User-created list
By ness17 · Updated April 2023
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Italian, Catalonian, Spanish
"precious stone"
Gemma is a jewel of a name, an Italian classic that was very popular in 1980s England, but has only recently been started to be used here; it entered the list in 2008. Coming from a medieval Italian…
Hebrew
"praised"
Judah is the strong, resonant Old Testament name of the son of Jacob who was the ancestor of one of the tribes of Israel, and from whom the word Jew is derived. Some of the names' popularity might be…
Greek
"rock, stone"
Peter is derived from the Greek Petros, meaning "rock" or "stone." One of the most important figures in the Christian hagiography is Saint Peter, keeper of the Gates of Heaven. Born Simon bar Jonah,…
Noongar, Scottish
"boomerang; narrow spit of land"
Popular pop name, inspired by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. It was at its height in Australia in the 1970s and early 80s; often cited as a Noongar name meaning "boomerang". Kylie has also been…
Hebrew, Greek
"he has heard; flat-nosed"
Simon is pure and simple (not in the nursery rhyme sense), and an appealingly genuine Old and New Testament name that's not overused. These factors make Simon a stylish yet classic choice. In the…
Old Norse
"eternal ruler"
Eric is derived from the Old Norse name Eiríkr, from the components ei , meaning "ever," and ríkr , "rule." It was adopted by English speakers in the mid-nineteenth century, who were already familiar…
English
"azalea, a flower"
Azalea is one of the fresher flower names, along with Zinnia and Lilac, that are new to the name bouquet — in fact, it entered the Social Security list for the first time in 2012. So if Lily and Rose…
French
"she"
Combine the charming heroine of the movie Legally Blonde with supermodel Elle Macpherson and the trend toward all names beginning with "el"—Ellie, Ella, Eleanor—and you have one hit name. Elle Driver…
English, diminutive of Katherine
"pure"
Kate, in the headlines via Catherine Middleton aka the Princess of Wales, has been as pervasive as Kathy was in the 1950s and 1960s, both as a nickname for Katherine and Kaitlyn and as a strong,…
English surname
"people's spear; book of recordings"
Ledger, another surname-turned-first name, carries associations of the great and late Australian actor Heath Ledger. It appeared on the US Top 1000 for the first time in 2017, perhaps bolstered by…
English nickname for Christian, Christopher
"one who carries Christ"
Chris is a long-running nickname used almost equally for boys and girls. While past its prime, Chris stands out as sounding completely appropriate for both sexes, perhaps because of its widespread…
English, diminutive of Samuel
"told by God"
Sam has long been used on its own for boys, as accepted standing by itself as it is as a short form of Samuel. Straightforward and down-to-earth, Sam is the name of the son of the co-stars of The…
Latin
"marvellous, admirable"
Miranda, a shimmeringly lovely, poetic name that was invented by Shakespeare for the beautiful and admirable young heroine of his play, The Tempest , is still a recommended choice even though its…
"behold or wealthy"
When Jennifer finally gave up her Number 1 place on the girls' popularity list, her crown was passed to Jessica, who reigned for not one but two decades. Jessica was the Number 1 name in both the…
"son of Will"
Wilson is a substantive presidential choice far less prevalent than Taylor or Tyler, and with the advantage of being a new route to friendly nickname Will. We see Wilson growing in popularity as an…
Russian, diminutive of Larissa or Larisa
"citadel"
This is an alternative to Laura or Lauren made romantic by Dr Zhivago , and badass by video-game heroine Lara Croft. In mythology, Lara was a nymph in Ovid's Fasti known for her beauty and inability…
French from Greek, vernacular form of Dionysius
"god of Nysa"
Although it has come to sound Irish, Dennis is one of the most widely-used French names (St. Denis is the patron saint of France) and harks back even further to Dionysius, the Greek god of wine and…
Short form of Wesley, English
"West"
Short and cool with rugged charm, Wes is a rising star in the US, climbing the charts along side Wesley and Weston and joining other one syllable options such as Mack, Jett, Tate, and Brooks.…
English from German, Irish
"mind, intellect; fiery one"
Tough yet gentle in look and sound, Hugh was a Top 100 choice in the US back in the late 19th-century and while it's never reached those heights again, it has always managed to remain in the Top 1000…
Occupational name
"fisherman"
As a member of two trendy name categories, animal and occupational, this name broke into the Top 1000 in 2004 and would make a nice tribute to an angler Grandpa. The best known bearer, Fisher…
