How popular is the baby name Stephenie 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 Stephenie.

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Popularity of the baby name Stephenie


Posts that mention the name Stephenie

Twilight author: “I would never name a real child Renesmee”

"Twilight" author Stephenie Meyer
Stephenie Meyer

Did you know that the one and only Stephenie Meyer — author of Twilight and inventor of sparkly vampires — is not a fan of the baby name Renesmee?

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly last year, Meyer was quoted as saying: “I would never name a real child Renesmee.”

Check it out:

EW: You named Bella and Edward’s daughter Renesmee, which has been a source of ridicule even among ardent Twilight fans.

SM: I am someone who strongly believes in reality, and that you don’t monkey around with people’s names. Whether they become a stripper or a lawyer has a large part to do with the name you give them. I would never name a real child Renesmee. But in fantasy, you can name your characters anything you want. I couldn’t have named [Bella and Edward’s] child Lindsay. I couldn’t have named her anything that already exists — it would have felt wrong. I had to pick a name that I felt was completely and totally unique, which opens you up to heckling. Which I’ve taken. I take all my heckling, and I totally get it!

EW: Someone is probably naming their real-life child Renesmee even as we speak.

SM: Well, that really disturbs me. [Laughs]

She isn’t even lukewarm about it — the idea of it disturbs her. That’s a strong word.

Do you agree?

Source: Vilkomerson, Sara. “Q & A: Stephenie Meyer.” EW.com 10 Aug. 2012.
Image: Adapted from Stephenie Meyer by Gage Skidmore under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Baby girl gets 49 names: Princess India Rosa…

This baby didn’t get 139 names, but 49 is still excessive, don’t you think?

Diana and Arthur Martello of New Brighton, Pennsylvania, had a baby girl in May of 1989 and gave her 49 names. (Initially it was just 43, but they added 6 more a few weeks later.)

Here are all 49 names:

Princess India Rosa Kathleen Pearla Meshelle Suzanne Luchianna Irena Iris Veronica Donna Holly Robin Concha Kristian Tonya Elizabeth Joana Magali Lavinia Ruth Sandy Lori Appolonia Concepteone Stephenie Victoria Ira Maria Jane Claudia Pamela Shirley Mellissa Leah Rebecca Simone Alana Loren Joy Angie Pheonix Cynthia Christine Eleanor Meg Sophia Eunice

Diana was the one who came up with them. She said her inspiration included TV shows like Matt Houston, T.J. Hooker, Santa Barbara, and The Young and the Restless.

If you could go back in time and rename this baby girl, which two names (out of the 49) would you choose as her first and middle names?

Sources:

  • Musala, Jane C. “A Nickname Makes it 45.” Allegheny Times 30 May 1989: A3.
  • Musala, Jane C. “The Good News is Short-Lived.” Allegheny Times 28 Jun. 1989: A3.

Where did the baby name Renesmee come from in 2009?

The character Renesmee Cullen from "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2" (2016).
Renesmee from “Breaking Dawn – Part 2“

Stephenie Meyer’s four Twilight books (published yearly from 2005 from 2008) chronicled the romance of teenager Bella Swan and vampire Edward Cullen. The books proved so popular that were turned into a series of five films (released yearly from 2008 to 2012).

In the world of Twilight, Renesmee is the half-human, half-vampire child of Bella and Edward. She was born in the middle of the final book of the series, Breaking Dawn (2008). On the big screen, Renesmee’s birth was depicted in the fourth film, Breaking Dawn – Part 1 (2011).

According to Bella herself, the name is pronounced “Ruh-nez-may.” It’s a combination of Renée (the name of Bella’s mother) and Esme (the name of Edward’s adoptive mother).

The first real-life Renesmee I spotted was born in Scotland in 2009. But in mid-2010, when the SSA’s 2009 data was released, we all discovered that more than a dozen U.S. baby girls had been named Renesmee the same year:

  • 2021: 161 baby girls named Renesmee
  • 2020: 155 baby girls named Renesmee
  • 2019: 143 baby girls named Renesmee
  • 2018: 147 baby girls named Renesmee
  • 2017: 129 baby girls named Renesmee
  • 2016: 154 baby girls named Renesmee
  • 2015: 129 baby girls named Renesmee
  • 2014: 135 baby girls named Renesmee
  • 2013: 135 baby girls named Renesmee
  • 2012: 60 baby girls named Renesmee
  • 2011: 33 baby girls named Renesmee
  • 2010: 47 baby girls named Renesmee
  • 2009: 18 baby girls named Renesmee [debut]
  • 2008: unlisted

Total count so far? 1,446.

The name has never cracked the girls’ top 1,000, but usage remains weirdly strong (given the fact that the Twilight craze has passed), so perhaps it will in the future.

That jump in the usage between 2012 and 2013 was due to the final movie of the series, Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (2012), in which Renesmee was a young child (as opposed to a newborn).

But that’s not all. A slew of Renesmee variants have cropped up over the years:

Putting all the various spellings together, the grand total is well over than 2,300.

What are your thoughts on the baby name Renesmee?

P.S. The French names Renée and Esmé mean “born again” and “loved,” respectively.

Sources: Wikipedia, SSA
Image: Screenshot of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (2012)

[Latest update: April 2023]