How popular is the baby name Wesley 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 Wesley.

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Popularity of the baby name Wesley


Posts that mention the name Wesley

Popular and unique baby names in Alberta (Canada), 2023

Flag of Alberta
Flag of Alberta

Alberta — Canada’s westernmost prairie province — welcomed 47,263 babies last year.

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

Here are Alberta’s top 50+ girl names and top 50 boy names of 2023:

Girl names

  1. Olivia, 210 baby girls
  2. Amelia, 145
  3. Sophia, 138
  4. Charlotte, 135
  5. Emma, 133
  6. Isla, 120
  7. Evelyn, 114
  8. Chloe, 101 (tie)
  9. Violet, 101 (tie)
  10. Ava, 99 (tie)
  11. Emily, 99 (tie)
  12. Hannah, 98 (tie)
  13. Hazel, 98 (tie)
  14. Abigail, 95
  15. Lily, 92
  16. Ella, 91 (tie)
  17. Harper, 91 (tie)
  18. Aurora, 90
  19. Grace, 88
  20. Aria, 87
  21. Mia, 86 (tie)
  22. Nora, 86 (tie)
  23. Ivy, 85
  24. Sophie, 84
  25. Mila, 82
  26. Ellie, 81
  27. Isabella, 79
  28. Eleanor, 78 (tie)
  29. Elizabeth, 78 (tie)
  30. Avery, 73
  31. Georgia, 71 (tie)
  32. Sofia, 71 (tie)
  33. Maya, 67
  34. Naomi, 66
  35. Lucy, 65
  36. Scarlett, 64
  37. Maeve, 62 (3-way tie)
  38. Quinn, 62 (3-way tie)
  39. Sadie, 62 (3-way tie)
  40. Luna, 60
  41. Kinsley, 57 (4-way tie)
  42. Layla, 57 (4-way tie)
  43. Stella, 57 (4-way tie)
  44. Zoey, 57 (4-way tie)
  45. Hailey, 56
  46. Zoe, 55
  47. Paisley, 54 (tie)
  48. Penelope, 54 (tie)
  49. Alice, 53 (6-way tie)
  50. Amira, 53 (6-way tie)
  51. Audrey, 53 (6-way tie)
  52. Eliana, 53 (6-way tie)
  53. Eva, 53 (6-way tie)
  54. Wren, 53 (6-way tie)

Boy names

  1. Noah, 276 baby boys
  2. Liam, 181
  3. Oliver, 178
  4. Theodore, 173
  5. Jack, 153
  6. Henry, 146
  7. Lucas, 140
  8. Benjamin, 137
  9. James, 136
  10. William, 133
  11. Ethan, 131
  12. Owen, 129
  13. Adam, 123
  14. Levi, 117
  15. Bennett, 114 (tie)
  16. Leo, 114 (tie)
  17. Daniel, 111
  18. Maverick, 107
  19. Elijah, 106
  20. Muhammad, 100
  21. Asher, 96
  22. Hudson, 95
  23. Alexander, 94 (tie)
  24. Thomas, 94 (tie)
  25. Nathan, 92
  26. Beau, 90
  27. Jackson, 89
  28. Grayson, 87 (3-way tie)
  29. Luke, 87 (3-way tie)
  30. Wyatt, 87 (3-way tie)
  31. Caleb, 83
  32. Elias, 80
  33. Jacob, 79
  34. Ezra, 78 (3-way tie)
  35. Logan, 78 (3-way tie)
  36. Rowan, 78 (3-way tie)
  37. David, 77 (3-way tie)
  38. Myles, 77 (3-way tie)
  39. Theo, 77 (3-way tie)
  40. Lincoln, 76 (tie)
  41. Luca, 76 (tie)
  42. Isaac, 74 (tie)
  43. Wesley, 74 (tie)
  44. Carter, 73
  45. Arthur, 72 (tie)
  46. Gabriel, 72 (tie)
  47. Michael, 71 (tie)
  48. Samuel, 71 (tie)
  49. Aiden, 70 (tie)
  50. Joseph, 70 (tie)

Thousands of other names were given to a single baby each in Alberta last year. Here’s a small selection of those single-use names:

Unique girl namesUnique boy names
Adonica, Birille, Curly-Anne, Dalanda, Eleojo, Flaxee, Garance, Hailstorm-Leone, Ianah, Jina, Kimowan, Liala, Mihkokwaniy, Mulberry, Nîpsîy, Ozya, Parfaite, Pinkbella, Prism-Rose, Quenzy, Rhya, Simdi, Toriola, Uzira, Vhea, Wapakwaniy, Xeya, Yovela, ZhilaAuxter, Baffin, Chancel, Dezio, Edbert, Firekeeper, Graysky, Hashké, Iron, Jandro, Kalahari, Kisâkihitin, Kittiwake, Ludacris, Mardochée, Mîtos, Nightsong, Omâciw, Pelvin, Qudus, Rastko, Stoic, Tazler, Uros, Vyron, Wynn-Fortune, Xyno, York, Zaffarjot

Some possible explanations and/or influences for a few of the above:

  • Baffin is both an island and a bay in Canada. (Both were named after English explorer William Baffin.)
  • Hashké means “warrior” in Navajo.
  • Kalahari is a desert in Southern Africa.
  • Kimowan means “it is raining” in Cree.
    • The related name Kimiwan, meaning “rain,” was given to 2 baby girls.
  • Kisâkihitin means “I love you” (or, “you are loved by me”) in Cree.
  • Kittiwake refers to a type of seagull.
  • Ludacris is the stage name of American rapper Christopher Bridges.
    • I hope this baby’s family caught Ludacris in Usher’s Super Bowl halftime show earlier this year!
  • Mihkokwaniy means “rose” in Cree.
  • Mîtos means “poplar [tree]” in Cree.
  • Nîpsîy means “willow” in Cree.
  • Omâciw means “moose hunter” or “big game hunter” in Cree.
  • Parfaite means “perfect” in French.
  • Wapakwaniy is one letter away from wapikwaniy, the Cree word for “flower.”

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

Sources: Alberta’s top baby names – Alberta.ca, Alberta’s baby name superstar steals the show again – Alberta.ca, Online Cree Dictionary, You always come first with me: kisâkihitin and “Order of Persons” in Cree – Cree Literacy Network

Image: Adapted from Flag of Alberta (public domain)

Most popular baby boy names (letter by letter) in the U.S. in 2023

First letter usage for baby boy names in the U.S. in 2023

Going letter by letter, what were last year’s most popular baby boy names?

Before we get to the lists, a few quick facts:

  • The most common first letter for boy names in 2023 was J (used 10.98% of the time), followed by A (10.51%) and M (7.60%).
  • The least common first letter for boy names in 2023 was U (used 0.15% of the time), followed by Q (0.16%) and X (0.40%).
  • The first letter that increased the most in usage for boy names (from 2022 to 2023) was T.
  • The first letter that decreased the most in usage for boy names (from 2022 to 2023) was J.

Top boy names starting with A:

  1. Alexander, 7,875 baby boys
  2. Asher, 7,853
  3. Aiden, 6,675
  4. Anthony, 6,237
  5. Angel, 4,865
  6. Andrew, 4,781
  7. Adrian, 4,646
  8. Aaron, 4,551
  9. Axel, 4,498
  10. Amir, 3,620

Top boy names starting with B:

  1. Benjamin, 10,172 baby boys
  2. Brooks, 4,469
  3. Bennett, 4,411
  4. Beau, 4,090
  5. Bryson, 2,434
  6. Brayden, 2,274
  7. Braxton, 2,128
  8. Bentley, 1,906
  9. Beckett, 1,865
  10. Beckham, 1,829

Top boy names starting with C:

  1. Carter, 5,847 baby boys
  2. Caleb, 5,488
  3. Cooper, 5,425
  4. Charles, 5,395
  5. Christopher, 5,171
  6. Cameron, 5,069
  7. Christian, 4,125
  8. Colton, 3,696
  9. Carson, 3,200
  10. Connor, 2,855

Top boy names starting with D:

  1. Daniel, 8,356 baby boys
  2. David, 7,354
  3. Dylan, 7,054
  4. Dominic, 3,395
  5. Damian, 3,281
  6. Declan, 2,799
  7. Diego, 2,734
  8. Dawson, 2,439
  9. Dean, 2,281
  10. Dallas, 1,375

Top boy names starting with E:

  1. Elijah, 11,452 baby boys
  2. Ezra, 8,437
  3. Ethan, 7,763
  4. Elias, 6,980
  5. Ezekiel, 5,569
  6. Eli, 4,081
  7. Everett, 3,808
  8. Enzo, 3,796
  9. Easton, 3,637
  10. Emmett, 3,061

Top boy names starting with F:

  1. Finn, 1,907 baby boys
  2. Felix, 1,894
  3. Finley, 1,171
  4. Francisco, 1,121
  5. Fernando, 967
  6. Franklin, 776
  7. Forrest, 737
  8. Francis, 670
  9. Fabian, 656
  10. Frank, 646

Top boy names starting with G:

  1. Gabriel, 6,745 baby boys
  2. Grayson, 6,449
  3. Gael, 3,616
  4. Greyson, 3,065
  5. Giovanni, 2,911
  6. George, 2,689
  7. Graham, 2,533
  8. Griffin, 1,722
  9. Grant, 1,539
  10. Gavin, 1,512

Top boy names starting with H:

  1. Henry, 10,941 baby boys
  2. Hudson, 7,935
  3. Hunter, 3,110
  4. Harrison, 3,060
  5. Hayden, 2,219
  6. Hayes, 1,746
  7. Holden, 1,171
  8. Hendrix, 1,084
  9. Harvey, 1,022
  10. Hector, 828

Top boy names starting with I:

  1. Isaac, 6,581 baby boys
  2. Isaiah, 5,121
  3. Ian, 4,538
  4. Ivan, 2,384
  5. Israel, 1,530
  6. Ismael, 1,421
  7. Iker, 915
  8. Ibrahim, 774
  9. Isaias, 700
  10. Izaiah, 491

Top boy names starting with J:

  1. James, 11,670 baby boys
  2. Jack, 8,683
  3. John, 7,750
  4. Jackson, 7,284
  5. Joseph, 7,237
  6. Julian, 7,078
  7. Jacob, 6,976
  8. Jayden, 5,627
  9. Josiah, 5,404
  10. Joshua, 5,035

Top boy names starting with K:

  1. Kai, 4,946 baby boys
  2. Kayden, 3,120
  3. Kingston, 2,511
  4. Kaiden, 2,126
  5. Kevin, 1,914
  6. Knox, 1,770
  7. Karter, 1,590
  8. Kairo, 1,484
  9. Kyrie, 1,474
  10. Kash, 1,316

Top boy names starting with L:

  1. Liam, 20,802 baby boys
  2. Lucas, 10,842
  3. Levi, 9,347
  4. Leo, 8,120
  5. Luca, 7,770
  6. Luke, 7,217
  7. Logan, 6,686
  8. Lincoln, 4,842
  9. Leonardo, 4,012
  10. Luka, 3,650

Top boy names starting with M:

  1. Mateo, 11,229 baby boys
  2. Michael, 8,383
  3. Mason, 7,237
  4. Matthew, 7,190
  5. Maverick, 6,962
  6. Miles, 6,558
  7. Micah, 3,875
  8. Myles, 3,399
  9. Milo, 2,950
  10. Matteo, 2,503

Top boy names starting with N:

  1. Noah, 18,995 baby boys
  2. Nolan, 5,112
  3. Nathan, 5,049
  4. Nicholas, 3,242
  5. Nathaniel, 2,507
  6. Nicolas, 1,886
  7. Nico, 1,462
  8. Nash, 1,328
  9. Niko, 1,033
  10. Nasir, 739

Top boy names starting with O:

  1. Oliver, 14,741 baby boys
  2. Owen, 7,985
  3. Oscar, 1,693
  4. Omar, 1,306
  5. Otto, 1,191
  6. Onyx, 1,069
  7. Odin, 897
  8. Orion, 861
  9. Oakley, 799
  10. Ozzy, 526

Top boy names starting with P:

  1. Parker, 3,792 baby boys
  2. Peter, 1,738
  3. Patrick, 1,596
  4. Paul, 1,351 (tie)
  5. Paxton, 1,351 (tie)
  6. Phoenix, 1,243
  7. Preston, 1,228
  8. Prince, 885
  9. Pablo, 850
  10. Pedro, 753

Top boy names starting with Q:

  1. Quinn, 685 baby boys
  2. Quincy, 401
  3. Quentin, 334
  4. Quinton, 301
  5. Quintin, 120
  6. Quinten, 88
  7. Quest, 84
  8. Quadir, 70
  9. Quade, 53
  10. Qasim, 51

Top boy names starting with R:

  1. Roman, 4,777 baby boys
  2. Rowan, 4,195
  3. Ryan, 4,020
  4. Robert, 3,807
  5. River, 3,084
  6. Ryder, 2,822
  7. Rhett, 2,183
  8. Ryker, 1,976
  9. Richard, 1,638
  10. Riley, 1,627

Top boy names starting with S:

  1. Sebastian, 8,865 baby boys
  2. Samuel, 7,973
  3. Santiago, 6,328
  4. Silas, 4,070
  5. Sawyer, 2,833
  6. Stetson, 1,987
  7. Simon, 1,398
  8. Steven, 1,387
  9. Saint, 1,059
  10. Sonny, 924

Top boy names starting with T:

  1. Theodore, 11,041 baby boys
  2. Thomas, 6,598
  3. Thiago, 4,505
  4. Theo, 4,122
  5. Tyler, 2,064
  6. Tate, 1,845
  7. Tucker, 1,802
  8. Timothy, 1,733
  9. Tatum, 1,492
  10. Tristan, 1,373

Top boy names starting with U:

  1. Uriel, 606 baby boys
  2. Uriah, 378
  3. Ulises, 221
  4. Ulysses, 169
  5. Umar, 152
  6. Uziel, 111
  7. Usman, 86
  8. Unknown, 67
  9. Uzziah, 65
  10. Uri, 60

Top boy names starting with V:

  1. Vincent, 2,982 baby boys
  2. Victor, 1,687
  3. Valentino, 575
  4. Vicente, 441
  5. Valentin, 372
  6. Vincenzo, 352
  7. Vihaan, 280
  8. Van, 252
  9. Vance, 236
  10. Veer, 224

Top boy names starting with W:

  1. William, 10,598 baby boys
  2. Wyatt, 6,237
  3. Waylon, 4,881
  4. Wesley, 4,539
  5. Weston, 4,356
  6. Walker, 4,006
  7. Walter, 1,272
  8. Warren, 1,080
  9. Wade, 971
  10. Winston, 797

Top boy names starting with X:

  1. Xavier, 3,413 baby boys
  2. Xander, 1,700
  3. Xzavier, 153
  4. Xavi, 118
  5. Xavion, 111
  6. Xaiden, 101
  7. Xavien, 94
  8. Xavian, 91
  9. Xion, 85
  10. Xayden, 65

Top boy names starting with Y:

  1. Yusuf, 610 baby boys
  2. Yosef, 444
  3. Yael, 328
  4. Yehuda, 318
  5. Yousef, 297
  6. Yahir, 290
  7. Yahya, 263
  8. Yadiel, 242
  9. Yaakov, 231
  10. Yisroel, 228

Top boy names starting with Z:

  1. Zion, 2,867 baby boys
  2. Zachary, 2,112
  3. Zayden, 1,898
  4. Zayn, 1,413
  5. Zane, 1,220
  6. Zyaire, 1,029
  7. Zander, 924
  8. Zayne, 717
  9. Zaire, 654
  10. Zaiden, 567

Source: SSA

What turned Blade into a baby name in the early 1980s?

The character Rick Deckard (played by Harrison Ford) from the movie "Blade Runner" (1982)
Rick Deckard from “Blade Runner”

The name Blade first emerged in the U.S. baby name data in 1982:

  • 1984: 8 baby boys named Blade
  • 1983: unlisted
  • 1982: 7 baby boys named Blade [debut]
  • 1981: unlisted
  • 1980: unlisted

Why?

I think the influence was the 1982 movie Blade Runner, which was based on the dystopian sci-fi novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968) by Philip K. Dick.

The movie was set in Los Angeles in 2019. The main character, Rick Deckard (played by Harrison Ford), worked as a “blade runner” — a police officer tasked with tracking down and killing genetically-engineered humans known as “replicants” (which were designed to work in space colonies, but sometimes escaped to Earth).

This is one of several cases in which a baby name seems to have been inspired by a movie title as opposed to a movie character. Another example is Seattle, which debuted the year after Sleepless in Seattle came out.

The baby name Blade went on to see a steep rise in usage during the first half of the 1990s, no doubt thanks to the Young and the Restless character Alexander “Blade” Bladeson (played by Michael Tylo). The character appeared on the soap opera from early 1992 to late 1995.

The character Blade (played by Wesley Snipes) from the movie "Blade" (1998)
Blade from “Blade”

Blade never managed to crack the boys’ top 1,000, but it did reach and maintain its highest level of popularity from the mid-’90s through the first years of the 2000s.

  • 2003: 89 baby boys named Blade
  • 2002: 112 baby boys named Blade (peak popularity)
  • 2001: 103 baby boys named Blade
  • 2000: 95 baby boys named Blade
  • 1999: 99 baby boys named Blade

During most of this period, the primary pop culture influence would have been the movie character Blade, who was featured in a trilogy of superhero/horror films: Blade (1998), Blade II (2002), and Blade: Trinity (2004).

Blade (played by Wesley Snipes) was an African-American dhampir (half-human, half-vampire) whose mission was to hunt and kill vampires. His birth name was Eric Brooks; his nickname was a reference to his proficiency with bladed weapons such as swords and daggers. (Like Black Panther, Blade originated as a Marvel comic book character.)

What are your thoughts on the baby name Blade? Would you use it?

Sources: Blade Runner – Wikipedia, List of The Young and the Restless characters (1990s) – Wikipedia, Blade (character) – Wikipedia, Blade (Eric Brooks) – Marvel, SSA

Images: Screenshots of Blade Runner and Blade

Top first letters of U.S. baby names in 2022

Which first letters were the most and least popular for U.S. baby names in 2022?

Top first letters for girl names: A, E, M

For baby girls, the most-used first letter was A, followed by E and M. The least-used first letter was U.

Top first letters for U.S. baby girl names, 2022

The most popular girl names per letter were…

  • A-names (given to over 267,800 baby girls): Amelia, Ava, Aria, Abigail
  • B-names (over 47,600): Brooklyn, Bella, Brielle, Blakely
  • C-names (over 91,300): Charlotte, Camila, Chloe, Claire
  • D-names (over 41,500): Delilah, Daisy, Diana, Delaney
  • E-names (over 154,200): Emma, Evelyn, Elizabeth, Eleanor
  • F-names (over 17,000): Freya, Faith, Finley, Fatima
  • G-names (over 41,500): Gianna, Grace, Genesis, Gabriella
  • H-names (over 55,000): Harper, Hazel, Hannah, Hailey
  • I-names (over 46,000): Isabella, Isla, Ivy, Iris
  • J-names (over 71,600): Josephine, Jade, Julia, Juniper
  • K-names (over 86,400): Kinsley, Kennedy, Kehlani, Kaylee
  • L-names (over 118,000): Luna, Layla, Lily, Lucy
  • M-names (over 147,000): Mia, Mila, Madison, Maya
  • N-names (over 59,400): Nora, Nova, Naomi, Natalie
  • O-names (over 30,500): Olivia, Oakley, Olive, Oaklynn
  • P-names (over 36,600): Penelope, Paisley, Piper, Parker
  • Q-names (over 4,000): Quinn, Quincy, Queen, Quinley
  • R-names (over 74,200): Riley, Ruby, Raelynn, Rylee
  • S-names (over 119,300): Sophia, Sofia, Scarlett, Stella
  • T-names (over 23,500): Taylor, Tatum, Teagan, Thea
  • U-names (over 600): Unique, Uma, Una, Unity
  • V-names (over 34,700): Violet, Victoria, Valentina, Vivian
  • W-names (over 16,100): Willow, Wren, Wrenley, Winter
  • X-names (over 4,900): Ximena, Xiomara, Xyla, Xena
  • Y-names (over 9,100): Yaretzi, Yara, Yareli, Yamileth
  • Z-names (over 29,500): Zoe, Zoey, Zuri, Zara

Top first letters for boy names: J, A, L

For baby boys, the most-used first letter was J, followed by A and L. The least-used first letter was U.

Top first letters for U.S. baby boy names, 2022

The most popular boy names per letter were…

  • A-names (given to over 181,000 baby boys): Alexander, Asher, Aiden, Anthony
  • B-names (over 82,300): Benjamin, Brooks, Bennett, Beau
  • C-names (over 121,500): Carter, Charles, Caleb, Cooper
  • D-names (over 84,000): Daniel, David, Dylan, Dominic
  • E-names (over 109,900): Elijah, Ethan, Ezra, Elias
  • F-names (over 20,500): Finn, Felix, Finley, Francisco
  • G-names (over 51,500): Gabriel, Grayson, Greyson, Gael
  • H-names (over 50,000): Henry, Hudson, Hunter, Harrison
  • I-names (over 32,300): Isaac, Isaiah, Ian, Ivan
  • J-names (over 195,800): James, Jack, Jackson, John
  • K-names (over 94,800): Kai, Kayden, Kingston, Kaiden
  • L-names (over 132,400): Liam, Lucas, Levi, Leo
  • M-names (over 128,900): Mateo, Michael, Mason, Matthew
  • N-names (over 56,200): Noah, Nathan, Nolan, Nicholas
  • O-names (over 40,500): Oliver, Owen, Oscar, Omar
  • P-names (over 23,100): Parker, Peter, Patrick, Preston
  • Q-names (over 2,800): Quinn, Quentin, Quincy, Quinton
  • R-names (over 82,200): Roman, Ryan, Robert, Rowan
  • S-names (over 73,500): Sebastian, Samuel, Santiago, Silas
  • T-names (over 61,100): Theodore, Thomas, Theo, Thiago
  • U-names (over 2,600): Uriel, Uriah, Ulises, Ulysses
  • V-names (over 11,100): Vincent, Victor, Valentino, Vicente/Vincenzo (tie)
  • W-names (over 50,300): William, Wyatt, Waylon, Wesley
  • X-names (over 7,000): Xavier, Xander, Xzavier, Xavion
  • Y-names (over 9,000): Yusuf, Yosef, Yehuda, Yahir
  • Z-names (over 27,600): Zion, Zachary, Zayden, Zane

Source: SSA