How popular is the baby name Ross 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 Ross.

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Popularity of the baby name Ross


Posts that mention the name Ross

Popular and unique baby names in Scotland (UK), 2015

Flag of the United Kingdom
Flag of the United Kingdom

According to data from National Records of Scotland (NRS), the most popular baby names in Scotland in 2015 were Emily and Jack.

Here are Scotland’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2015:

Girl NamesBoy Names
1. Emily, 497 baby girls
2. Sophie, 468
3. Olivia, 452
4. Isla, 419
5. Jessica, 357
6. Ava, 354
7. Amelia, 352
8. Ella, 341
9. Lucy, 317
10. Lily, 279		1. Jack, 565 baby boys
2. Oliver, 448
3. James, 416
4. Lewis, 371
5. Alexander, 349
6. Charlie, 342
7. Lucas, 316
8. Logan, 311
9. Harris, 306
10. Daniel, 282

Some of the fastest-climbing names within the top 50 were Leo, Brodie, Harrison, Georgia, and Rosie.

And now for the fun part! Here are some of the baby names that were bestowed just once last year in Scotland. Ladies first:

  • Aara
  • Aerith
  • Albatool
  • Aneu
  • Aragon
  • Aria-Denver
  • Arracah
  • Avana-Solaris
  • Awesome
  • Beatrix-Gwendoline
  • Bebe-Rose
  • Bexlie
  • Caledonia – Caledonia was what the ancient Romans called the region that became Scotland. It’s now used as a poetic name for Scotland.
  • Calypso
  • Christine-Smart – I’ve seen “smart” used as a name before, but all the examples I know of are historical.
  • Ciorstaidh
  • Csenge
  • Debsther
  • Duoduo
  • Dzeiviana
  • Elenaria
  • Ersjola
  • Esme-May
  • Ginijane
  • Glencora
  • Iphigenia
  • Izzy-Mary-Bel
  • Juveria
  • Lithisha
  • Littlest
  • Lohasna
  • Midelle
  • Mirrany
  • Ndack
  • Nettle
  • Peryl
  • Piali
  • Ptarmigan – A bird name I almost never see used as a baby name. Ironically, the word “ptarmigan” happens to be based on a Scottish Gaelic word (tàrmachan).
  • Renae-Esmae
  • Roux-Jane
  • Splendor
  • Styliani
  • Tjitske
  • Twylabelle – Another -belle name to add to the list of -bella and -belle names.
  • Xrysoula
  • Zazilia
  • Zephyra
  • Zerfin
  • Zymal

And now the gents:

  • Albany
  • Aodee
  • Bonus
  • Bowie
  • Brando
  • Bucci
  • Bully
  • Charlieboy
  • Chrisvin
  • Claigh
  • Cobain
  • Coist
  • Corryvreckan – The Gulf of Corryvreckan (from the Gaelic Coire Bhreacain) is a narrow strait off Scotland’s west coast famous for its large whirlpool. Corryvreckan’s father, a whisky expert, also admits that “we may have joked with the name while I was sipping on some of the peat-astic Ardbeg Corryvreckan.” (Source: Why Corryvreckan is a dram fine name for my baby says whisky expert Andy Bell)
  • Csoma
  • Firth
  • Feynman
  • Frankie-Boy
  • Gruffydd
  • Harrison’jai
  • Highlande
  • Innes-Ross
  • Jesuferanmi
  • Jevgenijs
  • Jotvingis
  • Lansana
  • Leonce
  • Oomo – Reminds me of Omoo.
  • Panache
  • Roux
  • Roxus
  • Sonnyboy
  • Stuarttie
  • Taighearnach
  • Turki
  • Tybalt
  • Ythan
  • Zaff
  • Zanemvula
  • Zeteny
  • Zion-Antoine

Finally, here are Scotland’s top baby names of 2014, if you’d like to compare.

Sources: Jack and Emily are Scotland’s top baby names, Jack and Emily are Scotland’s top baby names

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

Mystery baby name: Johnross

Graph of the usage of the baby name Johnross in the U.S. since 1880
Usage of the baby name Johnross

The last name in the summer Mystery Monday series is Johnross, which debuted on the charts in 1982:

  • 1986: 8 baby boys named Johnross
  • 1985: unlisted
  • 1984: 5 baby boys named Johnross
  • 1983: unlisted
  • 1982: 11 baby boys named Johnross [debut]
  • 1981: unlisted

Dallas, the popular TV show, seems like the obvious answer here. After all, it featured a whopping three characters named John Ross: John Ross “Jock” Ewing, Sr., John Ross “J.R.” Ewing, Jr., and John Ross Ewing III.

But which character did it refer to specifically? And why?

My guess is the youngest — the only one actually called “John Ross” on the show — but he’d been a character since his (fictional) birth in 1979, so I’m not sure how/why he’d be influencing the charts years later.

If you watched Dallas in the early ’80s, what are your thoughts on this? What am I missing?

Baby born in England, named after entire soccer team (2011)

soccer game

Amanda and Stephen Preston of Lancashire, England, welcomed a son in late January, 2011. He was named Jensen after Brian Jensen, goalkeeper of the Burnley Football Club.

But that’s not all! He was named after each of the other players on the team as well.

Stephen said, “We had already decided to call him Jensen as he is Amanda’s favourite player, but we couldn’t decide on a middle name so we thought why not go for the whole team.”

Here are all of the baby’s given names, and the corresponding Burnley players:

NamePlayer
Jensen
Jay
Alexander
Bikey
Carlisle
Duff
Elliot [sic]
Fox
Iwelumo
Marney
Mears
Paterson
Thompson
Wallace		Brian Jensen
Jay Rodriguez
Graham Alexander
Andre Bikey
Clarke Carlisle
Michael Duff
Wade Elliott
Danny Fox
Chris Iwelumo
Dean Marney
Tyrone Mears
Martin Paterson
Steven Thompson
Ross Wallace

If the baby had been a girl, the only difference would have been Briany instead of Jensen for the first name.

(My source article also mentioned a baby boy born in 2009 and named Robbie-Blake Moore, “after Robbie Blake’s winning goal against Manchester United in the Premier League.”)

Source: Preston: The baby named after all FOURTEEN members of football team

Image: Adapted from Portugal 2-3 Denmark, Football by José Goulão under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Baby born on Betsy Ross’ birthday, named Elizabeth-Ross

Elizabeth "Betsy" Ross (1752-1836)
Betsy Ross

Just 15 seconds after midnight on January 1, 1976 — the first day of the U.S. bicentennial year — Charles and Valerie Hammer welcomed a baby girl at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C.

What did they name their New Year’s Day baby?

Holly Elizabeth-Ross — Holly because she was born during the Christmas season, and Elizabeth-Ross because she was born on the same day as famous flag-maker Betsy Ross.

Here’s what Charles had to say about the middle name:

Betsy Ross also was born Jan. 1, but in 1752. She’s the mother of the flag. She picked the colors, too. She was a very well-read woman, and pretty forward-thinking for her time. That’s the way we want our daughter to be.

Source: “First Baby Named for Betty Ross.” Dispatch [Lexington] 5 Jan. 1976: 1.
Image: Adapted from Birth of Our Nation’s Flag