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?