How popular is the baby name Scott 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 Scott.

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 Scott


Posts that mention the name Scott

How did the movie “Aladdin” influence U.S. baby names?

The title character from the movie "Aladdin" (1992)
Aladdin from “Aladdin“

The animated Disney movie Aladdin, based on the Middle Eastern folk tale of the same name, was released in theaters in November of 1992.

Set in the fictional desert city of Agrabah, the film followed a street urchin named Aladdin (voiced by Scott Weinger) who, with the help of a genie summoned from a magic lamp, set out to win the heart of the sultan’s daughter, Princess Jasmine (voiced by Linda Larkin).

Aladdin became the highest-grossing movie of 1992. It went on to win multiple Oscar and Grammy Awards in early 1993.

It also had an influence on U.S. baby names. The rare name Aladdin, for instance, quadrupled in usage the year after Aladdin came out:

  • 1995: 6 baby boys named Aladdin
  • 1994: 13 baby boys named Aladdin
  • 1993: 24 baby boys named Aladdin (peak usage)
  • 1992: 6 baby boys named Aladdin
  • 1988: 5 baby boys named Aladdin

The titular character’s name is a form of Ala al-Din, which means “excellence of the faith” in Arabic.

The character Jasmine from the movie "Aladdin" (1992)
Jasmine from “Aladdin“

The name Jasmine saw a significant increase in usage the same year:

  • 1995: 10,279 baby girls named Jasmine [rank: 25th]
  • 1994: 11,713 baby girls named Jasmine [rank: 23rd]
  • 1993: 12,062 baby girls named Jasmine [rank: 23rd]
  • 1992: 10,478 baby girls named Jasmine [rank: 28th]
  • 1991: 11,525 baby girls named Jasmine [rank: 24th]

Jasmine was one of the fastest-rising girl names of 1993, in fact.

In the original tale, the princess’ name was Badr al-Budur, which means “full moon of full moons” in Arabic. Disney decided to rename the character, choosing Jasmine “because of the popularity of the actress Jasmine Guy at the time.” (Guy was also behind the trendiness of the name in the late ’80s, incidentally.)

Princess Jasmine’s pet tiger Rajah (pronounced rah-zhah) seems to have been influential as well. The name Rajah (which derives from the royal title Raja) reached peak usage for both baby boys and baby girls in 1994:

Girls named RajahBoys named Rajah
1996.6
1995177
199420†24†
199357
1992.7
†Peak usage

The name Jafar, which refers to the film’s primary antagonist (voiced by Jonathan Freeman), similarly peaked in popularity in 1994:

  • 1996: 17 baby boys named Jafar
  • 1995: 14 baby boys named Jafar
  • 1994: 33 baby boys named Jafar (peak usage)
  • 1993: 13 baby boys named Jafar
  • 1992: 7 baby boys named Jafar

The Return of Jafar, a direct-to-video Aladdin sequel that was released in May of 1994, was likely drawing extra attention to the villain’s name that year.

Sources:

Images: Screenshots of Aladdin

What popularized the baby name Colton in the late 1980s?

The character Colton Shore from the TV series "General Hospital" (1963-)
Colton Shore from “General Hospital“

According to the U.S. baby name data, usage of the name Colton rose significantly in the late 1980s:

  • 1990: 2,235 baby boys named Colton [rank: 139th]
  • 1989: 1,925 baby boys named Colton [rank: 157th]
  • 1988: 880 baby boys named Colton [rank: 268th]
  • 1987: 324 baby boys named Colton [rank: 494th]
  • 1986: 236 baby boys named Colton [rank: 577th]

Why?

My guess is a character from the soap opera General Hospital (which has been airing on ABC since the 1960s, impressively).

Colton Shore — a “tall, blond, All-American ex-Marine with an air of spirituality” — first appeared on the series in February of 1988. The character was played by actor Scott Thompson Baker, who won Soap Opera Digest‘s award for “Outstanding Male Newcomer” in early 1989.

During the three years he was on General Hospital, Colton held several different jobs. Initially, he hosted an inspirational TV program called The Colton Connection. After that, he worked at a marine repair shop, then as a helicopter pilot. Eventually he purchased the local health club, which he renamed Body Heat.

He also had several romantic partners, starting with widow Felicia Jones. (Colton and Felicia got married, but the relationship didn’t last long after the return of Felicia’s not-dead-after-all husband Frisco.) He was later linked to Arielle Ashton and Olivia Jerome before settling on Carla Greco, with whom he left town in February of 1991.

What are your thoughts on the name Colton?

Sources:

Image: Screenshot of General Hospital

What popularized the baby name Mandy in the mid-1970s?

Barry Manilow's album "Barry Manilow II" (1974)
Barry Manilow album

According to the U.S. baby name data, Mandy more than sextupled in usage in 1975:

  • 1977: 3,100 baby girls named Mandy [rank: 94th]
  • 1976: 2,924 baby girls named Mandy [rank: 100th]
  • 1975: 2,710 baby girls named Mandy [rank: 106th]
  • 1974: 446 baby girls named Mandy [rank: 435th]
  • 1973: 384 baby girls named Mandy [rank: 473rd]

Amanda — the name from which Mandy derives — also saw a discernible increase in usage in 1975.

What gave these names a boost?

The Barry Manilow song “Mandy,” which was released in October of 1974. It reached the top spot on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart in January of the following year.

Here’s what it sounds like:

Interestingly, “Mandy” is a cover of a song called “Brandy” that was first recorded by Scott English and released in early 1972. The single became popular in both the UK and Australia, but was only a minor hit in the U.S.

When Barry Manilow recorded his version in mid-1974, he (and Bell Records president Clive Davis) decided to change the title from “Brandy” to “Mandy” so as to avoid confusion with the Looking Glass song “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl).”

The baby name Mandy went on to see peak usage several years later — either in 1977 (highest ranking) or in 1978 (highest number of babies), depending on how you look at it.

What are your thoughts on the name Mandy?

P.S. The similar name Mindy was also most popular in the late 1970s…

Sources: Mandy by Barry Manilow – Songfacts, Barry Manilow – Billboard, Brandy (Scott English song) – Wikipedia, SSA

Popular baby names in Northern Ireland (UK), 2023

Flag of the United Kingdom
Flag of the United Kingdom

Northern Ireland — which was partitioned from the rest of Ireland more than a century ago — is a constituent country of the United Kingdom (along with England, Scotland, and Wales).

What were the most popular baby names in Northern Ireland last year? Isla and Noah.

Here are the country’s top 50 girl names and top 50+ boy names of 2023:

Girl names

  1. Isla, 147 baby girls – pronounced IE-la
  2. Fiadh, 138 – pronounced FEE-a
  3. Grace, 137
  4. Emily, 136
  5. Olivia, 126
  6. Lily, 108
  7. Ella, 97
  8. Aoife, 94 – pronounced EE-fa
  9. Amelia, 92
  10. Freya, 90
  11. Charlotte, 87
  12. Annie, 84 (tie)
  13. Sophie, 84 (tie)
  14. Anna, 83
  15. Eabha, 79 – pronounced EY-va
  16. Ellie, 77
  17. Sophia, 76
  18. Evie, 74
  19. Ava, 73
  20. Maisie, 70
  21. Clodagh, 66 – pronounced KLOH-da
  22. Mia, 63 (tie)
  23. Sadie, 63 (tie)
  24. Rosie, 62 (tie)
  25. Ruby, 62 (tie)
  26. Ivy, 60
  27. Molly, 59
  28. Cara, 57 (4-way tie)
  29. Elsie, 57 (4-way tie)
  30. Lottie, 57 (4-way tie)
  31. Meabh, 57 (4-way tie) – pronounced mayv
  32. Zara, 56
  33. Aria, 54
  34. Erin, 53
  35. Ada, 52
  36. Hannah, 51
  37. Saoirse, 50 – pronounced SEER-sha or SAYR-sha
  38. Bonnie, 48
  39. Cora, 47 (4-way tie)
  40. Isabella, 47 (4-way tie)
  41. Lucy, 47 (4-way tie)
  42. Phoebe, 47 (4-way tie)
  43. Katie, 46 (tie)
  44. Niamh, 46 (tie) – pronounced neev or NEE-iv
  45. Rhea, 45 (tie)
  46. Willow, 45 (tie)
  47. Rose, 44
  48. Sofia, 42
  49. Daisy, 41 (tie)
  50. Sienna, 41 (tie)

Boy names

  1. Noah, 152 baby boys
  2. Jack, 146
  3. James, 131
  4. Cillian, 128 – pronounced KIL-ee-an
  5. Charlie, 123
  6. Leo, 119
  7. Oisin, 116 – pronounced UH-sheen or OH-sheen
  8. Oliver, 114
  9. Luca, 108 (tie)
  10. Theo, 108 (tie)
  11. Tommy, 105
  12. Thomas, 103
  13. Jude, 93
  14. Arthur, 91
  15. Alfie, 85
  16. Daniel, 84
  17. Daithi, 82 – pronounced DAH-hee
  18. Harry, 77
  19. Ethan, 74
  20. Caleb, 73
  21. Finn, 71
  22. Henry, 70
  23. Ezra, 67 (tie)
  24. Jacob, 67 (tie)
  25. George, 66 (tie)
  26. Oscar, 66 (tie)
  27. Archie, 64 (3-way tie)
  28. Isaac, 64 (3-way tie)
  29. Ollie, 64 (3-way tie)
  30. Ronan, 63
  31. Lorcan, 62
  32. Reuben, 61 (tie)
  33. Shea, 61 (tie)
  34. Fionn, 60 (tie)
  35. Rory, 60 (tie)
  36. Darragh, 59
  37. Rian, 57
  38. Conor, 55 (tie)
  39. Freddie, 55 (tie)
  40. Arlo, 53 (tie)
  41. Patrick, 53 (tie)
  42. Luke, 52 (tie)
  43. Tom, 52 (tie)
  44. Jonah, 51 (tie)
  45. Odhran, 51 (tie) – pronounced OH-rawn
  46. Joshua, 50
  47. Max, 49 (tie)
  48. Theodore, 49 (tie)
  49. Michael, 47
  50. Mason, 46 (tie)
  51. Teddy, 46 (tie)

The names that qualified as the “top climbers” of 2023 were…

  • Rebecca, Rhea, Aurora, and Raya (for girls), and
  • Leon, Donnacha, Albie, and Seth (for boys).

And here’s a selection of uncommon names that were given to just three babies each:

Rare girl namesRare boy names
Aizal, Blathnaid, Colleen, Dianaimh, Everly, Georgina, Helen, Ivie, Juniper, Keeley, Laney, Meabha, Neala, Orlagh, Paisley, Searlaith, Tillie, Vera, YasmineAngus, Barney, Connlan, Darren, Ewan, Finbarr, Gearoid, Hamish, Jameson, Kieran, Lughan, Milan, Ned, Orhan, Paraic, Ruaidhri, Scott, Tate, Zayn

What about middle names? The top picks for the middle spot were…

  • Rose, Grace, Mary, Elizabeth, and Marie (for girls), and
  • James, John, Patrick, William, and Thomas (for boys).

Finally, here are Northern Ireland’s 2022 rankings, if you’d like to compare last year to the year before.

Source: Baby Names 2023 | Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency

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