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. 

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

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. 

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.....

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).