History of State Capital Names as Given Names

Image by bruno pires via Flickr

While going through the State Names last week, I was a little distracted by the capital names and figured it was logical to do the same analysis for them. There are a lot more usable names in this bunch...

Albany (New York)
Recorded Gender Use: Both (although the boys were only in 1926)
Earliest Recorded Use: 1926 (5 boys)... it wasn't used again until 1985
Highest Use: 2007 (30 girls)
2012 Use: 17 girls
Total Over Time: 517 girls and 5 boys

Annapolis (Maryland) - No Recorded Use

Atlanta (Georgia)
Recorded Gender Use: Girls
Earliest Recorded Use: 1895 (5 girls)
Highest Use: 1995 (37 girls)
2012 Use: 5 girls
Total Over Time: 599 girls

Augusta (Maine)
Recorded Gender Use: Both
Earliest Recorded Use: 1880 (151 girls and 5 boys)
Highest Use: 1915 (369 girls)
2012 Use: 30 girls and 5 boys
Total Over Time: 15,994 girls and 1,667 boys

Austin (Texas)
Recorded Gender Use: Both
Earliest Recorded Use: 1880 (53 boys)
Highest Use: 1995 (25,906 boys)
2012 Use: 84 girls and 6,951 boys
Total Over Time: 3,916 girls and 378,501 boys

Baton Rouge (Louisiana) - No Recorded Use (Baton and Rouge)

Bismarck (North Dakota)
Recorded Gender Use: Boys
Earliest Recorded Use: 1992 (5 boys)
Highest Use: 1994 (9 boys)
2012 Use: None
Total Over Time: 25 boys

Boise (Idaho)
Recorded Gender Use: Boys
Earliest Recorded Use: 1913 (5 boys)
Highest Use: 1921, 1926, and 1936 (6 boys)
2012 Use: None
Total Over Time: 33 boys

Boston (Massachusetts)
Recorded Gender Use: Both
Earliest Recorded Use: 1880 (5 boys)
Highest Use: 2009 (491 boys)
2012 Use: 49 girls and 481 boys
Total Over Time: 429 girls and 5,096 boys

Carson City (Nevada) - Carson
Recorded Gender Use: Both
Earliest Recorded Use: 1880 (9 boys)
Highest Use: 2008 (5,125 boys)
2012 Use: 151 girls and 4,566 boys
Total Over Time: 5,755 girls and 78,907 boys

Charleston (West Virginia)
Recorded Gender Use: Both
Earliest Recorded Use: 1914 (5 boys)
Highest Use: 1997 and 2009 (52 boys)
2012 Use: 25 girls and 50 boys
Total Over Time: 212 girls and 1,773 boys

Cheyenne (Wyoming)
Recorded Gender Use: Both
Earliest Recorded Use: 1946 (5 girls)
Highest Use: 1996 (4,866 girls)
2012 Use: 1,007 girls and 9 boys
Total Over Time: 62,607 girls and 2,613 boys

Columbia (South Carolina)
Recorded Gender Use: Both (although the boys were only in 1926)
Earliest Recorded Use: 1882 (6 girls)
Highest Use: 1922 (32 girls)
2012 Use: None
Total Over Time: 630 girls and 5 boys

Columbus (Ohio)
Recorded Gender Use: Boys
Earliest Recorded Use: 1880 (64 boys)
Highest Use: 1922 (187 boys)
2012 Use: 6 boys
Total Over Time: 7,476 boys

Concord (New Hampshire) - No Recorded Use

Denver (Colorado)
Recorded Gender Use: Both
Earliest Recorded Use: 1880 (5 boys)
Highest Use: 1999 (208 boys)
2012 Use: 66 girls and 135 boys
Total Over Time: 852 girls and 13,667 boys

Des Moines (Iowa) - No Recorded Use of Moines

Dover (Delaware)
Recorded Gender Use: Boys
Earliest Recorded Use: 1914 (5 boys)
Highest Use: 1922 (13 boys)
2012 Use: None
Total Over Time: 135 boys

Frankfort (Kentucky) - No Recorded Use

Harrisburg (Pennsylvania) - No Recorded Use

Hartford (Connecticut)
Recorded Gender Use: Boys
Earliest Recorded Use: 1890 (5 boys)
Highest Use: 1924 (20 boys)
2012 Use: None
Total Over Time: 380 boys

Helena (Montana)
Recorded Gender Use: Girls
Earliest Recorded Use: 1880 (60 girls)
Highest Use: 2006 (595 girls)
2012 Use: 520 girls
Total Over Time: 31,912 girls

Honolulu (Hawaii) - No Recorded Use

Indianapolis (Indiana) - No Recorded Use

Jackson (Mississippi)
Recorded Gender Use: Both
Earliest Recorded Use: 1880 (46 boys)
Highest Use: 2012 (12,388 boys)
2012 Use: 22 girls and 12,388 boys
Total Over Time: 490 girls and 170,022 boys

Jefferson City (Missouri) - Jefferson
Recorded Gender Use: Boys
Earliest Recorded Use: 1880 (43 boys)
Highest Use: 2009 (444 boys)
2012 Use: 393 boys
Total Over Time: 19,659 boys

Juneau (Alaska)
Recorded Gender Use: Girls
Earliest Recorded Use: 2009 (5 girls)
Highest Use: 2012 (6 girls)
2012 Use: 6 girls
Total Over Time: 11 girls

Lansing (Michigan)
Recorded Gender Use: Boys
Earliest Recorded Use: 1912 (6 boys)
Highest Use: 1952 (25 boys)
2012 Use: None
Total Over Time: 507 boys

Lincoln (Nebraska)
Recorded Gender Use: Both
Earliest Recorded Use: 1880 (10 boys)
Highest Use: 2012 (2,882 boys)
2012 Use: 33 girls and 2,882 boys
Total Over Time: 249 girls and 26,260 boys

Little Rock (Arkansas) - Rock
Recorded Gender Use: Boys
Earliest Recorded Use: 1913 (8 boys)
Highest Use: 1957 (153 boys)
2012 Use: 21 boys
Total Over Time: 2,403 boys

Madison (Wisconsin)
Recorded Gender Use: Both
Earliest Recorded Use: 1880 (22 boys)
Highest Use: 2001 (22,156 girls)
2012 Use: 11,319 girls and 30 boys
Total Over Time: 325,505 girls and 7,389 boys

Montgomery (Alabama)
Recorded Gender Use: Both
Earliest Recorded Use: 1880 (5 boys)
Highest Use: 2004 (93 boys)
2012 Use: 7 girls and 92 boys
Total Over Time: 222 girls and 3,577 boys

Montpelier (Vermont) - No Recorded Use

Nashville (Tennessee) - No Recorded Use

Oklahoma City (Oklahoma) - Oklahoma
Recorded Gender Use: Girls
Earliest Recorded Use: 1907 (5 girls)
Highest Use: 1907 (5 girls)
2012 Use: None
Total Over Time: 5 girls

Olympia (Washington)
Recorded Gender Use: Girls
Earliest Recorded Use: 1897 (9 girls)
Highest Use: 1981 (103 girls)
2012 Use: 28 girls
Total Over Time: 2,833 girls

Phoenix (Arizona)
Recorded Gender Use: Both
Earliest Recorded Use: 1968 (5 boys)
Highest Use: 2012 (783 boys)
2012 Use: 507 girls and 783 boys
Total Over Time: 5,201 girls and 8,353 boys

Pierre (South Dakota)
Recorded Gender Use: Both
Earliest Recorded Use: 1880 (13 boys)
Highest Use: 1988 (474 boys)
2012 Use: 189 boys
Total Over Time: 74 girls and 16,704 boys

Providence (Rhode Island)
Recorded Gender Use: Girls
Earliest Recorded Use: 1905 (5 girls)
Highest Use: 1924 (29 girls)
2012 Use: 7 girls
Total Over Time: 606 girls

Raleigh (North Carolina)
Recorded Gender Use: Both
Earliest Recorded Use: 1880 (14 boys)
Highest Use: 1921 and 1924 (138 boys)
2012 Use: 107 girls and 81 boys
Total Over Time: 1,209 girls and 8,240 boys

Richmond (Virginia)
Recorded Gender Use: Boys
Earliest Recorded Use: 1880 (8 boys)
Highest Use: 1921 (73 boys)
2012 Use: 26 boys
Total Over Time: 4,039 boys

Sacramento (California)
Recorded Gender Use: Boys
Earliest Recorded Use: 1931 (5 boys)
Highest Use: 1991 (8 boys)
2012 Use: None
Total Over Time: 81 boys

St. Paul (Minnesota) - Paul
Recorded Gender Use: Both
Earliest Recorded Use: 1880 (301 boys)
Highest Use: 1957 (26,984 boys)
2012 Use: 1,929 boys
Total Over Time: 5,847 girls and 1,376,817 boys

Salem (Oregon)
Recorded Gender Use: Both
Earliest Recorded Use: 1912 (5 boys)
Highest Use: 2009 (84 boys) and 2012 (84 girls)
2012 Use: 84 girls and 68 boys
Total Over Time: 1,106 girls and 1,305 boys

Salt Lake City (Utah) - Lake (No Recorded Use of Salt)
Recorded Gender Use: Both
Earliest Recorded Use: 1891 (5 boys)
Highest Use: 1986 (86 boys)
2012 Use: 22 girls and 51 boys
Total Over Time: 312 girls and 2,003 boys

Santa Fe (New Mexico) - Fe (means "faith" in Spanish)
Recorded Gender Use: Girls
Earliest Recorded Use: 1960 (5 girls)
Highest Use: 2007 (9 girls)
2012 Use: None
Total Over Time: 73 girls

Springfield (Illinois) - No Recorded Use

Tallahassee (Florida) - No Recorded Use

Topeka (Kansas)
Recorded Gender Use: Girls
Earliest Recorded Use: 1970 (6 girls)
Highest Use: 1976 (17 girls)
2012 Use: None
Total Over Time: 118 girls

Trenton (New Jersey)
Recorded Gender Use: Both
Earliest Recorded Use: 1913 (5 boys)
Highest Use: 2007 (2,332 boys)
2012 Use: 1,494 boys
Total Over Time: 78 girls and 50,454 boys

Observations...

Historically, the Most Popular State Capital Name for Girls... Madison.

Historically, the Most Popular State Capital Name for Boys... Paul.

Currently, the Most Popular State Capital Name for Girls... Madison.

Currently, the Most Popular State Capital Name for Boys... Jackson.

State Capital Names Currently Used... (28) Albany, Atlanta, Augusta, Austin, Boston, Carson, Charleston, Cheyenne, Columbus, Denver, Helena, Jackson, Jefferson, Juneau, Lincoln, Rock, Madison, Montgomery, Olympia, Phoenix, Pierre, Providence, Raleigh, Richmond, Paul, Salem, Lake and Trenton.

State Capital Names Never Used... (12) Annapolis, Baton Rouge, Concord, Des Moines, Frankfort, Harrisburg, Honolulu, Indianapolis, Montpelier, Nashville, Springfield, and Tallahassee.

Surprises... Nashville hasn't been used. I guess Memphis is the city to name your kid after in Tennessee, but a nickname like Nash makes Nashville wearable. And why isn't Juneau used more? Juno is used a lot nowadays and Juneau makes it a very stylish spelling change.

Gender War... The boys control the State Capital Names. Boys have been named with 30 State Capital Names and with the help of heavy-weights Paul and Austin, a total of 2,188,096 boys have been named a State Capital Name since 1880. Girls have been named with 28 State Capital Names and even the popular Madison couldn't get it past the total number of boys... only 467,362 girls have been named a State Capital Name since 1880.

Note: More of the capital names (compared to the state names) are names independent from the capital name. I think we can guess that more Madisons are rooted from the Splash inspiration than were inspired by the Wisconsin capital. But while Paul is definitely a name above and beyond St. Paul, Minnesota, if a parent wanted to name a son after the city name, Paul is probably what would be used. So take the above analysis with that in mind.

What would I use? I am in love with Helena! I also think Raleigh is great for a boy.

Which would you use?

History of State Names as Given Names

Image by Robert English via Flickr

Last week, I posted about being inspired by state flowers. Continuing on that train of thought, and assuming you like place names, what about using the name of the state itself? Let's take a look at how they have been used over the years.

When considering the states with two words, I chose not to look into New, Island and the directions (North, South and West) and strictly go into the name that is unique to the state.

Alabama
Recorded Gender Use: Girls
Earliest Recorded Use: 1995 (5 girls)
Highest Use: 2007 (27 girls)
2012 Use: 12 girls
Total Over Time: 180 girls

Alaska
Recorded Gender Use: Girls
Earliest Recorded Use: 1915 (5 girls)... but then wasn't used again until 1989
Highest Use: 2012 (39 girls)
2012 Use: 39 girls
Total Over Time: 360 girls

Arizona
Recorded Gender Use: Both
Earliest Recorded Use: 1880 (8 girls)
Highest Use: 2012 (64 girls)
2012 Use: 64 girls
Total Over Time: 2,093 girls and 106 boys

Arkansas - No Recorded Use

California
Recorded Gender Use: Girls
Earliest Recorded Use: 1918 (6 girls)... after 1919, wasn't used again until 1991
Highest Use: 2007 (16 girls)
2012 Use: 10 girls
Total Over Time: 135 girls

Colorado
Recorded Gender Use: Boys
Earliest Recorded Use: 1989 (5 boys)
Highest Use: 2006 (10 boys)
2012 Use: None
Total Over Time: 54 boys

Connecticut - No Recorded Use

Delaware - No Recorded Use

Florida
Recorded Gender Use: Both
Earliest Recorded Use: 1880 (10 girls)
Highest Use: 1925 (99 girls)
2012 Use: None
Total Over Time: 3,527 girls and 5 boys

Georgia
Recorded Gender Use: Both
Earliest Recorded Use: 1880 (259 girls)
Highest Use: 1947 (2,476 girls)
2012 Use: 1,056 girls
Total Over Time: 144,139 girls and 727 boys

Hawaii
Recorded Gender Use: Girls
Earliest Recorded Use: 2008 (5 girls)
Highest Use: 2008 (5 girls)
2012 Use: None
Total Over Time: 5 girls

Idaho - No Recorded Use

Illinois
Recorded Gender Use: Both
Earliest Recorded Use: 1918 (5 girls)
Highest Use: 1920 (6 girls)
2012 Use: None
Total Over Time: 11 girls and 5 boys (all from 1918 to 1923)

Indiana
Recorded Gender Use: Both
Earliest Recorded Use: 1880 (9 girls)
Highest Use: 2011 (54 girls)
2012 Use: 33 girls and 25 boys
Total Over Time: 936 girls and 518 boys

Iowa
Recorded Gender Use: Girls
Earliest Recorded Use: 1890 (6 girls)
Highest Use: 1899, 1917-19 (8 girls)
2012 Use: None
Total Over Time: 79 girls (all from 1890 to 1921)

Kansas
Recorded Gender Use: Both
Earliest Recorded Use: 1898 (5 girls)
Highest Use: 2002 (50 girls)
2012 Use: 25 girls
Total Over Time: 234 girls and 53 boys

Kentucky - No Recorded Use

Louisiana
Recorded Gender Use: Girls
Earliest Recorded Use: 1886 (7 girls)
Highest Use: 1920 (11 girls)
2012 Use: 7 girls
Total Over Time: 278 girls

Maine
Recorded Gender Use: Girls
Earliest Recorded Use: 1898 (9 girls)
Highest Use: 1898 (9 girls)
2012 Use: None
Total Over Time: 9 girls

Maryland
Recorded Gender Use: Both
Earliest Recorded Use: 1884 (5 boys)
Highest Use: 1927 (33 girls)
2012 Use: None
Total Over Time: 973 girls and 315 boys

Massachusetts - No Recorded Use

Michigan
Recorded Gender Use: Boys
Earliest Recorded Use: 2006 (5 boys)
Highest Use: 2006 (5 boys)
2012 Use: None
Total Over Time: 5 boys

Minnesota - No Recorded Use

Mississippi - No Recorded Use

Missouri
Recorded Gender Use: Girls
Earliest Recorded Use: 1880 (23 girls)
Highest Use: 1889 (40 girls)
2012 Use: None
Total Over Time: 1,535 girls

Montana
Recorded Gender Use: Both
Earliest Recorded Use: 1910 (5 girls)
Highest Use: 1998 (496 girls)
2012 Use: 87 girls and 46 boys
Total Over Time: 6,856 girls and 2,879 boys

Nebraska
Recorded Gender Use: Both
Earliest Recorded Use: 1908 (5 girls)
Highest Use: 1920, 1927, 1930, 1938, and 1993 (6 girls or 6 boys)
2012 Use: None
Total Over Time: 32 girls and 43 boys

Nevada
Recorded Gender Use: Both
Earliest Recorded Use: 1880 (12 girls)
Highest Use: 2003 (60 girls)
2012 Use: 26 girls and 9 boys
Total Over Time: 2,776 girls and 629 boys

New Hampshire - No Recorded Use of Hampshire

New Jersey (Jersey)
Recorded Gender Use: Both
Earliest Recorded Use: 1948 (6 boys)
Highest Use: 2010 (230 girls)
2012 Use: 138 girls and 8 boys
Total Over Time: 2,136 girls and 316 boys

New Mexico - No Recorded Use of Mexico

New York (York)
Recorded Gender Use: Boys
Earliest Recorded Use: 1880 (5 boys)
Highest Use: 1971 (21 boys)
2012 Use: None
Total Over Time: 847 boys

North/South Carolina (Carolina)
Recorded Gender Use: Both
Earliest Recorded Use: 1880 (13 girls)
Highest Use: 2004 (1,268 girls)
2012 Use: 718 girls
Total Over Time: 38,502 girls and 137 boys

North/South Dakota (Dakota)
Recorded Gender Use: Both
Earliest Recorded Use: 1915 (8 girls)
Highest Use: 1995 (6,575 boys)
2012 Use: 1,032 girls and 934 boys
Total Over Time: 25,533 girls and 80,490 boys

Ohio - No Recorded Use

Oklahoma
Recorded Gender Use: Girls
Earliest Recorded Use: 1907 (5 girls)
Highest Use: 1907 (5 girls)
2012 Use: None
Total Over Time: 5 girls

Oregon - No Recorded Use

Pennsylvania - No Recorded Use

Rhode Island (Rhode)
Recorded Gender Use: Girls
Earliest Recorded Use: 1989 (5 girls)
Highest Use: 1989 (5 girls)
2012 Use: None
Total Over Time: 5 girls

Tennessee
Recorded Gender Use: Both
Earliest Recorded Use: 1880 (5 girls)
Highest Use: 2007 (18 boys)
2012 Use: 16 girls and 11 boys
Total Over Time: 642 girls and 128 boys

Texas
Recorded Gender Use: Both
Earliest Recorded Use: 1880 (5 girls)
Highest Use: 2008 (22 boys)
2012 Use: 5 girls and 12 boys
Total Over Time: 212 girls and 321 boys

Utah
Recorded Gender Use: Boys
Earliest Recorded Use: 1918 (7 boys)
Highest Use: 1921 (21 boys)
2012 Use: None
Total Over Time: 341 boys

Vermont
Recorded Gender Use: Both
Earliest Recorded Use: 1919 (5 boys)
Highest Use: 1922 (10 boys)
2012 Use: None
Total Over Time: 7 girls and 21 boys (all from 1919 to 1922)

Virginia/West Virginia (Virginia)
Recorded Gender Use: Both
Earliest Recorded Use: 1880 (213 girls)
Highest Use: 1922 (19,146 girls)
2012 Use: 502 girls
Total Over Time: 645,440 girls and 2,009 boys

Washington
Recorded Gender Use: Boys
Earliest Recorded Use: 1880 (24 boys)
Highest Use: 1921 (60 boys)
2012 Use: 13 boys
Total Over Time: 2,507 boys

Wisconsin - No Recorded Use

Wyoming
Recorded Gender Use: Girls
Earliest Recorded Use: 1923 (6 girls)
Highest Use: 1923 (6 girls)
2012 Use: None
Total Over Time: 11 girls

Here are a couple of charts showing the popularity of State Names over time. This first one adds all the babies named with State Names each year, separated by gender. You can account for some of the huge increases by considering the popularity of Virginia and Georgia for girls in the 1920s, Georgia in the 1940s, Dakota for boys in the 1990s, and the combo of Carolina, Dakota and Georgia for girls in the 2000s...

This second chart shows the number of states used each year. For example, in 1880, 10 state names were used for girls and 2 state names were used for boys. You can definitely see a preference for state names in the 1920s and 1990s onward...

Observations...

Historically, the Most Popular State Name for Girls... Virginia.

Historically, the Most Popular State Name for Boys... Dakota.

Currently, the Most Popular State Name for Girls... Georgia.

Currently, the Most Popular State Name for Boys... Dakota.

State Names Currently Used... (17) Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, Nevada, Jersey, Carolina, Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.

State Names Never Used... (14) Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Hampshire, Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

Interesting... Oklahoma became a state in 1907, which was also the only year the name was given to babies.

Surprises... Delaware, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania haven't been used. With nicknames like Della, Minnie, and Penn/Penny, why not? Connecticut and Wisconsin could also be shortened to Connie. And I'm surprised that California and Texas are not used more, especially with them being large states and having cute nicknames like Callie and Tex.

Gender War... State Names are generally more popular with girls. Out of the 33 State Names used, nine are more popular with boys: Colorado, Michigan, Nebraska, York, Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Washington. And only when Dakota skyrocketed for boys in the 1990s did the number of boys given a State Name take over the number of girls (and a lot of those girls were also named Dakota).

What would I use? I am from Virginia and would use it in a heartbeat. But I also love the image of a girl named Indiana.

Which would you use?

State Flower Names

Image by Cap001-Dan via Flickr

As I was on a road trip this past weekend, I read my daughter's book on the different states in the USA. In each state's description, it listed a lot of interesting factoids, including the state flower. So many of them jumped out as names! Yes, we already know of the many flower names, but if a place name doesn't fit your style, what if you can honor a state that means something to you by using its' state flower?

Unfortunately, not every state has a wearable flower name, but I will list them all anyway as well as any other information that could help you in honoring that special place...

Alabama - Camellia. How pretty! And how cute are the nicknames Cami, Melly, or Lia!

Alaska - Forget-me-not. Not a usable name, but the state bird is the Willow Ptarmigan so you could always go with Willow!

Arizona - Saguaro Cactus Blossom. Blossom is always cute and will be an option for many of the states. If that doesn't float your boat, you could always honor the state with Wren as the state bird is the Cactus Wren.

Arkansas - Apple Blossom. Gwyneth Paltrow made sure that Apple is as wearable as Blossom.

California - Golden Poppy. Poppy is a perfectly clever way to honor the Golden State. And Golden could be another option, with Goldie as a nickname.

Colorado - Columbine. Not a very usable name, but again the state bird gives a wonderful alternative in Lark (Lark Bunting).

Connecticut - Mountain Laurel. Laurel is beautiful, and the state bird also offers American Robin.

Delaware - Peach Blossom. If you don't care for Peach or Blossom, the state tree is American Holly.

Florida - Orange Blossom. Another Blossom, or you could be really fun and go with the state tree (Sable Palm) or the nickname (Sunshine State).

Georgia - Cherokee Rose. Rose is always a good choice. And the Peach State is also quite representative.

Hawaii - Hibiscus. A rare flower name, but a pretty one.

Idaho - Syringa. Possibly usable, with the nickname of Syri.

Illinois - Purple Violet. Violet is a name on the rise.

Indiana - Peony. What a pretty and unique choice!

Iowa - Wild Rose. Like Blossom and Violet, Rose can honor more than one state. More uniquely Iowa however, is the nickname Hawkeye State.

Kansas - Native Sunflower. Very doable, and a cute nickname in Sunny.

Kentucky - Golden Rod. Probably not usable in its full form, but maybe shortened to Golden or Goldie.

Louisiana - Magnolia. Oh, how pretty is a Magnolia!

Maine - White Pine Cone and Tassel. That's a mouth full, and not very usable.

Maryland - Black-Eyed Susan. Susan would be a surprising choice for someone wanting to honor the home of the Baltimore Orioles. ;)

Massachusetts - Mayflower. What a terrific option, with the cute May as a nickname! Massachusetts is also called the Bay State, offering another wonderful choice.

Michigan - Apple Blossom. Another state that also gives you the state bird of Robin as an alternative, or you could honor the Great Lake State by using Lake.

Minnesota - Pink and White Lady's Slipper. Another mouth full, but could be usable shortened to Lady.

Mississippi - Magnolia. Another solid choice and also the nickname of the state.

Missouri - Hawthorn. Ooooh... I'm loving this.

Montana - Bitter Root. Not very usable, but you could go with the state bird: Western Meadowlark. Both Meadow and Lark are extremely usable.

Nebraska - Goldenrod. Same as Montana... go with the state bird: Western Meadowlark.

Nevada - Sage Brush. Shortened to Sage, this is a winner.

New Hampshire - Purple Lilac. Lilac is a rarely used but beautiful name!

New Jersey - Purple Violet. Another repeat offender, but a good one.

New Mexico - Yucca. I'm afraid New Mexico gives no real usable options.

New York - Rose. Rose is always good, but you could also go with the state tree of Sugar Maple.

North Carolina - Dogwood. Unless you want to use the nickname Woody, I don't see a good option for North Carolina.

North Dakota - Wild Prairie Rose. Western Meadowlark is also this state's bird to give you more choices.

Ohio - Scarlet Carnation. The color of the flower could be used, or you could use the state tree and nickname: Buckeye.

Oklahoma - Mistletoe. I am one who thinks Mistletoe is a very usable name, with Misty is an even more wearable nickname.

Oregon - Oregon Grape. Grape as a given name hasn't caught on like Apple, but both the state bird (Western Meadlowlark) and state tree (Douglas Fir) give you more opportunities to honor the Beaver State.

Pennsylvania - Mountain Laurel. As already mentioned, Laurel is a wonderful offering.

Rhode Island - Violet. If Violet is too popular for you, the state tree gives the more unique Red Maple as an alternative.

South Carolina - Yellow Jessamine. How pretty is Jessamine! The state bird is the Carolina Wren, if you want to go a different route.

South Dakota - American Pasque Flower. Unless you find Rushmore a viable option, I do not see a usable name from the Mount Rushmore State.

Tennessee - Iris. Unique among the states is the beautiful Iris. There is also the state tree to consider: Tulip Poplar.

Texas - Bluebonnet. I think there has to be one or two Bluebonnets running around out there, and Bonnie is an adorable nickname for the moniker.

Utah - Sego Lily. Surprisingly the only Lily on the list.

Vermont - Red Clover. I adore Clover. And Sugar Maple is also an option as it is the state tree.

Virginia - Dogwood. Sadly, the Old Dominion State doesn't have much to offer in the way of non-place name wonderfulness.

Washington - Western Rhododendron. Rhododendron is a huge name to carry, but maybe the state bird of Willow Goldfinch can help you honor the Evergreen State.

West Virginia - Rhododendron. Another big one with the alternative of the Sugar Maple as the state tree available.

Wisconsin - Wood Violet. Several choices with Violet, the Robin as the state bird and the Sugar Maple as the state tree.

Wyoming - Indian Paintbrush. Another state that offers Meadowlark as the state bird.

Would you consider honoring a state that is special to you by using a name from the state's flower, bird, tree or nickname?

H Girl Names: Then and Now

Image by Valerie Drake via Flickr

In June of last year, I posted about the change in preferences for boy names beginning with H in the Top 100. Now, I finally get to the girl names.

The H girl names in the Top 100 can basically be separated between those that were popular from 1880 through 1958 and those that were popular from 1966 through 2012. There was a seven year gap between 1959 and 1965 when no H girl names were in the Top 100. And besides one name, Hannah, which appeared in 1880 and then reappeared in 1986, there are no other names on both sides of this gap. Let's look at the two groups:

1880 - 1958
Hannah 1880
Harriet 1880-1889
Hattie 1880-1914
Hazel 1886-1936
Helen 1880-1958
Hilda 1896-1909 (off and on)

1966 - 2012
Hailey 1996-2012
Haley 1991-2007
Hannah 1986-2012
Harper 2011-2012
Heather 1967-1998
Heidi 1966-1983
Holly 1966-1992 (off and on)

There isn't much of an obvious sound variation between the two groups, nor is there anything else determining why the preference changed. It is interesting to note that Helen is the longest running name, as it was in the Top 100 for 79 years. And there are only three names currently running: Hailey, Hannah and Harper.

Do you see anything I don't in terms of the differences between the two groups? I guess there doesn't always have to be a cool trend to follow. Looking at the "older" group, we know Hazel is slowly rising back into the fold (currently ranked at #175), and Hattie only recently returned to the Top 1000 after a 40-year absence (currently ranked at #709). Helen sits at #402, which is lower than it has been in the last several decades, but remains relatively stable. Harriet fell out the Top 1000 after 1970 and Hilda did the same after 1986... do you see either of them making a come back? Hattie is a possible nickname for Harriet, so why not?

As for the "new" group, Hailey and Hannah are on a gradual fall but still holding strong, while Harper is definitely a name on the rise. The alternate spelling of Haley is decreasing in popularity, Heidi and Holly are slowly fading, and Heather is on its way out of the Top 1000.

What do you think? Is Harper the only "it" name out of the H girl names? Do you see any other names coming through? Hadley maybe? What is your favorite H girl name?

A Note from NameFreak: Due to a project that is taking up a lot of my research time, I will be unable to post as often as I did previously. I will try to post once a week. There are quite a few posts in my head, and I am keeping notes so I don't forget these ideas, but the time just isn't there to work on them now. Never fear, however... I am hoping to share this project with you, my fellow name-lovers, as soon as I can! In the meantime, I hope you enjoy what I can provide, as well as the wonderful goodies written at the name blogs listed to the right. Thank you!