What Does 'Change' Mean? Part 3 (2014)

Seeing how names jump around in rank can be interesting, but it only shows how much a name is changing with respect to other names, not how popular it really is. So, I like to look at change in percentage--how many kids are given a name each year, and how it compares to last year.
So, here are the names that experienced the largest increase in usage in 2014:

Boys:

1. Oliver, +0.101% (0.36% --> 0.461%)
2. Sebastian, +0.08% (0.375% --> 0.455%)
3. Logan, +0.056% (0.613% --> 0.669%)
4. Grayson, +0.047% (0.275% --> 0.322%)
5. Carter, +0.047% (0.475% --> 0.522%)
6. Karter, +0.045% (0.058% --> 0.104%)
7. Luke, +0.039% (0.475% --> 0.514%)
8. Noah, +0.039% (0.904% --> 0.943%)
9. Theodore, +0.037% (0.12% --> 0.157%)
10. Lincoln, +0.035% (0.2% --> 0.236%)
11. James, +0.034% (0.671% --> 0.705%)
12. Harrison, +0.032% (0.125% --> 0.157%)
13. Ezra, +0.031% (0.135% --> 0.166%)
14. Asher, +0.028% (0.183% --> 0.211%)
15. Maverick, +0.027% (0.064% --> 0.092%)
16. Roman, +0.026% (0.143% --> 0.169%)
17. Levi, +0.025% (0.367% --> 0.392%)
18. Hudson, +0.025% (0.231% --> 0.256%)
19. Leonardo, +0.025% (0.145% --> 0.169%)
20. Gannon, +0.024% (0.012% --> 0.037%)

So, for reference, Oliver went from being given to about 3-4 boys in every 1000, to about 4-5. That corresponds with Oliver's move from #52 to #32. 

Girls:

1. Harper, +0.063% (0.431% --> 0.493%)
2. Nora, +0.06% (0.182% --> 0.243%)
3. Olivia, +0.059% (0.956% --> 1.015%)
4. Everly, +0.054% (0.042% --> 0.096%)
5. Ariana, +0.052% (0.23% --> 0.282%)
6. Daleyza, +0.05% (0.025% --> 0.075%)
7. Evelyn, +0.049% (0.399% --> 0.448%)
8. Skylar, +0.047% (0.197% --> 0.244%)
9. Scarlett, +0.044% (0.264% --> 0.308%)
10. Paisley, +0.043% (0.188% --> 0.231%)
11. Hazel, +0.042% (0.107% --> 0.148%)
12. Annabelle, +0.039% (0.184% --> 0.223%)
13. Penelope, +0.038% (0.223% --> 0.261%)
14. Aria, +0.038% (0.266% --> 0.304%)
15. Victoria, +0.036% (0.375% --> 0.41%)
16. Charlotte, +0.035% (0.484% --> 0.518%)
17. Eleanor, +0.035% (0.156% --> 0.191%)
18. Adalynn, +0.033% (0.096% --> 0.13%)
19. Ellie, +0.033% (0.196% --> 0.229%)
20. Piper, +0.033% (0.165% --> 0.198%)

But, this still doesn't necessarily mean anything in a practical sense. Sure, Harper's usage jumped most, but you're still about as likely to meet a baby Harper this year as you were last year. If you want to see how much more often names are being used, let's look at relative frequency.
This is how much more likely you are to meet a baby with this name in 2014 compared to 2013 (current Top 2500 only).

Boys:

1. Kitai (3.8x)
2. Kal (3.6x)
3. Gannon (2.9x)
4. Niam (2.6x)
5. Bode (2.6x)
6. Elon (2.6x)
7. Zylen (2.4x)
8. Axl (2.3x)
9. Bowie (2.3x)
10. Kimi (2.3x)
11. Decker (2.2x)
12. Kilian (2.2x)
13. Royal (2.1x)
14. Bastian (2.1x)
15. Fulton (2x)
16. Selim (2x)
17. Aahil (2x)
18. Gareth (2x)
19. Fitzgerald (1.9x)
20. Hendrik (1.9x)

Girls:

1. Dalary (211.7x) [well, really, this is an approximation since Dalary didn't appear on the SSA lists last year] 
2. Aranza (13.7x)
3. Arantza (10.3x)
4. Aleyda (5.6x)
5. Royal (4.2x)
6. Azeneth (4.2x)
7. Laiyah (4x)
8. Nori (3.4x)
9. Daleyza (3x)
10. Majesty (2.8x)
11. Zyana (2.6x)
12. Montserrat (2.6x)
13. Sevyn (2.5x)
14. Monserrat (2.4x)
15. Everly (2.3x)
16. Ridley (2.2x)
17. Letty (2.1x)
18. Daleysa (2.1x)
19. Bellamy (2.1x)
20. Lincoln (2.1x)

But of course, this has its limitations, too. Laiyah, for instance, was only given to 109 girls last year. No matter what, you're unlikely to meet one. Names appear on varied popularity calculations (like Everly and Gannon) or in multiple forms (like Axel) will be the ones to really keep eyes on. :)