How popular is the baby name Zion 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 Zion.

The graph will take a few moments to load. (Don't worry, it shouldn't take 9 months!) If it's taking too long, try reloading the page.


Popularity of the baby name Zion


Posts that mention the name Zion

How did “The Matrix” influence baby names?

The character Trinity from the movie "The Matrix" (1999)
Trinity from “The Matrix

The Matrix — widely considered to be one of the greatest science-fiction movies of all time — was released in March of 1999. It was the fourth-highest-grossing film of the year, and went on to win four Oscars (including Best Visual Effects) in early 2000.

In The Matrix, the majority of humanity is unknowingly trapped inside a simulated reality created by sentient machines. This simulation is called “the Matrix” by the (relatively few) humans who live outside of it.

At the start of the story, a man living inside the simulation — a computer programmer named Thomas Anderson (who is also a hacker known as “Neo”) — becomes vaguely aware of the Matrix.

Neo (played by Keanu Reeves) is soon contacted by Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) — two resistance fighters who have been freed from the Matrix. They offer him a chance to escape the simulation and join them in the war against the machines.

The character Neo from the movie "The Matrix" (1999)
Neo from “The Matrix

So, how did The Matrix impact U.S. baby names?

Neo

After returning to U.S. baby name data in 1999, the name Neo more than quadrupled in usage in 2000:

  • 2001: 111 baby boys named Neo
  • 2000: 116 baby boys named Neo
  • 1999: 24 baby boys named Neo
  • 1998: unlisted
  • 1997: unlisted

Neo’s name is not only a match to the Greek prefix neo-, meaning “new,” but also an anagram of the word one, which is significant because Morpheus believes Neo is “the One” — the person who, according to prophecy, will destroy the Matrix and liberate mankind.

Morpheus

The rare name Morpheus debuted in the data in 2000:

  • 2001: unlisted
  • 2000: 5 baby boys named Morpheus
  • 1999: unlisted
  • 1998: unlisted
  • 1997: unlisted

The character’s name comes from the mythological figure of Morpheus, one of the dream-shaping sons of the Greek god of sleep, Hypnos. According to Ovid, Morpheus’ specialty was appearing in dreams as a human. (His bothers specialized in taking other forms.)

Trinity

Already being given to hundreds of baby girls per year, the name Trinity more than tripled in usage in 1999, then nearly tripled again (jumping straight into the girls’ top 100) in 2000:

  • 2001: 4,481 baby girls named Trinity [rank: 67th]
  • 2000: 4,284 baby girls named Trinity [rank: 74th]
  • 1999: 1,481 baby girls named Trinity [rank: 209th]
  • 1998: 481 baby girls named Trinity [rank: 525th]
  • 1997: 437 baby girls named Trinity [rank: 543rd]

The word trinity, which refers to a group of three, is strongly associated with the concept of the Holy Trinity in Christian theology.

(Another name based on a religious concept, Nevaeh, became trendy around the same time.)

Matrix

Like Neo, the name Matrix returned to the data in 1999:

  • 2001: unlisted
  • 2000: 6 baby boys named Matrix
  • 1999: 12 baby boys named Matrix (peak usage)
  • 1998: unlisted
  • 1997: unlisted

The word matrix refers to a place where something originates or takes form. Before the mid-16th century, it meant “uterus” specifically. In ancient Rome, the word referred to “a female animal kept for breeding.” It ultimately derives from mater, the Latin word for “mother.”

The character Niobe from the movie "The Matrix Reloaded" (2003)
Niobe from “The Matrix Reloaded

The Matrix was followed by three sequels — not to mention three video games, several comic books, and more.

The first sequel, The Matrix Reloaded, and the first video game, Enter the Matrix, both came out in May of 2003. The second sequel, The Matrix Revolutions, was released six months later, in November.

Reloaded and Revolutions became the third- and the eighth-highest-grossing films of the year, respectively, and they (along with the game) featured a number of new characters, including…

Niobe

Noibe (played by Jada Pinkett Smith) was a Zion-born resistance fighter who captained the hovercraft Logos.

The name Niobe debuted in the data in 2003:

  • 2005: 20 baby girls named Niobe
  • 2004: 33 baby girls named Niobe
  • 2003: 21 baby girls named Niobe [debut]
  • 2002: unlisted
  • 2001: unlisted

The character’s name comes from the Greek mythological figure of Niobe, who was punished by the gods for her hubris.

Persephone

Persephone (played by Monica Bellucci) was a human-like computer program living inside the Matrix with her husband, the Merovingian.

Usage of the name Persephone more than doubled in 2003:

  • 2005: 47 baby girls named Persephone
  • 2004: 43 baby girls named Persephone
  • 2003: 45 baby girls named Persephone
  • 2002: 19 baby girls named Persephone
  • 2001: 22 baby girls named Persephone

The character’s name comes from the Greek mythological figure of Persephone, the wife of Hades and (thereby) the queen of the underworld.

Link

Link (played by Harold Perrineau) was the Zion-born operator of Morpheus’ hovercraft, the Nebuchadnezzar.

The name Link saw slightly elevated usage in 2003:

  • 2005: 7 baby boys named Link
  • 2004: 15 baby boys named Link
  • 2003: 13 baby boys named Link
  • 2002: 8 baby boys named Link
  • 2001: 6 baby boys named Link

Sati

Sati (played by Tanveer K. Atwal) was, like Persephone, a sentient computer program. Introduced in the second sequel, Sati was a little girl whose parents (also programs) had created her without a purpose, putting her at risk of deletion.

The rare name Sati returned to the data briefly in 2004:

  • 2006: unlisted
  • 2005: unlisted
  • 2004: 7 baby girls named Sati
  • 2003: unlisted
  • 2002: unlisted

The character’s name comes from the Hindu goddess Sati, whose name means “truthful” or “virtuous” in Sanskrit.

Zion

Zion wasn’t a character, but a place — the last human settlement on planet Earth. The vast underground city was depicted onscreen in both Reloaded and Revolutions (after having been only mentioned in the original film).

Usage of the name Zion, which had been declining for several years, began increasing again in 2003:

Boys named ZionGirls named Zion
20051,120 (rank: 293rd)248 (rank: 988th)
20041,008 (rank: 311th)212
2003879 (rank: 329th)137
2002828 (rank: 333rd)125
2001867 (rank: 324th)143

Of all the Matrix-related names above, which one would you be most likely to use in real life?

P.S. Blade Runner, Star Wars, and 2001: A Space Odyssey are also considered to be among the greatest science-fiction movies of all time.

Sources:

Images: Screenshots of The Matrix and The Matrix Reloaded

Popular baby names in New York City, 2023

Flag of New York
Flag of New York

Last year, New York City welcomed 98,389 babies.

What were the most popular names among these babies? Emma (for the seventh year in a row) and Liam (for the eighth year in a row), according to the New York City Health Department.

Here are NYC’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2023:

Girl names

  1. Emma, 382 baby girls
  2. Mia
  3. Sophia
  4. Olivia
  5. Isabella
  6. Amelia
  7. Leah (ranked 53rd for girls nationally in 2023)
  8. Chloe (26th)
  9. Luna
  10. Sofia (12th)

Boy names

  1. Liam, 743 baby boys
  2. Noah
  3. David (ranked 27th for boys nationally in 2023)
  4. Lucas
  5. Jacob (36th)
  6. Ethan (25th)
  7. Joseph (29th)
  8. Dylan (34th)
  9. Michael [tie] (16th)
  10. Muhammad [tie] (272nd)

In the girls’ top 10, Chloe and Sofia replaced Ava and Esther.

In the boys’ top 10, Dylan, Michael, and Muhammad replaced Aiden, Daniel, and Alexander.

Both Dylan and Muhammad — which was the #1 boy name in England and Wales last year — are new to NYC’s top 10. Michael, on the other hand, was a “favorite among New Yorkers from 1980 to 2006.”

The Health Department’s news release also mentioned dozens of other Big Apple baby names, including…

Girl namesBoy names
Esther (ranked 12th), Miriam (15th), Aurora (41st), Violet (45th), Rose (52nd), Eleanor (56th), Gemma (78th), Athena (79th), Savannah (85th), Iris (87th), Daisy (93rd), Sage (100th)Alexander (ranked 17th), Zion (62nd), Leonardo (65th), Milan (70th), Adonis (76th), Amari (78th)

Finally, here’s a link to New York City’s 2022 rankings, if you’d like to check them out.

Sources:

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

Popular baby names in the Philippines, 2022

Flag of the Philippines
Flag of the Philippines

In 2022, the Philippines welcomed 1,455,393 babies.

What were the most popular names among these babies? Althea and Nathaniel, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Here are the country’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2022:

Girl names

  1. Althea, 1,935 baby girls
  2. Angel, 1,388
  3. Samantha, 1,314
  4. Princess, 1,110
  5. Nathalie, 1,094
  6. Chloe, 1,056
  7. Sofia, 1,046
  8. Zia, 984
  9. Athena, 983
  10. Sophia, 973

Boy names

  1. Nathaniel, 1,956 baby boys
  2. Jacob, 1,781
  3. Ezekiel, 1,662
  4. Gabriel, 1,583
  5. Nathan, 1,557
  6. Ethan, 1,359
  7. Noah, 1,322
  8. Liam, 1,198
  9. James, 1,151
  10. Matthew, 1,138

In the girls’ top 10, Zia and Athena replaced Andrea and Angela.

In the boys’ top 10, Noah and Liam replaced Angelo and Zion.

And which baby names saw the biggest jumps in usage?

  • Noah, which rose from 931 to 1,322 baby boys [2021 to 2022]
  • Avianna Louise, which rose from 11 to 295 baby girls [2021 to 2022]

Avianna Louise’s extreme increase must be attributable to something, though I’m not sure what.

In lieu of that, here’s some fun data from a 2017 infographic (PDF) showing how beauty queens have influenced girl names in the Philippines over the years.

In 1974 and 1994 — the first two times that the Philippines hosted the Miss Universe pageant — babies were named after both the delegate from the Philippines and the delegate who won the pageant:

NameDelegateUsage Increase (baby girls)
GuadalupeGuadalupe Sanchez
Miss Philippines 1974
46 to 87
[1973 to 1974]
AmparoAmparo Muñoz (of Spain)
Miss Universe 1974
127 to 689
[1973 to 1974]
CharleneCharlene Gonzales
Miss Philippines 1994
1,345 to 4,178
[1993 to 1994]
SushmitaSushmita Sen (of India)
Miss Universe 1994
3 to 535
[1993 to 1994]

And in 1969, 1973, and 2015, the delegate from the Philippines was the winner of the pageant:

NameDelegateUsage increase (baby girls)
GloriaGloria Diaz
Miss Universe 1969
3,100 to 3,413
[1968 to 1969]
Margarita or Margie
(not specified)
Margarita “Margie” Moran
Miss Universe 1973
1,706 to 2,351
[1972 to 1973]
PiaPia Wurtzbach
Miss Universe 2015
621 to 925
[2015 to 2016]

A fourth Filipina, Catriona Gray, won Miss Universe (and likewise influenced baby names) in 2018.

Sources: Most Common Baby Names of 2022 – Philippine Statistics Authority (PDF), Registered Live Births in the Philippines, 2022 – Philippine Statistics Authority

Image: Adapted from Flag of the Philippines (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