The NameVoyager makes it easy to see the historical popularity of a single initial. Type in P and you see a mid-century wave of Pauls, Patricias and Pamelas. But how do the 26 letters rate right now? What's hot and what's not?
To identify current letter-by-letter trends, I calculated the percent change in babies born in 2005 vs. 2003 for every initial. Here's the graph:
Wow, look at that! That's really...not very interesting. Pretty much gibberish, in fact. But let's not give up yet. First off, we have to zoom in -- the "U" bar is throwing off the whole scale. (U is far and away the least common first letter for American names, so the giant U bar that looks so important actually represents just four names or .02% of births.)
Next, let's consider the order. Are names starting with A and B really similar just because they're alphabetical neighbors? Instead of the arbitrary alphabetical order, I want to group by sound. English doesn't make that easy, of course. Lots of letters have multiple sounds, so Carl and Celia, Tina and Theo may follow very different sound-based styles. But for a rough view, I've sorted the initials into vowels, hard consonants and soft consonants. Time for another look:
Now that's a little more promising.
If you play with the NameVoyager, you'll see that one of the strongest historical trends is the fall then revival of names starting with vowels. This graph suggests that the vowel wave hasn't crested yet. Vowels as a group are still rising, while consonants -- especially hard consonants -- are falling.
So what does the vowel-consonant divide mean on a practical basis? Is it just a couple more Emmas here, a couple fewer Jessicas there? More thoughts on this next time.
Update (warning: hard core name geek material ahead!)
A reader suggested using Soundex values as a more standard grouping of initials. Soundex is a phonetic coding system for names that's commonly used to help identify individuals from earlier eras when spelling was less standardized and immigrant names were often transcribed in multiple ways. The Soundex codes reflect phonemic convergences from other languages; for example, H, W and Y are treated as vowel equivalents. This can make Soundex problematic as a reflection of American sound styles. But the subgroupings of consonants are useful indeed, so I shouldn't have thrown the baby out with the bathwater. Here is a modified Soundex version of the initials graph, which should help you understand consonants better (and to see that style-wise, H and W are definitely not vowels!)
Comments
The graph of U names is so funny looking. I get a kick out of the Unknown, must be people who can't make up their mind and pick a name after they leave the hospital? I also think it is pretty funny that Ursula drops right off the charts in the 1980s just about the time that the little mermaid's sea witch makes her entrance, lol. I couldn't use any of the U names. The only O name I like is Olivia. A, E, and I show some promise though. Ms. Wattenburg, Your blog is facinating to me. Thanks for sharing with us.
Rebecca
When identifying letters in names by sound the traditional tool is the Soundex algorithm:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soundex
It's used to help sort out names that were mangled on Ellis island and the like.
Their groupings are vowels and
* c, g, j, k, q, s, x, z
* d, t
* l
* m, n
* r
w and y are removed.
Laura, you are a genius! What is your background? Is it social science-y?
There's also a bunch for "Baby." I think I came across it when looking up B names. That must be like "Unknown" too.
Anyway, I think this means that I'm going to try to think of nmes I like that start with those unpopular hard vowel sounds.
Speaking of vowel names....we are expecting any day and thought we had settled on Elizabeth, but now we are waivering. My first daughter is Lia. I like names like Elizabeth or Clare that have the L sound at the beginning without the L as the first letter. We are thinking Elizabeth is too long to "go with" Lia. Also the popularity is an issue, although I don't know any Elizabeth's in real life and think the nicknames are infinite! Any ideas of names that are wonderful on their own, but sound nice with Lia?
Also...a vowel name that is in contention...Emme. Our only hesitation is-Does it sound like a real name or does it sound to made up? And could Emme be a CEO someday or does it only work on the playground?
Hoping for some inspiration from all you name-gurus!!!!
Thanks from the severly name-challenged!
Marci: Another problem with Elizabeth and Lia together is that Lia sounds like a nn for Elizabeth to me. Also if you call her Liz, it will be so similar, but... maybe you could also think of nicknames as a way that Elizabeth won't be too long. if she's Liz, Beth, or whtever, no one will notice the difference in length.
I knew a lot of Emme/Emi's growing up so it has always seemed "real" to me. There was a newscaster named Emme in my hometown who did a lot of interest stories (not just a weather girl, since that stereotype seems to be your concern!).
There's also the plus-size model named Emme. I think she has started some kind of business. I don't know, I think she comes across as a "classy" model.
There's also Esme.
ry4an, good point about Soundex. I usually avoid Soundex when talking exclusively about American names, but it could certainly be useful in this context. I'll post an update. Thanks!
Hey Marci--in case it's any help, there was a pretty important German mathematician named Emmy Noether (1882-1935; her real first name was Amalie, but she was universally known as Emmy):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmy_Noether
So sure, I can take the name Emme seriously.
I had the same thought as Robyn T - Lia seems like a shortened version of Elizabeth (as Lisa is, for instance).
I like the suggestion of Esme with Lia. It's the right length, uses different letters altogether and yet manages to pull off a very similar style: classic yet jaunty, feminine and, in Laura's category, "brisk and breezy."
Congratulations Marci, by the way!
This was way too much like math for me to enjoy (ha ha, kind of) I felt like I was looking at a big scary story problem!
How about Ella and Lia? Claire works nice too... Have to think more about this...
My niece's name is Emmi. She'll probably get tagged as an Emily or an Emmaline, but it's actually an Anglo-ization of the Korean Eh-Mi (I think), "happiness." Which is kind of cool.
I like the idea of Lia with another name that doesn't have the same vowel sounds, stresses, and number of syllables. So I don't like Ella and Lia, I do like Claire and Lia, and I am somewhat neutral on Emme or Esme and Lia (I also have to confess to finding Esme a bit pretentious. But maybe it's because I don't like J.D. Salinger. But then again, I think I want cats named Love and Squalor).
Does anyone else react differently to Lia, as opposed to Leah?
I like both, and maybe it's just the previous discussion on Biblical names, but I think for Leah I'd suggest names like Kate, Sarah, Jillian, or Grace-names I think of as feminine, but very "solid."
With Lia, I want to think of similarly "dainty," names with a foreign twist-Chloe, Bella,Adair, and Lucia (Lucy) sprang to mind. I do love Esme, but then, I'm a Salinger fan (reminds me of my youth-LOL)!
I also think Claire is nice, but I like Clara even better for some reason-Lia and Clara-hmmmm, maybe a little tongue twisty, but sweet. My only issue with Emme is that I can imagine people pronouncing it two different ways. Anyway, just wondering if anyone else reacts to the spelling this way-sort of goes with the current topic.
Best!
Type in P and you see a mid-century wave of Pauls, Patricias and Pamelas.
I find this amusing, as my mother and her sibs had these names.
More names that have a L sound at the beginning, are relatively short, and I think go with Lia
Alana
Alexa
Cleo
Elsa
Elaine
Gloria
Let us know what you pick.
Elizabeth was my pick for a girl too. I had four boys!
What about Eliza or is that too close to Lia? Probably!. Clare is nice but agree with Jack & Henrys mom, I like Clara better. What about Elsie, very sweet. Goodluck.
What are those 4 U names?
Heather,
It looks to me like the 4 U names are
Ulises - boy
Ulysses - boy
Uriel - boy ? I wonder how this is pronounced. Sound girlish to me?
and
Unique - girl
Rebecca
Laura,
I was wondering about the look of the graph when you have all of the names listed. It sort of seems that all names are going down at the present time. Is that just a trend that people are more often picking different names so the pool of names we choose from is larger or is it related to population. I am not 100% sure if I am understanding the graph.
Thanks,
Rebecca
Rebecca, here's the explanation from the NameVoyager FAQ:
"The NameVoyager charts the top 1000 names for boys and girls, so all the names taken together represent the proportion of babies receiving a top-1000 name."
So yes, I think it's because people are trying so hard to pick names that are off the beaten track!
Do the trends of (girls) names starting with vowels and ending with vowels coincide? Or at least the preference for putting an "a" at the end of names (Julie/Julia, Ann, Anna)?
I think Uriel is pronounced (in English anyway) YEW-ri-el. In German it's more like OOR-i-el. I love the archangel names, but not this one as it reminds me too much of urine.
Does nayone know, is Ariel also an archangel name? Or is it a variant of Uriel?
I too have a different reaction to Leah vs Lia - Lia sounds more foreign to me, as well. I'm not crazy about it with Elizabeth. Clare works, but I'm loving Emme/Emmy with it. If you're attracted to the long name, you could try Emmeline and call her Emme. I also always vote for Alexa as someone mentioned above - a personal fave.
Uriel, I think is YUR-rye-el.
Uriel is pronounced YUWR-ee-el in English. It means "God is my light" and was the name of one of the seven archangels
Ariel is an entirely different name, it means "lion of God".
interesting post Laura---since L and N were also pretty high does that mean those letters are also ebing used more frequently--Ive definetly noticed an abundance of L names (lucy, lily, layla, laina, lilah etc) but not so many N names--allthough one of my favorite names is Nellie
~Yael
Re: Lia--it's one of the names that seems popular for daughters adopted from China, so I think of it paired with other such names, like Mae, Anna, Minna...
I like the name emme.. has always been a nickname for me. But I prefer the spelling Emmy... not sure why but to me... Emme seems kinda made up with that spelling... I second Kate to go with Lia.. as well as Brooke, Beth, Ava, Faith, & Bree
I like the name emme.. has always been a nickname for me. But I prefer the spelling Emmy... not sure why but to me... Emme seems kinda made up with that spelling... I second Kate to go with Lia.. as well as Brooke, Beth, Ava, Faith, & Bree
Funny thing you say that elliebean this year for babies almost all my friends used N names and not one L..., Nickolas, Noah, Nelladia, Nevaeh.. along with Ethan, Kyle, Caden, Arianna, Caitlyn,Phillip,Micaela,and Trystin.
It's actually hard because we all hang out together and so many names start with N.
Hi Guys..
Serious Question. We're getting close now to the birth of baby girl.
What do you all think of
1. Annika
2. Anouk
Do you know any babies by these names? Do you like them? We have to decide...
I have a second cousin named Annika. I like it (it goes with her sibs' very Scandinavian names but is not quite as odd.) I know several Anouks as well. Some of them have been racially profiled at the airport in recent years, though. (Go figure.)
I like Annika. It makes me think of Pippi Longstocking, but that Annika was a sweetie.
Anouk has always been a mystery to me, honestly. I am unclear on how it is pronounced, and for some reason it makes me think of winter jackets.
1 vote for Annika.
L:
I like both but I think Annika would fit in more in the US (if that's where you are). Is Anouk French? I seem to remember it being in some movie... I think a little girl called her stuffed bunny or imaginary kangaroo Anouk which I thought was super cute but I wsn't sure if it was a proper name.
We don't live in the US.
Anouk is very popular in the Netherlands. We say "Ann-Ook" but the Ook part comes out fast.
Is Annika popular in the US? Why would Anouk be racially profiled?
Annika - I've always had a soft spot for this name! If it's likely that your daughter will be mixing in international circles, I'd choose this; it's easy to pronounce.
Emme - you mean to rhyme with 'Em'? I think it looks very elegant, and very sweet too. The only downsides are that: she will always have to explain how to spell her name, and secondly, it doesn't really have a meaning in itself...it's possible she would miss this, although you could say it derives from Emily or Emma and shares that meaning. Besides, she might relish the challenge of being a blank canvas with no expectations!
Ariel - I like this! And I like the meaning too, 'lion of God'! I have seen this in France, as Arielle (for a girl).
To Marci - another thing about the name Emme - I wouldn't worry about whether the name would fit an adult. I believe that it is people who shape the impression of their names. If Emme was a CEO, then Emme would be a CEO name!
Incidentally, I don't think the name even sounds too childish in the first place, so I don't think it would make a bad first impression in the job market.
L, Anouk is quite stylish and becoming more popular here (aust). Annika is sweet too. Ariel is my favourite tho.
Ariel makes me think of bright fresh summer days. Annika is strong and remimds me of someone travelled & trendy.
I like Annika because of the 'K' - it's not often used in the middle of a name, so it gives it a bit of class!
Ariel will always be The Little Mermaid to me.
And Anouk is cool, but I've never met one. I'm sure where you live it would be wonderful!
Hey guys: it's me, the girl who loves Winter as a name. Guess what: this girl is pregnant! :O It's a little unexpected, but we are over the moon! If it's a girl, then Winter may come in February!!!
We have also considered a name with the initial CHA (last name starts with A). It's for personal reasons...For first names, we've talked about Cahterine, Chloe, Celeste, Clara.
We're having toruble with middle names that start with H that we like. I like Helen(a), Hazel, and Hester. He hates them all. Any H suggestions as a backup for Winter?
Whoops- I meant Winter may come in November...
L: I don't know if Annika is *very* popular in the US but I have actually met an Annika (and heard of Annikas) where I have not with Anouk.
L-I've always like Annika, and no, I don't think it's very popular at all (I've known one).
I've never heard of Anouk , so it's hard to give an impression-other than to say it reminds me of Nanook-but this is strictly the association of someone living in the US. Go with the one you love!
Anne-Would Winter be the mn if you use a C fn, or is it either Winter as the fn, or the C name as the fn?
I really like Helena myself-would your DH consider Hadley, Harper, or Hollis? Two of my favorites C's are Cecily and Celia.
BTW, do you already have a boy's name picked out? I had such great ideas for girls, but I never got to use them.
Congratulations, btw!!
One of my best friends, born in '84, was named after Pippi's pal, but her parents altered the spelling a bit. Thus: Anika! She pronounces it Ah-knee-kuh, as opposed to Ah-nuh-kuh.
I love the name Annika.. its a very beautiful twist off the name Anne. Never met an Anouk.. I think I have heard the name off of a movie before.
Anne: for H names what about Hilary, Hope, Harmony, Heather, or Halley (Hal-lee.. not hay-lee pronunciation)
Thanks for the suggestions, Melissa, but it's a no-go (except for Hilary- my best friend's name).
J+H's mom, thank you! I cannot tell you how excited I am.(Although I am very bummed that I can't drink- I went for a beer tonight and had to remind myself, wait a minute, you can't do that for the NEXT NINE MONTHS!!! Yikes.) Yes, we would either go with Winter as a FN or the C-H combo. Husband did not hate Harper, which is progress. Thanks for your suggestions!
Oh, and we're absolutely clueless about boys' names! I really feel that boys' names are either overused or ugly. I like very few boys' names, and don't know what I will do if it's a boy...
Congrats Anne on your pregnancy! Would you consider using Winter for a boy? (It is actually listed in Laura's book as a boy's name)
I love Harper... Holly is another H name I like... Think you have to pick the first name so that you can figure out what goes.
Emme -- haven't heard this name before. Is it pronounced Em- AAa (long a) or Emmy?
Annika -- love the name. It is about 325 on the popular baby name list for 2005, so while people have heard of it it isn't overly popular. There is a woman golfer Annika Sorenson who has received a lot of attention since she has played on the men's golf circuit, so the name is known in US. I know one 5 year old with this name, that is it.
Anouk is a different matter. Not known, not in the top 1000. Would not know how to pronounce it or spell it.
I like Annika better because the a at the end softens the sound. Ann-ook sounds harsh for a girls name...
"Is Annika popular in the US? Why would Anouk be racially profiled?"
Annika is not VERY popular, but is popular, if you know what I mean. You hear it here and there, but it's not topping the charts anywhere.
Anouks I know have been racially profiled because their names apparently sound "Middle Eastern" or "Pakistani" to security people where I live. They get held up more often than many others I know (well, except some of my Armenian friends) for extra searches and hassles at the airport.
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