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?
