How popular is the baby name Sol 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 Sol.

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Popularity of the baby name Sol


Posts that mention the name Sol

Popular baby names in Los Angeles County (California), 2013

Flag of California
Flag of California

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health website doesn’t have baby name data for 2016, but it does have data covering 1995 to 2013, so let’s work with that.

The most popular baby names in Los Angeles County in 2013 were Sophia and Jacob. Here are L.A.’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2013:

Girl names

  1. Sophia, 984 baby girls
  2. Isabella, 777
  3. Mia, 762
  4. Emily, 688
  5. Emma, 609
  6. Sofia, 550
  7. Olivia, 473
  8. Samantha, 458
  9. Victoria, 410
  10. Camila, 405

Boy names

  1. Jacob, 948 baby boys
  2. Jayden, 926
  3. Matthew, 895
  4. Ethan, 829
  5. Daniel, 784
  6. Nathan, 761
  7. Noah, 657
  8. Anthony, 633
  9. Alexander, 617
  10. David, 600

And here are some of the baby names that were apparently used just once in L.A. from 1995 to 2013:

Unique girl namesUnique boy names
Aijia, Bobbierose, Coakley, Dashley, Ella-Lily, Fallen Star, Georgedith, Haydeline, Ilynne, Jatalia, Khando, Luna Sol, Mexeen, Nonoka, Ofri, Purple, Qiqi, Rhofanie, Sloka, Ting, Ulani, Vixi, Wonder, Xanterra, Yudibeth, ZayleenAbbos, Banksy, Clifford, Dro, Exsol, Foxton, Guster, Holtzen, Iniesta, Jayden-Dreden, Kayd, Leviathan, Mondrick, Noaz, Ordisi, Pocky, Querbin, Rundy, Snayther, Tarzis, Uyedon, Verwyn, Westgene, Xinran, Yitzchack, Zander Ray

Want to see more California baby names? Here are Sonoma’s rankings for 2015 and San Diego’s rankings for 2016.

Source: Find a Baby Name – L.A. County Public Health

Image: Adapted from Flag of California (public domain)

Baby names inspired by the solar eclipse: Helios, Mahina, Blake

Total solar eclipse (August 2017)
Total solar eclipse

On August 21, the United States will see its first coast-to-coast solar eclipse since 1918. If you’re planning to have (or conceive!) a baby around the time of the eclipse, you might be interested in a name that marks the event (but that perhaps isn’t as obvious as Eclipse itself).

So what are your options?

Names with “celestial” associations

A solar eclipse involves the alignment of three celestial bodies — the sun (a star), the moon, and the Earth — in the sky. You could use a name that is associated in some way with one of these elements, such as…

“Sun” names

  • Haru (Japanese)
  • Helios (ancient Greek)
  • Hina (Japanese)
  • Inti (Quechua)
  • Nou (Hmong)
  • Ra (ancient Egyptian)
  • Ravi (Sanskrit)
  • Shams (Arabic)
  • Sol (Spanish & Portuguese, ultimately from Latin)
  • Solaris (Latin)
  • Soleil (French)
  • Sunniva (Old English)
  • Sunny (English)
  • Surya (Sanskrit)

“Star” names

  • Aster (ancient Greek)
  • Astra (based on the ancient Greek word)
  • Citlalli (Nahuatl)
  • Estelle (French)
  • Estrella (Spanish)
  • Hoshi (Japanese)
  • Najm & Najma (Arabic)
  • Seren (Welsh)
  • Star (English)
  • Starla (based on the English word)
  • Stjarna (Icelandic)
  • Stella (Latin)
  • Tähti (Finnish)
  • Tara (Sanskrit)

“Moon” names

  • Aylin (Turkish)
  • Badr (Arabic)
  • Chandra (Sanskrit)
  • Dal (Korean)
  • Dawa (Tibetan)
  • Ilargi (Basque)
  • Luna (Latin)
  • Lusine (Armenian)
  • Mahina (Hawaiian & Tongan)
  • Máni (Icelandic)
  • Metztli (Nahuatl)
  • Moon (English)
  • Qamar (Arabic)
  • Selene (ancient Greek)

“Earth” names

  • Avani (Sanskrit)
  • Bhumi (Sanskrit)
  • Eartha (based on the English word)
  • Gaia (ancient Greek)
  • Ki (Sumerian)
  • Tierra (Spanish)
  • Tlalli (Nahuatl)

“Sky” names

  • Akash (Sanskrit)
  • Alya (Arabic)
  • Anu (Sumerian)
  • Caelus (Latin)
  • Céleste (French)
  • Ciel (French)
  • Cielo (Spanish)
  • Lani (Hawaiian)
  • Ortzi (Basque)
  • Sky (English)
  • Skyla (based on the English word)
  • Sora (Japanese)

You could even look for a name that contains more than one of these elements. I’ve come across a handful of names that happen to contain both an element meaning “sun” and an element meaning “moon,” for instance. Examples include Ravichandra (Sanskrit), Künnei (Yakut), Aygün (Turkish), and Günay (also Turkish).

Names with “dark” associations

The main event, from an Earthling’s perspective, is the darkening of the sun thanks to the moon getting in the way and casting its shadow over us. So you could use a name associated in some way with darkness, such as…

“Shadow” names

  • Chhaya (Sanskrit)
  • Shade (English)
  • Shadow (English)
  • Umbra (Latin)
  • Zalaph (Hebrew)
  • Zillah (Hebrew)

“Dark” or “Black” names

  • Adham (Arabic)
  • Blake (English surname)
  • Charna (Yiddish)
  • Ciar & Ciara (Irish)
  • Ciarán (Irish)
  • Dubhán (Irish)
  • Duff (Irish surname)
  • Jett (English)
  • Kara (Turkish)
  • Krishna (Sanskrit)
  • Melaina (ancient Greek)
    • Melania (Latin, based on melaina)
    • Mélanie (French form of Melania)
  • Raven (English)
  • Sullivan (Irish surname)

“Night” names

  • Layla (Arabic)
  • Nisha (Sanskrit)
  • Njóla (Icelandic)
  • Noctis (Latin)
  • Nox (Latin)
  • Nyx (ancient Greek)
  • Rajani (Sanskrit)
  • Rajnish (Sanskrit)
  • Tuta (Quechua)
  • Yoalli (Nahuatl)

I think Blake and Sullivan are particularly intriguing choices.

The English surname Blake can come from either of two similar Middle English words that happen to have opposite definitions: blac, meaning “black,” or blac, meaning “wan, pale, white, fair.” So it manages to encapsulate the concepts of both darkness and lightness — two key elements of an eclipse.

And the Irish surname Sullivan, “descendant of Súileabhán,” is based on the Gaelic personal name Súileabhán, meaning “little dark eye” — which sounds a lot like a poetic description of an eclipse.

Name pairings with both “celestial” and “dark” associations

You could combine some of the “celestial” and “dark” names above to get something more specific, like…

  • Layla Soleil: “night” and “sun”
  • Jett Helios: “black” and “sun”
  • Ciarán Sol: “black” and “sun”
  • Mélanie Stella: “dark” and “star” (“Dark Star” is also a Grateful Dead song)
  • Luna Zillah: “moon” and “shadow” (“Moon Shadow” is also a Cat Stevens song)

Names (or name pairings) featuring the letters “S” and “E”

This is as inconspicuous as it gets. Commemorate the solar eclipse simply by using the letters “S” and “E” in combination. You could choose a single name that starts with “Se-,” like…

Sela
Selene (“moon” in Greek)
Selma
Seraphina
Seren (“star” in Welsh)
Serenity		Sean
Sebastian
Sefton
Sergio
Seth
Severino

Or, you could use a pair of names that start with “S-” and “E-,” such as…

Sabrina Eden
Sydney Elise
Sarah Evangeline
Susanna Elizabeth		Simon Elijah
Spencer Ellis
Shane Everett
Samuel Edward

Which of the above names (or combos) do you like most? What other solar eclipse-themed ideas would you add to this list?

Updates…

  • May 2018: The baby name Eclipse debuted in the 2017 data! The baby name Moon also more than tripled in usage last year.
  • Dec. 2021: Did you know that Cleopatra gave her twins the middle names Selene and Helios?
  • Dec. 2022: The rare Icelandic name Myrkvi can mean “eclipse” (also “darkness”).
  • Feb. 2023: Actress Soleil Moon Frye‘s given names mean “sun” and (of course) “moon.”
  • Apr. 2024: A baby born during the April 2024 total solar eclipse was named Sol Celeste.
  • May 2024: The baby name Eclipse saw its highest-ever usage (so far) in 2023, thanks to the “ring of fire” annular solar eclipse of October 2023.

Sources:

Image: Adapted from 2017 Total Solar Eclipse by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center under CC BY 2.0.

Distinctive baby names, state by state

Which baby names are the most disproportionately popular in each U.S. state?

Name blog Republic of Names has your answer — a bunch of cool lists of the most distinctive baby names by state. Here are some highlights for about half of the states.

In Alabama:

  • Crimson – Crimson Tide is the University of Alabama football team.
  • Krimson

In Alaska:

  • Aurora
  • Denali – Denali (Mount McKinley) in Alaska is North America’s highest peak.
  • McKinley

In Arizona:

  • Ariza
  • Helios
  • Nizhoni – Nizhóní is a Navajo word meaning “it/he/she is pretty/beautiful.”
  • Sedona – Sedona is a city in Arizona.

In California:

  • Eztli – Eztli is a Nahuatl (Aztec) word meaning “blood.”
  • Sissi

In Colorado:

  • Matix
  • Story
  • Trindon – Trindon Holliday played professional football in Colorado.
  • Zeppelin

In Florida:

  • Kervens
  • Woodley

In Idaho:

  • Ammon
  • Brigham
  • Hyrum

In Indiana:

  • Jolisa

In Iowa:

  • Kinnick – Kinnick Stadium is where the Iowa Hawkeyes football team plays.

In Kansas:

  • Creighton
  • Ignatius

In Louisiana:

  • Beaux
  • Jacques
  • Marigny – Foubourg Marigny is a New Orleans neighborhood.
  • Montreal

In Maine:

  • Baxter – Baxter is a state park in Maine.
  • Libby

In Mississippi:

  • Swayze

In Missouri:

  • Chancellor
  • Messiah

In Montana:

  • Tuff

In Nevada:

  • Berenice
  • Halo
  • Love

In North Carolina:

  • Chatham

In North Dakota:

  • Briggs
  • McCoy

In Oklahoma:

  • Gentry
  • Jentri
  • Jentry
  • Kutter
  • Tuck
  • Tuff

In Oregon:

  • Alder
  • Autzen – Autzen Stadium is where the Oregon Ducks football team plays.
  • Avenir – Avenir is a French word meaning “future.” It’s also on the Washington state list below. In fact, nearly two-thirds of last year’s Avenirs were born on the west coast: 10 in Washington, 7 in California, 5 in Oregon. Anyone know why?
  • Cedar
  • Forest
  • Maple
  • Opal
  • Pepper
  • Sequoia
  • Sol

In Tennessee:

In Texas:

  • Brazos – Brazos is a Spanish word meaning “arms.” The Brazos River in Texas was originally called Rio de los Brazos de Dios, or “River of the Arms of God.”

In Utah:

  • Korver – Kyle Korver played professional basketball in Utah.
  • Lesieli
  • Navy
  • Parley
  • Viliami

In Vermont:

  • Arlo
  • Juniper

In Washington, D.C.:

  • Egypt
  • Harlem

In Washington (state):

  • Avenir – see Oregon
  • Rio
  • Valkyrie
  • Zephyr

In West Virginia:

  • Remington

In Wisconsin:

  • Charisma
  • Croix
  • Ruthann

In Wyoming:

  • Temperance

See the original post for the rest. You might also be interested in checking out the “most regional” baby names in the US.

Update, 5/31/2018: Figured out Avenir!

Mexican state bans baby names like Rambo, Robocop

banned baby names in sonora, mexico

On February 10, the Civil Registration Act went into effect in the Mexican state of Sonora (which is right across the border from Arizona).

Article 46 of the act allows local authorities to reject baby names they deem derogatory, discriminatory, defamatory, libelous and meaningless, among other things.

The state also banned 61 specific baby names, and will likely ban more names in the future. All of the banned names came directly from Sonora’s birth registries (meaning that each has been used at least once already).

After doing some digging, I finally found the full list of banned names on a Mexican news site. Here it is:

  1. Aceituno
  2. Aguinaldo
  3. All Power
  4. Aniv de la Rev (short for “anniversary of the revolution”)
  5. Batman
  6. Beneficia (meaning “benefits”)
  7. Burger King
  8. Cacerolo
  9. Calzón (meaning “panties”)
  10. Caraciola
  11. Caralampio
  12. Cesárea
  13. Cheyenne
  14. Christmas Day
  15. Circuncisión (meaning “circumcision”)
  16. Culebro
  17. Delgadina (meaning “the skinny girl.” It’s from the Mexican folk song “La Delgadina.”)
  18. Diódoro
  19. Email
  20. Escroto (meaning “scrotum”)
  21. Espinaca (meaning “spinach”)
  22. Facebook
  23. Fulanita (meaning “so-and-so” or “what’s-her-name”)
  24. Gordonia
  25. Gorgonio
  26. Harry Potter
  27. Hermione
  28. Hitler
  29. Hurraca
  30. Iluminada
  31. Indio
  32. James Bond
  33. Lady Di
  34. Marciana (meaning “martian”)
  35. Masiosare (meaning “if one should dare,” roughly. It’s from the phrase mas si osare, which is part of the Mexican National Anthem.)
  36. Micheline
  37. Panuncio
  38. Patrocinio (meaning “patronage” or “sponsorship”)
  39. Petronilo
  40. Piritipio
  41. Pocahontas
  42. Pomponio
  43. Privado (meaning “private”)
  44. Procopio
  45. Rambo
  46. Robocop
  47. Rocky
  48. Rolling Stone
  49. Sobeida
  50. Sol de Sonora
  51. Sonora Querida
  52. Telésforo
  53. Terminator
  54. Tránsito (meaning “transit”)
  55. Tremebundo (meaning “terrifying” or “terrible”)
  56. Twitter
  57. Usnavy
  58. Verulo
  59. Virgen (meaning “virgin”)
  60. Yahoo
  61. Zoila Rosa

Some thoughts:

  • Facebook is the legal first name of at least 2 human beings at this point. Amazing.
  • Robocop, I must admit, has been on my “baby names I am dying to find in the wild” list for many years. At last, proof that it exists! Exciting stuff. (Haven’t yet come across any babies named Chucknorris, however. Fingers still crossed on that one.)
  • Hermione? I can see why Sonora would object to “Harry Potter” and “James Bond,” but Hermione by itself (as opposed to “Hermione Granger”) makes no sense. Hermione is a legitimate (and lovely) name that existed long before the Potter books.

What are your thoughts? And, which name on the list above shocked you the most?

Sources: