% Changes, 2015

As always, I'm a bit more interested in how a name changes in percentage usage. Ranking shows how names are popular relative to each other, while percentage shows proportionally how many kids are getting the name.
Here are the names that showed the most usage gain from 2014 to 2015:

Girls:

1. Alexa, +0.09% (0.22% ---> 0.31%)
2. Mia, +0.07% (0.69% ---> 0.77%)
3. Hazel, +0.07% (0.15% ---> 0.22%)
4. Charlotte, +0.07% (0.52% ---> 0.59%)
5. Scarlett, +0.06% (0.31% ---> 0.37%)
6. Amelia, +0.06% (0.45% ---> 0.51%)
7. Riley, +0.05% (0.25% ---> 0.29%)
8. Aurora, +0.05% (0.14% ---> 0.19%)
9. Adeline, +0.05% (0.08% ---> 0.12%)
10. Penelope, +0.04% (0.26% ---> 0.31%)
11. Adaline, +0.04% (0.01% ---> 0.05%)
12. Ava, +0.04% (0.8% ---> 0.84%)
13. Eleanor, +0.04% (0.19% ---> 0.23%)
14. Harper, +0.04% (0.49% ---> 0.53%)
15. Mila, +0.04% (0.21% ---> 0.24%)
16. Evelyn, +0.03% (0.45% ---> 0.48%)
17. Violet, +0.03% (0.21% ---> 0.25%)
18. Stella, +0.03% (0.21% ---> 0.25%)
19. Nora, +0.03% (0.24% ---> 0.27%)
20. Paisley, +0.03% (0.23% ---> 0.26%)

So Alexa went from being given to about 2 in every 1000 girls to being given to about every 3 in 1000 girls. which corresponds to her rise from #63 in 2014 to #32 in 2015. But while that's a pretty good jump for a name in the Top 100, it actually wasn't all that much of an increase in usage. You're about just as likely to meet a new baby Alexa this year than you were last year. ;)

Boys:

1. Oliver, +0.11% (0.46% ---> 0.57%)
2. Grayson, +0.07% (0.32% ---> 0.39%)
3. Matteo, +0.07% (0.04% ---> 0.11%)
4. Mateo, +0.06% (0.18% ---> 0.25%)
5. Lincoln, +0.06% (0.24% ---> 0.29%)
6. Ezra, +0.05% (0.17% ---> 0.21%)
7. Theodore, +0.05% (0.16% ---> 0.2%)
8. Hudson, +0.04% (0.26% ---> 0.3%)
9. Wyatt, +0.04% (0.43% ---> 0.47%)
10. Asher, +0.04% (0.21% ---> 0.25%)
11. Henry, +0.04% (0.46% ---> 0.5%)
12. Sawyer, +0.03% (0.18% ---> 0.21%)
13. Abel, +0.03% (0.13% ---> 0.16%)
14. Leo, +0.03% (0.19% ---> 0.23%)
15. Adriel, +0.03% (0.03% ---> 0.06%)
16. Greyson, +0.03% (0.15% ---> 0.18%)
17. August, +0.03% (0.07% ---> 0.1%)
18. Nolan, +0.03% (0.26% ---> 0.28%)
19. Everett, +0.03% (0.12% ---> 0.15%)
20. Dawson, +0.02% (0.05% ---> 0.08%)

Huh. That's the second year in the row that Oliver has taken the top spot. Could it be destined for #1?
Also: Matteo and Mateo, Grayson and Greyson? Verrrrry interesting. I'm intrigued to see Adriel again. Is there a pop-culture reference I'm missing, I wonder?


There's another way we can play with percentage--relative frequency. Relative frequency shows how much more likely you are to meet a new baby with a name.

Girls:

1. Alaia (6.58x)
2. Charleston (6.5x)
3. Adaline (5.57x)
4. Meilani (4.59x)
5. Aitana (4.52x)
6. Aislinn (3.6x)
7. Royalty (3.47x)
8. Bexley (3.15x)
9. Taya (3.04x)
10. Alijah (2.83x)
11. Julietta (2.74x)
12. Octavia (2.51x)
13. Vaida (2.22x)
14. Yaiza (2.19x)
15. Briar (2.13x)
16. Murphy (2.08x)
17. Zelda (2.07x)
18. Oona (2.05x)
19. Sia (2.03x)
20. Ainara (2.03x)

Boys:

1. Jonael (218.53x) [estimated]
2. Aylan (5.34x)
3. Tyus (4.01x)
4. Riaan (3.95x)
5. Hero (3.44x)
6. Amias (3.34x)
7. Nivaan (3.34x)
8. Izan (2.63x)
9. Matteo (2.6x)
10. Reign (2.56x)
11. Manolo (2.52x)
12. Avyaan (2.5x)
13. Cove (2.41x)
14. Kyzer (2.23x)
15. Hakeem (2.21x)
16. Ayansh (2.21x)
17. Linkoln (2.16x)
18. Klay (2.14x)
19. Hiro (2.12x)
20. Taiden (2.11x)

Of course, most of these names are still pretty uncommon. Cove, for instance, was only given to 53 boys last year. It might be 2 1/2 times more common this year, but you're still pretty unlikely to meet one! Here are the biggest increases in usage from the Top 500:

Girls:

1. Adaline (5.57x)
2. Thea (1.91x)
3. Addilyn (1.72x)
4. Adeline (1.57x)
5. Blake (1.5x)
6. Freya (1.49x)
7. Hazel (1.49x)
8. Remi (1.47x)
9. Raelynn (1.47x)
10. Felicity (1.46x)

Boys:

1. Matteo (2.6x)
2. Adriel (1.86x)
3. Kyrie (1.86x)
4. Killian (1.81x)
5. Beckham (1.6x)
6. Legend (1.57x)
7. Tobias (1.53x)
8. Atlas (1.47x)
9. Dawson (1.47x)
10. Daxton (1.45x)

Slow down, Adaline! My goodness.