How popular is the baby name Rihanna 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 Rihanna.

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Popularity of the baby name Rihanna


Posts that mention the name Rihanna

Pop culture baby name game results, 2013

Here are the results of the 2013 pop culture baby name game!

But I’m writing them up a bit differently this year — I’m only focusing on 20 big winners.

How did I choose these 20? First, I eliminated all the names that didn’t see increased usage in 2013. Then I eliminated the names that saw relatively small increases in usage. Then I eliminated the names that saw more or less expected increases in usage, given their trajectories.

That left me with about 20 names that became more popular in 2013 due mainly (in some cases entirely) to pop culture influence.

The links will take you to popularity graphs.

1. Jace

  • Increase: +1,649 baby boys (4,692 to 6,341) and +8 baby girls (36 to 44).
  • Inspiration: “Duck Dynasty” character Jason “Jase” Robertson.
  • Even more impressive, the name Jase increased +3,410 and +13.

2. Lincoln

  • Increase: +1,112 baby boys (2,898 to 4,010) and +28 baby girls (33 to 61).
  • Inspiration: The film Lincoln (2012).

3. Ariana

  • Increase: +816 baby girls (3,568 to 4,384).
  • Inspiration: Singer/actress Ariana Grande.
  • 4,384 baby girls is a new all-time high for Ariana. The previous high was 4,322 baby girls in 2007.

4. Everly

  • Increase: +517 baby girls (287 to 804).
  • Inspiration: Celebrity baby Everly, daughter of Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan.

5. Kendrick

  • Increase: +472 baby boys (570 to 1,042).
  • Inspiration: Rapper Kendrick Lamar.
  • 1,042 baby boys is a new all-time high for Kendrick. The previous high was 763 baby boys in 1991.

6. Milan

  • Increase: +333 baby boys (151 to 484) and +89 baby girls (382 to 471).
  • Inspiration: Celebrity baby Milan, son of Shakira and Gerard Pique.

7. George

  • Increase: +194 baby boys (2,328 to 2,522).
  • Inspiration: Royal baby George, son of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

8. Francis

  • Increase: +101 baby boys (429 to 530) and +13 baby girls (44 to 57).
  • Inspiration: The election of Pope Francis.
  • Even more impressive, the name Francisco increased +125.

9. Bruno

  • Increase: +91 baby boys (284 to 375).
  • Inspiration: Singer Bruno Mars.
  • 375 baby boys is a new all-time high for Bruno. The previous high was 353 in 1916.

10. Paul

  • Increase: +78 baby boys (1,939 to 2,017).
  • Inspiration: The death of actor Paul Walker.
  • Walker saw an even bigger increase (+128) but I thought Paul’s rise was more compelling as it went against a decades-long decline in usage.

11. Robin

  • Increase: +48 baby boys (104 to 152).
  • Inspiration: Singer Robin Thicke.

12. Diamond

  • Increase: +41 baby girls (345 to 386).
  • Inspiration: Rihanna song “Diamonds” (2012).

13. Wendy

  • Increase: +37 baby girls (357 to 394).
  • Inspiration: Texas politician Wendy Davis.
  • I’m dying to see how much of Wendy’s increase can be attributed to Texas specifically. The SSA’s state lists haven’t been updated yet, though.

14. Nori

  • Increase: +18 baby girls (11 to 29).
  • Inspiration: Celebrity baby “Nori” (North), daughter of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West.
  • 29 baby girls is a new high for Nori. The previous high was 20 in 2009.

15. Primrose

  • Increase: +17 baby girls (17 to 34).
  • Inspiration: Hunger Games (2012) character Primrose Everdeen.
  • Prim, a nickname for Primrose, debuted with 7 baby girls.

16. Marnie

  • Increase: +14 baby girls (13 to 27).
  • Inspiration: “Girls” character Marnie Michaels.

17. Rainbow

  • Increase: +9 baby girls (7 to 16).
  • Inspiration: Celebrity baby Rainbow, daughter of Holly Madison and Pasquale Rotella.

18. Kitai

  • Debuted with 16 baby boys.
  • Inspiration: After Earth (2013) character Kitai Raige.
  • Cypher, the name of another After Earth character, increased +4.

19. Sansa

  • Debuted with 11 baby girls.
  • Inspiration: “Game of Thrones” character Sansa Stark.

20. Malala

  • Debuted with 9 baby girls.
  • Inspiration: Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai.

Did any of the above surprise you?

Past PCBNG results: 2012, 2011, 2010.

Popular baby names in Jamaica, 2011

Flag of Jamaica
Flag of Jamaica

According to Jamaica’s Registrar General’s Department (RGD), the top baby names in Jamaica in 2011 were Gabrielle and Jayden.

Here are the top 5 girl names and top 5 boy names:

Girl names

  1. Gabrielle
  2. Amelia
  3. Tianna
  4. Brianna
  5. Jada

Boy names

  1. Jayden
  2. Daniel
  3. Joshua
  4. Justin
  5. Jaden & Ajani (tie)

And here are a few extra facts:

  • While Jayden remained the top boy name, usage decreased nearly 13% from 2010 to 2011.
  • Ajani rose to 5th place (2011) from 8th place (2010).
  • Jada rose to 5th place (2011) from 9th place (2010).
  • The top middle names were Anthony (same as in 2010) and Abigail (beating 2010’s Amanda).

Interestingly, according to a 2011 pamphlet called All About Baby (PDF), the top 10 names per gender “registered at the RGD” (during some unspecified previous year?) were…

  • Girl names: Brianna, Rihanna, Gabrielle, Ashley, Jada, Tiana, Abigail, Amelia, Kayla, Danielle
  • Boy names: Daniel, Jayden, Joshua, Jordan, Ricardo, Anthony, Nathan, Michael, Alex, Malik

These lists seem more similar to Jamaica’s 2008 rankings, which were topped by Brihanna and Daniel.

Source: “Jayden, Gabrielle most popular Jamaican baby names.” Jamaica Observer 11 Jun. 2012.

Image: Adapted from Flag of Jamaica (public domain)

Alt-rock baby names of the 1990s

guitar

Pearl Jam held a festival over Labor Day weekend to mark the 20th anniversary of the band’s debut album, Ten.

The news reminded me that I’ve seen the name Vedder (the surname of Pearl Jam vocalist Eddie Vedder) in the U.S. baby name data.

But I didn’t see it in the SSA data of the early ’90s, which was when grunge band Pearl Jam was at the height of its fame. Nope — Vedder didn’t start popping up until more than a decade later:

  • 2010: 7 baby boys named Vedder
  • 2009: 6 baby boys named Vedder
  • 2008: unlisted
  • 2007: 6 baby boys named Vedder
  • 2006: unlisted
  • 2005: 5 baby boys named Vedder [debut]
  • 2004: unlisted
  • 2003: unlisted

The same thing happened to Cobain, surname of Nirvana vocalist Kurt Cobain:

  • 2010: 8 baby boys named Cobain
  • 2009: 5 baby boys named Cobain
  • 2008: 7 baby boys named Cobain
  • 2007: 5 baby boys named Cobain
  • 2006: unlisted
  • 2005: 6 baby boys named Cobain
  • 2004: 5 baby boys named Cobain [debut]
  • 2003: unlisted

And to Reznor, surname of Nine Inch Nails vocalist Trent Reznor:

  • 2010: 6 baby boys named Reznor
  • 2009: 9 baby boys named Reznor
  • 2008: 8 baby boys named Reznor
  • 2007: unlisted
  • 2006: 6 baby boys named Reznor
  • 2005: unlisted
  • 2004: 5 baby boys named Reznor [debut]
  • 2003: unlisted

And to Weiland, surname of Stone Temple Pilots vocalist Scott Weiland:

  • 2010: unlisted
  • 2009: 5 baby boys named Weiland
  • 2008: 7 baby boys named Weiland
  • 2007: 7 baby boys named Weiland
  • 2006: unlisted
  • 2005: unlisted
  • 2004: unlisted
  • 2003: unlisted
  • 2002: 8 baby boys named Weiland [debut]
  • 2001: unlisted

Interesting, isn’t it? These names didn’t become trendy while the associated alt-rock acts were big, but they began seeing usage years later. As if the teens of the ’90s needed a few years to grow up and start having their own kids first.

Contrast this with names like Rihanna, Beyonce, Kanye, and Shania. These names became popular on a much larger scale while the corresponding pop stars were hitting it big. Quite a difference.

Sources: Pearl Jam Fest Wows With Chris Cornell/Temple of The Dog, Multiple Guests – Billboard, SSA

Image: Adapted from Electric guitar (477101105) by Feliciano Guimarães under CC BY 2.0.

The fastest-falling baby names of 2010

I’m seeing a lot of discussion today about the fastest-rising baby names of 2010. There’s Maci and Bentley (thanks to a reality TV show about pregnant teens), Tiana (thanks to Disney), Kellan (thanks to Twilight), Knox (thanks to Brangelina), and more.

But let’s look at the flip side. Which names fell in 2010? Which were some of the biggest losers?

I’ll give you a hint: Many were once the fast-risers. They became trendy for a little while, thanks to pop culture (e.g. a singer, a band, a movie, a book). But when that influence began to fade, the names began to fall.

  • Ciara, down 79 spots (singer Ciara)
  • Jonas, down 80 spots (musicians Jonas Brothers)
  • Marley, down 85 spots (movie Marley & Me)
  • Kimora, down 90 spots (model Kimora Lee Simmons)
  • Rihanna, down 198 spots (singer Rihanna)
  • Analia, down 472 spots (telenovela El Rostro de Analía)

This group even includes the names of the president’s daughters, Sasha (down 84 spots) and Malia (down 111 spots), whose names have not been in the news as much since 2008 and 2009.

Sources: SSA’s Change in Name Popularity page, “Maci” and “Bentley” soar in baby name game