Stylish vs. Popular Names: Do you know the difference?
It’s easy to confuse popularity with stylishness. Many baby names feel “popular” when they’re merely stylish: We’re hearing them a lot, they’re in step with the baby name fashions, and we worry that if we choose them, our little Matilda is going to be one of many.
And perhaps if you live in some edgy, baby-centric enclave – Park Slope, Brooklyn, say, or Bernal Heights in San Francisco – that will be true. But for the most part, the numbers tell a different story, with many of the most stylish names used by very few parents.
One note: Names can be popular and stylish, so many of those in the popular column also qualify as stylish.
Looking just at girls’ names today, here’s a statistics-based reality check on what’s stylish vs. what’s truly popular. (Numbers in parentheses represent how many babies were given that name in the most recent U.S. count.)
Allegra (114) is stylish, though Arianna (4,797) is popular
Aurelia (209) is stylish, but Amelia (5,417) is popular
Azalea (164) is stylish while Violet (2,531) is popular
Beatrix (123) is stylish while Alexa (5,012) is popular
Blake (240) is stylish, while Payton (3,561) is popular
Carter (158) is stylish while Kennedy (2,803) is popular
Cecily (96) is stylish but Cecilia (1,186) is popular
Clementine (132) is stylish and Charlotte (5,313) is popular
Devon (110) is stylish, while London (2,847) is popular
Esme (279), merely stylish; Eliza (1,296), popular
Everly (159), stylish, compared with Ellie (2,886), which is popular
Felicity (355) is stylish, while Lydia (2,802) is popular
Flora (113) is stylish, though Cora (1,188) is getting popular
Harlow (349) is stylish, and Lola (1,454) is popular
Honor (83) is stylish while Hazel (1,232) is getting popular
Ida (99) is stylish, while Eva (3,247) is popular
Imogen (100), just stylish, while Evelyn (5,802) is popular
Isadora (122) is stylish, while we all know that Isabella (22,731) is super-popular
Maisie (123) is stylish, but Molly (3,338) is popular
Matilda (339) is stylish, while Madelyn and Madeline (over 7,000 combined) are popular
May (106), stylish, but Maya (3,921) is popular
Mercy (202) is stylish, while Faith (3,633) is popular
Millie (305) is stylish; Lily (7,900), popular
Pearl (263) is stylish, while Ruby (2,764) is popular
Persephone (110) is stylish, while Penelope (1,535) is popular
Poppy (118) is stylish, though Piper (2,119) is popular
Rory (242) is stylish, Aurora (1,517), more popular
Sawyer (348), stylish; Sydney (4,301), popular
Scout (148) is stylish but Harper (2,601) is popular
Seraphina (107) is stylish, while Serenity (3,437) is popular
Susannah (72) is stylish while Savannah (5,311) is popular
Tess (334) is stylish, while Tessa (1,413) is popular
Willa (262) stylish, with Willow (1,105) more popular
Winter (217) is stylish, while Autumn (3,476) is popular
Wren (184) is stylish but Quinn (1,267) is getting popular
Tune in for the boys’ rundown tomorrow!