2013 Playground Analysis

My playground analysis for 2013 is now on Nameberry! No change on top for the girls, but while the SSA #1 and #2 for boys changed drastically, this analysis shows no difference from last year. Make sure to check out the "real" Top 50!

New to Top 100

The 2013 Popular Baby Names list is out! My quick analysis...

Names completely new to the Top 100:

Mila
Paisley
Penelope

Camden
Jase
Jaxson
Lincoln

Returning to the Top 100 after a few to many years of absence:

Nicole (out since 2008)
Nora (out since 1906)
Ruby (out since 1946)
Sadie (out since 1911)

Dropped out of the Top 100:

Andrea
Bailey
Jasmine
Kimberly
Molly
Reagan
Trinity

Alex
Bryson
Carlos
Ryder

Shortest Names Found in the Top 100

Image by Vincent Tsai via Flickr

Last week, I highlighted the names in the Top 100 (historically) with the most letters. Today, I will list the shorter names...

Believe it or not, there have been two-letter names in the Top 100. For girls, Jo was in the Top 100 from 1933-1958 and for boys, Ed ranked from 1880-1898 and again in 1900. As for three-letter names, there have been several...

Ada
Amy
Ann
Ava
Eva
Ida
Kay
Kim
Mae
May
Mia
Mya
Sue
Zoe

Ben
Bob
Dan
Don
Eli
Guy
Ian
Ira
Jay
Jim
Joe
Jon
Kim
Lee
Leo
Max
Ray
Roy
Sam
Tim
Tom

So, it turns out that "very short" names (those with 2 or 3 letters) are more rare on top than the longest names... on the girls side. Out of the 466 girl names that have been in the Top 100 since 1880, only 15 of them have been "very short" names (3%). However, on the boys side, there are slightly more "very short" names as there are "long"... out of the 352 boy names in the Top 100 since 1880, 22 of them have been "very short" names (6%).

Do you have a favorite short name? Has it ever made the Top 100?

A New Baby Name Book at Nameberry!

Exciting news! Nameberry is now offering their newest book, The Nameberry Guide to the Very Best Baby Names, which is filled with over 1,200 names from their website. What's even better is you can pay whatever you want for it! Please go to the site for all the information you need to get your hands on this fantastic reference, available at your own price for a limited time.

Long Names Found in the Top 100

Image by Doug Wheller via Flickr

Will Penelope break into the Top 100? We only have a few days to wonder, as hopefully the numbers for 2013 will come out in the next week or so. But looking back, as I am prone to do, I wonder... what long names (eight letters or more) have made it into the Top 100 since 1880? Here's a list for your weekend perusal:

Alexandra
Alexandria
Angelica
Angelina
Annabelle
Beatrice
Brittany
Brittney
Brooklyn
Caroline
Cassandra
Catherine
Charlene
Charlotte
Cheyenne
Christina
Christine
Constance
Courtney
Danielle
Dominique
Elizabeth
Florence
Gabriella
Gabrielle
Genevieve
Geraldine
Gertrude
Isabella
Isabelle
Jacqueline
Jeanette
Jennifer
Josephine
Katherine
Kathleen
Kimberly
Kristina
Lorraine
Mackenzie
Madeline
Margaret
Marguerite
Marjorie
Micheala
Michelle
Patricia
Rosemary
Samantha
Savannah
Scarlett
Serenity
Stephanie
Veronica
Victoria
Virginia

Alejandro
Alexander
Benjamin
Christian
Christopher
Clarence
Cleveland
Franklin
Frederick
Garfield
Harrison
Jeremiah
Jonathan
Lawrence
Mitchell
Nathaniel
Nicholas
Roosevelt
Sebastian
Theodore

In case you were wondering, there have been 466 girl names in the Top 100 since 1880. Only 56 of them have been "long" names (12%). Likewise, there have been 352 boy names in the Top 100 since 1880. Only 20 of them have been "long" names (6%).

Do you have a favorite long name? Has it ever made the Top 100?