Tag: Welsh

Analysis

Girls’ Names in the English/Welsh Top 1000 that Aren’t in the U.S. Top 1000

Elizabeth2 Comments

These are all the girls’ names that are in the English and Welsh top 1000 for 2016 but *not* in the United States! I made this list by comparing Office of National Statistics data against the Social Security Administration‘s list of most popular baby names. I’ve also made a list of boys’ names popular in England and Wales but not in the U.S. and and list of boys’ names that are currently popular in the U.S. but not in England and Wales.

  • A: Aairah, Aamina, Aaminah, Aarya, Aasiyah, Aayat, Abbie, Agatha, Agnes, Aida, Aila, Aimee, Aishah, Aiyla, Aiza, Aizah, Ajwa, Akira, Alara, Alba, Aleeza, Aleksandra, Alesha, Alicja, Alisa, Alishba, Alissa, Alissia, Allegra, Alys, Alyssia, Amal, Amalie, Ameera, Ameerah, Amelia-Grace, Amelia-Rose, Aminah, Ammara, Amna, Anabia, Anais, Anaiya, Anastazja, Anayah, Andreea, Anisa, Anisha, Antonina, Anoushka, Aoife, Aqsa, Arissa, Arla, Arwa, Arwen, Ashleigh, Asia, Asiya, Asiyah, Asma, Ava-Mae, Ava-Grace, Ava-Rose, Avani, Avaya, Avleen, Avneet, Ayaana, Ayah, Ayat, Ayda, Ayesha, Ayra, Aysha, Ayva, Azra
  • B: Beatrix, Beatriz, Beau, Bella-Rose, Beth, Bethan, Betsy, Betty, Bianka, Billie, Blanka, Blessing, Blossom, Bluebell, Bobbi, Bobbie, Bryony
  • C: Cadi, Caitlin, Caitlyn, Caoimhe, Carys, Cassie, Cecily, Cerys, Chiara, Cleo, Coco, Connie, Constance, Cordelia
  • D: Daisie, Daisy-Mae, Daisy-May, Darcey, Darci, Darcie, Darcy, Daria, Delia, Diya, Dolcie, Dollie, Dolly, Dottie, Dua, Dulcie
  • E: Eadie, Ebony, Edie, Effie, Eilidh, Eira, Ela, Eleni, Eleri, Elia, Elif, Elina, Elinor, Elisha, Elissa, Ella-Louise, Ella-Mae, Ella-May, Ella-Rose, Ellie-Mae, Ellie-Mai, Ellie-May, Ellie-Rose, Elodie, Elouise, Elsie-Mae, Elsie-May, Elsie-Rose, Elspeth, Ema, Emaan, Emilija, Emily-Rose, Emmanuella, Emme, Enya, Eryn, Eshaal, Eshal, Esmae, Esmai, Esmay, Esmee, Etta, Evelina, Evie-Grace, Evie-Mae, Evie-Rose, Ezmae
  • F: Farah, Fathima, Fatimah, Fearne, Fern, Ferne, Ffion, Fleur, Flora, Florence, Florrie, Freyja
  • G: Georgiana, Georgie, Georgina, Giulia, Gracie-Mae, Gracie-Mai, Gracie-May
  • H: Hafsa, Hafsah, Hajra, Hajrah, Haleema, Halima, Haniya, Hareem, Harleen, Harlie, Harper-Rose, Harriet, Harriett, Hawa, Hawwa, Henrietta, Hermione, Hettie, Hiba, Hollie, Honey, Honor, Hoorain, Huda, Humaira, Husna
  • I: Ida, Iga, Imaan, Iman, Imogen, Inaaya, Inaayah, Inara, Inaya, Inayah, Indi, India, Indiana, Indie, Indigo, Ines, Iona, Iqra, Isabella-Rose, Isha, Isla-Grace, Isla-Mae, Isla-Rae, Isla-Rose, Isobel, Isobella, Isobelle, Isra, Ivy-Rose, Iyla, Iylah, Izabela, Izzy
  • J: Jannah, Jannat, Jasleen, Jaya, Jemima, Joni, Jorgie, Jorja, Juno
  • K: Kacey, Kacie, Kaja, Karolina, Katy, Keeva, Keziah, Khadija, Khadijah, Kimberley, Kitty, Klara, Klaudia, Kornelia
  • L: Lacey-Mae, Lacie, Laiba, Larissa, Lavinia, Layla-Mae, Layla-Rose, Leela, Leena, Leja, Leonie, Lexi-Mae, Libby, Lili, Lillia, Lillie-Mae, Lillie-Rose, Lilly-Mae, Lilly-Mai, Lilly-May, Lily-Mae, Lily-May, Lily-Rose, Liyana, Lois, Lola-Rose, Lorena, Lottie, Lowri, Lucie, Luella, Luisa, Lula
  • M: Macey, Maddie, Madiha, Magdalena, Mahi, Mahnoor, Maira, Maisey, Maisy, Maiya, Maja, Malaika, Malak, Mali, Maliha, Manahil, Manha, Marcelina, Marcie, Margaux, Mariya, Marlie, Marni, Marnie, Marta, Martina, Martyna, Marwa, Mathilda, Matylda, May, Meghan, Melany, Melisa, Mia-Rose, Miley, Millicent, Millie-Mae, Millie-Rose, Milly, Minahil, Minnie, Miyah, Mollie
  • N: Nahla, Nancie, Neave, Neive, Nel, Nela, Nell, Nellie, Nelly, Neve, Niamh, Nicola, Nieve, Nikita, Nikola, Niyah, Nusaybah, Nyah
  • O: Ocean, Octavia, Olivia-Grace, Olivia-Mae, Olivia-Rose, Oliwia, Orla, Orlaigh, Ottilie
  • P: Peggy, Persephone, Philippa, Pippa, Pixie, Pola, Polly, Poppie, Precious, Primrose, Prisha, Priya
  • R: Rae, Raisa, Rania, Raya, Rebeca, Renae, Renee, Reeva, Reya, Ria, Rihanna, Rita, Robin, Robyn, Roma, Romilly, Romy, Ronnie, Rosanna, Roxanne, Rubie, Ruby-Mae, Ruby-Rose, Rumaisa, Rumaysa, Ruqayyah
  • S: Saanvi, Saara, Saarah, Safa, Safaa, Saffron, Safia, Safiya, Safiyyah, Samira, Sana, Sanaya, Sapphire, Saskia, Scarlett-Rose, Selina, Seren, Shanaya, Shania, Shannon, Shreya, Sia, Sianna, Sienna-Rose, Simona, Simran, Siya, Sofija, Sonia, Soraya, Stefania, Sukhmani, Sumaya, Sumayyah, Summer-Rose, Syeda
  • T: Tahlia, Tallulah, Tamara, Tanisha, Tara, Taya, Tess, Theia, Theodora, Tia, Tianna, Tillie, Tilly
  • U: Una
  • V: Vanesa, Verity, Viktoria
  • W: Weronika, Wiktoria, Winifred, Winnie
  • X: Xanthe
  • Y: Yara, Yasmine, Yusra
  • Z: Zahraa, Zarah, Zayna, Zaynab, Zaynah, Zeynep, Zofia, Zoha, Zoya, Zunairah, Zuzanna

You probably noticed a lot of “double-barrel” baby names in here. While some Americans have hyphenated first names, the Social Security Administration doesn’t acknowledge their spellings as distinct names; the U.K. does. So, Amelia-Rose is officially Ameliarose in America and Amelia-Rose in Britain.

Thoughts? Let me know in the comments!

Analysis

Names in the English/Welsh Top 1000 that Aren’t in the United States Top 1000 (Boys)

Elizabeth2 Comments

Over the past few days I’ve been sifting through the new English and Welsh baby name data so I can compare to the U.S. list.  Mainly, I want to get a sense of what makes a more distinctly “British” or “American” name.  It’s also fun because there are so many names on the English and Welsh lists that I’ve never even heard before!

Although the U.S. is the only country that really advertises its top 1000 most popular baby names, England and Wales release enough data and reflect a large enough population that we can easily view their top 1000 too.  Yay! 

Here is a list of every boys’ name that appeared in the England and Welsh top 1000 for 2016 but *not* in the American top 1000.  

  • A: Aadam, Aahil, Aariz, Aaryan, Aayan, Abbas, Abdirahman, Abdul, Abdullahi, Abdulrahman, Abdurrahman, Abu, Abubakar, Abubakr, Addison,* Adem, Adil, Adnan, Adyan, Ahyan, Ajay, Alastair, Albi, Albie, Alby, Aleksander, Alessio, Alexandre, Alexandros, Alexandru, Alfie, Alfie-James, Amaan, Aman, Amar, Amin, Ammar, Anas, Andreas, Andrei, Aneurin, Angus, Antoni, Antony, Aran, Archibald, Archie, Arham, Ariyan, Arjan, Armaan, Arman, Arnie, Arnold, Aronas, Arran, Artur, Arun, Ashley,* Aston, Aubrey,* Ayan, Ayaz, Ayman, Ayrton, Ayub, Ayyub, Azaan
  • B: Bailey,* Baran, Barnaby, Barney, Bartosz, Baxter, Bear, Benas, Benedict, Benny, Bernard, Bertie, Bilal, Bobbie, Boris, Bowie, Brogan, Brooklyn, Bryn, Buddy, Buster
  • C: Caelan, Caiden, Caio, Calum, Caspar, Casper, Caspian, Charley, Che, Chester, Cian, Ciaran, Cillian, Coby, Cormac
  • D: Danielius, Daniyal, Danyal, Dawid, Dawood, Dawud, Deen, Denis, Deniz, Denny, Dev, Dhruv, Dilan, Dion, Domas, Dominykas, Dougie
  • E: Eben, Edmund, Eduard, Eesa, Eisa, Eliot, Elis, Elvis, Elwood, Emil, Emir, Emre, Emrys, Eoin, Eren, Ernie, Eryk, Esa, Eshaan, Eshan, Essa, Etienne, Euan, Ewan
  • F: Faizan, Farhan, Faris, Fergus, Filip, Finlay, Fionn, Francesco, Franciszek, Frankie,* Franky, Fraser, Frazer, Fred, Freddie, Freddy, Fredrick, Fynn
  • G: Gene, Georgie, Gerard, Gethin, Griff, Guy
  • H: Haaris, Hadi, Hadley,* Haider, Hamish, Hamzah, Hari, Haris, Harlow,* Haroon, Harri, Harlen, Harun, Hasan, Hashim, Hashir, Hasnain, Haydn, Henley,* Henri, Herbert, Herbie, Hubert, Huey, Hughie, Hussain, Huw, Huzaifa
  • I: Ianis, Ibraheem, Idrees, Idris, Iestyn, Ieuan, Igor, Ilyas, Imran, Ioan, Iosif, Isa, Ishaaq, Ishaq, Ismaeel, Ismail, Ivo, Ivor, Iwan
  • J: Jac, Jago, Jai, Jakub, Jamie,* Jan, Jaxx, Jaydan, Jaydon, Jeevan, Jenson, Jonny, Josef, Josh, Jovan
  • K: Kabir, Kacper, Kaelan, Kairo, Kaiser, Kajus, Kamil, Karam, Karol, Kasper, Kaya,* Kayan, Kaylan, Kaylen, Kenzie,* Keon, Keyaan, Kiaan, Kieron, Kit, Kiyan, Klay, Kobi, Kobie, Koby, Kodi, Konrad, Krystian, Krzysztof, Ksawery, Kuba, Kurtis, Kush, Kyan, Kyran, Kyron
  • L: Laith, Laurence, Lennie, Lenny, Leopold, Lewie, Leyton, Lloyd, Loki, Lorcan, Lowen, Lucien, Luqman
  • M: Maciej, Mackenzie,* Macsen, Mahdi, Mahir, Maksim, Maksymilian, Malachy, Manveer, Matas, Matei, Mateusz, Maxime, Maximillian, Mckenzie,* Md, Mehmet, Michal, Mikaeel, Mikail, Mikey, Mikolaj, Mohamad, Montague, Montgomery, Monty, Muhammed, Mylo
  • N: Natan, Nataniel, Nate, Ned, Neo, Niall, Niam, Nikita, Nikodem, Noa,* Nojus
  • O: Oisin, Olaf, Olivier, Oliwier, Ollie, Olly, Omer, Orson, Osian, Oskar, Osman, Owain, Owais
  • P: Paddy, Patryk, Percy, Piotr, Presley*
  • Q: Qasim
  • R: Raees, Rafe, Rafferty, Raheem, Raife, Raja, Ralphie, Ralphy, Ranveer, Rares, Rayaan, Rayyan, Reagan,* Reegan, Regan, Reggie, Rehan, Reign,* Remi, Rian, Richie, Rico, Ridwan, Riley-James, Rio, Rishi, Robbie, Robin, Rogan, Rome, Ronny, Roscoe, Roshan, Ross, Ruairi, Rudi, Rueben, Rufus, Rupert, Rylee,* Ryley
  • S: Safwan, Sai, Saif, Sahib, Sahil, Salman, Sami, Saxon, Seb, Sebastien, Shae, Shay, Shayan, Shayaan, Shea, Sheikh, Shiv, Sidney, Simeon, Sol, Stanislaw, Steffan, Subhaan, Subhan, Sufyan, Sulaiman, Sulayman, Sultan, Syed, Szymon
  • T: Taha, Talha, Taylan, Ted, Teddie, Teddy, Teo, Teodor, Theodor, Theon, Tiago, Tom, Tomasz, Tommy, Tommy-Lee, Tomos, Tudor, Tyler-James, Tymon, Tymoteusz, Tyrese
  • U: Umair, Umar, Usman, Uzair
  • V: Veer, Viktor, Vinnie, Vinny, Vlad
  • W: Waleed, Wiktor, Wilbur, Wilf, Wilfred, Wojciech, Woody
  • Y: Yanis, Yaqub, Yaseen, Yash, Yasin, Yasir, Youssef, Yousuf, Yunus, Yuvraj
  • Z: Zac, Zach, Zack, Zak, Zakaria, Zakariya, Zakariyah, Zakariyya, Zaki, Zayaan, Zayan, Zayd, Zayyan, Zephaniah, Zidan, Ziggy

*Asterisks follow names that are actually popular in the U.S. as girls’ names only (the purpose of this list is to sort out the differences between the boys’ lists).  Many of those names began as men’s names or surnames and have since shifted or flipped to the women’s side.  Additionally, Regan (although not currently in U.S. fashion) is a women’s name from Shakespeare, yet somehow she’s only popular as a boys’ name in her home country! 

Thoughts?  I’m going to post their American counterparts later, and hopefully I’ll have sorted the girls’ lists by the end of the week!

For this post, I compared Office for National Statistics data against Social Security Administration data.

Analysis

U.S. vs. England and Wales, Full List (Girls)

Elizabeth7 Comments

As promised in my analysis, here is the full list of girls’ names that were in the top 1000 only in the U.S. or only in the combined England/Wales top 1000!  Unlike with my other posts, I won’t color-code this one; I don’t think anyone can stand reading long lists written in magenta.  Either way, this is more of a reference post than anything else.

Enjoy!

U.S.

  • A: Abril, Adaline, Adalyn, Adalynn, Addilyn, Addilynn, Addisyn, Addyson, Adelyn, Adelynn, Adilynn, Adley, Adrianna, Adrienne, Aileen, Ainsley, Aislinn, Aitana, Aiyana, Alaia, Alaina, Alani, Aleah, Alejandra, Alena, Alessandra, Alexandria, Aliana, Alianna, Alison, Alisson, Allie, Allison, Ally, Allyson, Alondra, Alyson, Amari, Amaris, America, Amia, Amiya, Amya, Anahi, Analia, Andi, Angeline, Angelique, Angie, Ann, Annalee, Anne, Annika, Ansley, Aranza, Arden, Arely, Ariadne, Ariah, Ariel, Ariyah, Armani, Aryana, Aryanna, Ashlyn, Ashlynn, Aspen, Aubrianna, Aubrie, Aubriella, Aubrielle, Audrina, Avah, Avalyn, Avalynn, Averi, Averie, Aviana, Avianna, Ayleen, Aylin, Azaria, Azariah, Azalea
  • B: Bailee, Barbara, Baylee, Belen, Blair, Blake, Blakely, Braelyn, Braelynn, Braylee, Breanna, Brenda, Brenna, Bria, Briana, Briar, Briella, Brielle, Briley, Brinley, Bristol, Brittany, Brooklynn, Bryanna, Brylee, Bryleigh, Brynlee, Brynn
  • C: Cadence, Cameron, Camila, Camryn, Carlee, Carolyn, Carter, Cataleya, Catalina, Caylee, Cecelia, Chana, Charlee, Charleigh, Charli, Charlize, Cherish, Cheyenne, Clare, Clarissa, Colette, Collins, Coraline, Corinne, Cynthia
  • D: Dahlia, Dalary, Daleyza, Dallas, Danica, Danna, Dayana, Delaney, Denise, Desiree, Dulce, Dylan
  • E: Eileen, Elaine, Elianna, Elliana, Elliot, Elliott, Ellis, Ellison, Elyse, Ember, Emely, Emerie, Emerson, Emersyn, Emery, Emmalee, Emmaline, Emmalyn, Emmalynn, Emory, Esmeralda, Esperanza, Estrella, Evelynn, Everleigh
  • F: Fernanda, Finley
  • G: Galilea, Genesis, Giana, Gianna, Giavanna, Giovanna, Giselle, Giuliana, Gracelyn, Gracelynn, Guadalupe, Gwendolyn
  • H: Hadassah, Hadlee, Hadleigh, Hadley, Hailee, Hailey, Haley, Harlee, Harmoni, Haven, Hayden, Haylee, Heaven, Heavenly, Henley, Holland, Hunter
  • I: Iliana, Ingrid, Ireland, Irene, Isabela, Itzel, Ivanna, Ivory
  • J: Jacqueline, Jada, Jaelyn, Jaelynn, Jaida, Jaliyah, Jamie, Jane, Janelle, Janessa, Janiya, Janiyah, Jaycee, Jayda, Jayde, Jayden, Jayla, Jaylah, Jaylee, Jayleen, Jaylene, Jaylin, Jaylynn, Jazlyn, Jazlynn, Jemma, Jenny, Jessa, Jewel, Jillian, Jimena, Jocelynn, Johanna, Jolene, Jolie, Jordan, Jordyn, Jordynn, Joselyn, Joslyn, Journee, Journey, Joyce, Judith, Juliana, Julianna, Julianne, Julie, Julieta, Julissa, June, Juniper, Justice
  • K: Kadence, Kaelyn, Kaelynn, Kai, Kailani, Kailee, Kailey, Kailyn, Kairi, Kaitlynn, Kaiya, Kalani, Kali, Kaliyah, Kallie, Kamryn, Karen, Karla, Karlee, Karlie, Karsyn, Karter, Kassandra, Kassidy, Katalina, Katelynn, Kayden, Kaydence, Kaylee, Kaylie, Kaylin, Kaylynn, Kelly, Kenley, Kenia, Kenna, Kennedi, Kennedy, Kensington, Kensley, Kenya, Kenzie, Keyla, Kiley, Kimber, Kimora, Kinley, Kinslee, Kinsley, Kora, Kori, Kristen, Kylee, Kyleigh, Kylie, Kyndall, Kynlee
  • L: Lailah, Lainey, Landry, Laney, Laurel, Lauryn, Laylah, Leanna, Leighton, Leilani, Lennon, Lennox, Leslie, Lillianna, Lilyana, Lilyanna, Linda, Lindsay, Lindsey, Liv, Lizbeth, Logan, London, Londyn, Lorelai, Lucille, Luz, Lylah, Lyric
  • M: Mackenzie, Madalyn, Madalynn, Madelyn, Madelynn, Madilyn, Madilynn, Madisyn, Madyson, Magnolia, Makayla, Makenna, Makenzie, Malaya, Malaysia, Maleah, Malia, Maliah, Maliyah, Mallory, Mariah, Marianna, Marilyn, Marisol, Marissa, Marjorie, Marlee, Marleigh, Mckenzie, Mckinley, Meilani, Melany, Melina, Micah, Mikaela, Mikayla, Milan, Milani, Milania, Miracle, Miranda, Monroe, Moserat, Montserrat, Moriah
  • N: Natalee, Nataly, Nathalia, Nathalie, Nathaly, Naya, Nayeli, Noelle, Noemi
  • O: Oakley
  • P: Paislee, Paityn, Paola, Parker, Perla, Presley, Priscilla
  • R: Raegan, Raelyn, Raelynn, Raina, Raquel, Rayna, Reagan, Reese, Regina, Reina, Remington, Remy, Renata, Reyna, Rivka, Romina, Rory, Roselyn, Royal, Ryan, Ryann, Rylan, Rylee, Ryleigh, Rylie
  • S: Sage, Saige, Saniyah, Sariah, Sariyah, Sarahi, Sarai, Sawyer, Saylor, Scarlette, Selah, Sharon, Shiloh, Sidney, Sierra, Simone, Sloan, Sloane, Susan, Sutton
  • T: Taliyah, Tatiana, Tatum, Tatumn, Tenley, Teresa, Tinley, Tori
  • V: Valeria, Valerie, Veda, Vera, Virginia, Viviana
  • W: Wendy, Whitney, Willa, Wynter
  • X: Ximena
  • Y: Yamileth, Yareli, Yaretzi, Yaritza
  • Z: Zaniyah, Zaria, Zariah, Zariyah, Zaylee, Zelda, Zendaya, Zion, Zoie, Zuri

U.K.

  • A: Aairah, Aamina, Aaminah, Aanya, Aarya, Aasiyah, Abbie, Agatha, Agnes, Aida, Aila, Aishah, Aiyla, Aiza, Aizah, Akira, Alara, Alaya, Alayah, Alba, Aleeza, Aleksandra, Alesha, Alessia, Alisa, Alissia, Allegra, Alyssia, Amal, Amalie, Amanah, Amayah, Amber-Rose, Ameera, Ameerah, Amelia-Grace, Amelia-Lily, Amelia-Rose, Amna, Anais, Anaiya, Ananya, Anayah, Andreea, Aniela, Anisa, Annabell, Antonia, Antonina, Anwen, Aoife, Aqsa, Arisha, Arissa, Arla, Aroush, Arwa, Arwen, Asha, Ashleigh, Asiya, Asma, Ava-Grace, Ava-Mae, Ava-Rose, Avani, Avneet, Ayaana, Ayah, Ayana, Ayat, Ayda, Ayesha, Ayra, Aysha, Ayva
  • B: Beatrix, Beau, Bella-Rose, Belle, Beth, Bethan, Betsy, Betty, Bianka, Billie, Blessing, Blossom, Bobbi, Bobbie, Bronte
  • C: Cadi, Caoimhe, Carys, Cassie, Cecily, Cerys, Chiara, Cleo, Coco, Connie, Constance
  • D:  Daisie, Daisy-Mae, Daisy-May, Darcey, Darci, Darcie, Darcie-May, Darcy, Daria, Darla, Demi-Leigh, Dina, Diya, Dolcie, Dolly, Dottie, Dua, Dulcie
  • E: Eadie, Ebony, Edie, Efa, Effie, Eira, Ela, Eleni, Eleri, Elia, Elif, Elina, Elinor, Elisha, Elissa, Ella-Grace, Ella-Louise, Ella-Mae, Ella-May, Ella-Rose, Ellena, Ellie-Mae, Ellie-Mai, Ellie-May, Ellie-Rose, Elodie, Elouise, Elsie-May, Elsie-Rose, Elspeth, Ema, Emaan, Emilija, Emily-Rose, Emmanuella, Emme, Emmie, Enid, Enya, Eryn, Esha, Eshaal, Eshal, Esmae, Esmai, Esmay, Esmee, Etta, Eva-Rose, Evelina, Evie-Grace, Evie-Mae, Evie-May, Evie-Rose, Ezmae
  • F: Farah, Fatimah, Fearne, Fern, Ffion, Fleur, Flora, Florence, Florrie, Freyja
  • G: Georgie, Georgiana, Georgina, Giulia, Gracie-Mae, Gracie-Mai, Gracie-May
  • H: Hadiya, Hafsa, Hafsah, Hajra, Haleema, Halima, Haniya, Hareem, Harleen, Harper-Rose, Harriet, Harriett, Hawa, Hawwa, Haya, Henrietta, Hermione, Hettie, Hetty, Hiba, Hibba, Hollie, Honey, Honor, Huda, Humaira, Husna
  • I: Ida, Iga, Imaan, Iman, Imogen, Inaaya, Inaayah, Inara, Inaya, Inayah, Indi, India, Indiana, Indie, Indigo, Ines, Iona, Iqra, Isabella-Rose, Isha, Isla-Grace, Isla-Mae, Isla-Rose, Isobel, Isobella, Isobelle, Isra, Ivie, Ivy-Rose, Iyla, Izabela, Izzy
  • J: Jana, Jannah, Jannat, Jasleen, Jaya, Jemima, Jia, Jiya, Jorgie, Juno
  • K: Kacey, Kacie, Kaira, Kaitlin, Kaja, Karolina, Katrina, Katy, Keeley, Keeva, Kelsie, Keziah, Khadeejah, Khadija, Khadijah, Kimberley, Kitty, Klara, Klaudia, Kornelia, Kourtney, Krystal
  • L: Lacey-Mae, Lacie, Laiba, Lavinia, Layla-Mae, Layla-Rose, Leela, Leena, Leja, Leonie, Lexi-Mae, Lili, Lillia, Lillie-Mae, Lillie-Rose, Lilly-Mae, Lilly-Mai, Lilly-May, Lilly-Rose, Lily-Mae, Lily-Mai, Lily-Rose, Liya, Liyana, Lois, Lola-Rose, Lorena, Lorna, Lottie, Louise, Lowri, Lucie, Luisa, Lula
  • M: Macey, Maddie, Madiha, Mahi, Mahnoor, Maira, Maisey, Maisy, Maiya, Maizie, Maja, Malaika, Mali, Maliha, Manahil, Manha, Marcie, Mariella, Mariya, Marlie, Marni, Marnie, Marta, Martina, Martyna, Marwa, Marwah, Mathilda, Matylda, May, Meghan, Melisa, Menaal, Merryn, Mia-Rose, Miley, Millicent, Millie-Rose, Milly, Minahil, Minnie, Miyah, Mollie
  • N: Nahla, Nancie, Neave, Nel, Nela, Nell, Nellie, Nelly, Neve, Niamh, Nicola, Nieve, Nikita, Nikola, Nuala, Nusaybah, Nyah
  • O: Ocean, Octavia, Olivia-Grace, Olivia-Rose, Oliwia, Orla, Orlaith, Ottilie
  • P: Peggy, Persephone, Philippa, Pippa, Pixie, Pola, Polly, Poppie, Poppy, Poppy-Mae, Precious, Primrose, Priya
  • R: Rae, Rahma, Rania, Raya, Rebeca, Reeva, Renae, Renee, Ria, Rita, Riya, Robin, Robyn, Roisin, Romilly, Romy, Ronnie, Rosalind, Rosanna, Roxanne, Roxy, Roza, Rubie, Ruby-Mae, Ruby-Rose, Rumaisa, Ruqayyah
  • S: Saara, Saarah, Safa, Safaa, Safia, Safiya, Safiyyah, Saffron, Saira, Samira, Saoirse, Sana, Sapphire, Saskia, Scarlett-Rose, Selina, Seren, Shanaya, Shania, Shannon, Shreya, Sia, Sienna-Rose, Simran, Sinead, Skylah, Sofie, Sofija, Sonia, Sophia-Rose, Soraya, Star, Sukhmani, Sumaya, Sumayya, Sumayyah, Summer-Rose, Sylvie, Syeda
  • T: Tahlia, Tallulah, Tamara, Tanisha, Tayla, Teigan, Tess, Theia, Theodora, Tia, Tianna, Tillie, Tilly
  • U: Una
  • V: Verity, Viktoria
  • W: Weronika, Wiktoria, Winifred, Winnie
  • X: Xanthe
  • Y: Yara, Yasmine, Yusra
  • Z: Zaara, Zahara, Zaina, Zarah, Zaynab, Zaynah, Zofia, Zoha, Zoya, Zunairah, Zusanna

Only one ‘Q’ name appears on either list; Quinn ranks #97 in the U.S. and #422 in England and Wales.  There’s also only one ‘U’ name, which appears on the E/W list but not the American.

Thoughts, anyone?  Do you prefer the styles of the strictly English/Welsh names or the strictly American names?  What conclusions might *you* draw from these sets? 

Data sources:

Analysis

U.S. vs. England/Wales (Girls’ Names)

Elizabeth4 Comments

Preface

Two weeks ago, the 2015 name stats for England and Wales were released.  As an American, I don’t know much about British naming trends.  They’re fun to observe and learn about, but it’s not an area that I feel too comfortable expounding on beyond some minor comparison.

There are, however, people who do.  You all should seriously check out the site British Baby Names, run by Eleanor Nickerson.  It’s a wondrous blog that includes the data and analysis of Britain’s naming trends, along with historical names, recent birth announcements, and in-depth name profiles. 

Anyways, BBN provides a top 1000 list for England and Wales (their data is released together; Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate lists).  I was curious how it compared to the American top 1000.  So, with the help of spreadsheets, I’ve been sorting out the names that were only in the top 1000 of either the U.S. or England/Wales.  Here are my observations on women’s names:

Surnames and Men’s Names on Women

Something interesting I’ve seen is that unisex names are only unisex or gender-bending in the U.S.  While some will appear in both (Addison, Ashley), most do not.  A female Mackenzie is going to be American…it’s a men’s name in the Isles.  Same with Cameron.

The big exception I can think of for the U.K. is Darcy and its many forms.  Darcy ranks #88 as a girls’ name on the English/Welsh list; stateside, Darcy is fairly outdated.  It hasn’t been in the top 1000 since the early 1990s.  No, Pride and Prejudice didn’t cause its dropping out, even if the miniseries came out the first year it wasn’t in the charts.  

Classic Names

The style of classic name that’s only popular in the U.S. differs from the style of classic name exclusive to the other side of the pond.  A lot of ours were staples of the 1930s and 40s and are barely hanging on to the top 1000 (Joyce, Barbara, etc.).  Strangely, only the American list contains Anne and Jane – both names of English queens regnant.  To be fair, Lady Jane Grey was only queen for nine days…still, how is Anne not a top 1000 name over there?

Strictly British classics include choices that may once have been wildly popular in the U.S…in the 18th and 19th centuries.  Florence and Agnes especially come to mind.  Seriously, we should be making better efforts to resurrect lovelies like Harriet and Theodora! 

Ancient, Classical, and Mythological

This needed a header separate from the classics.  It’s hard to call Juliana (U.S. only) or Hermione (E/W only) classics by modern standards, despite their long histories.  On the other hand, Virginia (U.S. only) and Flora (E/W only) do count as classics. 

A few of the other names in this section are spelling variants for more common shared spellings.  Freyja only appears on the English/Welsh list, though Freya is popular both there and here.  Kassandra only appears on the American list, but Cassandra shows up on both lists. 

Interestingly, Hermione, Persephone, and Juno appear on the E/W set, but Ariadne is American.  Still no Calliope on either top 1000. 😦

Nicknames

The given-diminutives that only appear in the E/W list are very old-fashioned…the American nicknames, not so much.  Selections from their list: Effie, Lula, Minnie, Florrie, Edie.  On our list: Charleigh, Liv, Jessa.  Americans also have Zelda, though I think we’ve become iffy on whether it’s actually a nickname.  Technically Charlotte is a nickname, though we all regard her as formal.

The Adelines

OK, so Adeline appears on both lists, but most other spellings (Adalynn, Adelyn, etc.) only appear in the U.S.  More on that below in The Emmas and The Lynns.

The Emmas

While Emma is popular pretty much everywhere, like Adeline only the the top form really curries favor in England and Wales.  Emmalyn, Emmaline, etc. are only in the American top 1000.  The exception is Emmeline, which appears on both lists.

The Lynns

Names ending in -Lynn are pretty strictly American.  If I find one they like in the U.K., I’ll let you know.

Alison and Co.

Alison, Allison, Allyson, etc. are all American.

Irish Names/Spellings

People on both sides of the Atlantic have difficulty pronouncing and spelling Celtic names…especially the Irish ones. 

That said, a number of Irish names appear on the E/W list only and in their original spellings.  Aoife, Caoimhe, and Saoirse especially come to mind.  However, there are also the Anglicized spellings – Keeva, anyone?

Welsh Names

Of course, it wouldn’t be the English and Welsh top 1000 without some Welsh names!  Bethan, Cerys, Eleri, and Anwen are all choices you won’t find in the American top 1000.  That’s not to say there aren’t Welsh names on the American charts…Megan‘s still pretty popular.

Names from Spanish, French, and Amerindian Languages (and etc.)

These are more strictly American.  If you meet an Aranza, Belen, Itzel, or Noelle, she’s American.  Italian girls’ names seem to go either way though…Chiara is English, but Giuliana is American.

Arabic and Muslim Names:

These are fairly common to both lists, though the E/W seems to hold more exclusively.  On their list (but not ours) are names like Khadija and Nusaybah. 

Polish Names

Peculiar to the English/Welsh list, unless you want to attribute Izabella on the American list to a Polish-speaking population (I think it’s just because Isabella is so fashionable).  The E/W set includes Kornelia, Matylda, and Weronika.  (Side note – does anyone else think it’s strange that Kornelia is top 1000 but Cornelia isn’t?)

Double-Barrel Names

Strictly British.  The Social Security Administration doesn’t account for these in their data, so even if someone names their child Ava–Lynn, it will appear as Avalynn (#884 in U.S.).  That said, double-barrels are pretty common across the pond.  Amelia–Rose ranks #210 there, and there are quite a few others, including Evie–May, Demi–Leigh, and Poppy–Mae. Also Ruby–Rose, which reminds me of the 5th Element.

Place Names

You won’t find the American names London and Bristol on English children.  There is an American city called Bristol (Virginia/Tennessee border) known for NASCAR – whether this city or Bristol Palin is the namesake is up to the parents.  I do wonder if anyone born in or near Bristol actually has the name.  New York is the only state where Brooklyn wasn’t in the top 100 last year.  Funnily enough, Brooklyn is unisex on the English/Welsh charts, though I suspect the reason for *that* is David Beckham’s son.

Miscellaneous

  • Brits *love* Poppy.  It’s the highest ranking girls’ name in England and Wales that isn’t even top 1000 stateside.  That hopefully will change soon…last year it was pretty close to cracking it! 
  • Girls’ names beginning with the letter ‘I’ disproportionately appear on the English/Welsh lists, while J names are disproportionately American.
  • American babies are being named after Kensington Palace (!).  Kensington ranked #969 last year. 

Concluding Remarks

Thoughts?  I’ll post the full list of what’s exclusively English/Welsh or American later, and then my observations on the boys’ names. 

American Names · Modern names

Elowen

Elizabeth10 Comments

Rarely do I find modern names so much to my taste as I do Elowen!  Although she sounds Welsh, she’s actually Cornish and means “elm tree.”  Pronunciation-wise, the second syllable is supposed to be emphasized – i.e., Elle-OH-when.  However, most people (myself included) probably emphasize the first syllable (like ELLE-oh-when).  36 girls were named Elowen in 2015.

Cornish_Elms_at_Coldrenick
Cornish Elms

Cornish is a rare and endangered language, but don’t underestimate Elowen.  Another Cornish name, Jennifer, transitioned from utter obscurity at the dawn of the 20th century into the #1 American girls’ name by the 1970s.  That took several decades, but maybe Elowen will rise faster in the days of the internet. 

Usage is growing steadily on this spelling alone, but popularity for the alternative spelling Elowyn nearly tripled between 2014 and 2015, from 24 to 67 uses!  That Elowyn is more popular than Elowen is curious, but not completely out-of-the-blue when you consider that Americans tend to spell other (mostly Welsh) names ending in -wen instead with -wyn (i.e., Bronwen and Gwendolen usually become Bronwyn and Gwendolyn).  Another spelling, Ellowyn, registered 34 times last year.  There’s also Ella-influenced Ellawyn at 7 uses.  If you rank names by combined spellings (as some people do), that means 144 baby girls were called Elowen last year…an average of almost 3 per state.  There may be even more, if there were spellings too rare to show up in the extended data.  Either way, don’t be shocked to find one on the playground.

The most obvious nicknames for an Elowen are Ella and Ellie, but Winnie is arguably possible as well.  I can even see where a fan of Netflix’s Stranger Things might use this name to honor Eleven without calling their daughter a number. 

What do you think of Elowen?  Do you think she or Elowyn will enter the top 1000 at some point? 

Opinions

On Celtic Names

ElizabethLeave a comment

Many Americans have Celtic ancestry.  In a modern sense, we usually think of “Celtic” as referring to Irish, Scottish, or Welsh.  However, it also can encompass Cornish, Breton, and Manx. 

Growing up, I knew plenty of Ryans, Kevins, and Caitlins.  I also can say I knew of an Aidan and an Eilidh.  Mackenzie was another I would sometimes hear, along with the once extremely popular Cornish name Jennifer (cognate of the literary names Guinevere and Ginevra).  Celtic-derived names were everywhere.

You may have noticed that all the boys’ names I mentioned are basically Irish in origin.  Irish and Scottish Gaelic (Eilidh falling in the latter category) are notoriously difficult for most English speakers to spell and pronounce.  If you can figure them out, however, you’re potentially looking at an incredibly unique and distinctive name.

I plan on posting more on Celtic names in the future.  For now, here are just a few of my favorites:

Briallen – Welsh.  I’ve read it’s supposed to be pronounced “Brie-AHSH-en” but I think the phonetic “Brie-ah-len” will work just fine (and indeed, better) for American ears.

Blodwen – Welsh

Bronwen – Welsh.  Pronounce it as you see it.  From my research Bronwyn is more commonly used in the U.S.  However, in Welsh, names ending in “-wyn” are considered masculine, and “-wen” are feminine.  Americans mostly view Bronwyn as feminine. 

Caoimhe (pr. like Keeva) – Irish and Scottish

Ceridwen – Welsh.  Pronounced with a hard “c” sound, as in “care.”

Fionnuala, Fionnuaghla – Irish and Scottish.  I’m personally not sure about pronunciation, but Finola and Fenella are English forms. 

Kerensa – Cornish

Niamh (rhymes with Eve) – Irish

Nolwenn – Breton

Rhiannon – Welsh mythology.  Americans started using this name in the 1970s because of  the Fleetwood Mac song.

Saoirse (pr. Seer-sha) – Irish name.  Namesake-wise, there’s actress Saoirse Ronan, who was recently an Academy Award nominee.

Alasdair/Alastair – Scottish forms of Greek Alexander.

Cadwalader – Welsh

Cadwgan/Cadogan – Welsh, and as in “Sir Cadogan” from Harry Potter. 

Caradoc – Welsh.  Caradoc Dearborn is a very minor Harry Potter character.

Ciarán (pronounced like Kieran) – Irish.  Namesake Ciaran Hinds.

Cormac – Irish.  Cormac McLaggen is a character in the Harry Potter series.

Duncan – Scottish

Emrys – Welsh.  I’ve been seeing a lot more of this name lately, actually.

Gawain – Welsh, cognate of Gavin.  Think “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” and King Arthur.

Riordan – Irish