How popular is the baby name Tui 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 Tui.

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Popularity of the baby name Tui


Posts that mention the name Tui

Popular baby names (and Maori baby names) in New Zealand, 2024

Flag of New Zealand
Flag of New Zealand

Last year, the island nation of New Zealand welcomed a total of 59,199 babies.

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

Here are New Zealand’s top 50+ girl names and top 50 boy names of 2024:

Girl names

  1. Isla, 190 baby girls
  2. Amelia, 183
  3. Charlotte, 173
  4. Lily, 158
  5. Isabella, 155
  6. Olivia, 154
  7. Hazel, 144
  8. Harper, 141
  9. Mia, 137
  10. Mila, 133
  11. Ava, 129 (tie)
  12. Ruby, 129 (tie)
  13. Sophie, 128
  14. Grace, 120
  15. Chloe, 114
  16. Ella, 113
  17. Aria, 112
  18. Willow, 107 (tie)
  19. Zoe, 107 (tie)
  20. Evelyn, 105 (tie)
  21. Millie, 105 (tie)
  22. Violet, 103
  23. Sophia, 102
  24. Daisy, 101
  25. Freya, 97
  26. Lucy, 96
  27. Ivy, 94
  28. Sienna, 92
  29. Emily, 91
  30. Amaia, 89 (tie)
  31. Matilda, 89 (tie)
  32. Olive, 88
  33. Margot, 87
  34. Kaia, 85 (tie)
  35. Maeve, 85 (tie)
  36. Ellie, 82
  37. Billie, 81 (tie)
  38. Layla, 81 (tie)
  39. Frankie, 80
  40. Stella, 79
  41. Georgia, 78 (tie)
  42. Sadie, 78 (tie)
  43. Maia, 77 (tie)
  44. Sofia, 77 (tie)
  45. Aurora, 74 (tie)
  46. Elsie, 74 (tie)
  47. Penelope, 72 (tie)
  48. Poppy, 72 (tie)
  49. Luna, 71
  50. Eden, 70 (3-way tie)
  51. Florence, 70 (3-way tie)
  52. Riley, 70 (3-way tie)

Boy names

  1. Noah, 250 baby boys
  2. Oliver, 228
  3. Leo, 202
  4. George, 198 (tie)
  5. Jack, 198 (tie)
  6. Luca, 192
  7. Theodore, 189
  8. Elijah, 159
  9. Theo, 158
  10. Arthur, 152
  11. Charlie, 149
  12. James, 141
  13. Lucas, 137
  14. Henry, 135
  15. Arlo, 132 (3-way tie)
  16. Hudson, 132 (3-way tie)
  17. William, 132 (3-way tie)
  18. Archie, 131
  19. Lachlan, 121
  20. Cooper, 116
  21. Ezra, 114 (tie)
  22. Finn, 114 (tie)
  23. Liam, 113 (tie)
  24. Thomas, 113 (tie)
  25. Ethan, 106 (4-way tie)
  26. Hugo, 106 (4-way tie)
  27. Levi, 106 (4-way tie)
  28. Oscar, 106 (4-way tie)
  29. Hunter, 105
  30. Max, 101
  31. Carter, 98 (tie)
  32. Louie, 98 (tie)
  33. Mason, 97
  34. Felix, 94
  35. Asher, 93
  36. Archer, 87 (3-way tie)
  37. Austin, 87 (3-way tie)
  38. Daniel, 87 (3-way tie)
  39. Beau, 85 (tie)
  40. Luke, 85 (tie)
  41. Benjamin, 84
  42. Alexander, 82
  43. Luka, 79 (tie)
  44. Roman, 79 (tie)
  45. Jasper, 78
  46. Elias, 77
  47. Riley, 76
  48. Joseph, 74
  49. Harvey, 72
  50. Louis, 71

The girls’ top 100 included Mackenzie (66th), Asees (80th), Arabella (89th), and Esther (92nd).

The boys’ top 100 included Zorawar (55th), Oakley (59th), Atlas (78th), and Bodhi (97th).

And what about Maori names specifically?

The top Maori baby names in New Zealand in 2024 — just like in 2023, and 2022 — were Aroha/Te Aroha for girls and Ariki/Te Ariki for boys.

Here are New Zealand’s top 10 Maori girl names and top 10 Maori boy names:

Maori girl names

  1. Aroha/Te Aroha, 173 baby girls
  2. Maia/Te Maia, 137
  3. Moana/Te Moana, 84
  4. Anahera/Te Anahera, 66
  5. Atarangi/Te Atarangi, 60
  6. Manaia, 58
  7. Rangimarie/Te Rangimarie, 54
  8. Rangi/Te Rangi, 49
  9. Marama/Te Marama, 48
  10. Tui, 45

Maori boy names

  1. Ariki/Te Ariki, 137 baby boys
  2. Wiremu, 100
  3. Koa, 76
  4. Mikaere, 74
  5. Rangi/Te Rangi, 70
  6. Nikau, 68
  7. Rawiri, 65
  8. Kiwa, 55
  9. Kahurangi/Te Kahurangi, 52
  10. Manaaki, 51

(Please note that I’ve simplified these lists a bit, because Maori names/words that contain macrons don’t render properly on my site.)

Interestingly, the Maori rankings don’t cover the calendar year 2024, like New Zealand’s national rankings do. Instead, they cover births from July 1, 2024, to June 18, 2025. These dates coincide with Matariki, a.k.a. Maori New Year.

Sources: Top Baby Names – New Zealand Government, Top baby names for 2024 – Beehive.govt.nz, Aroha/Te Aroha and Ariki/Te Ariki top Maori baby names of 2024/2025 – dia.govt.nz

Image: Adapted from Flag of New Zealand (public domain)

Popular baby names (and Maori baby names) in New Zealand, 2023

Flag of New Zealand
Flag of New Zealand

Last year, the island nation of New Zealand welcomed a total of 57,889 babies.

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

Here are New Zealand’s top 50 girl names and top 50 boy names of 2023:

Girl names

  1. Charlotte, 209 baby girls
  2. Amelia, 184
  3. Isla, 179
  4. Olivia, 155
  5. Harper, 150
  6. Willow, 145
  7. Lily, 144
  8. Ava, 143 (tie)
  9. Ella, 143 (tie)
  10. Hazel, 141
  11. Mila, 138
  12. Evelyn, 135 (3-way tie)
  13. Mia, 135 (3-way tie)
  14. Sophie, 135 (3-way tie)
  15. Isabella, 130
  16. Aria, 125
  17. Ruby, 122
  18. Grace, 121
  19. Millie, 119
  20. Florence, 110
  21. Lucy, 108
  22. Ivy, 105
  23. Chloe, 101
  24. Zoe, 100
  25. Maeve, 98
  26. Daisy, 96
  27. Matilda, 95
  28. Sadie, 93 (tie)
  29. Sophia, 93 (tie)
  30. Emily, 92 (3-way tie)
  31. Freya, 92 (3-way tie)
  32. Luna, 92 (3-way tie)
  33. Olive, 88
  34. Georgia, 82 (tie)
  35. Maia, 82 (tie)
  36. Poppy, 81
  37. Frankie, 80 (tie)
  38. Violet, 80 (tie)
  39. Mackenzie, 79
  40. Ellie, 78
  41. Riley, 77
  42. Aurora, 76
  43. Bella, 74
  44. Madison, 70 (tie)
  45. Penelope, 70 (tie)
  46. Kaia, 69 (tie)
  47. Zara, 69 (tie)
  48. Billie, 68 (tie)
  49. Quinn, 68 (tie)
  50. Layla, 67

Boy names

  1. Noah, 267 baby boys
  2. Oliver, 247
  3. Luca, 207
  4. Jack, 194
  5. Leo, 189
  6. Theodore, 186
  7. George, 177
  8. Henry, 172
  9. Charlie, 163
  10. Hudson, 162
  11. Arthur, 158
  12. Arlo, 156
  13. Elijah, 153
  14. William, 147
  15. James, 146 (tie)
  16. Lucas, 146 (tie)
  17. Liam, 143
  18. Thomas, 142
  19. Theo, 135
  20. Oscar, 131
  21. Cooper, 122
  22. Beau, 119
  23. Hugo, 115
  24. Ethan, 114
  25. Ezra, 113 (tie)
  26. Mason, 113 (tie)
  27. Archie, 111 (tie)
  28. Levi, 111 (tie)
  29. Max, 110
  30. Carter, 106
  31. Felix, 105 (tie)
  32. Finn, 105 (tie)
  33. Alexander, 102
  34. Lachlan, 97
  35. Asher, 90 (3-way tie)
  36. Hunter, 90 (3-way tie)
  37. Louie, 90 (3-way tie)
  38. Luke, 87
  39. Benjamin, 84
  40. Harry, 83
  41. Jackson, 82
  42. Archer, 81
  43. Micah, 79 (tie)
  44. Riley, 79 (tie)
  45. Caleb, 78 (3-way tie)
  46. Isaac, 78 (3-way tie)
  47. Louis, 78 (3-way tie)
  48. Austin, 77
  49. Luka, 75
  50. Samuel, 74

And what about Maori names specifically?

Currently, the top Maori baby names in New Zealand are Aroha/Te Aroha for girls and Ariki/Te Ariki for boys. In Maori, the word aroha means “love” or “affection,” the word ariki means “chieftain” or “leader,” and the word te (in these two cases) is the article “the.”

Here are New Zealand’s top 10 Maori girl names and top 10 Maori boy names:

Maori girl names

  1. Aroha/Te Aroha, 164 baby girls
  2. Amaia, 110
  3. Maia, 103
  4. Anahera, 85
  5. Moana, 70
  6. Manaia, 68
  7. Ataahua, 54
  8. Marama, 51
  9. Atarangi, 41
  10. Tui, 39

Maori boy names

  1. Ariki/Te Ariki, 111 baby boys
  2. Wiremu, 86
  3. Rawiri, 80
  4. Mikaere, 65
  5. Nikau, 63
  6. Koa, 62 (tie)
  7. Manaia, 62 (tie)
  8. Manaaki, 59
  9. Kiwa, 45 (tie)
  10. Kaitoa, 45 (tie)

Please note that the Maori rankings don’t cover the calendar year 2023, as the national rankings do. Instead, they cover births from July 10, 2023, to June 30, 2024. (These dates coincide with Matariki, a.k.a. Maori New Year.)

Finally, here’s a link to New Zealand’s 2022 rankings, if you’d like to compare last year to the year before.

P.S. Did you know that New Zealand’s closest geographic neighbor in the Pacific is New Caledonia (to the north)?

Sources: Top Baby Names – New Zealand Government, Most common Maori baby names in 2023/24 released for Matariki – Te Ao Maori News, Te Aka Maori Dictionary, New Caledonia – New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Image: Adapted from Flag of New Zealand (public domain)

How has the game show “Jeopardy!” influenced U.S. baby names?

Title of the TV game show "Jeopardy!" (1984-)
Jeopardy!

Last week, Becca commented with some interesting Jeopardy! contestant names (e.g., Hobie, Dorcas) and mentioned J! Archive, which lists tens of thousands of Jeopardy! contestants going back to 1984, when the show premiered.

I skimmed through all the contestants from 1984 to 2015 (as we don’t have baby name data for 2016 yet) and spotted hundreds of unusual names. And it looks like at least two of them got a boost thanks to the show.

Alancia

The name Alancia was a one-hit wonder that popped up in the U.S. baby name data in 2000:

  • 2002: unlisted
  • 2001: unlisted
  • 2000: 9 baby girls named Alancia [debut]
  • 1999: unlisted
  • 1998: unlisted

One-time player Alancia Wynn, a family practice physician from Virginia, was on Jeopardy! in October of 1999.

Brannon

The name Brannon saw an increase in usage in 1998:

  • 2000: 116 baby boys named Brannon
  • 1999: 118 baby boys named Brannon
  • 1998: 158 baby boys named Brannon [peak]
  • 1997: 113 baby boys named Brannon
  • 1996: 114 baby boys named Brannon

One-time player Brannon Denning, a graduate student from Connecticut, was on Jeopardy! in September of 1998. (Looks like Brannon Denning is now a law professor at Samford University.)

Alaric & Ezgi …?

These two names may have gotten a slight boost as well, though it’s hard to tell.

  • Alaric, in 2005. One-time player Alaric Smith was on the show in October of 2005.
  • Ezgi, in 2015. One-time player Ezgi Ustundag was on the show in October of 2015.

Ezgi is a female name that means “melody” in Turkish.

Anjali (false positive)

“Kids Week” contestant Anjali Tripathi was on the show in September of 1999. The same year, the baby name Anjali more than doubled in usage:

  • 2001: 222 baby girls named Anjali
  • 2000: 230 baby girls named Anjali
  • 1999: 202 baby girls named Anjali
  • 1998: 93 baby girls named Anjali
  • 1997: 80 baby girls named Anjali

But this was a suspiciously steep rise. And it was accompanied by the debut of an alternate spelling (Anjalie). And usage didn’t drop back to normal levels the next year, as one would expect. These facts pointed me to something more high-profile than a Jeopardy! contestant.

Turns out the very successful Hindi coming-of-age romantic comedy Kuch Kuch Hota Hai had been released in 1998. The movie featured not one but two main characters named Anjali.

More names!

Here are the rest of the names that caught my eye, sorted by year:

  • 2015: Chandreyi, Dava-Leigh, Desta, Ezgi, Kynan, Mags, Praggya, Rook, Tiombi
  • 2014: Ben-Hur, Dinu, FeiFei, Gudrun, Ilissa, Kenesha, LaWanda, Leszek, Mariusz, Myfanwy, Osei, Shloka, Sirena
  • 2013: Arne, Berek, Diva, Kelton, Kinu, Nilai, Nishanth, Ramsin, Rhea, Salvo, Shuli, Sonrisa, Tahne, Twyla, Waymond, Xan, Yellowlees
  • 2012: Anshika, Benton, Bing, Deniz, Injee, Jessamine, Jia-Rui, Mithun, Pian, Shaanti,
    Vamsi, Vinayak
  • 2011: Bhibha, Boomie, Cosi, Gabor, Gitta, Idrees, Karawan, LuEllen, Milind, Raphie
  • 2010: Huat, Kemi, Marianthe, Raghuveer, Shaama, Surabhi
  • 2009: Ariella, Claxton, Cyn, Daphna, Drusha, Hayes, Henok, Jove, Lysette, Nirav, Ranjan, Seyi, Shyra, Tui, Wright
    • Tui Sutherland (first name pronounced TOO-ee) is a fiction writer. She was named after the tui bird of New Zealand.
  • 2008: Anurag, Babatope, Delano, Elza, Gilah, Kew, Murtaza, Naren, Srinivas, Vibin, Zia
  • 2007: Arlynda, Bethlehem, Clé, Haritha, Khoa, Kai-Ning, Kizzle, Lateefah, Lenzy, Marvene, Mehrun, Ssezi, Tigger, Toho, Tope
  • 2006: Dianisbeth, Iddoshe, Karmie, Lizard, Nemanja, Nissan, Oz, Ozgun, Papa, Pinki, Raena, Reda, Sioux, Tawney
  • 2005: Alaric, Corinth, Jayanth, Kem, Kingslea, LeeAundra, Ruchi, Ruvani, Vanamali
  • 2004: Denele, Kermin, M’Liss, Nithya
  • 2003: Alicen, Amasa, Eok, Freya, Nulty, Snowden, Vane
  • 2002: Anagha, Dileep, Gadi, Hikma, Jara, Kirik, Kunle, Manoj, Muzy (MYOO-zee), Omid, Quyen, Rafi, Seveen, Shasa, Tana, Umiko
  • 2001: Aki, Babu, Gosia, Marek, Mittie, Neha, Ulhas, Vinita
  • 2000: Akshai, Arrington, Celiane, Cinnamon, Iyesatu, Jeeks, Manx, Meri-Jane, Mitali, Sabin, Tarun
  • 1999: Ajuan, Alancia, Anjali, Chacko, Davine, Happy, Mihee, Seale, Wellington, Yancy, Yoni
  • 1998: Ardys, Brannon, Creswell, Kemp, Melizza, Sinan
  • 1998: Boze, Jolyn, Rokshana
  • 1997: Akiva, Atish, Breck, Brick, Davia, Girish, Mita, Murat, Pooja, Sahir, Tanis, Vartan, Zinie
  • 1996: Myretta, Rima, Ulf, Vandana
  • 1995: Albina
  • 1994: Graydon
  • 1993: Bronwyn, Ferris, Leif
  • 1991: India, Kareem
  • 1990: Ardwight, Avrom, Murdock, Peji
  • 1989: Darbi, Ouida
  • 1988: Blaze, Cigus, Doak, Scooter
  • 1987: JoFrannye
  • 1986: Chub, Zanete

Which of the above names do you like best?

P.S. Thanks again, Becca!

Popular Maori baby names in New Zealand, 2013

Flag of New Zealand
Flag of New Zealand

New Zealand’s top Maori baby names of 2013 were announced last month.

According to the Department of Internal Affairs and the Maori Language Commission (Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Maori), the country’s most popular Maori names of 2013* were Aria and Nikau.

Here are the top 20 Maori girl names and Maori boy names of 2013:

Girl NamesBoy Names
1. Aria
2. Maia
3. Ariana
4. Anahera
5. Anika
6. Aroha
7. Kora
8. Tia
9. Kaia
10. Ana
11. Ria
12. Tiare
13. Mereana
14. Nia
15. Tui
16. Wikitoria
17. Hinewai
18. Mahi
19. Terina
20. Mareikura
1. Nikau
2. Ari
3. Wiremu
4. Niko
5. Tamati
6. Hemi
7. Nikora
8. Te Ariki
9. Rawiri
10. Tane
11. Mikaere
12. Manaia
13. Kahu
14. Tangaroa
15. Kauri
16. Ariki
17. Manaaki
18. Tama
19. Ihaia
20. Matiu

This is the second-ever official list of popular Maori names, and it’s very different from the first list (2012). Notably, half of the girl names and nearly half of the boy names above are brand new. Two of the newbie boy names, Ari and Niko, now rank 2nd and 4th respectively.

The only Maori name on the list of popular baby names in New Zealand (top 25 of 2013) is Aria, ranked 24th.

*Actually, they’re the top Maori names given during the “2012-2013 financial year,” so, between April 1, 2012, and March 31, 2013.

Source: Maori Language Week: Top Maori boys’ and girls’ names

Image: Adapted from Flag of New Zealand (public domain)