How popular is the baby name Teddy 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 Teddy.

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Popularity of the baby name Teddy


Posts that mention the name Teddy

Popular and unique baby names in Scotland (UK), 2022

Flag of the United Kingdom
Flag of the United Kingdom

Scotland — the country that covers the northern third of the island of Great Britain (the largest island in Europe) — shares a border with only England.

Last year, Scotland welcomed nearly 47,000 babies. What were the most popular names among these babies? Olivia and Noah.

Here are Scotland’s top 50 girl names and top 50+ boy names of 2022:

Girl Names

  1. Olivia, 309 baby girls
  2. Isla, 296
  3. Freya, 294
  4. Millie, 280
  5. Emily, 244
  6. Amelia, 234
  7. Grace, 233 (tie)
  8. Sophie, 233 (tie)
  9. Ava, 226 (tie)
  10. Ella, 226 (tie)
  11. Lily, 218
  12. Charlotte, 214
  13. Sophia, 184
  14. Aria, 177
  15. Harper, 169 (tie)
  16. Ivy, 169 (tie)
  17. Evie, 161
  18. Lucy, 158
  19. Mia, 156
  20. Rosie, 154
  21. Sofia, 149
  22. Eilidh, 146
  23. Orla, 144
  24. Maisie, 143
  25. Daisy, 134 (tie)
  26. Willow, 134 (tie)
  27. Jessica, 129
  28. Ruby, 127
  29. Ellie, 122
  30. Anna, 119 (tie)
  31. Bonnie, 119 (tie)
  32. Elsie, 116
  33. Esme, 115
  34. Maya, 113 (tie)
  35. Sienna, 113 (tie)
  36. Mila, 106
  37. Robyn, 105
  38. Isabella, 104
  39. Georgia, 101 (tie)
  40. Hannah, 101 (tie)
  41. Poppy, 100
  42. Eva, 98
  43. Ayla, 96
  44. Layla, 95
  45. Callie, 94 (tie)
  46. Skye, 94 (tie)
  47. Hallie, 93
  48. Holly, 92
  49. Maeve, 90
  50. Emma, 89

Boy Names

  1. Noah, 373 baby boys
  2. Jack, 342
  3. Leo, 310
  4. Harris, 274
  5. Luca, 273
  6. Oliver, 261
  7. Rory, 251
  8. Archie, 246
  9. Alfie, 243 (3-way tie)
  10. James, 243 (3-way tie)
  11. Theo, 243 (3-way tie)
  12. Finlay, 234 (tie)
  13. Lewis, 234 (tie)
  14. Alexander, 230
  15. Charlie, 226
  16. Brodie, 221
  17. Lucas, 203
  18. Finn, 201
  19. Logan, 195
  20. Thomas, 183
  21. Mason, 177
  22. Oscar, 164
  23. Max, 160 (tie)
  24. Muhammad, 160 (tie)
  25. Tommy, 159
  26. Freddie, 156
  27. Jacob, 147
  28. Cameron, 145
  29. Jude, 143
  30. Arthur, 140
  31. Daniel, 137
  32. Kai, 135
  33. Harry, 132
  34. Blake, 131
  35. Ollie, 129
  36. Harrison, 122 (3-way tie)
  37. Hunter, 122 (3-way tie)
  38. Roman, 122 (3-way tie)
  39. Adam, 118
  40. William, 117
  41. Arlo, 116
  42. Caleb, 115
  43. Reuben, 110
  44. Ethan, 105 (tie)
  45. Liam, 105 (tie)
  46. George, 103
  47. Sonny, 102
  48. Nathan, 101
  49. Angus, 100 (3-way tie)
  50. Jamie, 100 (3-way tie)
  51. Theodore, 100 (3-way tie)

The fastest-rising names in the girls’ top 100 were Nova, Maeva, Annie, and Nina.

The fastest-rising names in the boys’ top 100 were Teddy, Parker, Hudson, and Theodore.

Here are some of the names from lower down on the list:

  • 15 boys were named Reo, which is the first name of Japanese soccer player Reo Hatate, who joined Glasgow-based Celtic F.C. in early 2022. (Before this, the highest usage of Reo was 3 boys in a single year.)
  • 14 girls were named Vaila, which is the name of one of the Shetland Islands.
  • 7 girls were named Perrie, which is the first name of Perrie Edwards, member of the British girl-group Little Mix. (The name rose in usage during the 2010s, peaking in 2017 with 16 baby girls.)
    • Fun fact: Perrie Edwards’ name was inspired by Steve Perry of Journey.
      • Fun fact #2: Steve Perry’s father’s surname was originally Pereira. (Both of his parents emigrated from the Azores.)
  • 6 girls were named Sanna, which is the first name of Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin, who assumed office in late 2019. (Before this, the highest usage of Sanna was 3 girls in a single year.)
  • 5 boys were named Argyll, which is the name of a historical shire of Scotland.
  • 2 girls were named Kinvara, which is the name of a village in Ireland.

Baby names that were bestowed just once in Scotland last year include…

Unique Girl NamesUnique Boy Names
Athdara, Awilix, Bromwyn, Cadhla, Davilla, Ekklesia, Fillow, Fuchsia, Gigha, Hunter, Ianthe, Janada, Kyveli, Little, Mcgee, Newlana, Omnia, Phay, Qunoot, Rixt, Ryssa, Sunrise, Tianabelle, Uonaidh, Viosa, Xizhi, Yumo, ZerinAous, Bruar, Bruich, Cosanostra, Druie, Endrick, Fendt, Giric, Horatio, Iriah, Kenrong, Likhit, Moray, Normand, Ozan, Pacesetter, Perkunas, Qhawe, Ravine, Rubix, Scottie, Tearlach, Uisdean, Vania, Wudah, Xhambir, Yasiel, Zarrar

Possible explanations/associations for a few of the above:

  • Athdara – the Irish place name Áth Dara, meaning “ford of [the] oak.”
  • Awilix – the Mayan moon goddess Awilix.
  • Bruar – the Scottish place name and/or the Scottish clothing brand.
  • Bruich – the Scottish word bruich, meaning “cooked, boiled” and “ruddy-faced” (among other things).
  • Cadhla – the Irish word cadhla, meaning “beauty.”
  • Cosanostra – the Italian phrase cosa nostra, meaning “our thing, our affair.” Cosa Nostra is another name for the Sicilian Mafia.
  • Gigha – the Scottish island of Gigha (pronounced GHEE-ah).
  • Giric – the 9th-century Pictish king Giric mac Dúngail.
  • Kyveli – the modern Greek form of Cybele.
  • Likhit – the Nepali word likhit, meaning “written, textual.”
  • Moray – the historical province of Scotland.
  • Perkunas – the Lithuanian thunder god Perkunas.
  • Qhawe – the Xhosa and Zulu word qhawe, meaning “hero.”
  • Rubix – the Rubik’s cube, named after its Hungarian creator, Erno Rubik.
  • Tearlach – the Scottish name Teàrlach, which comes from the Old Irish name Tairdelbach.
  • Uisdean – the Scottish name Ùisdean, which comes from the Old Norse name Eysteinn.

Finally, here are Scotland’s 2021 rankings, if you’d like to compare last year to the year before.

Sources: Babies’ First Names 2022 – NRS, Babies’ First Names 2022, Report – NRS (PDF), Trends in baby names 2022 (PDF), Almost three deaths for every two births registered in 2022 – NRS, Behind the Name, Wiktionary, Inside Perrie Edwards’ rise to fame – Mirror Online, Steve Perry – Wikipedia

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

Name quotes #114: Eilat, Chelsea, Senna, Teddy Jack

double quotation mark

Here’s a batch of quotes for the final month of 2022!

From a late 2021 opinion piece, “Every Jewish name tells a Jewish story,” in the Jerusalem Post:

After the 1967 Six Day War, Israelis created names that were lovely and filled with hope. Tal, Elizur, Sharona were born. And names of cities and towns became first names – Sinai, Golan, Eilat are a few. The ’67 war was a watershed for hope in Israel and it was reflected in these new names.

From a recent study of American Jewish names by Sarah Bunin Benor and Alicia B. Chandler:

Over the decades, American Jews became more and more likely to give their children names of Jewish origin (English or Hebrew Biblical, Modern Hebrew, etc.), with a major uptick after the 1960s. 14% of Jews in the oldest age group have names of Jewish origin, compared to 63% in the youngest group. The top 10 names for Jewish girls and boys in each decade reflect these changes, such as Ellen and Robert in the 1950s, Rebecca and Joshua in the 1970s, and Noa and Ari in the 2010s.

From the book Christian Names in Local and Family History (2004) by George Redmonds:

Other regional concentrations worth noting are Edith in Dorset, Felice and Petronille in Staffordshire and Amice in Leicestershire, but a close examination of the evidence reveals significant small ‘clusters’ right down the list. Typical of these are Goda (East Anglia), Godelena (Kent) and Osanne, the last of these found only in Spalding in Lincolnshire. It derives from ‘Hosanna’, a Hebrew word used as an appeal to God for deliverance, which was adopted into Christian worship as a more general expression of praise.

Osanne started being used as a baptismal name during the twelfth century, “possibly to commemorate a birth on Palm Sunday.”

From a Yahoo News UK article about Chelsea Bottomley and her son Stamford, who were named after the football club and the club’s stadium (respectively):

Named after the London club’s Stamford Bridge stadium, Stamford has cerebral palsy which, according to the NHS, affects movement and coordination — and impaired vision is common for children with the lifelong condition.

[…]

She added: “My mum had named me Chelsea after the club and, when my boy was born, my mum was such a strong support for me that I named him Stamford for her.”

And, finally, a line from a New York Post story about a baby born aboard an airplane in September:

Skylen Kavon-Air Francis, who was named after his airborne arrival, was carried off the plane as everyone clapped and welcomed the new passenger.

From Cosmopolitan, a quote about the name of Cardi B’s sister Hennessy:

Yes, she’s named after the alcohol and yes, the story’s amazing.

While Bacardi is not Cardi B’s real name, Hennessy is most definitely her sister’s original moniker. Why? Because her father showed up drunk on Hennessy when she was born and insisted on naming her after his drink of choice.

From Rolling Stone, a quote about a baby named after a Gary Busey character:

[Leon] Russell’s son Teddy Jack, who was named after a Busey character from a regional TV show he performed on named Teddy Jack Eddy, produced Busey’s new project, his first solo release.

From an article comparing the relative popularity of twin professional hockey players Daniel and Henrik Sedin by looking at the B.C. baby name data:

[T]he name Henrik magically first started appearing on B.C. baby announcements in 2007, which, maybe not so coincidentally, was also the year following the Sedins’ breakout season.

[…]

Interestingly, the largest spike — a total of 13 baby Henriks — came in 2011, which coincides with the Canucks’ march to the Stanley Cup Final.

From an article about the divorce of Lady Davina Windsor, 30th in line to the British throne, from husband Gary “Gazza” Lewis, a Maori sheep shearer:

Lady Davina gave birth to a daughter, Senna Kowhai, who is now aged eight, and a son, Tane Mahuta, six. He was named after the giant Tane Mahuta kauri tree in the Waipoua Forest, in New Zealand.

(Here’s more on the famous Tane Mahuta tree. The name Kowhai was also inspired by New Zealand tree.)

Popular baby names in England and Wales (UK), 2021

Flag of the United Kingdom
Flag of the United Kingdom

Last year, England and Wales welcomed close to 625,000 babies.

What were the most popular names among these babies? Olivia and Noah.

Here are England and Wales’ top 50 girl names and top 50 boy names of 2021:

Girl Names

  1. Olivia, 3,649 baby girls
  2. Amelia, 3,164
  3. Isla, 2,683
  4. Ava, 2,576
  5. Ivy, 2,245
  6. Freya, 2,187
  7. Lily, 2,182
  8. Florence, 2,180
  9. Mia, 2,168
  10. Willow, 2,067
  11. Rosie, 2,028
  12. Sophia, 2,019
  13. Isabella, 2,010
  14. Grace, 1,992
  15. Daisy, 1,873
  16. Sienna, 1,869
  17. Poppy, 1,841
  18. Elsie, 1,840
  19. Emily, 1,797
  20. Ella, 1,756
  21. Evelyn, 1,729
  22. Phoebe, 1,678
  23. Sofia, 1,671
  24. Evie, 1,670
  25. Charlotte, 1,654
  26. Harper, 1,480
  27. Millie, 1,472
  28. Matilda, 1,437
  29. Maya, 1,433
  30. Sophie, 1,375
  31. Alice, 1,359
  32. Emilia, 1,353
  33. Isabelle, 1,304
  34. Ruby, 1,300
  35. Luna, 1,261
  36. Maisie, 1,229
  37. Aria, 1,202
  38. Penelope, 1,194
  39. Mila, 1,133
  40. Bonnie, 1,121
  41. Eva, 1,091
  42. Hallie, 1,070
  43. Eliza, 1,064
  44. Ada, 1,058
  45. Violet, 1,057
  46. Esme, 1,013
  47. Arabella, 1,012
  48. Imogen, 998
  49. Jessica, 997
  50. Delilah, 981

Boy Names

  1. Noah, 4,525 baby boys
  2. Oliver, 4,167
  3. George, 4,141
  4. Arthur, 3,766
  5. Muhammad, 3,722
  6. Leo, 3,465
  7. Harry, 3,089
  8. Oscar, 3,071
  9. Archie, 2,928
  10. Henry, 2,912
  11. Theodore, 2,889
  12. Freddie, 2,873
  13. Jack, 2,847
  14. Charlie, 2,674
  15. Theo, 2,514
  16. Alfie, 2,338
  17. Jacob, 2,319
  18. Thomas, 2,302
  19. Finley, 2,283
  20. Arlo, 2,154
  21. William, 2,093
  22. Lucas, 1,965
  23. Roman, 1,923
  24. Tommy, 1,901
  25. Isaac, 1,888
  26. Teddy, 1,875
  27. Alexander, 1,830
  28. Luca, 1,807
  29. Edward, 1,806
  30. James, 1,772
  31. Joshua, 1,737
  32. Albie, 1,729
  33. Elijah, 1,657
  34. Max, 1,650
  35. Mohammed, 1,619
  36. Reuben, 1,534
  37. Mason, 1,517
  38. Sebastian, 1,516
  39. Rory, 1,483
  40. Jude, 1,482
  41. Louie, 1,461
  42. Benjamin, 1,423
  43. Ethan, 1,398
  44. Adam, 1,367
  45. Hugo, 1,325
  46. Joseph, 1,307
  47. Reggie, 1,287
  48. Ronnie, 1,285
  49. Harrison, 1,254
  50. Louis, 1,240

Two of the names that saw marked increases in usage last year, Luca and Raya, were helped along by the animated films Luca (2021) and Raya and the Last Dragon (2021).

And the name Lilibet re-surfaced in the data (after a seven-year absence) with eight baby girls, no doubt thanks to the royal influence of Prince Harry’s daughter Lilibet, who was born in California in June of 2021.

Map of the nine regions of England
England’s nine regions

Home to nearly 56.5 million people, England is divided into nine regions. The top baby names within each of these regions last year were…

Girl NamesBoy Names
North East
(4.6% of the population)		1. Olivia, 167
2. Rosie, 137
3. Freya, 136
4. Isla, 135
5. Amelia, 129		1. George, 211
2. Oliver, 208
3. Noah, 188
4. Harry, 186
5. Charlie, 166
North West
(13.1% of pop.)		1. Olivia, 460
2. Isla, 373
3. Ava, 347
4. Amelia, 338
5. Ivy, 308		1. Muhammad, 875
2. Noah, 616
3. George, 603
4. Oliver, 584
5. Harry, 508
Yorkshire & the Humber
(9.7% of pop.)		1. Olivia, 298
2. Amelia, 272
3. Ava, 256
4. Isla, 230
5. Ivy, 222		1. Muhammad, 669
2. Noah, 449
3. Oliver, 415
4. George, 402
5. Arthur, 340
East Midlands
(8.7% of pop.)		1. Amelia, 288
2. Olivia, 281
3. Ava, 214
4. Isla, 206
5. Elsie/Mia, 200 (tie)		1. Oliver, 386
2. George, 378
3. Noah, 363
4. Harry, 302
5. Arthur, 298
West Midlands
(10.6% of pop.)		1. Olivia, 356
2. Amelia, 342
3. Isla, 234
4. Freya, 230
5. Ava, 228		1. Muhammad, 667
2. Noah, 447
3. Oliver, 378
4. Arthur, 362
5. George, 352
East
(11.2% of pop.)		1. Olivia, 478
2. Amelia, 371
3. Isla, 337
4. Ava, 323
5. Ivy, 281		1. George, 539
2. Noah, 499
3. Oliver, 497
4. Arthur, 464
5. Leo, 426
London
(15.6% of pop.)		1. Olivia, 459
2. Amelia, 455
3. Mia, 402
4. Sofia, 392
5. Maya, 383		1. Muhammad, 689
2. Noah, 626
3. Leo, 507
4. Adam, 429
5. Alexander, 407
South East
(16.5% of pop.)		1. Olivia, 615
2. Amelia, 546
3. Isla, 465
4. Ava, 454
5. Florence, 447		1. George, 729
2. Arthur, 701
3. Oliver, 693
4. Noah, 651
5. Henry, 609
South West
(10.1% of pop.)		1. Olivia, 360
2. Isla, 287
3. Florence, 277
4. Amelia, 259
5. Willow, 233		1. Arthur, 459
2. Noah, 410
3. George, 400
4. Oliver, 394
5. Oscar, 369

Wales, a separate country within the United Kingdom, is home to more than 3.1 million people. The top 10 names per gender in Wales last year were…

Girl Names (Wales)Boy Names (Wales)
1. Olivia, 173
2. Amelia, 164
3. Isla, 126
4. Freya, 114
5. Ivy 112 (tie)
6. Rosie, 112 (tie)
7. Ava, 110
8. Grace, 109
9. Lily, 107
10. Evie, 106		1. Noah, 275
2. Oliver, 213
3. Arthur, 186
4. Theo, 170
5. Leo, 168
6. Charlie, 156
7. Archie, 154
8. George, 152
9. Jack, 136
10. Oscar, 135

Welsh-origin names in that ranked within Wales’ top 100 included…

  • Girl names: Alys, Ffion, Seren, Eira, Mabli, Cadi, Eleri
  • Boy names: Osian, Elis, Macsen, Cai, Morgan, Gruffydd, Rhys

Now it’s time for a selection of names from the other end of the spectrum. Each of the rare names below was given to just 3 babies in England and Wales in 2021:

Rare Girl NamesRare Boy Names
Avesta, Branwen, Callisto, Dwynwen, Elliw, Fenne, Gwenlli, Hestia, Isidora, Jogaile, Kerenza, Lubaba, Monia, Nepheli, Orzala, Petruta, Ruari, Siri, Thisbe, Uriella, Valley, Wilder, Xana, Yris, ZelalAudie, Buddy-Bear, Cuthbert, Deaglan, Emeric, Finlo, Glyndwr, Horace, Ibrar, Johnboy, Kerr, Leofric, Madoc, Nazar, Ovi, Porter, Ranulph, Sirius, Teifion, Urhan, Vladut, Warwick, Xion, Yavuz, Zuko
  • Dwynwen is the name of the Welsh patron saint of lovers. St. Dwynwen’s Day, the Welsh version of St. Valentine’s Day, is celebrated on January 25th.
  • Glyndwr is a reference to Welsh nobleman Owain Glyndwr, who led the Welsh Revolt (1400-1415) against the Kingdom of England.
  • Teifion is based on the name of the River Teifi.

Finally, here’s a link to England and Wales’ 2020 rankings, if you’d like to compare last year to the year before.

P.S. The ongoing rise of the baby name Mabel accelerated in the late 2010s thanks to mononymous English singer/songwriter Mabel — who just so happens to be the niece of Eagle-Eye Cherry.

Sources (all ONS):

Image: Adapted from Flag of the United Kingdom (public domain)
Map: Adapted from English regions 2009 by Nilfanion and Dr Greg under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Where did the baby name Quayshaun come from in 1991?

Quayshaun's single "Party Slammin'" (1991).
Quayshaun single

The name Quayshaun debuted very impressively in the U.S. baby name data in 1991:

  • 1993: 11 baby boys named Quayshaun
  • 1992: 19 baby boys named Quayshaun
  • 1991: 93 baby boys named Quayshaun [debut]
  • 1990: unlisted
  • 1989: unlisted

Not only was it the top debut name of the year, but it currently ranks 12th (between Jkwon and Taurean) on the list of the top boy-name debuts of all time.

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

Other versions of the name also saw higher usage around that time:

1990199119921993
Quashawn16364335
Quashon871311
Quayshawn.45*209
Quashaun.17*1310
Quaysean.11*..
Quayshun.9*5.
Quashan.5*..
Quasean..7*7
Quashun..6*5
Queshawn..6*.
Quayshon...5*
*Debut

(The spelling Quayshawn had such a strong debut that it was also one of the top debuts of all time — ranked 35th.)

So…what was influencing these names?

Hip hop artist William “Quayshaun” Carter, who put out several singles in the early ’90s. None were more successful than the minor hit “Party Slammin'” (1991), which never reached the Billboard Hot 100, but did get reviewed in the magazine itself:

Bass-heavy jam showcases Quayshaun’s rapid-fire rhyme style as well as a hip-hop groove that would make Teddy Riley proud. Could happen at urban radio with the right push.

(Music producer Teddy Riley invented the “new jack swing” sound.)

Here’s the song:

What are your thoughts on the name Quayshaun? (How would you spell it?)

Sources: