How popular is the baby name Zoella 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 Zoella.

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Popularity of the baby name Zoella


Posts that mention the name Zoella

Popular baby names in England and Wales (UK), 2023

Flag of the United Kingdom
Flag of the United Kingdom

Last year, the countries of England and Wales together welcomed 591,072 babies.

What were the most popular names among these babies? Olivia and Muhammad.

Here are England and Wales’ top 50 girl names and top 50 boy names of 2023:

Girl names

  1. Olivia, 2,906 baby girls
  2. Amelia, 2,663
  3. Isla, 2,337
  4. Lily, 2,290
  5. Freya, 2,086
  6. Ava, 2,050
  7. Ivy, 1,997
  8. Florence, 1,899
  9. Willow, 1,833
  10. Isabella, 1,795
  11. Poppy, 1,755
    • Poppy ranked third among baby girls born in November specifically, no doubt because of the association between poppies and Remembrance Day (Nov. 11).
  12. Sophia, 1,679
  13. Evelyn, 1,673
  14. Elsie, 1,662
  15. Sienna, 1,657
  16. Mia, 1,640
  17. Daisy, 1,585
  18. Grace, 1,541
  19. Sofia, 1,514
  20. Phoebe, 1,510
  21. Rosie, 1,508
  22. Harper, 1,466
  23. Charlotte, 1,373
  24. Evie, 1,350
  25. Millie, 1,349
  26. Bonnie, 1,346
  27. Ella, 1,307
  28. Emily, 1,280
  29. Maya, 1,255
  30. Matilda, 1,212
  31. Aria, 1,198
  32. Delilah, 1,194
  33. Penelope, 1,156
  34. Hallie, 1,154
  35. Mila, 1,127
  36. Maeve, 1,114
  37. Ada, 1,089
  38. Luna, 1,063
  39. Ruby, 1,059
  40. Mabel, 1,051
  41. Maisie, 1,039
  42. Violet, 1,034
  43. Arabella, 1,029
  44. Margot, 1,025
  45. Emilia, 1,017
  46. Isabelle, 984
  47. Esme, 982
  48. Lottie, 980
  49. Aurora, 964
  50. Alice, 955

Boy names

  1. Muhammad, 4,661 baby boys
  2. Noah, 4,382
  3. Oliver, 3,556
  4. George, 3,494
  5. Leo, 3,416
  6. Arthur, 3,387
  7. Luca, 3,195
  8. Theodore, 2,666
  9. Oscar, 2,632
  10. Henry, 2,490
  11. Theo, 2,489
  12. Freddie, 2,481
  13. Archie, 2,400
  14. Arlo, 2,253
  15. Jude, 2,177
  16. Alfie, 2,111
  17. Charlie, 2,010
  18. Jack, 1,953
  19. Thomas, 1,855
  20. Finley, 1,844
  21. Harry, 1,799
  22. Albie, 1,756
  23. Teddy, 1,687
  24. Jacob, 1,655
  25. Lucas, 1,644
  26. Tommy, 1,629
  27. Isaac, 1,611
  28. Mohammed, 1,601
  29. William, 1,544
  30. Edward, 1,501
  31. Elijah, 1,482
  32. Roman, 1,481
  33. Rory, 1,468
  34. Alexander, 1,456
  35. James, 1,430
  36. Louie, 1,421
  37. Reuben, 1,356
  38. Ezra, 1,345
  39. Oakley, 1,343
  40. Joshua, 1,339
  41. Adam, 1,326
  42. Sebastian, 1,313
  43. Hudson, 1,291
  44. Max, 1,274
  45. Louis, 1,236
  46. Ronnie, 1,222
  47. Ethan, 1,198
  48. Hugo, 1,174
  49. Harrison, 1,151
  50. Mason, 1,118

In the girls’ top 10, Willow replaced Mia.

In the boys’ top 10, Luca and Henry replaced Theo and Freddie.

New to the girls’ top 100 were Hazel, Lilah, Autumn, Nevaeh, and Raya.

New to the boys’ top 100 were Jax, Enzo, and Bodhi.

The number of hyphenated girl names increased significantly (from 12,332 to 19,143), while the number of hyphenated boy names decreased slightly (from 3,140 to 2,807).

And here’s a selection of uncommon names that were given to just three babies each in England and Wales (combined) in 2023:

Rare girl namesRare boy names
Alfia, Bluebella, Buddug, Coni, Dolcy, Ephelia, Fen, Glesni, Harasees, Indica, Jodh, Khulood, Larnie, Myrto, Nectaria, Omuwa, Pip, Qiraat, Reevie, Sorrel, Tegwen, Udaina, Vani, Waverly, Xanthea, Yvaine, ZoellaApollon, Banksy, Blaidd, Catalin, Dishan, Eifion, Fayzan, Gurvir, Haaland, Iverson, Jibriel, Kirtan, Lucho, Monaco, Nalan, Orwell, Prevail, Qusay, Ranbir, Sebbie, Tassilo, Ulrich, Vedh, Wildan, Xavian, Yamac, Zuko

Possible explanations/associations for several of the above:

  • Blaidd means “wolf” in Welsh. (It’s also the name of a half-wolf character in the 2022 video game Elden Ring.)
  • Buddug is based on the Welsh word budd, which means “benefit, profit.” It’s the Welsh equivalent of Boudicca (the name of the ancient British queen who led a revolt against the Romans).
  • Fen might refer to the type of wetland.
  • Glesni means “blueness” or “greenness” in Welsh.
  • Haaland is the surname of Norwegian soccer player Erling Haaland (who currently plays for Manchester City F.C.).

Here are the 2023 rankings for Scotland and Northern Ireland — the other two countries in the United Kingdom — and the 2022 rankings for England and Wales, if you’d like to compare last year to the year before.

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Flag of the United Kingdom (public domain)

Pop culture baby name game results, 2014

Here are the results of Pop Culture Baby Name Game 2014!

Some of the names below were already on their way up, so I’ll leave it to you guys to decide just how much of an effect pop culture had on each one.

Hazel, +828

  • Up from 2,049 baby girls in 2013 to 2,877 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: the movie The Fault in Our Stars (2014).

Elsa, +567

  • Up from 564 baby girls in 2013 to 1,131 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: the movie Frozen (2013).

Anna, +287

  • Up from 5,352 baby girls in 2013 to 5,639 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: the movie Frozen (2013).

Margaret, +168

  • Up from 1,765 baby girls in 2013 to 1,933 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: the television show Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.

Augustus, +153

  • Up from 346 baby boys in 2013 to 499 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: the movie The Fault in Our Stars (2014).

Azalea, +139

  • Up from 443 baby girls in 2013 to 582 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: rapper Iggy Azalea.

Peter, +53

  • Up from 1,846 baby boys in 2013 to 1,899 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: Peter Pan (both the live-action TV event and the upcoming movie).

Robin (as a boy name specifically), +33

  • Up from 155 baby boys in 2013 to 188 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: the death of Robin Williams.

Zarina, +32

  • Up from 42 baby girls in 2013 to 74 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: the movie The Pirate Fairy (2014).

Benedict, +29

  • Up from 108 baby boys in 2013 to 137 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: actor Benedict Cumberbatch.

Annalise, +28

  • Up from 665 baby girls in 2013 to 693 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: the television show How To Get Away With Murder.

Judith, +28

  • Up from 251 baby girls in 2013 to 279 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: the television show The Walking Dead.

Kristoff, +25

  • Up from 7 baby boys in 2013 to 32 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: the movie Frozen (2013).

Shailene, +23

  • Up from 6 baby girls in 2013 to 29 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: actress Shailene Woodley, from the movie The Fault in Our Stars (2014).

Tauriel, debuted with 20

  • Debuted with 20 baby girls (the 5th highest debut!) in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: two of the Hobbit movies (2013 & 2014).

Amal, +17

  • Up from 69 baby girls in 2013 to 86 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: George Clooney’s marriage to Amal Alamuddin in 2014.

Odessa, +13

  • Up from 47 baby girls in 2013 to 60 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: rapper Dessa.
  • The name Dessa itself, though, actually decreased in popularity in 2014.

Scotlyn, +13
Scotland, +4 & +4

  • Scotlyn: Up from 50 baby girls in 2013 to 67 in 2014.
  • Scotland: Up from 8 baby girls and 32 baby boys in 2013 to 12 and 36 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: the Scottish independence referendum.

Iselle, debuted with 13

  • Debuted with 13 baby girls (the 11th highest debut) in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: Hurricane Iselle.

Vale, re-entered with 12 & 8

  • After an absence, returned to the list with 12 baby girls and 8 baby boys.
  • Pop culture influence: a celebrity baby name (daughter of Savannah Guthrie).

Murphy (as a girl name specifically), +11

  • Up from 31 baby girls in 2013 to 42 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: the movie Interstellar (2014).

Mandela, +10

  • Up from 6 baby boys in 2013 to 16 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: the death of Nelson Mandela.

Rosamund, re-entered with 9

  • After an absence, returned to the list with 9 baby girls.
  • Pop culture influence: actress Rosamund Pike.

Noni, re-entered with 8

  • After an absence, returned to the list with 8 baby girls.
  • Pop culture influence: the movie Beyond the Lights (2014).
  • But another character name, Kaz, decreased in popularity in 2014.

Ansel, +7

  • Up from 101 baby boys in 2013 to 108 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: the movie The Fault in Our Stars (2014).

Kaiser, +7

  • Up from 62 baby boys in 2013 to 69 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: a celebrity baby name (son of Teen Mom Jenelle Evans).

Pharrell, +6

  • Up from 16 baby boys in 2013 to 22 in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: musician Pharrell Williams.

Madiba, debuted with 5

  • Debuted with 5 baby boys in 2014.
  • Pop culture influence: the death of Nelson Mandela.

Lucas, unknown in NYC specifically, +55 in NY state, +564 nationally

  • The New York City 2014 data isn’t out yet.
  • Up from 975 baby boys in 2013 to 1,030 in 2014, in New York state.
  • Up from 11,514 baby boys in 2013 to 12,078 in 2014, nationally.
  • Pop culture influence: Venmo’s “Lucas” Ads in the NYC subway.

Names that went up by 4 or fewer:

Names that went down:

Names still not on the SSA’s list in 2014:

  • Arendelle
  • Diren
  • Ellar
  • Ferguson
  • Floribeth
  • Idina
  • Keke
  • Ledisi
  • Maleficent (despite the pro-Maleficent comments I’ve been getting)
  • Odeya
  • Peaches
  • Philae
  • Rust
  • Seanix
  • Sibel
  • Ska
  • Vitruvius
  • Wyldstyle

Did any of these surprise you?

I’m particularly surprised that Lupita Nyong’o has had no effect on the usage of her name so far.

P.S. Some of the names from the 2013 game that have started/continued to do well: Cressida (re-entered list in 2014), Finnick, Llewyn (the top debut name of 2014), Neymar, Nori, Primrose, Sochi (debuted in 2014), Tessanne (debuted in 2014) and Zoella.

Pop culture baby name game, 2013

Britney Spears album

Every year on Britney Spears’s birthday (December 2) we start another round of the annual Pop Culture Baby Name Game.

What is the Pop Culture Baby Name Game, you ask? Good question! It’s not a “game” really, but more of a group brainstorm. We try to guess which baby names became more popular during the year thanks to pop culture — music, movies, television, sports, politics, current events, products, etc.

I’ve searched for all the 2013 predictions we’ve made so far (in posts & comments) and listed them below. I also threw in a few more possibilities — mostly celebrity baby names. So here’s what we’re starting with:

  • Ace – Jessica Simpson’s baby boy, born in June
  • Armand or Armie – Lone Ranger actor Armand “Armie” Hammer
  • Axl – Fergie’s baby boy, born in August
  • Bailey (per skizzo) – Grey’s Anatomy baby
  • Benedict (per Rita) – Benedict Cumberbatch
  • Bilbo (per elbowin) – The Hobbit character
  • Cressida or Cressie – Prince Harry’s girlfriend Cressida “Cressie” Bonas
  • Cricket – Busy Philipps’s baby girl, born in July
  • Cypher – After Earth character
  • D’Ussé – Jay Z-endorsed cognac
  • Elon – Tesla founder Elon Musk
  • Evanora (per skizzo) – Oz the Great and Powerful character
  • Everly – Channing Tatum’s baby girl, born in May
  • Evo (per elbowin) – Bolivian president Evo Morales
  • Fantine – Les Mis character (especially since the Oscars)
  • Finley (per skizzo) – Oz the Great and Powerful character
  • Francesco, Francis, Francisco – Pope Francis, elected in March
  • Gatsby (per skizzo) – movie The Great Gatsby
  • George – Kate and William’s royal baby boy, born in July
  • Harley (per skizzo) – Iron Man character
  • Kitai – After Earth character
  • Ladar (per elbowin) – Lavabit owner Ladar Levison
  • Lincoln – movie Lincoln
  • Lula – Bryan Adams’s baby girl, born in February
  • Luna – Penelope Cruz’s baby girl, born in July
  • Macklemore – rapper Macklemore
  • Malala – young Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai
  • Marnie – Lily Allen’s baby girl, born in January
  • Milan – Shakira’s baby boy, born in January
  • Minaj – singer Nicki Minaj
  • Neymar (per Rita) – Brazillian football player Neymar
  • North or Nori – Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s baby girl, born in June
  • Philomena – movie Philomena
  • Quvenzhané (per Rita) – child actress Quvenzhané Wallis
  • Rainbow – Holly Madison’s baby girl, born in March
  • Robin (per Rita) – singer Robin Thicke
  • Snowden – NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden
  • Tesla – Tesla cars
  • Tessanne – The Voice contestant winner Tessanne Chin
  • Thatcher (per Rita) – Margaret Thatcher, died in April
  • Theodora (per skizzo) – Oz the Great and Powerful character
  • Turbo – movie Turbo
  • Wendy – Texas politician Wendy Davis
  • Winnie – Jimmy Fallon’s baby girl, born in July
  • Yeezus or Yeezy – Kanye West album Yeezus
  • Zoella – beauty blogger Zoella

Wanna play? Tell me in the comments which baby names you think got a boost from pop culture in 2013. Don’t forget to mention the reason.

I’ll post the results of the game after the SSA updates the national baby name data in May. If you don’t want to miss the results post, subscribe to the blog!

Previous rounds of the Pop Culture Baby Name Game: 2012, 2011 #1, 2011 #2, 2010

What brought the baby name Zoella back in the 2010s?

English blogger/vlogger Zoe Sugg
Zoe Sugg

While I was checking out my traffic stats the other day, I noticed that my Zoella page has been getting a weirdly high number of visitors lately. Which is odd, because Zoella isn’t exactly an in-demand baby name.

In the U.S., usage of rare Zoella peaked in the last decades of the 1800s and first decades of the 1900s. The name has only appeared in the SSA’s baby name data a total of three times:

  • 2012: unlisted
  • 2011: 5 baby girls named Zoella
  • 2010: unlisted
  • […]
  • 1922: unlisted
  • 1921: 5 baby girls named Zoella
  • 1920: 5 baby girls named Zoella [debut]
  • 1919: unlisted

Why are people searching for a name that hasn’t been in style for nearly a century? And, why might Zoella have popped back into the data recently?

Beyond the fact that Zoella looks like a combination of the trendy names Zoe and Ella, my best guess is popular beauty and fashion blogger/vlogger Zoella, a.k.a. 23-year-old Zoë Sugg of Wiltshire, England.

Zoella won the Cosmo Blog Award for “Best established beauty blog” in 2011 and, just a few weeks ago, won “Best British Vlogger” at BBC Radio 1’s Teen Awards. She currently has around 3 million subscribers on YouTube.

If Zoella’s visibility has indeed inspired parents to start naming their baby girls Zoella, this could be the very first case of a blogger/vlogger affecting the baby name charts.

Do you like the name Zoella? Do you think it’ll become more popular over the next few years?

P.S. I’ve checked the full England & Wales popularity lists going back to 2007. So far, no Zoella.

Update, Oct. 2020: Zoella has appeared in the data quite a bit since I published this post seven years ago! Here are the latest numbers for Zoella:

  • 2019: 31 baby girls named Zoella
  • 2018: 34 baby girls named Zoella
  • 2017: 13 baby girls named Zoella
  • 2016: 20 baby girls named Zoella
  • 2015: 20 baby girls named Zoella
  • 2014: 13 baby girls named Zoella
  • 2013: 6 baby girls named Zoella
  • 2012: unlisted
  • 2011: 5 baby girls named Zoella
  • 2010: unlisted

And here’s a visual:

baby name Zoella popularity graph

I find it very interesting that the baby name data seems to mirror (with a several-year lag) the Google Trends graph for Zoella:

“United States. 10/25/08 – 10/25/20. Web Search.”

(That high point happened in December of 2014.)

Where do you think the name Zoella is headed? Will usage start to taper off (like the searches did), or will the name stick around in the data (despite the waning popularity of the vlogger who drew attention to it in the first place)?

Update, Jan. 2025: Last month, Zoë Sugg and her boyfriend, Alfred “Alfie” Deyes, welcomed their second daughter, Novie Nell. (Here’s the IG announcement.) Their first daughter, born in mid-2021, was named Ottilie Rue. The name Ottilie was already becoming trendy in England and Wales when they chose it, but Novie is still quite rare. (It was given to just 8 baby girls in 2023.) Do you think we’ll see an uptick in the usage of Novie in England and Wales in 2025?

Sources: Zoe Sugg – Wikipedia, SSA

Image: Adapted from Zoe Sugg by Gage Skidmore under CC BY-SA 2.0.

[Latest update: Jan. 2025]