Monday, September 24, 2018

British vs. American, Part 2 (2017)

Last time, we looked at the "most British" names; this time we're looking at the "most American".

Up first, here are the most popular American names that did not appear on the full UK lists at all.
(FTR, the list of names that were used in America but not the UK was approximately 2.5x as long as the names used in both. I'm sure population size contributes to that quite a bit, but still, wow)

Boys:
  1. Waylon
  2. Brantley
  3. Barrett
  4. Legend
  5. Beckham
  6. Jayceon
  7. Garrett
  8. Abram
  9. Jamison
  10. Trenton
  11. Gerardo
  12. Brycen
  13. Landyn
  14. Emmitt
  15. Ryland
  16. Cannon
  17. Sincere
  18. Alfredo
  19. Case
  20. Briggs

Girls:
  1. Ximena
  2. Raelynn
  3. Jordyn
  4. Londyn
  5. Brynlee
  6. Emersyn
  7. Daleyza
  8. Journee
  9. Journey
  10. Brynn
  11. Makenzie
  12. Raelyn
  13. Brinley
  14. Kylee
  15. Gracelynn
  16. Braelynn
  17. Kamryn
  18. Yaretzi
  19. Jimena
  20. Ryan
Yes, these are all very American. :p That's not necessarily bad, of course, but I would certainly be surprised to come across a Brit with any name on this list.
To tone down a bit, here are the most American names that were used in the UK last year.

Boys:
  1. Jesus
  2. Paxton
  3. Emiliano
  4. Weston
  5. Lane
  6. Everett
  7. Walker
  8. Josue
  9. Landon
  10. Tucker
  11. Kingston
  12. Brooks
  13. Easton
  14. Nash
  15. Landen
  16. Collin
  17. Gunner
  18. Rhett
  19. Angel
  20. Sawyer

Girls:
  1. Kinsley
  2. Emery
  3. Allison
  4. London
  5. Kinley
  6. Makenna
  7. Finley
  8. Genesis
  9. Alondra
  10. Emerson
  11. Magnolia
  12. Camryn
  13. Fernanda
  14. Camila
  15. Tatum
  16. Madilyn
  17. Sawyer
  18. Selah
  19. Ainsley
  20. Leighton
Bwahahaha, the surname/unisex trend is creeping its way across the pond. And America's getting the UK's vintage-y nicknames. I definitely think we're getting the better end of that deal, sorry. :p

On to the most "American" names from the British Top 1000!

Boys:
  1. Bryson
  2. Jose
  3. Colton
  4. Jameson
  5. Silas
  6. Ryker
  7. Carlos
  8. Ian
  9. Nolan
  10. Braxton
  11. Alejandro
  12. Wesley
  13. Maverick
  14. Zayden
  15. Brayden
  16. August
  17. Mateo
  18. Jayce
  19. Emmett
  20. Griffin

Girls:
  1. Avery
  2. Claire
  3. Zoey
  4. Madelyn
  5. Serenity
  6. Rylee
  7. Addison
  8. Brooklyn
  9. Ashley
  10. Trinity
  11. Kimberly
  12. Melanie
  13. Bailey
  14. Alaina
  15. Samantha
  16. Mariah
  17. Jocelyn
  18. Natalie
  19. Stella
  20. Fiona
Really, the boys' list doesn't surprise me all that much because the UK seems to have mostly side-stepped the surname-craze we Americans so enthusiastically embraced. The girls' list, however--Claire, Madelyn, Samantha, Jocelyn, Stella, Fiona....perhaps the US is a bit late to the party on those?


Up to now, we've been looking at differences. But what about names we all like? Here are the names given to roughly same % of kids in both the US and the UK (from about the Top 1500 for each).

Boys:
  1. Cory
  2. Enzo
  3. Hakeem
  4. Curtis
  5. Rafael
  6. Denzel
  7. Myles
  8. Oren
  9. Tate
  10. Kenny
  11. Harper
  12. Tyler
  13. Eliot
  14. Anton
  15. Phoenix
  16. Carlo
  17. Peter
  18. Hector
  19. Jarvis
  20. Dylan

Girls:
  1. Dalia
  2. Tegan
  3. Mylah
  4. Siena
  5. Aanya
  6. Noa
  7. Alexandra
  8. Ariella
  9. Isabella
  10. Adela
  11. Elora
  12. Katerina
  13. Sasha
  14. Persephone
  15. Larissa
  16. Saanvi
  17. Everley
  18. Nylah
  19. Scarlet
  20. Lisa
Noa! Harper! Katerina! Myles! Peter! Persephone! I think these are pretty great lists. :) Interesting how Isabella is the only popular name to be used about equally in both the US and the UK. 

Warning: pedantic stats talk! The most popular names in the UK are more common than the most popular names in the US--the #1 girls' name in the UK, Olivia, was given to ≈1.6% of British girls least year; while the #1 name in the US, Emma, was given to ≈1% of American girls. The percentages decrease at roughly the same rate from there, not meeting until #186 on both charts--Lucia in the US, Maggie in the UK--at which point the American name is then more common than its UK counterpart of the same rank. While the same phenomenon also happens on the boys' charts, the switch happens much closer to the top, at #58--Landon, US; Albie, UK.
This is why if you were to look up the rankings of the "equally-liked" names above, they would not likely be very similar. 

Saturday, September 22, 2018

British vs. American, Part 1 (2017)

Yay, it's that time again! Time to see how the British and American naming trends are the same, and where they differ. :)

First up, here are the most popular names in the UK (specifically England & Wales) that do not appear on the full US lists at all.

Boys:
  1. Teddie
  2. Ralphie
  3. Bertie
  4. Harri
  5. Dougie
  6. Oliwier
  7. Albi
  8. Ioan
  9. Barney
  10. Wiktor
  11. Ralphy
  12. Tomos
  13. Hughie
  14. Georgie
  15. Frazer
  16. Gethin
  17. Rares
  18. Tymoteusz
  19. Matas
  20. Kajus
(off to Google Rares. That's a completely new one for me!)

Girls:
  1. Amelia-Rose
  2. Isla-Rose
  3. Ella-Rose
  4. Lily-Rose
  5. Ava-Rose
  6. Ffion
  7. Jorgie
  8. Olivia-Rose
  9. Ivy-Rose
  10. Lily-Mae
  11. Ava-Grace
  12. Evie-Rose
  13. Mia-Rose
  14. Gracie-Mae
  15. Lilly-Rose
  16. Ellie-Mae
  17. Bella-Rose
  18. Dolcie
  19. Fearne
  20. Wiktoria
Oh, hyphens. Sometimes I wish we could use them in the US; other times I think our current naming culture is complex enough. :p
Removing the hyphenated names (which would either show up as smash-names or first-and-middle in the US):
  1. Ffion
  2. Jorgie
  3. Dolcie
  4. Fearne
  5. Wiktoria
  6. Orlaith
  7. Eadie
  8. Hettie
  9. Bethan
  10. Esmai
  11. Iga
  12. Dotty
  13. Lowri
  14. Harriette
  15. Cadi
  16. Efa
  17. Nancie
  18. Bluebell
  19. Hawwa
  20. Anwen
All of these would definitely stand out here in the US! Just a bit "too British", though? Here are the most British names that did get used in the US last year.

Boys:
  1. Alfie
  2. Albie
  3. Freddie
  4. Vinnie
  5. Reggie
  6. Nikodem
  7. Barnaby
  8. Woody
  9. Olly
  10. Matei
  11. Fraser
  12. Szymon
  13. Rafferty
  14. Archie
  15. Teddy
  16. Rupert
  17. Osian
  18. Wilfred
  19. Ned
  20. Piotr

Girls:
  1. Darcie
  2. Orla
  3. Darcey
  4. Oliwia
  5. Cerys
  6. Poppie
  7. Alicja
  8. Niamh
  9. Zuzanna
  10. Fleur
  11. Marnie
  12. Isobelle
  13. Harriett
  14. Lottie
  15. Blanka
  16. Nikola
  17. Ferne
  18. Kitty
  19. Martyna
  20. Miruna

Such fantastic names! Obviously there's a much bigger Eastern European influence in the UK; in the US we'll see a lot more Spanish. 

If these lists are still just a bit too "out there" for you, here are the names proportionately much more common in the UK, from the US Top 1000.

Boys:
  1. Harry
  2. Louie
  3. Reuben
  4. Toby
  5. Frankie
  6. Mohammed
  7. Muhammad
  8. Ronnie
  9. Bobby
  10. Harley
  11. Tommy
  12. Stanley
  13. Alfred
  14. Theo
  15. Charlie
  16. Arthur
  17. Sonny
  18. Oscar
  19. Jamie
  20. Billy

Girls:
  1. Florence
  2. Poppy
  3. Rosie
  4. Matilda
  5. Nancy
  6. Esme
  7. Evie
  8. Phoebe
  9. Martha
  10. Maisie
  11. Freya
  12. Amelie
  13. Jessica
  14. Holly
  15. Elsie
  16. Millie
  17. Erin
  18. Sienna
  19. Bonnie
  20. Frankie
I'd say that the UK is waaaay more into the -y/ie names than the US, but we've got all those -ley/lee/leigh names right now.  It's interesting how similar phonetic trends can still have such a stylistic difference. 

BTW, as to Rares, the closest I could find is Rareș, a Romanian name said roughly "RAH-resh". I like it!

Next time: the most American names! I'm always a bit scared for those lists. :p

Saturday, September 15, 2018

The 90s Called.....(Part 2)

Time for another round of childhood nostalgia, this time looking at names that have changed gender.

First up, the names (from 2017's Top 1500) that have changed most strongly from masculine to feminine:
  1. Emerson
  2. Monroe
  3. Collins
  4. Reese
  5. Finley
  6. Landry
  7. Leighton
  8. Hensley
  9. Kairi
  10. Henley
  11. Charlie
  12. Quinn
  13. Arya
  14. Dakota
  15. Justice
  16. Lennon
  17. Palmer
  18. Skyler
  19. Briar
  20. Riley
This isn't in order of popularity, but in order of biggest gender-swap. Emerson, for instance, went from a ratio of 114 boys for every girl to about 3 girls to every 2 boys; Reese from 18 boys per girl to 5 girls per boy; Briar from 3 boys per girl to 2 girls per boy.
[all of my calculations are based on changes in percentages, which weights the results toward more popular names. So above, Hensley goes from 6 boys/girl to 26 girls/boy, which seems to be a much larger shift than Leighton, which goes from 7 boys/girl to 3 girls/boy. However, Leighton, given to 115 boys in 1992, was much more popular than Hensley, which was only given to 8]

Next, the names that have made the largest shifts from boy --> unisex (but are still more common on boys):
  1. Reece
  2. Dylan
  3. Ryan
  4. Elliot
  5. Elliott
  6. Kingsley
  7. Spencer
  8. Blake
  9. Parker
  10. Cameron
  11. Baylor
  12. Rylan
  13. Quincy
  14. Drew
  15. Lennox
  16. Sawyer
  17. Hayden
  18. Remington
  19. Karter
  20. Denver
Reece had the largest change of any name, going from 206 boys per girl to only 3 boys per girl. Ryan, easily the most common of these names in 1992, dropped from 68 boys per girl to 9 boys per girl. 

While there are a lot fewer of them (and they were all a lot less common to start with), there are quite a few names that went from feminine --> masculine. Here are the ones that shifted most:
  1. Yael
  2. Kallen
  3. Ayan
  4. Santana
  5. Brecken
  6. Joan
  7. Kyrie
  8. Kyrin
  9. Karsen
  10. Tristin
  11. Carsen
  12. Lian
  13. Elisha
  14. Amari
  15. Callan
  16. Onyx
  17. Mikah
  18. Kamari
  19. Jensen
  20. Ashton
The biggest girl-to-boy shift, Yael, given to 61 girls in 1992 and not on the boys' list at all, was given to 197 boys and 116 girls last year. Elisha (presumably seen more as an Alicia knockoff in 1992, not a Biblical prophet) went neatly from 2 girls per boy to 2 boys per girl. Joan I again assume has gained usage more as a Catalan boys' name than as an "outdated" English girls' name. 

There were also a few girls' names that have made strides toward being unisex (well, again, in most cases):
  1. Lyric
  2. Karsyn
  3. Tatum
  4. Kelly
  5. Alexis
  6. Aspen
  7. Ariel
  8. Wren
  9. Eden
  10. Jael
  11. Morgan
  12. Jamie
  13. Robin
  14. Shea
Alexis, the most common of these in 1992, has dropped from about 11 girls per boy to about 3 girls per boy (mostly, I assume, to it falling out of fashion as an English girls' name, but remaining popular as a Spanish boys' name). 
Interestingly, Jamie and Robin, both names "stolen" in previous generations, were both about 4x most common for girls in 1992, but are now both more popular by a ratio of only 3 girls for every 2 boys. 
There is hope for reclamation yet. ;)

If you want to see the whole list of gender-shifts, it is here, on Google Sheets

Thursday, September 13, 2018

The 90s Called....(Part 1)

Time for a bit more time-travel! I thought it'd be fun to see how much naming has changed since the 90s.
First off, here are the names from 1992's Top 1500 that aren't on the full 2017 list at all, with their 1992 rankings (why 1992? because it's exactly 25 years, that's why):

Boys:
  • Keifer, #1210
  • Tou, #1396
  • Naquan, #1417
  • Kramer, #1472

Girls:
  • Shaniqua, #419
  • Brittni, #550
  • Kirstie, #558
  • Brittanie, #610
  • Deidre, #631
  • Shanae, #662
  • Lakeisha, #700
  • Katlin, #715
  • Krystle, #782
  • Shanika, #804
  • Dominque, #806
  • Tyesha, #816
  • Felisha, #826
  • Shanequa, #856
  • Brittaney, #864
  • Marquita, #874
  • Britni, #878
  • Cassondra, #878
  • Brittny, #885
  • Shameka, #1011
  • Shanique, #1016
  • Martika, #1037
  • Shannen, #1037
  • Shantell, #1042
  • Tanesha, #1042
  • Brittnee, #1053
  • Lashonda, #1064
  • Brittnie, #1072
  • Keshia, #1072
  • Britny, #1090
  • Laquisha, #1109
  • Magen, #1138
  • Shamika, #1146
  • Meranda, #1149
  • Shanay, #1149
  • Shakiyla, #1169
  • Ashlea, #1172
  • Tkeyah, #1172
  • Chiquita, #1184
  • Felecia, #1194
  • Laquita, #1207
  • Shaquana, #1207
  • Shari, #1207
  • Tosha, #1207
  • Kanisha, #1215
  • Myesha, #1215
  • Chante, #1223
  • Tawny, #1223
  • Markita, #1231
  • Shakia, #1242
  • Ceara, #1247
  • Shanise, #1247
  • Tameka, #1247
  • Magan, #1255
  • Shaquita, #1255
  • Tiesha, #1260
  • Tonisha, #1273
  • Phylicia, #1284
  • Kenyatta, #1302
  • Nicollette, #1311
  • Britnee, #1322
  • Keosha, #1329
  • Lakisha, #1344
  • Shaneka, #1344
  • Tamra, #1344
  • Cassaundra, #1351
  • Uniqua, #1357
  • Sharonda, #1368
  • Tenisha, #1376
  • Latesha, #1381
  • Ronisha, #1381
  • Brittnay, #1391
  • Chantell, #1410
  • Latia, #1416
  • Dannielle, #1433
  • Shanee, #1433
  • Chelcie, #1442
  • Ieshia, #1442
  • Kanesha, #1463
  • Crysta, #1474
  • Lakendra, #1486
  • Tanika, #1486
  • Meghann, #1500

So, I saw the boys' list was only 4 names, and I had high hopes that the girls' list would be similar in length. Obviously, I was mistaken! Wow. Let's play a fun game called "Count the Brittany Variations". :p
(still not as unmanageable as the 1970s list I did a while back, though)

As to the inverse--here are the highest ranking names in 2017 that don't appear on the full 1992 lists at all, and their 2017 rankings:

Boys:
  • Ayden, #99
  • Maddox, #136
  • Zayden, #189
  • Maximus, #200
  • Jax, #222
  • Legend, #255
  • Iker, #280
  • Beckham, #284
  • Jayceon, #313
  • Caiden, #327
  • Atlas, #329
  • Zayn, #341
  • Hendrix, #349
  • Jaxton, #370
  • Raiden, #400
  • Finnegan, #410
  • Zaiden, #421
  • Ronin, #519
  • Kobe, #531
  • Aarav, #536

Girls:
  • Nevaeh, #77
  • Everly, #82
  • Adalynn, #116
  • Adalyn, #134
  • Emerson, #150
  • Finley, #159
  • Brynlee, #218
  • Emersyn, #241
  • Daleyza, #245
  • Journee, #262
  • Amiyah, #266
  • Briella, #286
  • Adelynn, #306
  • Paislee, #311
  • Gracelynn, #369
  • Addilyn, #376
  • Everleigh, #387
  • Harlow, #390
  • Maliyah, #394
  • Yaretzi, #404

I almost didn't put these next lists in because the names are comparatively "boring", but here are the names that have dropped the most in usage since 1992 (by % of babies given that name):

Boys:
  1. Michael, -1.95%
  2. Christopher, -1.6%
  3. Joshua, -1.31%
  4. Brandon, -1.23%
  5. Matthew, -1.21%
  6. Tyler, -1.18%
  7. Nicholas, -1.05%
  8. Andrew, -1.04%
  9. Zachary, -0.99%
  10. Justin, -0.97%
  11. Ryan, -0.9%
  12. Kyle, -0.89%
  13. Cody, -0.88%
  14. Robert, -0.87%
  15. David, -0.84%
  16. Joseph, -0.8%
  17. Daniel, -0.8%
  18. John, -0.77%
  19. Kevin, -0.74%
  20. Jonathan, -0.69%

Girls:
  1. Jessica, -1.85%
  2. Ashley, -1.78%
  3. Brittany, -1.22%
  4. Amanda, -1.2%
  5. Sarah, -1.02%
  6. Samantha, -0.99%
  7. Stephanie, -0.92%
  8. Megan, -0.86%
  9. Jennifer, -0.83%
  10. Chelsea, -0.76%
  11. Lauren, -0.75%
  12. Nicole, -0.73%
  13. Kayla, -0.71%
  14. Rachel, -0.71%
  15. Danielle, -0.65%
  16. Amber, -0.65%
  17. Courtney, -0.61%
  18. Taylor, -0.6%
  19. Rebecca, -0.58%
  20. Emily, -0.57%

Yes, the names that have dropped the most by straight usage as opposed to ranking are mostly still pretty common. There are a few reasons for that:
a) There are a lot more names in use today than in 1992,
b) There were fewer babies born last year than in 1992,
and (way more difficult to explain)
c) A name can't lose popularity it never had. The most popular names can decrease by hundreds or even thousands of babies and not drop a single place on the charts, but if the #500 name decreases by 50 births it might drop 50 places or more. 

Next time: gender-shifts. Dun dun duuuunnnn.....

Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Medieval World Tour--Spain & Catalonia

Up today on the Medieval World Tour is Spain & Catalonia! As always, I'm looking particularly for names/forms that didn't survive to the modern age (although some are still around in surname-form).
Also, I especially had a lot of fun saying this list out loud. :p
[For this post (and possibly from now on), consider 'RR' to indicate a rolled/trilled R. This list is full of them!
Also, while there was a lot of overlap between Spanish and Catalan, some forms I found 
only in Catalan, those are marked as such ]

Boys:
  • Auderico (ow-deh-RREE-koh ['ow' like in "cow"])--prob. from Germanic "wealth-ruler" or poss. "old-ruler"
  • Berenguer (beh-ren-GEHR)--from Germanic, "bear-spear" [Catalan]. Spanish form was Berenguel (beh-ren-GEL). 
  • Bonanat (boh-nah-NAHT)--prob. from Latin, "good birth"
  • Ferro (FEHRR-oh)--prob. short form of Fernando and other Germanic Fer/Far- names, "journey" [also means "iron" in modern Catalan]
  • Gauceran (gow-tseh-RAHN ['ow' like in "cow"])--from Germanic, "Goth-raven". Another form was Golceran (gohl-tseh-RAHN). [both Catalan]
  • Guerau (geh-ROW ['ow' like in "cow"])--form of Gerald [Catalan]
  • Guillen (gee-LYEN ['ly' like the 'lli' in "million"])--form of Guillermo/William. Also spelled Guillén
  • Gutierre (goot-YEHRR-ay)--form of Walter
  • Merino (meh-RREE-noh)--prob. from Latin Marinus, making it a masculine form of Marina. [coincides with a medieval title Merino, that prob. from Latin maiorino "of a large area"]
  • Monnio (MOHN-nee-oh)--origin uncertain, poss. a Spanish form of medieval Basque Munio (origin unknown), or a form of Monica
  • Ordonio (orr-DOHN-yoh)--origin uncertain, poss. from Latin Fortunatus. Also spelled Ordoño
  • Savarico (sah-vah-RREE-koh)--origin uncertain, poss. from Germanic Suebi ("Swabian"), Latin Sabini ("Sabine"), or Latin Sabius ("wise") + Germanic ric, "ruler"
  • Teodemiro (teh-oh-deh-MEE-rroh)--prob. from Germanic, "people-famous" [making it a form of modern German Dietmar]
  • Vastian (vahst-YAHN)--prob. a short form of Sebastián
  • Vermudo (vehrr-MOO-doh)--prob. from Germanic, "vigilant protection". 

Girls:
  • Adalez (ah-dah-LEDZ)--form of Adelaide
  • Aiculina (eye-koo-LEE-nah)--poss. a diminutive of a Germanic Aic-name, "to possess", or a form of Latin Aquilina, "little eagle" [Catalan]
  • Aldonça (ahl-DOHN-tsah, ahl-DOHN-sah)--poss. from Germanic, "noble-ready" or "battle-ready" [making it a feminine form of Alonso/Alphonse].
    Other forms included Aldonza (ahl-DOHN-dzah) and Eldonza (el-DOHN-dzah). 
  • Amaltruda (ah-mahl-TROO-dah)--from Germanic, "bravery-strength" or "bravery-maiden"
  • Berengaria (beh-ren-GAH-rree-ah)--from Germanic "bear-spear". A Catalan form was Berenguera (beh-ren-GEH-rah).
  • Bonanata (boh-nah-NAH-tah)--prob. from Latin, "good birth"
  • Brunissenda (broon-ee-SEN-dah)--from Germanic, "brown-strength", or poss. "breastplate-strength". A Catalan form was Brunissen (broon-EE-sen). 
  • Castellana (kahs-teh-LYAH-nah ['ly' like the 'lli' in "million"])--"castellan"
  • Ermesenda (ehrr-meh-SEN-dah)--from Germanic, "great strength". A Catalan form was Ermessen (ehr-MES-sen). 
  • Geralla (zheh-RAH-lyah ['ly' like the 'lli' in "million")--prob. feminine of Gerald [Catalan]
  • Guialma (gee-AHL-mah)--feminine of Guillermo/William
  • Jaumeta (zhow-MEH-tah ['ow' like in "cow"])--feminine of Jaume/James [Catalan]
  • Marquesia (mar-KEH-see-ah)--"marquise/marchioness". Another form was Marquesa (mar-KEH-sah)
  • Mayor (mah-YOHR, mye-OR)--prob. from Latin maior "greater, older". Also spelled Maior. [still means "greater, older" in modern Spanish]
  • Monnia (MOHN-nee-ah)--origin uncertain, poss. a Spanish form of medieval Basque Munia (origin unknown), or a form of Monica
  • Nofra (NO-frah)--feminine of Onophrius, from Hellenized Egyptian, "he who is happy"
  • Rica (RREE-kah)--short form of Germanic Ric-names, "ruler". [also means "rich" in modern Spanish and Catalan]
  • Rogera (roh-ZHEHR-ah)--feminine of Roger, "fame-spear" [Catalan]
  • Sesilda (seh-SEEL-dah)--poss. from Germanic, "lament-battle", or a form of Cecilia
  • Sonifreda (soh-nee-FREH-dah)--from Germanic, "truth-peace", or poss. "sun-peace"
  • Urraca (oo-RRAH-kah)--"magpie". Another form was Oreka (oh-RREK-ah).