*Probably.

　　Have you met a baby named Clementine, Koa or Zephyr recently? If so, there’s a good chance you’re on America’s West Coast.

　　We wanted to know if some baby names are particularly distinctive to the US states bordering the Pacific — California, Oregon and Washington — so we delved into the data. (You can too, with our lists of Popular Names by State.)

　　The result? An eclectic bunch of names that are more popular in all the West Coast states than they are overall in the US. They include ahead-of-the-curve names, surprise throwbacks, and some quirky West Coast baby names that parents everywhere should know about.

　　

Top West Coast Name Trends

Many popular names on the West Coast are in line with the rest of the USA. National favorites like Olivia, Emma, Amelia, Sophia, Isabella, Liam, Noah, Oliver, Elijah, and Benjamin are also in the Top 10 in all three Pacific states.

　　Each state has its own local style too — like Hispanic names in California — but it’s interesting how much they have in common.

　　Names that are relatively more popular in Oregon, Washington and California come from a range of cultures, including Latinx (like Alma, Yaretzi, Armando, and Emanuel), Italian (Benito) and Hawaiian (Koa).

　　There are on-trend nature names, like Ash, and Zephyr, and ones that are rising everywhere, but are already further up the charts on the West Coast — like Clementine, Boaz, and Soren.

　　Several short names, like Alma, Anya, Koa, Rio, Rubi, and Yuna, show that the trend for light sounding names ending in a vowel is strong in these states, alongside long dramatic names like Esperanza and Wolfgang.

　　There are also some unexpected throwbacks. Leslie, Maddison, Casey, and Roy are past their peak popularity in the USA, but are still used more than average by parents by the Pacific.

　　

Rare West Coast Name Favorites

The following names are in the Top 500 in California, Oregon and Washington, but don't make the Top 500 nationwide. Some of them were also on the list last year — Armando, Clementine, Koa, Soren, and Yaretzi — making them especially distinctive West Coast names.

　　HeartAlmaChevron - RightHeartAnyaChevron - RightHeartArmandoChevron - RightHeartBodieChevron - RightHeartBrixtonChevron - RightHeartClementineChevron - RightHeartEmanuelChevron - RightHeartKianaChevron - RightHeartKoaChevron - RightHeartKodaChevron - RightHeartLeonaChevron - RightHeartLeslieChevron - RightHeartMaddisonChevron - RightHeartMosesChevron - RightHeartRioChevron - RightHeartRosaliaChevron - RightHeartRoyChevron - RightHeartSierraChevron - RightHeartSorenChevron - RightHeartYaretziChevron - Right

　　

Unique West Coast Baby Names

Looking for even more unusual West Coast baby names? The following names are in the Top 1000 in California, Oregon and Washington, but fall below the US Top 1000. Two of them — Ash and Zephyr — also made the list the previous year.

　　HeartAshChevron - RightHeartBenitoChevron - RightHeartBoazChevron - RightHeartDanicaChevron - RightHeartEsperanzaChevron - RightHeartJubileeChevron - RightHeartOllieChevron - RightHeartRenChevron - RightHeartRomyChevron - RightHeartRubiChevron - RightHeartUzielChevron - RightHeartWolfgangChevron - RightHeartYunaChevron - RightHeartZairaChevron - RightHeartZephyrChevron - Right

　　For the full statistics, see:

　　Popular Names in California

　　Popular Names in Oregon

　　Popular Names in Washington

　　Got a name story to tell? If you'd like to write about your personal experience with your own name, your child's name, names in your family or your culture, we'd love to consider your story for publication on Nameberry. Email us a sentence or two about your idea at [email protected]

　　

About the Author

　　

Clare Green

　　Clare Green has been writing for Nameberry since 2015, covering everything from names peaking right now to feminist baby names, and keeping up-to-date with international baby name rankings. Her work has featured in publications such as The Independent and HuffPost. Clare has a background in linguistics and librarianship, and recently completed an MA dissertation researching names in multilingual families. She lives in England with her husband and son. You can reach her at [email protected]

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