing more usage soon?

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Eastern Cottonwood (Populus deltoides) by Jay Sturner under CC BY 2.0.

“Covered Wagon Babies” named for their birthplaces

"Emigrants crossing the plains" by F. O. C. Darley

In September of 1850, California became the 31st state to enter the Union.

In September of 1925, to celebrate 75 years of statehood, the city of San Francisco hosted a week of festivities. Events included parades, concerts, banquets, balls, exhibitions, automobile races, athletic competitions, a fashion show, a beauty contest, and more.

Charmingly, the organizers of the Diamond Jubilee celebration also rounded up and honored about fifty of California’s “covered wagon babies” — individuals who’d been born in covered wagons en route to California during the pioneer era. A banquet was held for them on the 8th, and they were featured in the Admission Day parade on the 9th.

Among the “babies” were several who’d been named after their birthplaces:

  • Willow Springs Shearer, born in a covered wagon in Willow Springs, Wyoming, on July 16, 1849.
  • William Nebraska Winter, born in a covered wagon near the Platte River in Nebraska on May 12, 1853.
  • Elijah Carson Hart, born in a covered wagon in Carson City, Nevada, on September 9, 1857.
  • Deseret Moe, born in a covered wagon in Deseret, Utah, on September 22, 1862.
  • James Carson Needham, born in a covered wagon in Carson City, Nevada, on September 17, 1864.
    • He went on to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives for seven successive terms (from 1899 to 1913).
  • Truckee Nevada Steward, born in a covered wagon near the Truckee River in Nevada on September 23, 1869.
    • He was born several months after the completion of the first transcontinental railroad.

One of the other “babies” was born in a covered wagon at Sutter’s Fort (in Sacramento) in July of 1849. The gold miners there suggested that she be named Poppy, “for the glorious flower which carpets the hills and valleys of the state,” but her parents “decided that Celesta Ann was more to their liking and Celesta Ann it was.”

P.S. After the Jubilee, a state-wide “Covered Wagon Babies Club,” comprising well over 100 members was organized by J. C. Needham. Meetings were held annually, in September, for about a decade.

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Emigrants crossing the plains (LOC)

Popular baby names in England and Wales (UK), 2023

Flag of the United Kingdom
Flag of the United Kingdom

Last year, the countries of England and Wales together welcomed 591,072 babies.

What were the most popular names among these babies? Olivia and Muhammad.

Here are England and Wales’ top 50 girl names and top 50 boy names of 2023:

Girl names

  1. Olivia, 2,906 baby girls
  2. Amelia, 2,663
  3. Isla, 2,337
  4. Lily, 2,290
  5. Freya, 2,086
  6. Ava, 2,050
  7. Ivy, 1,997
  8. Florence, 1,899
  9. Willow, 1,833
  10. Isabella, 1,795
  11. Poppy, 1,755
    • Poppy ranked third among baby girls born in November specifically, no doubt because of the association between poppies and Remembrance Day (Nov. 11).
  12. Sophia, 1,679
  13. Evelyn, 1,673
  14. Elsie, 1,662
  15. Sienna, 1,657
  16. Mia, 1,640
  17. Daisy, 1,585
  18. Grace, 1,541
  19. Sofia, 1,514
  20. Phoebe, 1,510
  21. Rosie, 1,508
  22. Harper, 1,466
  23. Charlotte, 1,373
  24. Evie, 1,350
  25. Millie, 1,349
  26. Bonnie, 1,346
  27. Ella, 1,307
  28. Emily, 1,280
  29. Maya, 1,255
  30. Matilda, 1,212
  31. Aria, 1,198
  32. Delilah, 1,194
  33. Penelope, 1,156
  34. Hallie, 1,154
  35. Mila, 1,127
  36. Maeve, 1,114
  37. Ada, 1,089
  38. Luna, 1,063
  39. Ruby, 1,059
  40. Mabel, 1,051
  41. Maisie, 1,039
  42. Violet, 1,034
  43. Arabella, 1,029
  44. Margot, 1,025
  45. Emilia, 1,017
  46. Isabelle, 984
  47. Esme, 982
  48. Lottie, 980
  49. Aurora, 964
  50. Alice, 955

Boy names

  1. Muhammad, 4,661 baby boys
  2. Noah, 4,382
  3. Oliver, 3,556
  4. George, 3,494
  5. Leo, 3,416
  6. Arthur, 3,387
  7. Luca, 3,195
  8. Theodore, 2,666
  9. Oscar, 2,632
  10. Henry, 2,490
  11. Theo, 2,489
  12. Freddie, 2,481
  13. Archie, 2,400
  14. Arlo, 2,253
  15. Jude, 2,177
  16. Alfie, 2,111
  17. Charlie, 2,010
  18. Jack, 1,953
  19. Thomas, 1,855
  20. Finley, 1,844
  21. Harry, 1,799
  22. Albie, 1,756
  23. Teddy, 1,687
  24. Jacob, 1,655
  25. Lucas, 1,644
  26. Tommy, 1,629
  27. Isaac, 1,611
  28. Mohammed, 1,601
  29. William, 1,544
  30. Edward, 1,501
  31. Elijah, 1,482
  32. Roman, 1,481
  33. Rory, 1,468
  34. Alexander, 1,456
  35. James, 1,430
  36. Louie, 1,421
  37. Reuben, 1,356
  38. Ezra, 1,345
  39. Oakley, 1,343
  40. Joshua, 1,339
  41. Adam, 1,326
  42. Sebastian, 1,313
  43. Hudson, 1,291
  44. Max, 1,274
  45. Louis, 1,236
  46. Ronnie, 1,222
  47. Ethan, 1,198
  48. Hugo, 1,174
  49. Harrison, 1,151
  50. Mason, 1,118

In the girls’ top 10, Willow replaced Mia.

In the boys’ top 10, Luca and Henry replaced Theo and Freddie.

New to the girls’ top 100 were Hazel, Lilah, Autumn, Nevaeh, and Raya.

New to the boys’ top 100 were Jax, Enzo, and Bodhi.

The number of hyphenated girl names increased significantly (from 12,332 to 19,143), while the number of hyphenated boy names decreased slightly (from 3,140 to 2,807).

And here’s a selection of uncommon names that were given to just three babies each in England and Wales (combined) in 2023:

Rare girl namesRare boy names
Alfia, Bluebella, Buddug, Coni, Dolcy, Ephelia, Fen, Glesni, Harasees, Indica, Jodh, Khulood, Larnie, Myrto, Nectaria, Omuwa, Pip, Qiraat, Reevie, Sorrel, Tegwen, Udaina, Vani, Waverly, Xanthea, Yvaine, ZoellaApollon, Banksy, Blaidd, Catalin, Dishan, Eifion, Fayzan, Gurvir, Haaland, Iverson, Jibriel, Kirtan, Lucho, Monaco, Nalan, Orwell, Prevail, Qusay, Ranbir, Sebbie, Tassilo, Ulrich, Vedh, Wildan, Xavian, Yamac, Zuko

Possible explanations/associations for several of the above:

  • Blaidd means “wolf” in Welsh. (It’s also the name of a half-wolf character in the 2022 video game Elden Ring.)
  • Buddug is based on the Welsh word budd, which means “benefit, profit.” It’s the Welsh equivalent of Boudicca (the name of the ancient British queen who led a revolt against the Romans).
  • Fen might refer to the type of wetland.
  • Glesni means “blueness” or “greenness” in Welsh.
  • Haaland is the surname of Norwegian soccer player Erling Haaland (who currently plays for Manchester City F.C.).

Here are the 2023 rankings for Scotland and Northern Ireland — the other two countries in the United Kingdom — and the 2022 rankings for England and Wales, if you’d like to compare last year to the year before.

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Flag of the United Kingdom (public domain)