How popular is the baby name Zoe 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 Zoe.

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Popularity of the baby name Zoe


Posts that mention the name Zoe

Popular baby names in Hungary, 2020

Flag of Hungary
Flag of Hungary

According to data from the Hungary’s Ministry of the Interior, the most popular baby names in the country in 2020 were (again!) Hanna and Bence.

Below are Hungary’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names for each of the last four years (since 2016):

Girl Names

2017201820192020
1HannaHannaHannaHanna
2AnnaZoéAnnaAnna
3ZoéAnnaZoéZoé
4LucaEmmaLucaLéna
5EmmaLucaLénaLuca
6ZsófiaLénaEmmaEmma
7JázminZsófiaZsófiaZsófia
8NóraBoglárkaLiliBoglárka
9BoglárkaJázminBoglárkaLili
10LénaLiliMiraMira

Boy Names

2017201820192020
1BenceBenceBenceBence
2MátéMátéMátéMáté
3LeventeDominikLeventeDominik
4NoelMarcellDominikLevente
5ÁdámLeventeMarcellNoel
6MarcellNoelNoelDániel
7DominikÁdámÁdámZalán
8DávidDánielDánielMarcell
9DánielMilánDávidOlivér
10MilánDávidOlivérÁdám

Finally, here are a few of the interesting names I noticed in Hungary’s recent top-100 lists (2017-2020):

  • Boróka (f), pronounced BO-ro-kaw , from the Hungarian word boróka, meaning “juniper.”
  • Csenge (f), pronounced CHENG-geh, derived from the Hungarian word cseng, meaning “to ring, clang.”
  • Csongor (m), pronounced CHONG-gor, possibly derived from a Turkic word meaning “falcon.”
  • Emese (f), pronounced EH-meh-sheh, possibly derived from the Finno-Ugric word eme, meaning “mother.”
    • This was the name of the grandmother of Árpád (845-907), considered by many Hungarians to be the founder of the country.
  • Hanga (f), pronounced HAWNG-gaw, from the Hungarian word hanga, meaning “heather.”
  • Szabolcs (m), pronounced SAW-bolch, of unknown meaning but possibly derived from a Slavic word meaning “marten.”

Sources: Statistics – Hungary’s Deputy State Secretariat for the Administration of the Ministry of the Interior, Behind the Name

Image: Adapted from Flag of Hungary (public domain)

Where did the baby name Loey come from in 1970?

The character Loey from the TV movie "Ritual of Evil" (1970)
Loey from “Ritual of Evil”

It’s almost Halloween! So let’s look at the curious girl name Loey, which debuted in the U.S. baby name data at the start of the ’70s:

  • 1972: unlisted
  • 1971: unlisted
  • 1970: 11 baby girls named Loey [debut]
  • 1969: unlisted
  • 1968: unlisted

What put it there?

A character from the TV horror movie Ritual of Evil, which premiered in February of 1970. It was a sequel to the 1969 TV movie Fear No Evil, and so it featured the same main character: psychiatrist David Sorrell.

In Ritual of Evil, Dr. Sorrell investigated the death of one of his patients, a young heiress. Turns out she was killed by a Satanic cult, and her little sister Loey (played by Belinda Montgomery) was now in danger as well.

In the film, the name “Loey” was pronounced to rhyme with Chloe and Zoe.

What are your thoughts on the name Loey?

P.S. Other horror-filled names we’ve discussed before include Tippi, Pleshette, Marnie, Annabelle, Aristede, Jamison, Josette, Angelique, Samara, Daveigh, Rhoda, and Thedy.

Sources: Ritual of Evil (1970) – Movies and Mania, SSA

Baby names in the news: Lisbon, Luka, Azzurra

Some recent (and not-so-recent) baby names from the news…

Azzurra: A baby girl born to a Scots-Italian family in Scotland on July 11, 2021 — the day the Italian national football team (nicknamed gli Azzurri, “the blues”) won the Euro 2020 Championship — was named Azzurra. (Daily Record)

Heights: The baby boy born to movie director Jon M. Chu in July of 2019 was named Jonathan Heights — middle name in honor of Chu’s film In The Heights, which he was shooting at that time. (MSN, via Abby)

Lisbon: The baby boy born to British TV personality Dr. Zoe Williams and her partner in June of 2021 was named Lisbon because the couple “met by chance at a bar in Lisbon, Portugal.” (Hello)

Luka Modric: A baby boy born in Peru in July of 2018 — the day after Croatia beat England in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup — was named Luka Modric after Croatia’s captain, Luka Modric. (Croatia Week)

Popular and unique baby names in Quebec (Canada), 2020

Flag of Quebec
Flag of Quebec

According to Retraite Québec, the most popular baby names in Quebec last year were (again) Olivia and Liam.

Here are the province’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2020:

Girl Names

  1. Olivia, 543 baby girls
  2. Alice, 491 (2-way tie)
  3. Emma, 491 (2-way tie)
  4. Charlie, 488
  5. Charlotte, 449 (2-way tie)
  6. Lea, 449 (2-way tie)
  7. Florence, 447
  8. Livia, 437
  9. Romy, 338
  10. Clara, 335

Boy Names

  1. Liam, 661 baby boys
  2. William, 644
  3. Noah, 639
  4. Thomas, 594
  5. Leo, 572
  6. Nathan, 518
  7. Edouard, 489
  8. Logan, 478
  9. Jacob, 468
  10. Arthur, 461

In the girls’ top 10, Romy and Clara replaced Rosalie and Beatrice.

In the boys’ top 10, Jacob and Arthur replaced Felix, Raphael and Emile.

Below are some of the baby names that were bestowed just once in Quebec last year. (I tried to focus on First Nations names this time around.)

Unique Girl NamesUnique Boy Names
Ange Lumiere, Avanika, Balkissa, Cathy Jaguar, Croyance, Daphka, Ezralene, Framboise, Gaela Olga, Himalaya Fay, Iaely, Jolly-Anne, Julia Uapikun, Katsuak, Kim-Sparkle, Lailah-Waseskon, Lilwenn, Mappaluk, Mekuaushkuan, Meluvia, Nadege Prestige, Nidehina, Nkulu Aimerence, Olizianne, Onyx Mbombo, Ophelia-Darling, Pastel, Pixel, Plamedie, Qullik, Raphdaelle, Richelieu Christina, Rissala, Sikuliaq, Sunrise, Taliittuq, Thanjana, Tuline, Ullusiurvik, Uppialuk, Videluna, Widchelle, Woulimata Hannah, Xiyao, Youvica, Zoe-ZinaAbischai Sardonyx, Alexandre Wapan, Bikyeombe Bienvenue, Bluesun, Chanmonyrith, Charlie Qumanguaq, Crizo, Dalzell, Edwight, Fritzlerson, Guntaz, Heavyd, Ittukallak, Ittuvik, Ivan Appalirak, Justgood, Karthigan, Kasudluak, Lebonheur, Lenny Bruce, Manhattan, Massabiel, Mckeen, Naavalan, New-York, Oceannic Sunchase, Omri-Kyanite, Pacifique, Peter Angutik, Quppapik, Reiki, Ro’nikonhrowa nen, Soho, Surusiluk, Thomas Qautsaalik, Tikwaachin, Tuukak, Upenak, Uyghur, Valmont, Waseskon, Wastuskun, Xandres, Ywaashtin, Zaphly, Zoubert

Some explanations/associations:

  • Aimerence means “love” in French.
  • Ange Lumiere means “angel of light”/”light angel” in French.
  • Angutik means “male” or “man” in Inuttut.
  • Bienvenue means “welcome” in French.
  • Croyance means “belief” in French.
  • Framboise means “raspberry” in French.
  • Heavyd…could it be a reference to rapper Heavy D? (Maybe just a variant of Heaven?)
  • Katsuak (or Katsuaq) means “biceps” in Inuit.
  • Kyanite is a type of mineral.
  • Lebonheur means “happiness” in French.
  • Lenny Bruce…is it a reference to comedian Lenny Bruce?
  • Mekuaushkuan means “the clouds are red at sunset” in Innu-aimun.
  • Plamedie is a contracted form of the French phrase plan merveilleux de Dieu, meaning “wonderful plan of God.”
  • Qullik (or Qulliq) means “oil lamp” in Inuit.
  • Qumanguaq is a mountain in Nunavut; the name means “the shrugging hill (no neck)” in Inuktitut.
  • Reiki is a type of energy healing that was developed in Japan.
  • Richelieu…is it a reference to Cardinal Richelieu?
  • Ro’nikonhrowa nen (or Ro’nikonhrowa:nen), which comes from a figure in Iroquois folklore, means “he who has ideas.”
  • Sardonyx is a type of banded gemstone.
  • Sikuliaq (pronounced see-KOO-lee-auk) means “young sea ice” in Inupiaq.
  • Soho, Manhattan, New-York — in this order, they form an address :)
  • Taliittuq may mean “no arm” in Inuit.
  • Tikwaachin means “autumn” in Cree.
  • Tuukak…I don’t know the definition, but a character named Tuukak appeared in a mid-2020 episode of the animated kids’ show Molly of Denali.
  • Uapikun means “flower” in Innu-aimun.
  • Ullusiurvik means “feast day” or “holy day” in Inuktitut.
  • Uppialuk means “snowy owl” in Inuktitut.
  • Uyghur…the Uyghurs are a Turkic ethnic group in China.
  • Wapan means “dawn” in Cree.
  • Waseskon may mean “blue” or “sky blue” in Cree. (The very similar Cree word Waseskun has been defined as: “the time just after a storm, when the dark clouds begin to part, the blue sky appears, and the first rays of sunlight shine through.”)
  • Ywaashtin may mean “calm” in Cree.

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Flag of Quebec (public domain)