How popular is the baby name Sullivan 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 Sullivan.

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Popularity of the baby name Sullivan


Posts that mention the name Sullivan

Saintly surnames: Bosco, Neri, Sheen, Talbot

Looking for a surname-inspired baby name with a connection to Catholicism?

Here are more than 200 options, most of which come from Catholic Englishmen martyred during the 16th and 17th centuries.

Because the goal was to include as many realistic baby names as possible, I interpreted “surname” and “saint” liberally in some cases. Xavier is not technically a surname, for instance, and many of the folks below are not yet full-fledged saints.

  • Abel, for Bl. Thomas Abel (d. 1540) of England.
  • Abbot, for Bl. Henry Abbot (d. 1597) of England.
  • Albert, for Bl. Federico Albert (d. 1876) of Italy.
  • Almond, for St. John Almond (d. 1612) of England.
  • Amias, for Bl. John Amias (d. 1589) of England.
  • Ancina, for Bl. John Juvenal Ancina (d. 1604) of Italy.
  • Andleby, for Bl. William Andleby (d. 1597) of England.
  • Aquinas, for St. Thomas Aquinas (d. 1274) of Italy.
  • Arrowsmith, for St. Edmund Arrowsmith (d. 1628) of England.
  • Ashley, for Bl. Ralph Ashley (d. 1606) of England.
  • Ashton, for Ven. Roger Ashton (d. 1592) of England.
  • Atkinson, for Bl. Thomas Atkinson (d. 1616) of England.
  • Aufield, for Bl. Thomas Aufield (d. 1585) of England.
  • Barlow, for St. Ambrose Barlow (d. 1641) of England.
  • Baylon, for St. Paschal Baylon (d. 1592) of Spain.
  • Becket, from St. Thomas Becket (d. 1170) of England.
  • Beesley, for Bl. George Beesley (d. 1591) of England.
  • Belson, for Bl. Thomas Belson (d. 1589) of England.
  • Bertie, for Servant of God Andrew Bertie (d. 2008) of England/Malta.
  • Bertrand, for St. Louis Bertrand (d. 1581) of Spain/South America.
  • Bessette, for St. André Bessette (d. 1937) of Canada.
  • Bonzel, for Bl. Maria Theresia Bonzel (d. 1905) of Germany.
  • Bosco, for St. John Bosco (d. 1888) of Italy.
  • Bosgrave, for Bl. Thomas Bosgrave (d. 1594) of England.
  • Bowes, for Bl. Marmaduke Bowes (d. 1585) of England.
  • Briant, for St. Alexander Briant (d. 1581) of England.
  • Britton, for Bl. John Britton (d. 1598) of England.
  • Buxton, for Bl. Christopher Buxton (d. 1588) of England.
  • Cabrini, for St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (d. 1917) of Italy/U.S.
  • Campion, for St. Edmund Campion (d. 1581) of England.
  • Carey, for Bl. John Carey (d. 1594) of England.
  • Carter, for Bl. William Carter (b. 1584) of England.
  • Casey, for Ven. Solanus Casey (d. 1957) of the U.S. (His religious name “Solanus” comes from St. Francis Solanus, below.)
  • Cassant, for Bl. Pierre-Joseph Cassant (d. 1903) of France.
  • Catherick, for Bl. Edmund Catherick (d. 1642) of England.
  • Chanel, for St. Peter Chanel (d. 1841) of France.
  • Claver, for St. Peter Claver (d. 1654) of Spain.
  • Claxton, for Bl. James Claxton (d. 1588) of England.
  • Collins, for Bl. Dominic Collins (d. 1602) of Ireland.
  • Cope, for St. Marianne Cope (d. 1918) of Germany/U.S.
  • Corbie, for Ven. Ralph Corbie (d. 1644) of Ireland.
  • Cornelius, for Bl. John Cornelius (d. 1594) of England.
  • Dalby, for Bl. Robert Dalby (d. 1589) of England.
  • Daniel, for St. Antoine Daniel (d. 1648) of France/Canada.
  • David, for Bl. Vicente Vilar David (1937) of Spain or Bl. Toros Oghlou David (d. 1895) of Armenia
  • Davy, for Bl. John Davy (d. 1537) of England or Bl. Charlotte Davy (d. 1794) of France.
  • Dean, for Bl. William Dean (d. 1588) of England.
  • Dorie, for Bl. Pierre Henri Dorie (d. 1866) of France.
  • Douglas, for Bl. George Douglas (d. 1587) of Scotland.
  • Drexel, for St. Katharine Drexel (d. 1955) of the U.S.
  • Drury, for Bl. Robert Drury (d. 1607) of England.
  • Duff, for Servant of God Frank Duff (d. 1980) of Ireland.
  • Duke, for Bl. Edmund Duke (d. 1590) of England.
  • Durando, for Bl. Marco Antonio Durando (d. 1880) of Italy.
  • Dutton, for Servant of God Joseph Dutton (d. 1931) of the U.S.
  • Ebner, for Bl. Margareta Ebner (d. 1351) of Germany.
  • Emmerich, for Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich (d. 1824) of Germany.
  • Errico, for St. Gaetano Errico (d. 1860) of Italy.
  • Errington, for Bl. George Errington (d. 1596) of England.
  • Evans, for St. Philip Evans (d. 1679) of Wales.
  • Faber, for St. Peter Faber (d. 1546) of France.
  • Falzon, for Bl. Nazju Falzon (d. 1865) of Malta.
  • Farina, for St. Giovanni Antonio Farina (d. 1888) of Italy.
  • Fasani, for St. Francis Anthony Fasani (d. 1742) of Italy.
  • Felton, for Bl. John Felton (d. 1570) in England.
  • Fenn, for Bl. James Fenn (d. 1584) in England.
  • Fenwick, for Bl. John Fenwick (d. 1679) of England.
  • Ferrari, for Bl. Andrea Carlo Ferrari (d. 1921) of Italy.
  • Ferrer, for St. Vincent Ferrer (d. 1419) of Spain.
  • Filby, for Bl. William Filby (d. 1582) of England.
  • Frassati, for Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati (d. 1925) of Italy.
  • Fulthrop, for Bl. Edward Fulthrop (d. 1597) of England.
  • Finch, for Bl. John Finch (d. 1584) of England.
  • Fisher, for Bl. John Fisher (d. 1535) of England.
  • Foley, for Servant of God Theodore Foley (d. 1974) of the U.S.
  • Fontaine, for Bl. Marie-Madeleine Fontaine (d. 1794) of France.
  • Forest, for Bl. John Forest (d. 1538) of England.
  • Garnet, for St. Thomas Garnet (d. 1608) of England.
  • Gavan, for Bl. John Gavan (d. 1679) of England.
  • Gennings, for St. Edmund Gennings (d. 1591) of England.
  • Gerard, for Bl. Jeanne Gerard (d. 1794) of France or Bl. Joseph Gérard, (d. 1914) of France/South Africa.
  • Gerosa, for St. Vincentia Gerosa (d. 1847) of Italy.
  • Gervase, for Bl. George Gervase (d. 1608) of England.
  • Gibson, for Bl. William Gibson (d. 1596) of England.
  • Goretti, for St. Maria Goretti (d. 1902) of Italy.
  • Grove, for Bl. John Grove (d. 1679) of England.
  • Gwyn, for St. Richard Gwyn (d. 1584) of Wales.
  • Harrington, for Bl. William Harrington (d. 1594) of England.
  • Heath, for Bl. Henry Heath (d. 1643) of England.
  • Hewitt, for Bl. John Hewitt (d. 1588) of England.
  • Higgins, for Bl. Peter Higgins (d. 1642) of Irish.
  • Houghton, for St. John Houghton (d. 1535) of England.
  • Howard, for St. Philip Howard (d. 1595) of England or for his grandson, Bl. William Howard (d. 1680) of England.
  • Humphrey, for St. Lawrence Humphrey (d. 1590) of England.
  • Hunt, for Bl. Thurston Hunt (d. 1601) of England.
  • Ingleby, for Bl. Francis Ingleby (d. 1586) of England.
  • Ingram, for Ven. John Ingram (d. 1594) of England.
  • Janssen, for St. Arnold Janssen (d. 1909) of Germany.
  • Kemble, for St. John Kemble (d. 1679) of England.
  • Kern, for Bl. Jakob Kern (d. 1924) of Austria.
  • Kirby, for St. Luke Kirby (d. 1582) of England.
  • Kolbe, for St. Maximilian Kolbe (d. 1941) of Poland.
  • Konrad, for Bl. Nicholas Konrad (d. 1941) of Ukraine.
  • Lakota, for Bl. Gregor Lakota (d. 1950) of Ukraine.
  • Langley, for Bl. Richard Langley (d. 1586) of England.
  • Lanteri, for Ven. Bruno Lanteri (d. 1830) of Italy.
  • Larke, for Bl. John Larke (d. 1544) of England.
  • Laval, for Bl. Jacques-Désiré Laval (d. 1864) of France/Mauritius.
  • Lawrence, for St. Robert Lawrence (d. 1535) of England.
  • Leigh, for Bl. Richard Leigh (d. 1588) of England.
  • Lewis, for St. David Lewis (d. 1679) of Wales
  • Liguori, for St. Alphonsus Liguori (d. 1787) of Italy.
  • Lilli, for Bl. Salvatore Lilli (d. 1895) of Italy.
  • Lloyd, for St. John Lloyd (d. 1679) of Wales.
  • Lockwood, for Bl. John Lockwood (d. 1642) of England.
  • Lucas, for Bl. Charlotte Lucas (d. 1794) of France.
  • MacKillop, for St. Mary MacKillop (d. 1909) of Australia.
  • Majali, for Bl. Giuliano Majali (d. 1470) of Sicily.
  • Majella, for St. Gerard Majella (d. 1755) of Italy.
  • Manna, for Bl. Paolo Manna (d. 1952) of Italy.
  • Marchand, for St. Joseph Marchand (d. 1835) of France.
  • Marella, for Ven. Olinto Marella (d. 1969) of Italy.
  • Mareri, for Bl. Philippa Mareri (d. 1236) of Italy.
  • Margil, for Ven. Antonio Margil (d. 1726) of Spain/Central America.
  • Mari, for Servant of God Ida Mari (d. 1981) of Italy.
  • Martin, for St. Louis Martin (d. 1894) of France or Bl. Richard Martin (d. 1588) of England.
  • Marsden, from Bl. William Marsden (d. 1586) of England.
  • Marto, for Bl. Francisco Marto (d. 1919) of Portugal.
  • Mason, for Bl. John Mason (d. 1591) of England.
  • Massey, for Bl. René-Julien Massey (d. 1792) of France.
  • Maxfield, for Bl. Thomas Maxfield (d. 1616) of England.
  • Munden, for Bl. John Munden (d. 1584) of England.
  • Mayer, for Bl. Rupert Mayer (d. 1945) of Germany.
  • McAuley, for Ven. Catherine McAuley (d. 1841) of Ireland.
  • Meehan, for Bl. Charles Meehan (d. 1679) of Ireland.
  • Merlo, for Ven. Thecla Merlo (d. 1964) of Italy.
  • Medina, for Bl. Manuel Medina y Olmos (d. 1936) of Spain.
  • Mela, for Ven. Itala Mela (d. 1957) of Italy.
  • Merton, for Fr. Thomas Merton (d. 1968) of the U.S.
  • Mesina, for Bl. Antonia Mesina (d. 1935) of Italy.
  • Miki, for St. Paul Miki (d. 1597) of Japan.
  • Molina, for Bl. Mercedes de Jesús Molina y Ayala (d. 1883) of Ecuador.
  • Molla, for St. Gianna Beretta Molla (d. 1962) of Italy.
  • Mora, for Bl. Elisabeth Canori Mora (d. 1825) of Italy.
  • Morse, for St. Henry Morse (d. 1645) of England.
  • Nelson, for Bl. John Nelson (d. 1578) of England.
  • Neri, for St. Philip Neri (d. 1595) of Italy.
  • Newman, for Bl. John Henry Newman (d. 1890) of England.
  • Nichols, for Bl. George Nichols (d. 1589) fo England.
  • Nolasco, for St. Peter Nolasco (d. 1256) of France.
  • Ogilvie, for St. John Ogilvie (d. 1615) of Scotland.
  • Owen, for St. Nicholas Owen (d. 1606) of England.
  • Page, for Bl. Anthony Page (d. 1593) of England or Bl. Francis Page (d. 1602) of England.
  • Percy, for Bl. Thomas Percy (d. 1572) of England.
  • Potter, for Ven. Mary Potter (d. 1913) of England.
  • Powell, for Bl. Edward Powell (d. 1540) of Wales.
  • Quinn, for Ven. Edel Quinn (d. 1944) of Ireland.
  • Rawlins, for Bl. Alexander Rawlins (d. 1595) of England.
  • Regis, for St. John Francis Regis (d. 1640) of France.
  • Reynolds, for St. Richard Reynolds (d. 1535) of England or Bl. Thomas Reynolds (d. 1560) of England.
  • Richardson, for Bl. Lawrence Richardson (d. 1582) of England or Bl. William Richardson (d. 1603) of England.
  • Rigby, for St. John Rigby (d. 1600) of England
  • Rivi, for Bl. Rolando Rivi (d. 1945) of Italy.
  • Robinson, for St. Christopher Robinson (d. 1598) of England.
  • Rochester, for Bl. John Rochester (d. 1537) of England.
  • Roe, for St. Alban Roe (d. 1642) of England.
  • Romano, for Bl. Vincent Romano (d. 1831) of Italy.
  • Rossello, for St. Maria Giuseppa Rossello (d. 1880) of Italy.
  • Sala, for Bl. Maria Anna Sala (d. 1891) of Italy.
  • Savio, for St. Dominic Savio (d. 1857) of Italy.
  • Scott, for Bl. Montford Scott (d. 1591) of England or Bl. Maurus Scott (d. 1612) of England.
  • Serra, for St. Junipero Serra (d. 1784) of Spain/New Spain.
  • Seton, for St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (d. 1821) of the U.S.
  • Sheen, for Ven. Fulton J. Sheen (d. 1979) of the U.S.
  • Shelley, for Bl. Edward Shelley (d. 1588) of England.
  • Sherwin, for St. Ralph Sherwin (d. 1581) of England.
  • Sherwood, for Bl. Thomas Sherwood (d. 1578) of England.
  • Sinclair, for Ven. Margaret Anne Sinclair (d. 1925) of Scotland.
  • Slade, for Bl. John Slade (d. 1583) of England.
  • Solanus, for St. Francis Solanus (d. 1610) of Spain.
  • Southwell, for St. Robert Southwell (d. 1595) of England.
  • Southworth, for St. John Southworth (d. 1654) of England.
  • Steno, for Bl. Nicolas Steno (d. 1686) of Denmark.
  • Spenser, for Bl. William Spenser (d. 1589) of England.
  • Spencer, for Ven. Ignatius Spencer (d. 1864) of England.
  • Stefani, for Bl. Irene Stefani (d. 1930) of Italy.
  • Stein, for St. Edith Stein (d. 1942) of Germany.
  • Stone, for St. John Stone (d. 1539) in England.
  • Sullivan, for Ven. John Sullivan (d. 1933) in Ireland.
  • Sutton, for Bl. Robert Sutton (d. 1587) of England.
  • Talbot, for Ven. Matt Talbot (d. 1925) of Ireland or Bl. John Talbot (d. 1600) of England.
  • Tansi, for Bl. Cyprian Michael Tansi (d. 1964) of Nigeria.
  • Taylor, for Bl. Hugh Taylor (d. 1585) of England, Francis Taylor (d. 1621) of Ireland, or Ven. Frances Margaret Taylor (d. 1900) of England.
  • Tezza, for Bl. Luigi Tezza (d. 1923) of Italy.
  • Thirkeld, for Bl. Richard Thirkeld (d. 1583) in England.
  • Thompson, for Bl. James Thompson (d. 1582) of England.
  • Thorne, for Bl. John Thorne (d. 1539) of England.
  • Thorpe, for Bl. Robert Thorpe (d. 1591) of England.
  • Tirry, for Bl. William Tirry (d. 1654) of Ireland.
  • Tomasi, for St. Giuseppe Maria Tomasi (d. 1713) of Italy.
  • Tunstall, for Bl. Thomas Tunstall (d. 1616) of England.
  • Turner, for Bl. Anthony Turner (d. 1679) of England.
  • Vega, for Servant of God Pablo Muñoz Vega (d. 1994) of Ecuador.
  • Venard, for St. Jean-Théophane Vénard (d. 1861) of France.
  • Vera, for Ven. Jacinto Vera y Durán (d. 1881) of Uruguay.
  • Verna, for Bl. Antonia Maria Verna (d. 1838) of Italy.
  • Vianney, for St. Jean Vianney (d. 1859) of France.
  • Ward, for St. Margaret Ward (d. 1588) of England.
  • Webster, for St. Augustine Webster (d. 1535) of England.
  • Wells, for St. Swithun Wells (d. 1591) of England.
  • Wharton, for Bl. Christopher Wharton (d. 1600) of England.
  • Whitaker, for Bl. Thomas Whitaker (d. 1646) of England.
  • Wilson, for Ven. Mary Jane Wilson (d. 1916) of British India.
  • Wright, for Bl. Peter Wright (d. 1651) of England.
  • Xavier, for St. Francis Xavier (d. 1552) of Spain.
  • Zaccaria, for St. Antonio Maria Zaccaria (d. 1539) of Italy.
  • Zola, for Bl. Giovanni Batista Zola (d. 1626) of Italy.

Which of the above do you like best?

And, what other saint-inspired surnames would make good baby names? I’m sure I missed a few. Let me know in the comments!

Pop culture baby name game results, 2015

Here are the results of Pop Culture Baby Name Game 2015!

Quick disclaimer: Some of these names were already on the rise. Others were likely influenced by multiple pop culture events/people (not just the one listed). So I leave it up to you to judge the degree/nature of pop culture influence for yourself.

Adaline, +737 [ranked 11th on the list of raw-number increases for girl names]

  • Up from 164 baby girls in 2014 to 901 in 2015.
  • Pop culture influence: the movie The Age of Adaline (2015).

Abel, +659 [ranked 12th on the list of raw-number increases for boy names]

  • Up from 2,557 baby boys in 2014 to 3,216 in 2015.
  • Pop culture influence: singer Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (stage name The Weeknd).

Finn, +301 [ranked 47th on the list of raw-number increases for boy names]

  • Up from 1,580 baby boys in 2014 to 1,881 in 2015.
  • Pop culture influence: the movie Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015).

Taya, +180

  • Up from 93 baby girls in 2014 to 273 in 2015.
  • Pop culture influence: the movie American Sniper (2014).

Lucille, +142

  • Up from 970 baby girls in 2014 to 1,112 in 2015.
  • Pop culture influence: the death of B. B. King (whose guitars were all called “Lucille”).

Margot, +126

  • Up from 377 baby girls in 2014 to 503 in 2015.
  • Pop culture influence: actress Margot Robbie.

Atticus, +106

  • Up from 852 baby boys in 2014 to 958 in 2015.
  • Pop culture influence: the book Go Set a Watchman (2015).

Canaan, +104

  • Up from 179 baby girls in 2014 to 283 in 2015.
  • Pop culture influence: the news of Oprah Winfrey’s son, Canaan.

Hakeem, +87

  • Up from 72 baby boys in 2014 to 159 in 2015.
  • Pop culture influence: the TV show Empire (2015-).

Annalise, +78

  • Up from 699 baby boys in 2014 to 777 in 2015.
  • Pop culture influence: the TV show How to Get Away with Murder (2014-).

Lola, +57

  • Up from 1,386 baby girls in 2014 to 1,443 in 2015.
  • Pop culture influence: the TV show Empire (2015-).

Arlo, +54

  • Up from 518 baby boys in 2014 to 572 in 2015.
  • Pop culture influence: the movie The Good Dinosaur (2015).

Carter, +53

  • Up from 10,674 baby boys in 2014 to 10,727 in 2015.
  • Pop culture influence: unsure (suggested in the comments).

Carli, +36

  • Up from 110 baby girls in 2014 to 146 in 2015.
  • Pop culture influence: soccer player Carli Lloyd.

Margo, +36

  • Up from 152 baby girls in 2014 to 188 in 2015.
  • Pop culture influence: the movie Paper Towns (2015). Or, of course, Margot Robbie.

Bjorn, +35

  • Up from 63 baby boys in 2014 to 98 in 2015.
  • Pop culture influence: the TV show Vikings.

Roland, +32

  • Up from 437 baby boys in 2014 to 469 in 2015.
  • Pop culture influence: the movie By The Sea (2015).

Taraji, +30

  • Up from 200 baby girls in 2014 to 230 in 2015.
  • Pop culture influence: the TV show Empire (2015-).

Adonis, +29

  • Up from 327 baby boys in 2014 to 356 in 2015.
  • Pop culture influence: the movie Creed (2015).

Sullivan (as a boy name), +29

  • Up from 631 baby boys in 2014 to 660 in 2015.
  • Pop culture influence: actor Sullivan Stapleton.

Joy, +28

  • Up from 692 baby girls in 2014 to 720 in 2015.
  • Pop culture influence: the movie Inside Out (2015).

Kylo, +27

  • Up from 8 baby boys in 2014 to 35 in 2015.
  • Pop culture influence: the movie Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015).

Alex (as a girl name), +25

  • Up from 160 baby girls in 2014 to 185 in 2015.
  • Pop culture influence: soccer player Alex Morgan.

Rebel, +25 (as a girl name), -3 (as a boy name)

  • Up from 58 baby girls in 2014 to 83 in 2015.
  • Down from 48 baby boys in 2014 to 45 in 2015.
  • Pop culture influence: the Confederate flag debate.
  • Update, 5/12/16: The state-by-state data was just released. Of the 83 baby girls named Rebel, 12 were born in Texas, 9 in California, 8 in Arkansas and 6 in Oklahoma. Of the 45 boys, 7 were born in Texas and 5 in Tennessee.

Meghan, +24

  • Up from 214 baby girls in 2014 to 238 in 2015.
  • Pop culture influence: soccer player Meghan Klingenberg.

Lucious, +18

  • Up from 19 baby boys in 2014 to 37 in 2015.
  • Pop culture influence: the TV show Empire (2015-).

Christie, +15

  • Up from 31 baby girls in 2014 to 46 in 2015.
  • Pop culture influence: soccer player Christie Rampone.

Tobin (as a girl name), re-entered with 14

  • After an absence, returned to the list with 14 baby girls.
  • Pop culture influence: soccer player Tobin Heath.

Alessia, +13

  • Up from 200 baby girls in 2014 to 213 in 2015.
  • Pop culture influence: singer Alessia Cara.

Lyon, +13

  • Up from 29 baby boys in 2014 to 42 in 2015.
  • Pop culture influence: the TV show Empire (2015-).

Kelsea, +12

  • Up from 35 baby girls in 2014 to 47 in 2015.
  • Pop culture influence: country singer Kelsea Ballerini.

Gigi, +11

  • Up from 27 baby girls in 2014 to 38 in 2015.
  • Pop culture influence: model Gigi Hadid.

Ragnar, +11

  • Up from 19 baby boys in 2014 to 30 in 2015.
  • Pop culture influence: the TV show Vikings.

Rollo, re-entered with 10

  • After an absence, returned to the list with 10 baby boys.
  • Pop culture influence: the TV show Vikings.

Max (as a girl name), +9

  • Up from 14 baby girls in 2014 to 23 in 2015.
  • Pop culture influence: Maxima “Max” Chan Zuckerberg, daughter of Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan.

Poe, re-entered with 9

  • After an absence, returned to the list with 9 baby boys.
  • Pop culture influence: the movie Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015).

Denali, +8 (as a boy name) and +7 (as a girl name)

  • Up from 20 baby boys in 2014 to 28 in 2015.
  • Up from 55 baby girls in 2014 to 62 in 2015.
  • Pop culture influence: the renaming of Denali.

Bindi, re-entered with 8

  • After an absence, returned to the list with 8 baby girls.
  • Pop culture influence: Dancing with the Stars contestant Bindi Irwin.

Eilis, re-entered with 6

  • After an absence, returned to the list with 6 baby girls.
  • Pop culture influence: the movie Brooklyn (2015).

Trai, re-entered with 6

  • After an absence, returned to the list with 6 baby boys.
  • Pop culture influence: the TV show Empire (2015-).

Becky, +5

  • Up from 53 baby girls in 2014 to 58 in 2015.
  • Pop culture influence: soccer player Becky Sauerbrunn.

Bernie, +5

  • Up from 6 baby boys in 2014 to 11 in 2015.
  • Pop culture influence: presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.

Saint, +5

  • Up from 32 baby boys in 2014 to 37 in 2015.
  • Pop culture influence: Saint West, son of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian.

Serra, +5

  • Up from 12 baby girls in 2014 to 17 in 2015.
  • Pop culture influence: the canonization of Junipero Serra.

Taron, +4

  • Up from 31 baby boys in 2014 to 35 in 2015.
  • Pop culture influence: actor Taron Egerton.

Names that went down:

Names not on the SSA’s list in 2015:

  • Aslaug
  • Bryshere
  • Cookie
  • Dameron
  • DuVernay
  • Empire
  • Furiosa
  • Halsey
  • Jeralean
  • Junipero
  • Jussie
  • Lagertha
  • Rey (as a girl name)
  • Sonoya
  • Trump

Did any of these surprise you?

P.S. Some of the names from the 2014 game that have started/continued to do well: Hazel, Amal, Tauriel, and Wyatt (as a girl name). Elsa and Anna, on the other hand, both saw drops in usage.

Popular baby names in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1867

19th-century Providence, Rhode Island
19th-century Providence

The registrar of Providence, Rhode Island, published a series of documents listing all “of the names of persons deceased, born and married in the city of Providence” during years 1866, 1867 and 1868. The series may have been longer, but these are the only documents I could find online.

I’ve finally finished creating a set of rankings using one of the documents — 1867. But before we get to the rankings, here are some stats:

  • 1,547 babies were born in Providence in 1867, going by the number of babies listed in the document itself. According to the document’s introduction, though, the number is 1,625. Not sure what to make of this discrepancy.
  • 1,431 of these babies (713 girls and 718 boys) had names that were registered with the government at the time of publication. The other 116 babies got blank spaces. Either their names hadn’t been registered yet, or they hadn’t been named yet, or perhaps they died young and never received a name.
  • 254 unique names (141 girl names and 113 boy names) were shared among these 1,431 babies.

And now, on to the names…

Top 5

A quick look at the top 5 girl names and boy names in Providence in 1867:

Top baby girl namesTop baby boy names
1. Mary
2. Catherine
3. Ellen
4. Margaret
5. Sarah		1. John
2. William
3. James
4. Charles
5. George

All Girl Names

Notice how the #1 name, Mary, was bestowed three times as often as the #2 name, Catherine.

  1. Mary, 138 baby girls
  2. Catherine, 46
  3. Ellen, 37
  4. Margaret, 34
  5. Sarah, 31
  6. Annie, 19
  7. Elizabeth, 16
  8. Alice, 15
  9. Florence, 14
  10. Ann, Emma & Ida, 12 each (3-way tie)
  11. Minnie, 11
  12. Harriet & Julia, 9 each (2-way tie)
  13. Anna, Caroline, Carrie, Jennie, Joanna & Louisa, 8 each (6-way tie)
  14. Cora & Eliza, 7 each (2-way tie)
  15. Agnes, Clara, Edith, Rosanna & Theresa, 6 each (5-way tie)
  16. Bertha, Grace, Hannah, Hattie, Jane, Lillian, Maria, Martha, Nellie & Susan, 5 each (10-way tie)
  17. Eleanor, Fannie, Gertrude, Helen, Isabella, Lucy & Rosa, 4 each (7-way tie)
  18. Anne, Bridget, Ella, Emily, Esther, Eva, Lizzie, Mabel, Matilda & Ruth, 3 each (10-way tie)
  19. Ada, Amelia, Charlotte, Dora, Eleanora, Elvira, Henrietta, Jessie, Josephine, Kate, Louise, Lydia, Maggie & Rosella, 2 each (14-way tie)
  20. Abby, Addie, Adelaide, Adelia, Almina, Almira, Amanda, Amey, Amy, Anastasia, Angelie, Annis, Antoinette, Augusta, Aurelia, Bethiah, Cecelia, Celia, Clarissa, Clementina, Corielynn, Cornelia, Drusilla, Effie, Emeline, Estella, Ethelin, Fanny, Florentina, Frances, Gelie, Genevieve, Georgiana, Georgianna, Helena, Honora, Irene, Isabel, Issie, Juliann, Julietta, Katie, Laura, Leah, Leonora, Lillie, Lillis, Lily, Lottie, Luella, Margaretta, Margery, Margret, Marietta, Maude, May, Millie, Myra, Nelly, Phebe, Robie, Rosalthe, Rose, Selina, Sophia, Susanna, Susannah, Vienna, Viola, Vira, Virginia & Winifred, 1 each (72-way tie)

All Boy Names

  1. John, 87 baby boys
  2. William, 75
  3. James, 64
  4. Charles, 50
  5. George, 45
  6. Thomas, 40
  7. Joseph, 30
  8. Walter, 21
  9. Edward, 16
  10. Francis & Michael, 14 each (2-way tie)
  11. Patrick, 13
  12. Arthur & Robert, 12 each (2-way tie)
  13. Frank, Frederick & Henry, 11 each (3-way tie)
  14. Albert, 9
  15. Daniel & Peter, 8 each (2-way tie)
  16. David, Eugene, Howard & Samuel, 6 each (4-way tie)
  17. Alexander, Louis & Stephen, 5 each (3-way tie)
  18. Harry, Herbert, Hugh & Martin, 4 each (4-way tie)
  19. Carl, Edgar, Everett, Jeremiah & Willie, 3 each (5-way tie)
  20. Abraham, Alfred, Clarence, Cornelius, Dennis, Ernest, Ezra, Franklin, Freddie, Jacob, Jesse, Lewis, Luke, Nicholas, Philip, Sylvester, Theodore, Timothy, 2 each (18-way tie)
  21. Abner, Adam, Adolph, Amos, Andrew, Appleton, Archibald, Ashel, August, Benjamin, Benno, Bernard, Bertram, Burt, Byron, Clifford, Davis, Dexter, Dunlap, Edmund, Edwin, Elmer*, Embert, Forrest, Freddy, Gustav, Herman, Isaac, Jeffrey, Jerome, Josiah, Lucian, Malcolm, Matthew, Maurice, Milton, Nathan, Nehemiah, Nelson, Oren, Oscar, Otto, Owen, Paul, Ralph, Reginald, Richard, Sanford, Seth, Shirley, Sullivan, Terence, Theobald, Victor, Wanton, Warren, Weston, Wheelan, Wilford, 1 each (59-way tie)

*Elmer, who had the middle initial “E.,” was likely named after early Civil War casualty Elmer E. Ellsworth.

Twins & Triplets

Twenty-one sets of twins and two sets of triplets were born in Providence in 1867. (All of these names were accounted for above — I just thought it’d be fun to check out the sibsets.)

Girl-girl twinsGirl-boy twinsBoy-boy twinsTriplets
Annie & Fannie
Annie & Mary
Ann & Ellen
Jennie & Minnie
Margaret & Martha
(blank) & (blank)		Ann & Maurice
Grace & George
Harriet & Albert
Ida & Ashel
Mary & James		Abraham & George
Charles & George
Charles & John
Daniel & David
Dunlap & Frank
Eugene & Timothy
George & John
George & William
James & John
John & Martin		Carl, (blank) & (blank)
James, Alexander & Sarah

I’ll post Providence’s 1866 and 1868 rankings as soon I get them done. Until then, here are two older posts featuring uniquely named Rhode Islanders: Aldaberontophoscophornia (b. 1812) and Idawalley (b. 1842).

Sources:

Where did the baby name Corbett come from in 1892?

Boxer James Corbett (1866-1933)
James Corbett

One of the most impressive baby name debuts of the late 19th century was Corbett, which first popped up in the U.S. baby name data in 1892.

Corbett was the highest debut until 1898 rolled around with the names Manilla, Hobson, and Admiral — all inspired by the Spanish-American War.

According to the SSA’s data, at least 23 baby boys were named Corbett in 1892:

  • 1894: 20 baby boys named Corbett
  • 1893: 15 baby boys named Corbett
  • 1892: 23 baby boys named Corbett [debut]
  • 1891: unlisted
  • 1890: unlisted

But the actual number was much higher. The Social Security Death Index indicates that at least 59 people named Corbett were born in 1892:

  • 1894: 67 people named Corbett
  • 1893: 49 people named Corbett
  • 1892: 59 people named Corbett
  • 1891: 5 people named Corbett
  • 1890: 3 people named Corbett

So, what gave Corbett a boost that year?

Sports!

In September of 1892, boxer James “Gentleman Jim” Corbett defeated John L. Sullivan to win the World Heavyweight Boxing Championship in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Even if he hadn’t won, the press leading up to the match would have popularized the name enough for it to make a splash. More than half of those baby Corbetts — 31 out of 59 — were born before the match even took place.

(That said, many babies born in those days were not named immediately after birth. So no doubt a portion of the early Corbetts were actually nameless until the day of the event.)

Usage of the name increased again in 1894, which is the year Corbett defended his title against boxer Charley Mitchell.

Jim Corbett ultimately lost the title in 1897, to Bob Fitzsimmons.

(Sullivan, Corbett and Fitzsimmons are the first three middle names of the girl with 25 heavyweight boxing champion-inspired middle names.)

So what does the English surname Corbett mean? It can be traced back to a Norman French nickname meaning “little crow” or “raven.” The nickname was likely given to a person with a dark complexion or dark hair.

Do you like the name Corbett?

Sources:

Image of James J. Corbett from LOC