The 50s Were a Gas, Daddy-O, Part 2

Last time we looked at names that have been added/removed from the SSA lists since 1953, but this time we'll be looking at gender changes.

Firstly, here are the names that changed from boy --> girl most strongly, from the 2018 Top 1500:

1. Aubrey
2. Riley
3. Emory
4. Monroe
5. Emery
6. Emerson
7. Mckinley
8. Taylor
9. Raleigh
10. Merritt
11. Harley
12. Collins
13. Reese
14. Stevie
15. Palmer
16. Madison
17. Leighton
18. Addison
19. Kendall
20. Bailey

Because I calculated using percentages, the lists are weighted toward popular names. As you can guess, none of these names were particularly common in 1953 for boys, but they became comparatively very popular for girls by 2018. Aubrey was the most popular in 1953, given to 348 boys (making it #369 on the SSA charts) and zero girls; in 2018 it was given to 5190 girls and 156 boys.
Also, only 3 of these names actually appeared for girls in 1953: Kendall (7 girls), Harley, and Stevie (5 girls each).

Onto the names that have shifted most strongly from boy --> unisex, but are still more common on boys:

1. Spencer
2. Elliott
3. August
4. Elliot
5. Ryan
6. Denver
7. Royal
8. Murphy
9. Parker
10. Milan
11. Ellis
12. Logan
13. Reece
14. Blake
15. Hayden
16. Drew
17. Jordan
18. Chandler
19. Ira
20. Joey

So Ira, the most common of these in 1953, went from a ratio of about 15 boys to every girl to about 3 boys to every 2 girls.


It's a much smaller selection, but there are a few names that were more feminine in 1953 that shifted to more masculine:

1. Devon
2. Dominique
3. Ollie

Yep. that's it! I was pretty surprised to see Devon especially, but it was given to 56 girls and 42 boys in 1953. Not popular for either, but marginally more common for girls. :)
Ollie likely appears because of the trend of giving masculine nicknames as full girls' names (no, that's definitely not a new thing at all!); Dominique because it's unisex (and more common for boys) in its original French.

There were also exactly 3 names that went from more feminine --> more unisex:

1. Alexis
2. Jamie
3. Robin

Alexis especially is probably a surprise because it's not what we think of as a 50s name, but it did enter the Top 1000 for girls in the mid-40s, nearly 2 decades before it appeared in the boys' Top 1000. Since its peak in the 90s, it's dropped off quite a lot for girls, while for boys (mostly due to Spanish, I imagine), it's been more stable. It was used on about 8 girls to every one boy in 1953, but in 2018 was only more popular by a ratio of about 5 girls to every 2 boys.
Robin and Jamie also had quietly overtaken the boys decades before their respective popularity spikes in the 60s and 70s, and have since also declined much more rapidly for girls than for boys.

The 50s Were a Gas, Daddy-O, Part 1

Well, I've already done comparisons between the 70s (Pt 1, Pt 2) & 90s (Pt 1, Pt 2) and now, so I guess it's time to jump another two decades back to the 50s (specifically, 1953, exactly 65 years earlier than the 2018 data I'm working with).

First off, let's look at the most common names from 1953 (Top 1000 only) that weren't used in 2018 at all.

(I have removed names that are likely errors, like Elizabeth and Mary for boys)

Boys:

• Pat, #400
• Barney, #404
• Dick, #474
• Geary, #493
• Donn, #511
• Bart, #531
• Vern, #545
• Gail, #575
• Rogers, #577
• Adolph, #585
• Ricki, #600
• Lonny, #602
• Connie, #612
• Lindsay, #626
• Burt, #634
• Clair, #636
• Kimberly, #638
• Butch, #662
• Laverne, #679
• Rod, #683
• Dickie, #686
• Earle, #687
• Buford, #691
• Glynn, #692
• Douglass, #697
• Curtiss, #715
• Lawerence, #717
• Gearld, #731
• Gayle, #737
• Tod, #751
• Rayford, #762
• Normand, #764
• Gaylord, #766
• Dell, #771
• Verne, #778
• Milford, #791
• Carol, #795
• Wilburn, #800
• Jere, #804
• Hayward, #810
• Randle, #816
• Delmer, #823
• Lynwood, #826
• Darold, #832
• Alford, #836
• Robbin, #848
• Elmo, #855
• Shirley, #857
• Cleve, #859
• Lesley, #863
• Garfield, #869
• Wardell, #874
• Meredith, #879
• Winford, #886
• Gerold, #892
• Lauren, #894
• Carleton, #903
• Kirt, #906
• Claud, #909
• Dennie, #911
• Garold, #920
• Melton, #928
• Duwayne, #932
• Willam, #936
• Gaylen, #938
• Randolf, #945
• Rolf, #946
• Jame, #949
• Vernell, #955
• Authur, #958
• Carrol, #959
• Garey, #969
• Arne, #979
• Rudolfo, #988
• Hobert, #992

Girls:

• Jan, #140
• Shelia, #204
• Patty, #239
• Gale, #264
• Deloris, #304
• Gay, #350
• Laverne, #367
• Diann, #380
• Ronda, #383
• Gayla, #387
• Melba, #395
• Sondra, #401
• Jacalyn, #410
• Kathi, #411
• Dee, #425
• Dona, #438
• Myrtle, #443
• Saundra, #447
• Bettye, #468
• Earnestine, #474
• Earlene, #490
• Debrah, #504
• Debby, #514
• Jerry, #516
• Lavonne, #516
• Cathie, #523
• Lyn, #532
• Pamala, #537
• Delois, #552
• Pat, #556
• Pam, #557
• Gilda, #564
• Nan, #585
• Gaye, #594
• Nanci, #596
• Sherrill, #598
• Cinda, #599
• Debbra, #605
• Melva, #611
• Vikki, #613
• Randy, #621
• Patrica, #623
• Earline, #625
• Barbra, #631
• Margery, #633
• Vickey, #634
• Robbin, #636
• Doretha, #639
• Pearlie, #642
• Pattie, #644
• Dorene, #646
• Joe, #648
• Caryn, #652
• Cheryle, #673
• Dian, #673
• Donita, #674
• Peggie, #676
• Karon, #691
• Eddie, #695
• Sherryl, #699
• Letha, #709
• Retha, #717
• Cathey, #726
• Fran, #739
• Lauri, #752
• Vonda, #754
• Virgie, #758
• Ronna, #768
• Bonny, #770
• Reta, #773
• Vernell, #775
• Concetta, #778
• Jerrie, #778
• Pamella, #779
• Nannette, #789
• Nedra, #801
• Cathrine, #809
• Jann, #811
• Romona, #813
• Deidre, #820
• Dorinda, #821
• Velda, #827
• Wilda, #832
• Merle, #840
• Sharen, #844
• Gerri, #846
• Jacque, #846
• Glinda, #854
• Sanjuanita, #857
• Shirlene, #859
• Caryl, #862
• Gerry, #863
• Daryl, #867
• Joette, #875
• Kathaleen, #880
• Teressa, #883
• Donnie, #886
• Corliss, #892
• Georgene, #893
• Lawanda, #895
• Sharyn, #896
• Suzann, #897
• Delma, #899
• Doretta, #900
• Lorri, #901
• Karan, #905
• Susann, #911
• Jerilyn, #914
• Cheryll, #920
• Florine, #921
• Lavern, #930
• George, #935
• Lessie, #938
• Candyce, #943
• Gaynell, #947
• Deborrah, #956
• Laurene, #960
• Belva, #966
• Judie, #970
• Aletha, #974
• Bernita, #974
• Carroll, #975
• Teena, #979
• Larry, #982
• Sharla, #984
• Cherrie, #987
• Joetta, #988
• Drema, #995

Always, so many more girls' names than boys' names! Sheesh. Saddened, but not surprised at all the Gay-names for both genders. Also interesting to which -arry/arol/aryn names have died out while others live on.
And apparently, if you want to name a kid of either gender Lavern(e), now is the time! He/she would be the only one. :)

Now for the reverse: the most popular names from 2018 that didn't appear at all in 1953.

Boys:

1. Aiden, #19
2. Jayden, #30
3. Jaxon, #39
4. Easton, #66
5. Maverick, #73
6. Jaxson, #76
7. Greyson, #77
8. Brayden, #84
9. Jace, #90
10. Axel, #94
11. Kayden, #97
12. Sawyer, #99
13. Declan, #101
14. Ayden, #104
15. Luca, #106
16. Chase, #112
17. Kingston, #117
18. Ryker, #122
19. Ryder, #131
20. Gael, #132

Girls:

1. Harper, #9
2. Madison, #22
3. Luna, #23
4. Layla, #27
5. Riley, #28
6. Zoey, #29
7. Addison, #35
8. Aubrey, #36
9. Brooklyn, #47
10. Skylar, #50
11. Paisley, #52
12. Everly, #53
13. Genesis, #57
14. Kennedy, #59
15. Kinsley, #63
16. Aaliyah, #65
17. Ariana, #68
18. Serenity, #76
19. Hailey, #79
20. Gianna, #80

In case you're wondering--the list of boys' names from 2018 that didn't appear in 1953 was 11535 names long. There were only 4338 names on the full 1953 boys name list, so yeah......we're a bit more diverse and creative now!

Addendum: Puerto Rican Names

I was perusing the state/territory data, and realized that I'd left out one region: Puerto Rico. It doesn't fit easily into any previous category, but since it's more populous than 20 or so states, it seemed remiss for me not to include it. :)
[the remaining US territories are lumped into one data file since their population is collectively smaller than the least populous state, Wyoming]

First off, here's the PR Top 10, compared to the national Top 10:

	Puerto Rico	National
1.	Sebastian	Liam
2.	Dylan	Noah
3.	Ian	William
4.	Mateo	James
5.	Adrian	Oliver
6.	Liam	Benjamin
7.	Lucas	Elijah
8.	Matias	Lucas
9.	Thiago	Mason
10.	Jayden	Logan

	Puerto Rico	National
1.	Valentina	Emma
2.	Victoria	Olivia
3.	Emma	Ava
4.	Mia	Isabella
5.	Isabella	Sophia
6.	Mikaela	Charlotte
7.	Amaia	Mia
8.	Camila	Amelia
9.	Amanda	Harper
10.	Kamila	Evelyn

Here are the top 10 names disproportionately common in Puerto Rico compared to the rest of the country:

Boys:

1. Yandriel
2. Kendriel
3. Kenay
4. Keniel
5. Keyden
6. Jeriel
7. Neithan
8. Jeyden
9. Neythan
10. Mauro

Girls:

1. Keilianys
2. Joelys
3. Amahia
4. Nahiara
5. Alianys
6. Elianys
7. Alanys
8. Nahia
9. Naiara
10. Alahia

Quite a departure from most state lists! Obviously Puerto Rican has a lot more Spanish influence than most regions in the US. Some of these are Hispanicizations of common American English names (Keyden for Kayden; Neithan/Neythan for Nathan). -Lys is a common elaboration/feminization in Latin American Spanish, like -lyn or -anna in Am. Eng.  Likewise, -iel names for boys, both Biblical and invented, parallel Am. Eng.'s -dens and -sons.

If you want to see all the data on Puerto Rico, it is, as always, here, on Google Sheets. :)

Interestingly, many popular names from the rest of the US don't appear in Puerto Rico at all (meaning they were given at most to 4 babies there last year)--Ava, Harper, Evelyn, Ella, Avery, Madison; Mason, Henry, Jackson, Carter--and that's just from the SSA Top 25!

New England Names

Yeah, I never did get around to doing this last year......oops. Last but not least are the New England names (CT, DC, DE, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT).
I've finally done the whole US now, though, so maybe it's time to start over. :p
[other lists: Southern Names, "Surfer" Names, "Cowboy" Names, Midwestern Names, Puerto Rican Names]

Here are the most "New England" names (by % of babies given that name) in the New England states' Top 1000:

Boys:

• Lipa
• Hershy
• Yitzchok
• Yakov
• Shaya
• Mordechai
• Shimon
• Yisroel
• Yehuda
• Chaim
• Moshe
• Yaakov
• Shlomo
• Ahron
• Avrohom
• Tzvi
• Shmuel
• Nosson
• Efraim
• Simcha

Girls:

• Faigy
• Malky
• Yitty
• Shaindy
• Sury
• Malka
• Faiga
• Baila
• Rochel
• Rivka
• Toby
• Yehudis
• Chana
• Nechama
• Chava
• Goldy
• Raizy
• Batsheva
• Pessy
• Bracha

If we needed more proof that Jewish descent is strongest in the Northeast, I think we've found it!
To clarify, Lipa, the "most New England" boys' name, is about 7x more common in New England than in the US in general.

These are all still pretty uncommon, though; Faigy, the "most New England" girls name, was given to just 122 girls last year....all in New York and New Jersey! So, here are the names most disproportionately common in New England, from the states' Top 500:

Boys:

• Yitzchok
• Yakov
• Mordechai
• Shimon
• Yisroel
• Yehuda
• Chaim
• Moshe
• Yaakov
• Shlomo
• Tzvi
• Shmuel
• Dovid
• Dov
• Meir
• Yosef
• Avraham
• Menachem
• Zev
• Eliezer

Girls:

• Faigy
• Malka
• Baila
• Rivka
• Chana
• Nechama
• Chaya
• Gitty
• Devorah
• Giuliana
• Giavanna
• Miriam
• Esther
• Maeve
• Francesca
• Amalia
• Milan
• Rachel
• Vienna
• Giovanna

Still quite traditionally Jewish on the boys' list, but starting to get some other origins for the girls'! Regional differences are much more apparent on this list than previous ones, that's for sure. 

Finally, on to the most common names! Here are the "most New England" names from the states' combined Top 100:

Boys:

• Nicholas
• Luca
• Ryan
• Cole
• Chase
• Joseph
• Zachary
• Tyler
• Dylan
• Justin
• Michael
• Maxwell
• Cameron
• Gavin
• Connor
• Jack
• Brayden
• Jacob
• Matthew
• Anthony

Girls:

• Esther
• Rachel
• Gabriella
• Sarah
• Gianna
• Mackenzie
• Julia
• Leah
• Valentina
• Alexandra
• Maya
• Brianna
• Hailey
• Grace
• Josephine
• Riley
• Brielle
• Hannah
• Emilia
• Madison

Surprisingly classic, for the most part.

There's not much difference, but I did do it for all the other lists, so here's the New England Top 10 compared to the National Top 10.

	New England	National
1.	Liam	Liam
2.	Noah	Noah
3.	Lucas	William
4.	Benjamin	James
5.	Michael	Oliver
6.	Logan	Benjamin
7.	Jacob	Elijah
8.	James	Lucas
9.	Mason	Mason
10.	Ethan	Logan

	New England	National
1.	Emma	Emma
2.	Olivia	Olivia
3.	Isabella	Ava
4.	Sophia	Isabella
5.	Ava	Sophia
6.	Charlotte	Charlotte
7.	Mia	Mia
8.	Amelia	Amelia
9.	Abigail	Harper
10.	Emily	Evelyn

The entire New England Top 1000 is up here, on Google Sheets. 

Now for my favorite part: the most representative names of each individual state. These are the names that are most disproportionately common in that state compared to the country as a whole (using only the top 40% of each state's data, because rare names can make calculations....messy).

CT: Brendan, Rocco, Nico, Julius, Colin (boys); Siena, Maeve, Gabriella, Gianna, Juliette (girls)

DC: Nasir, George, Amari, Oscar, Edward (boys); Noa, Frances, Reign, Virginia, Amira (girls)

DE: Paul, Carson, Tristan, Brayden, Karter (boys); Briella, Myla, Callie, Noelle, Jayla (girls)

MA: Davi, Jad, Avi, Jadiel, Lucca (boys); Shea, Maeve, Theresa, Bridget, Siena (girls)

MD: Kamari, Damari, Jefferson, Nasir, Trent (boys); Milan, Tori, Sevyn, Zora, Angie (girls)

ME: Brady, Reid, Odin, Ryker, Riley (boys); Maeve, Piper, Madilyn, Fiona, Quinn (girls)

NH: Rory, Wesley, Cole, Rowan, Weston (boys); Maeve, Keira, Eloise, Juniper, Gemma (girls)

NJ: Yechezkel, Binyomin, Nosson, Avrohom, Shmuel (boys); Tzipora, Rochel, Yehudis, Batsheva, Nechama (girls)

NY: Zalmen, Mielech, Hershy, Lipa, Benzion (boys); Yides, Perl, Rifky, Trany, Shaindy (girls)

PA: Mervin, Mahlon, Ervin, Elam, Elmer (boys); Malinda, Fannie, Martha, Carmella, Vienna (girls)

RI: Lorenzo, Luca, Brayden, Cole, Roman (boys); Maeve, Jazlyn, Adriana, Juliana, Julianna (girls)

VT: Jayden, Thomas, Aiden, Weston, Blake (boys); Vera, Eloise, Genevieve, Adeline, Nora (girls)

That's right, Maeve appears 5 times. Why does upper New England like it so much--just the pure Irish-ness, or local namesake?
Other than that, the states are amazingly distinct. Pennsylvania is full of tiny old men; Vermont and New Hampshire upperclass hipsters. DC, Rhode Island, and Maryland are all over the place (although at least part of that is probably due to sample size).

If you want to see beyond the top 5 for each state, the lists are up here, on Google Sheets (same link as above; different sheet).

So, with such diverse styles, is it possible to tell what sort of names are "least New England"? Turns, out, yes--Spanish names for both genders, especially recently-coined and trendy ones for girls (Rey, Adán, Vicente; Itzayana, Daleyza, Frida), as well as surnames for both genders, again, particularly the "creative" (Kyson, Kohen, Braylon; Haisley, Oaklynn, Emerie). 

The Rise of -Lani

I previously joked about "-lani" being the new "-lee", but they really do seem to be taking off.

(image using the Expert NameVoyager, because I do not have that much computing power)

Difference is, -lani names stick somewhat close to their (mostly) Hawaiian roots, while -lee names are all over the place, both in origin and novelty.

To start with, here are all the -lani names used in the US last year, from most --> least common (alternate spellings were combined, but only the most common spelling is listed):

• Leilani (≈3200 babies)
• Kehlani
• Alani
• Kailani (≈1000 babies)
• Kalani
• Milani
• Meilani (≈500 babies)
• Nalani
• Malani
• Ailani
• Jaylani
• Kelani
• Elani
• Lailani
• Jalani
• Noelani
• Aylani
• Naylani
• Lani (≈100 babies)
• Mylani
• Daylani
• Aulani
• Keylani
• Lelani
• Nylani
• Jelani
• Nilani
• Xolani
• Dalani
• Ulani (≈25 babies)
• Dailany
• Mahealani
• Kaiulani
• Aolani
• Kahealani
• Mulani
• Zaylani
• Dylani
• Leelani
• Nolani
• Healani
• Mialani
• Raelani
• Taylani
• Mililani
• Talani
• Yulani
• Yeilani
• Jolani
• Nialani
• Nohealani
• Kealani
• Kealohilani
• Lulani
• Yalani
• Olani
• Zalani
• Halani
• Kamalani
• Kehaulani
• Lealani
• Lokelani
• Solani
• Yolani
• Julani (5 babies)
• Lolani

In all, approximately 66 different names, comprising about 0.7% of girls.
Obviously most are spinoffs of recognizable Hawaiian names [where lani means "sky, heavens"], but others are completely new to me! So, naturally, I had to go looking things up.
It is, of course, entirely possible that many parents did not have these names in mind, but simply "made up" names they didn't know already existed :p

• Ailani--baby-name sites are pretty certain this is Hawaiian meaning "high chief", but I can't find a reliable primary source. It does seem to be an Indian (Singhi?) surname, though.
• Alani (ah-lah-nee, Hawaiian)--any tree from the Melicope genus, or the related orange tree/fruit
• Aolani (ah-oh-lah-nee, Hawaiian)--"heavenly cloud", "heavenly dawn", "heavenly realm"
• Aulani (ah-oo-lah-nee, Hawaiian)--"heavenly traveller"
• Halani (hah-lah-nee, Hawaiian)--"heavenly breath"
• Healani (heh-ah-lah-nee, Hawaiian)--"heavenly mist"
• Jelani (jel-AH-nee, English)--poss. from Arabic, "of Gilan"
• Kahealani (kah-heh-ah-lah-nee, Hawaiian)--"the heavenly mist", "the heavenly name"
• Kailani (kah-ee-lah-nee, Hawaiian)--"heavenly sea", "sky and sea"
• Kaiulani (kye-oo-lah-nee, Hawaiian)--"the heavenly sacred one"
• Kalani (kah-lah-nee, Hawaiian)--"the heavens"
• Kamalani (kah-mah-lah-nee, Hawaiian)--"heavenly child"
• Kealani (keh-ah-lah-nee, Hawaiian)--"heavenly white", "clear sky"
• Kealohilani (keh-ah-lo-hee-lah-nee, Hawaiian)--"the heavenly splendor"
• Kehaulani (keh-hah-oo-lah-nee, Hawaiian)--"heavenly dew"
• Keilani (keh-ee-lah-nee, Hawaiian)--"heavenly glory"
• Leilani (leh-ee-lah-nee, Hawaiian)--"heavenly lei", [figuratively] "heavenly child"
• Lokelani (loh-keh-lah-nee, Hawaiian)--"heavenly rose"
• Mahealani (mah-heh-ah-lah-nee, Hawaiian)--"heavenly haze, heavenly moonlight"
• Milani (mee-lah-nee, Italian [surname])--"from Milan"
• Mililani (mee-lee-lah-nee, Hawaiian)--"heavenly caress"
• Nalani (nah-lah-nee, Hawaiian)--"the heavens"
• Noelani (noh-eh-lah-nee, Hawaiian)--"heavenly mist"
• Nohealani (noh-heh-ah-lah-nee, Hawaiian)--"heavenly beauty"
• Xolani (Zulu)--prob. "peace". Soooo.....in Zulu, X represents the lateral click [you can listen to it here], and I assume it's being Anglicized or Hispanicized (or just flat-out mispronounced) in the US, but have no idea how!  I was previously imagining it as "shoh-lah-nee" (prob. because of names like Xochitl and Xulia), but if anyone has any insight, I'd love to hear it.
  [also, while Xolani appears to be only masculine in Zulu, in the US it was more popular for girls last year]

Obviously, this is nowhere near a complete list of -lani names, both Hawaiian and otherwise, merely the ones that showed up on the SSA lists last year. :)
Interestingly, although in Hawaiian most names are unisex, the only -lani names that showed up for boys were Alani, Xolani, and the various spellings of Jelani and Kalani. 

Rare but Real (2018)

Now that I've finished the main part of the statistics-manipulation, time to have fun looking for rare names. :)
Here are the names that appear on the very bottom of the SSA lists, given to only 5 babies (of that gender) last year.
As usual, none of these names will have alternate spellings that appear elsewhere on the lists, nor have they appeared on previous 'Rare but Real's. [2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010]

Girls:

• Apolline (ap-oh-LEEN, French)--from ancient Greek, "of Apollo"
• Edwina (ed-WEEN-ah, English; ed-VEE-nah, German)
• Ffion (FEE-on, Welsh)--"foxglove"
• Fiammetta (fee-ah-MET-tah, Italian)--"little flame"
• Galit (gah-LEET, Hebrew)--"wave" [of water]
• Ghislaine (gee-LEN, zhees-LEN, French)--form of Giselle
• Olwen (OHL-wen, Welsh)--"white footprint"
• Tabassum (tah-BAS-sum, Arabic)--"smiling"
• Taima (TAH-ee-mah, Finnish; TYE-mah, Estonian)--from Finnish, "seedling, sapling"
• Theda (THEE-dah, THEH-dah, English; TEH-dah, German)--short form of Theodora or Theodosia
• Titania (tye-TAYN-ee-ah, tit-AHN-ee-ah, English)--from Latin, "of the Titans"
• Tomiris (toh-MEE-ris, Spanish)--from Hellenized Iranian Tomyris, "brave"
  [modern Turkish form Tomris, "TOM-ris", does not appear on the full SSA list at all!]
• Trillium (TRIL-lee-um, English)
• Xiadani (shee-ah-DAH-nee, see-ah-DAN-nee, Spanish)--from Zapotec, meaning uncertain
• Ylenia (ee-LEH-nee-ah, Italian, German)--prob. a form of Helena/Elena

Boys:

• Aubin (oh-BAHn, French)--from Latin, "white"
• Bertram (BUR-tram, English; BEHR-tram, German)--from Germanic "bright raven"
• Eldrick (El-drik, English)--from Germanic Aldrich "old-rule" or Adelrich "noble-rule"
• Humphrey (HUM-free, English)--from Germanic Hunfrid "bearcub-peace"
• Iwan (IH-wan, Welsh; EE-vahn, Polish)--forms of John
• Liav (lee-AV, Hebrew)--"my father"
• Ossian (OH-see-ahn, Swedish, Finnish; AW-see-an, AWSH-en, English)--from Irish Oisín, "little deer"
• Roldán (rol-DAHN, Spanish)--form of Roland
• Savino (sah-VEE-noh, Italian)--form of Sabine
• Tynan (TYE-nan, English)--from Irish surname, prob. from Tuíneán, "watercourse", or Teimhnín, "dark"
• Xiomar (see-oh-MAR, Spanish)--masculinization of Xiomara, prob. from Germanic "battle-famous"
• Zanoah (zan-OH-ah, [Biblical] Hebrew)

% Changes, 2018

Rankings show how name change popularity relative to each other; if you want to see how much names have changed in actual usage, you have to use statistics, I'm afraid. :p
Here are the names that gained the most usage last year (by % of babies):

Girls:

1. Mila, +0.12% (0.32% --> 0.44%)
2. Luna, +0.09% (0.28% --> 0.37%)
3. Nova, +0.06% (0.16% --> 0.22%)
4. Everly, +0.05% (0.19% --> 0.23%)
5. Camila, +0.04% (0.36% --> 0.4%)
6. Everleigh, +0.04% (0.04% --> 0.08%)
7. Amelia, +0.04% (0.63% --> 0.67%)
8. Emersyn, +0.03% (0.07% --> 0.1%)
9. Isla, +0.03% (0.15% --> 0.18%)
10. Amaya, +0.03% (0.09% --> 0.12%)
11. Ivy, +0.03% (0.15% --> 0.18%)
12. Emilia, +0.03% (0.19% --> 0.22%)
13. Valentina, +0.02% (0.16% --> 0.19%)
14. Arya, +0.02% (0.11% --> 0.14%)
15. Willow, +0.02% (0.19% --> 0.21%)
16. Rose, +0.02% (0.11% --> 0.13%)
17. Remi, +0.02% (0.07% --> 0.09%)
18. Lia, +0.02% (0.05% --> 0.07%)
19. Aria, +0.02% (0.38% --> 0.4%)
20. Ember, +0.02% (0.06% --> 0.08%)

So, Mila went from being given to about 1 in every 300 girls to about 1 in every 250 (which corresponds from her jump from #30 to #14). 

Boys:

1. Liam, +0.07% (0.95% --> 1.03%)
2. Theodore, +0.06% (0.3% --> 0.36%)
3. Asher, +0.05% (0.31% --> 0.35%)
4. Leo, +0.05% (0.3% --> 0.35%)
5. Hudson, +0.05% (0.29% --> 0.34%)
6. Ezra, +0.04% (0.27% --> 0.31%)
7. Gael, +0.04% (0.11% --> 0.15%)
8. Carson, +0.03% (0.24% --> 0.27%)
9. Mateo, +0.03% (0.39% --> 0.42%)
10. Luca, +0.03% (0.16% --> 0.19%)
11. Jack, +0.03% (0.43% --> 0.46%)
12. Santiago, +0.03% (0.21% --> 0.24%)
13. Milo, +0.03% (0.09% --> 0.11%)
14. Elias, +0.03% (0.25% --> 0.28%)
15. Brooks, +0.02% (0.1% --> 0.12%)
16. Oliver, +0.02% (0.67% --> 0.69%)
17. Matias, +0.02% (0.08% --> 0.1%)
18. Jasper, +0.02% (0.11% --> 0.13%)
19. Miles, +0.02% (0.18% --> 0.21%)
20. Henry, +0.02% (0.53% --> 0.55%)

Percentage gain favors more popular names, but if you want to see how the less common names are gaining in usage, percentage ratios are the easiest way:

Girls:

1. Zhavia (≈310.77x)
2. Roselyne (88.36x)
3. Aruna (6.38x)
4. Kailany (5.97x)
5. Huntleigh (5.62x)
6. Nuri (3.97x)
7. Stormi (3.48x)
8. Ainhoa (3.33x)
9. Alaiya (3x)
10. Meghan (2.58x)
11. Havana (2.54x)
12. True (2.51x)
13. Zhuri (2.26x)
14. Lua (2.22x)
15. Berklee (2.08x)
16. Dior (2.04x)
17. Stori (2x)
18. Esmae (1.96x)
19. Everleigh (1.96x)
20. Emori (1.91x)

So, Zhavia was approximately 311x more popular in 2018 than in 2017. 

Boys:

1. Jahseh (≈66.16x)
2. Atreus (20.23x)
3. Emric (9.6x)
4. Syre (4.54x)
5. Quadir (3.68x)
6. Kylian (3.16x)
7. Edrick (3.08x)
8. Lux (2.88x)
9. Edric (2.86x)
10. Braven (2.7x)
11. Dior (2.64x)
12. Kyro (2.51x)
13. Giannis (2.39x)
14. Axell (2.39x)
15. Ayven (2.33x)
16. Kairo (2.18x)
17. Cyril (2.18x)
18. Caelum (2.16x)
19. Genesis (2.13x)
20. Parth (2.1x)

Most of the these names are still pretty unheard-of, though (Atreus, the most common boys' name from these lists, was given to 159 boys in 2018).
Here are the names that gained the most usage in the Top 500:

Girls:

1. Everleigh (1.96x)
2. Aitana (1.69x)
3. Kailani (1.68x)
4. Kehlani (1.55x)
5. Kaylani (1.51x)
6. Oaklyn (1.47x)
7. Octavia (1.47x)
8. Emersyn (1.45x)
9. Emory (1.44x)
10. Antonella (1.44x)

Boys:

1. Kairo (2.18x)
2. Kashton (1.73x)
3. Elian (1.64x)
4. Luka (1.51x)
5. Gianni (1.43x)
6. Memphis (1.38x)
7. Gael (1.33x)
8. Milo (1.32x)
9. Matias (1.31x)
10. Hayes (1.3x)

Matias and Everleigh were on last year's list as well. Love to see Octavia, Antonella, Gael, & Milo. How high will they go?

Ranking Jumps, 2018 (boys)

Boys' turn!

Firstly, the fastest-rising names from 2018's Top 2500:

1. Jahseh, +≈10000+ (unranked --> #2134)
2. Atreus, +7595 (#8781 --> #1186)
3. Emric, +7522 (#9625 --> #2103)
4. Syre, +4016 (#6307 --> #2291)
5. Quadir, +2946 (#5080 --> #2134)
6. Dior, +1827 (#3864 --> #2037)
7. Lux, +1780 (#3563 --> #1783)
8. Giannis, +1750 (#3969 --> #2219)
9. Edrick, +1598 (#3105 --> #1507)
10. Cyril, +1512 (#3758 --> #2246)
11. Axell, +1465 (#3410 --> #1945)
12. Mazi, +1372 (#3864 --> #2492)
13. Braven, +1365 (#2933 --> #1568)
14. Parth, +1365 (#3563 --> #2198)
15. Calix, +1354 (#3758 --> #2404)
16. Edric, +1250 (#2579 --> #1329)
17. Kylian, +1212 (#2332 --> #1120)
18. Syaire, +1179 (#3491 --> #2312)
19. Caelum, +1150 (#2933 --> #1783)
20. Rexton, +1125 (#3228 --> #2103)

Edrick and Edric? Hmmm. Cyril and Atreus are quite a surprise. Dior appeared on the girls' list, too. 

Next, the names are a probably a bit more familiar, the names that jumped the most from the Top 1500:

1. Atreus, +7595 (#8781 --> #1186)
2. Edric, +1250 (#2579 --> #1329)
3. Kylian, +1212 (#2332 --> #1120)
4. Kyro, +1031 (#2374 --> #1343)
5. Ayven, +805 (#1946 --> #1141)
6. Jakoby, +784 (#2251 --> #1467)
7. Elio, +691 (#2057 --> #1366)
8. Genesis, +616 (#1597 --> #981)
9. Cayde, +566 (#1686 --> #1120)
10. Neo, +506 (#1800 --> #1294)
11. Saint, +443 (#1300 --> #857)
12. Zavian, +434 (#1651 --> #1217)
13. Baker, +429 (#1141 --> #712)
14. Tru, +424 (#1544 --> #1120)
15. Eithan, +417 (#1442 --> #1025)
16. Gadiel, +415 (#1738 --> #1323)
17. Kanan, +405 (#1586 --> #1181)
18. Armaan, +389 (#1697 --> #1308)
19. Mylo, +378 (#1529 --> #1151)
20. Zakari, +373 (#1529 --> #1156)

Kylian continues its rise from last year. Gadiel & Elio = <3

Now for the names on everyone's lists, the fastest-risers from the Top 500:

1. Kairo, +321 (#803 --> #482)
2. Kashton, +198 (#639 --> #441)
3. Elian, +154 (#565 --> #411)
4. Luka, +118 (#438 --> #320)
5. Memphis, +116 (#574 --> #458)
6. Gianni, +112 (#528 --> #416)
7. Hayes, +66 (#409 --> #343)
8. Ronin, +65 (#519 --> #454)
9. Mathias, +62 (#459 --> #397)
10. Cade, +60 (#445 --> #385)
11. Kade, +57 (#412 --> #355)
12. Matthias, +55 (#462 --> #407)
13. Lawson, +54 (#433 --> #379)
14. Alonzo, +51 (#523 --> #472)
15. Walker, +48 (#314 --> #266)
16. Otto, +48 (#478 --> #430)
17. Nasir, +47 (#411 --> #364)
18. Gael, +46 (#178 --> #132)
19. Milo, +46 (#224 --> #178)
20. Theo, +46 (#289 --> #243)

Memphis also appears on the girls' list; I wonder what's given it a boost. Mathias and Matthias, yay! Love Gael, too. 

Finally, the names completely new to the Top 1000:

• Aries
• Bowie
• Dakari
• Genesis
• Harlem
• Idris
• Imran
• Jaxtyn
• Jesiah
• Kabir
• Karsyn
• Kenzo
• Korbyn
• Krew
• Lian
• Onyx
• Zakai
• Zev
• Torin

Ranking Jumps, 2018 (girls)

I'm going to shake things up and do the girls first this year. :p

First up, here are the names that climbed the most from 2018's Top 2500:

1. Zhavia, +≈15000+ (unranked --> #875)
2. Roselyne, +13826 (#15975 --> #2149)
3. Huntleigh, +5792 (#8238 --> #2446)
4. Aruna, +5651 (#7787 --> #2136)
5. Kailany, +4999 (#7050 --> #2051)
6. Nuri, +3565 (#5789 --> #2224)
7. Stormi, +2410 (#4119 --> #1709)
8. True, +2077 (#4355 --> #2278)
9. Lua, +1518 (#3593 --> #2075)
10. Stori, +1512 (#3901 --> #2389)
11. Ainhoa, +1385 (#2445 --> #1060)
12. Alaiya, +1339 (#2474 --> #1135)
13. Jream, +1293 (#3662 --> #2369)
14. Dua, +1292 (#3738 --> #2446)
15. Emori, +1287 (#3523 --> #2236)
16. Havana, +1230 (#2553 --> #1323)
17. Zhuri, +1174 (#2732 --> #1558)
18. Lynleigh, +1132 (#3221 --> #2089)
19. Berklee, +1084 (#2732 --> #1648)
20. Eliette, +1066 (#3167 --> #2101)

I'd guess we have Zhavia Ward to thank for this year's fastest-rising name! Love Ainhoa, Dua, and Nuri. It it just me, or is there a lot of "oo" on this list? Wonder if that'll continue into the the more familiar names as well.....

Here are the highest-jumpers from the Top 1500 and up:

1. Zhavia, +≈15000+ (unranked --> #875)
2. Ainhoa, +1385 (#2445 --> #1060)
3. Alaiya, +1339 (#2474 --> #1135)
4. Havana, +1230 (#2553 --> #1323)
5. Birdie, +732 (#2060 --> #1328)
6. Meghan, +697 (#1400 --> #703)
7. Dara, +671 (#1840 --> #1169)
8. Rhylee, +665 (#1865 --> #1200)
9. Dalila, +665 (#2145 --> #1480)
10. Nyra, +644 (#1991 --> #1347)
11. Dior, +558 (#1349 --> #791)
12. Maple, +554 (#2034 --> #1480)
13. Memphis, +523 (#2021 --> #1498)
14. Theodora, +520 (#1916 --> #1396)
15. Jamila, +498 (#1833 --> #1335)
16. Daenerys, +473 (#1840 --> #1367)
17. Kahlani, +463 (#1930 --> #1467)
18. Jaylani, +438 (#1578 --> #1140)
19. Kaisley, +424 (#1496 --> #1072)
20. Eliyanah, +415 (#1762 --> #1347)

Oo, Theodora! Dara! Birdie! Memphis is a surprise (I'm guessing it's after the city, not the nymph, though).

Now, for the names to really keep an eye on next year, the fastest-rising names from the Top 500:

1. Aitana, +236 (#686 --> #450)
2. Kailani, +231 (#620 --> #389)
3. Everleigh, +191 (#387 --> #196)
4. Kaylani, +190 (#673 --> #483)
5. Oaklyn, +182 (#674 --> #492)
6. Kehlani, +176 (#522 --> #346)
7. Octavia, +163 (#593 --> #430)
8. Emory, +162 (#634 --> #472)
9. Antonella, +160 (#628 --> #468)
10. Milani, +120 (#562 --> #442)
11. Avah, +119 (#581 --> #462)
12. Alani, +97 (#444 --> #347)
13. Emersyn, +94 (#241 --> #147)
14. Lia, +91 (#337 --> #246)
15. Demi, +91 (#485 --> #394)
16. Oakley, +86 (#474 --> #388)
17. Nayeli, +84 (#495 --> #411)
18. Ember, +80 (#289 --> #209)
19. Ariyah, +80 (#428 --> #348)
20. Blair, +79 (#511 --> #432)

Lots of repeats from last year--Everleigh, Octavia, Oakley, Demi. Is -lani the new -ley?

Finally, the names completely new to the Top 1000:

• Adalee
• Amaia
• Arlette
• August
• Austyn
• Bellamy
• Berkley
• Brynleigh
• Dior
• Elina
• Emmarie
• Ezra
• Haisley
• Jenesis
• Journi
• Kamiyah
• Kataleya
• Keilani
• Keily
• Novah
• Palmer
• Promise
• Scout
• Waverly
• Zhavia

Aidens Gonna Aid (2018)

So, um; it's May? Yikes. No better way to get back into this than the annual SSA lists, though; am I right?

Usual disclaimer: there are imported names that look like -aidens, but aren't properly pronounced as -aidens (Adán, Raiden, Nayden, and probably others). However, I have no way of knowing which pronunciation was intended, and chances are some parents are using them as -aidens anyway.

A:

• Aaden
• Aadyn
• Aaiden
• Aaidyn
• Aayden
• Adan
• Aden
• Adin
• Adon
• Adyn
• Aedan
• Aeden
• Aedin
• Aedon
• Aedyn
• Aidan
• Aidden
• Aiden
• Aidenn
• Aidin
• Aidon
• Aidyn
• Aydan
• Ayden
• Aydenn
• Aydin
• Aydn
• Aydon
• Aydyn
• Ayiden

B:

• Baden
• Bladen
• Blaiden
• Blayden
• Braden
• Bradon
• Bradyn
• Braedan
• Braeden
• Braedon
• Braedyn
• Braiden
• Braidon
• Braidyn
• Braydan
• Brayden
• Braydenn
• Braydin
• Braydon
• Braydyn
• Breydan
• Breyden
• Breydon

C:

• Cadan
• Caden
• Cadin
• Cadyn
• Caeden
• Caedon
• Caedyn
• Caiden
• Caidyn
• Caydan
• Cayden
• Caydin
• Caydon
• Caydyn
• Chayden

D:

• Daiden
• Dayden
• Draden
• Draiden
• Drayden
• Draydon
• Dreyden
• Dreydon

E:

• Eidan
• Eiden
• Eydan
• Eyden

F: none

G:

• Graden
• Gradyn
• Grayden
• Graydon
• Greyden
• Greydon

H:

• Haden
• Haedyn
• Haiden
• Haidyn
• Hayden
• Haydin
• Haydn
• Haydon
• Haydyn
• Heiden
• Heyden

I: none

J:

• Jadan
• Jaden
• Jadin
• Jadon
• Jadyn
• Jaedan
• Jaeden
• Jaedon
• Jaedyn
• Jaidan
• Jaiden
• Jaidin
• Jaidon
• Jaidyn
• Jaydan
• Jayden
• Jaydenn
• Jaydin
• Jaydn
• Jaydon
• Jaydyn
• Jeyden
• Jeydon
• Jhayden

K:

• Kadan
• Kaden
• Kadeyn
• Kadin
• Kadon
• Kadyn
• Kaedan
• Kaeden
• Kaedin
• Kaedon
• Kaedyn
• Kaedynn
• Kaidan
• Kaiden
• Kaidin
• Kaidon
• Kaidyn
• Kaydan
• Kayden
• Kaydenn
• Kaydin
• Kaydn
• Kaydon
• Kaydyn
• Kdyn
• Keiden
• Keyden
• Khaden
• Khaiden
• Khaidyn
• Khayden
• Klayden

L:

• Laden
• Ladon
• Laiden
• Layden
• Laydon

N:

• Naiden
• Nayden

O: none

P:

• Paden
• Paiden
• Payden

Q: none

R:

• Radin
• Raeden
• Raedyn
• Raidan
• Raiden
• Raidon
• Raidyn
• Raydan
• Rayden
• Raydin
• Raydon
• Raydyn
• Reiden
• Reydan
• Reyden

S:

• Sayden
• Shaden
• Shayden
• Shaydon
• Slayden

T:

• Taden
• Taeden
• Taedyn
• Taiden
• Tayden
• Taydon
• Thaiden
• Traeden
• Traiden
• Trayden
• Treyden

U: none

V:

• Vaden
• Vaiden
• Vayden

W:

• Wayden

X:

• Xaden
• Xaiden
• Xaidyn
• Xayden
• Xhaiden

Y:

• Yadin
• Yaiden
• Yayden
• Yeiden

Z:

• Zaden
• Zadyn
• Zaeden
• Zaedyn
• Zaidan
• Zaiden
• Zaidenn
• Zaidyn
• Zaydan
• Zayden
• Zaydenn
• Zaydin
• Zaydn
• Zaydon
• Zaydyn
• Zhayden

3-syllable:

• Jacaiden
• Jakaden
• Jakaiden
• Jakayden
• Makaden
• Xzayden

Grand total: 229 names, comprising 2.99% of boys. Last year, the total was 257 names, 3.17% of boys. The trend is continuing downward!
[previous years: 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012]