How popular is the baby name Woodruff 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 Woodruff.

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Popularity of the baby name Woodruff


Posts that mention the name Woodruff

Baby names that re-emerged most impressively in the U.S. data, 1882 to today

young leaves

We know which names debuted most impressively in the U.S. baby name data, but what about the baby names that returned most impressively? That is, the names that re-emerged in the data (after an absence of at least one year) with the highest number of babies?

Below are the most popular re-emerging names for every single year on record, after the second.

Here’s the format: Girl names are on the left, boy names are on the right, and the numbers represent single-year usage (following an absence). In 1971, for instance, the girl name Devonia returned to the data with 22 babies, and the boy name Idris returned to the data with 21 babies.

  • 1882: Harry, 14; Saul, 15
  • 1883: Luna, 17; Anna, 20
  • 1884: Eulalia & Margaretta, 15; Billie, 18
  • 1885: Philomene, 13; Kirby & Lamar, 14
  • 1886: Ammie, Attie, Drusilla, Eulalia & Narcissus, 14; Emmit & Ivy, 15
  • 1887: Idell, 12; Benjaman, 13
  • 1888: Guadalupe, 18; Hunter, 16
  • 1889: Leonie, 21; Leander, 22
  • 1890: Delila, Hildegarde & Sabra, 17; Buford, Loyal & Pleasant, 13
  • 1891: Marvel, 15; Roswell, 20
  • 1892: Jennette, 16; Vernie, 15
  • 1893: Byrd & Corda, 16; Salvatore, 14
  • 1894: Mozelle, 15; Essie, 18
  • 1895: Consuelo, 16; Adelard, 16
  • 1896: Dorris, 17; Bertrand & Hilliard, 16
  • 1897: Coletta & Marilla, 13; Gale, Harve & Odell, 13
  • 1898: Vlasta, 16; Oakley, 16
  • 1899: Gwen & Velda, 15; Ivory, 14
  • 1900: Ammie, 21; Lonzo, 22
  • 1901: Alvera, 17; Ernesto, 11
  • 1902: Hermine, 17; Junious, 20
  • 1903: Genie, 17: Lesley, 17
  • 1904: Laurel & Santa, 16; Caesar, 15
  • 1905: Ellar, 15; Cicero & Quincy, 15
  • 1906: Osa, 18; Craig & Tracy, 16
  • 1907: Joanne, 19; Gale, 15
  • 1908: Merna, 18; Andres, 19
  • 1909: Aili, 22; Loy, 22
  • 1910: Corean, 21; Lou, 18
  • 1911: Aune, 17; Ozie, 17
  • 1912: Veryl, 21; Arvin, 21
  • 1913: Loise, 25; Magnus, 15
  • 1914: Rema, 23; Elio, 18
  • 1915: Alleyne & Cledith, 20; Reyes, 24
  • 1916: Ercelle & Fayette, 14; Pleas, 25
  • 1917: Lowell, Mazelle & Patria, 16; Woodruff, 18
  • 1918: Victory, 78; Everitt, 19
  • 1919: Lanell, 16; Olney, 21
  • 1920: Iline & Keitha, 18; Heath, 19
  • 1921: Gilberte & Jacklyn, 16; Donold, 16
  • 1922: Basilia & Glayds, 15; Jw, 17
  • 1923: Marvene, 18; Silvestre, 19
  • 1924: Willadeen, 35; Delno, 19
  • 1925: Noralee, 20; Primitivo, 16
  • 1926: Sondra, 20; Torao, 27
  • 1927: Elga & Lindy, 27; Shoji, 81
  • 1928: Remona, 22; Windle, 17
  • 1929: Darla, 19; Davy, 25
  • 1930: Evalene, 17; Anastasio, 17
  • 1931: Marilyne, 17; Meliton, 15
  • 1932: Maribelle & Wynne, 16; Jacqueline, 18
  • 1933: Sheryl, 24; Lanny, 24
  • 1934: Carolynne & Viona, 15; Filiberto, 20
  • 1935: Vanessa, 32; Kenley, 29
  • 1936: Ardene & Lucienne, 18; Domenico, 15
  • 1937: Nadeen, 19; Lavell, 19
  • 1938: Josette, 44; Bertil & Jerol, 18
  • 1939: Charmayne, 18; Wilborn, 15

(The Social Security Administration’s baby name data isn’t perfect, but it does get a lot more accurate starting in the late 1930s because, according to the SSA, “many people born before 1937 never applied for a Social Security card, so their names are not included in our data.”)

  • 1940: Wendell, 25; Wilkie, 61
  • 1941: Aloma, 47; Maximo, 16
  • 1942: Victory, 51; Corey, 27
  • 1943: Corliss, 44; Amando & Cheryl, 16
  • 1944: Drenda, 50; Ruperto, 16
  • 1945: Drena, 37; Arie, 16
  • 1946: Cherylene, 56; Cliffton, 17
  • 1947: Asenath, 32; Baltazar, 20
  • 1948: Valli, 45; Carley, 15
  • 1949: Lark, 66; Buel, Dennison & Nehemiah, 18
  • 1950: Jasmine, 24; Jory, 52
  • 1951: Vendetta, 48; Alfonzia, Clell, Rondy, Ulysee & Vander, 15
  • 1952: Whitney, 20; Adlai, 40
  • 1953: Lugene, 30; Kervin, 18
  • 1954: Jyl, 80; Rahn, 66
  • 1955: Danni, 49; Teri, 17
  • 1956: Kirsti & Skye, 29; Timonthy, 21
  • 1957: Tammara, 38; Creed, 20
  • 1958: Elfreda, 33; Yancy, 24
  • 1959: Torrie, 42; Kym, 41
  • 1960: Pollyanna, 21; Armon & Delray, 20
  • 1961: Marnita, 145; Cord, 45
  • 1962: Anetta & Colinda, 18; Buckley, 18
  • 1963: Michaelann, 30; Georgie & Jerrod, 19
  • 1964: Djuana, 190; Destry, 149
  • 1965: Virna, 38; Horatio, 17
  • 1966: Tamatha, 222; Trevin, 21
  • 1967: Millette, 68; Arnel, Keary, Ky & Ricco, 15
  • 1968: Neely, 40; Griffith, Kacy & Troyce, 16
  • 1969: Francelia, 23; Darrius, 18
  • 1970: Telisha & Zenja, 26; Germaine, 29
  • 1971: Devonia, 22; Idris, 21
  • 1972: Contina, 209; Keelan, 20
  • 1973: Shenika, 33; Bram, 19
  • 1974: Seandra, 31; Reuven, 18
  • 1975: Mandee, 74; Jermale, 19
  • 1976: Niya, 97; Askia, 21
  • 1977: Kizzie, 286; Kenta, 48
  • 1978: Kylene, 88; Kodi, 41
  • 1979: Ranada, 37; Emmet, 19
  • 1980: Hanni, 34; Lando, 25
  • 1981: Jennilee, 37; Tristen, 21
  • 1982: Terran, 27; Ryne, 31
  • 1983: Yomaira, 45; Drue, 16
  • 1984: Leonela, 46; Catlin, 57
  • 1985: Sharda, 70; Justn, 23
  • 1986: Faren, 85; Adison, 21
  • 1987: Conchetta, 42; Najee, 50
  • 1988: Brogan, 36; Nikko, 59
  • 1989: Kyara, 65; Rishawn, 42
  • 1990: Tichina, 25; Telvin, 47
  • 1991: Bronte, 48; Dilon, 21
  • 1992: Oneisha, 39; Levonte, 32
  • 1993: Amairany, 41; Adonnis, 23
  • 1994: Marimar, 101; Corliss, 22
  • 1995: Shatasha, 26; Tryston, 42
  • 1996: Karrington, 34; Tysheem, 20
  • 1997: Neyda, 35; Voshon, 32
  • 1998: Arrion, 29; Amere, 29
  • 1999: Karyme, 40; Neo, 24
  • 2000: Laisa, 36; Perrion, 41
  • 2001: Torrance, 40; Andrik, 46
  • 2002: Naydelin, 58; Bode, 131
  • 2003: Princesa, 70; Anden, 41
  • 2004: Jenascia, 70; Cabot, 29
  • 2005: Jolette, 258; Greco, 40
  • 2006: Akeelah, 403; Corde, 51
  • 2007: Ambrielle, 46; Osmel, 29
  • 2008: Allysson, 61; Rohaan, 18
  • 2009: Ailea, 57; Kipton, 60
  • 2010: Solara, 40; Dyland, 67
  • 2011: Harnoor, 24; Dakhari, 18
  • 2012: Hareem, 54; Lio & Wayden, 19
  • 2013: Tahiry, 112; Zylen, 27
  • 2014: Yazaira, 42; Alyan, 22
  • 2015: Pihu, 19; Jonael, 232
  • 2016: Yurani, 97; Jru, 31
  • 2017: Brennley, 56; Noriel, 50
  • 2018: Roselyne, 87; Torryn, 31
  • 2019: Yameli, 49; Amyas, 21
  • 2020: Elleri, 34; Dutton, 27
  • 2021: Josiane, 41; Elkin, 21
  • 2022: Thena, 25; Kymeir, 23

I’ve already written about some of these names, and I’ll write about others in the future. In the meantime, feel free to beat me to it! Leave a comment and let us know what popularized Jory in 1950, or Marnita in 1961, or Catlin in 1984…

Source: SSA

Image: Adapted from First leaves Novosibirsk Siberia 24.04.2012 by Mikhail Koninin under CC BY 2.0.

Baby names with OO: Cooper, Brooklyn, Rooney

raccoon in a tree

Looking for baby names that feature the letter-pair OO?

I’ve collected oodles of OO names for you in this post!

Before we get to the names, though, let’s get one big question out of the way…

What sound does OO make?

In today’s English, OO commonly makes the sound you hear in the words boot, food, and moon. But it can also make other sounds, such as the ones you hear in the words blood, or door, or good.

Why all this diversity?

A lot of it has to do with the Great Vowel Shift, which lasted from the late 14th century until about 1700. The GVS was a major factor in the transition from Middle English to Modern English.

In Middle English, OO tended to make a “long o” sound. (As one of my sources explained, “scribes often indicated a long vowel sound by doubling the vowel letter.”) So, in Middle English, the words boot, food, and moon sounded more like “boat,” “foad,” and “moan.”

During the Great Vowel Shift, the pronunciation of most long vowel sounds inexplicably shifted “upward” in the mouth, and the words boot, food, and moon acquired their present-day pronunciations.

But it’s not quite as simple as that. Because some words underwent multiple pronunciation changes during the GVS, while others didn’t undergo any change at all.

And this resulted in OO having a variety of pronunciations in Modern English.

Now, back to the names!

Names with OO

Below are dozens of names that feature the letter-pair OO. Most of these names come directly from the U.S. SSA’s baby name data.

  • Ajooni
  • Alanood
  • Anoop
  • Aroosh
  • Atwood
  • Avnoor
  • Aynoor
  • Batool
  • Bloom
  • Booker
  • Boomer
  • Boone
  • Booth
  • Brentwood
  • Brooke, Brook
  • Brookelle
  • Brooker
  • Brookie
  • Brooklee, Brookley, Brookleigh
  • Brooklyn, Brooklynn, Brooklynne, Brooklin, Brooklinn, Brooklen, Brooklenn, Brookelyn, Brookelynn, Brookelynne
  • Brooks, Brookes, Broox
  • Brooksie
  • Brooksley
  • Brookson
  • Brookston
  • Cooke
  • Coolidge, Cooledge
  • Cooper, Kooper
  • Dawood
  • Delwood
  • Derwood, Durwood
  • Eastwood
  • Eknoor
  • Elwood, Ellwood
  • Farooq
  • Fleetwood
  • Garwood
  • Glenwood, Glennwood
  • Goodluck
  • Goodman
  • Goodness
  • Goodwin
  • Greenwood
  • Gurnoor
  • Hagood
  • Ha-Joon
  • Harnoor
  • Haroon
  • Harwood
  • Haywood, Heywood
  • Hooper
  • Hoor
  • Hoorain
  • Hooria, Hooriya
  • Hoover
  • Htoo
  • Japnoor
  • Jasnoor
  • Ji-Hoo
  • Ji-Soo
  • Jood
  • Joon
  • Joory
  • Joost
  • Kenwood
  • Kirkwood
  • Kohinoor
  • Kulsoom
  • Leeloo
  • Lenwood
  • Lindwood
  • Linwood
  • Lockwood
  • Lynwood, Lynnwood
  • Mahmood
  • Mahnoor
  • Manroop
  • Mansoor
  • Marwood
  • Masooma
  • Maysoon
  • Maywood
  • Moo
  • Moon
  • Moosa
  • Nooh
  • Noomi
  • Noor
  • Noora, Noorah
  • Nooreh
  • Noori
  • Nooria, Nooriyah
  • Noorseen
  • Noortje
  • Noorulain
  • Norwood
  • Oona, Oonagh
  • Osgood
  • Prabhnoor
  • Poorna
  • Raywood
  • Roo
  • Roohi
  • Rook
  • Rooney
  • Roop
  • Roope
  • Roosevelt
  • Rooster
  • Seabrooke
  • Sherwood
  • Shooter
  • Sookie
  • Stanwood
  • Sun-Woo
  • Underwood
  • Westbrook
  • Wood
  • Woodard
  • Woodensley
  • Woodfin
  • Woodford
  • Woodland
  • Woodley
  • Woodlyn
  • Woodrow
  • Woodruff
  • Woods
  • Woodson
  • Woodward
  • Woody, Woodie
  • Woo-Jin
  • Yaqoob
  • Yaqoot
  • Yoona
  • Zaroon
  • Zooey

A number of the above represent transferred usage of various English surnames — particularly those that contain words like “wood,” “good,” and “brook.”

Speaking of surnames (and surnames being used as first names), did you know that five U.S. presidents had OO-names? Weirdly, all five served during the first half of the 20th century:

  • Theodore Roosevelt (in office from 1901 to 1909)
  • Woodrow Wilson (1913 to 1921)
  • Calvin Coolidge (1923 to 1929)
  • Herbert Hoover (1929 to 1933)
  • Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933 to 1945)

Which of all the OO names above to do you like most? (Can you think of any that I missed?) Let me know in the comments!

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Raton laveur commun (Procyon lotor) by Clément Bardot under CC BY-SA 4.0.

What gave the baby name Rulon a boost in 1941?

Mormon Church leader Rulon S. Wells (1954-1941)
Rulon Wells

The rare name Rulon saw a dip in usage in 1940, followed by a spike in usage in 1941. These two conditions combined made Rulon the fastest-rising male name of 1941:

  • 1943: 11 baby boys named Rulon (5 in Idaho)
  • 1942: 12 baby boys named Rulon (9 in Utah)
  • 1941: 21 baby boys named Rulon (15 in Utah)
  • 1940: 6 baby boys named Rulon (5 in Utah)
  • 1939: 18 baby boys named Rulon (7 in Idaho, 6 in Utah)
  • 1938: 14 baby boys named Rulon (11 in Utah)

I can’t account for the dip, but the spike corresponds to the death of Rulon S. Wells, who was a prominent leader in the Mormon Church. (This explains the particularly high usage in Utah and Idaho.)

Rulon Wells was born in the 1850s in Salt Lake City. He was one of about three dozen siblings and half-siblings (via his father’s seven wives). I don’t how the name “Rulon” was chosen, but the names of some of Rulon’s siblings aren’t hard to figure out:

Rulon himself had just one wife and seven children: Josephine, Rulon Jr., Sidney, Elizabeth, Lillian, Helen, and Dorothy.

Do you like the name Rulon? Would you use it?

P.S. Mary Juneve Jones of Utah, mentioned in the post about baby names inspired by Rexall scents, had a father named Isaac Rulon Jones (b. 1902).

Source: Rulon S. Wells – Wikipedia