What Are Your State’s Quirky Favorite Baby Names?

Nov 16, 2024 2:09 PM

　　States have official songs and sandwiches. So how about quirky favorite baby names?

　　It turns out that certain boy and girl names, rare in the US, are over-represented in certain states. Our intrepid researcher looked at every name given to at least 100 babies in 2015. Then he calculated the percentage of babies with that name born in every state. When ranked, the results revealed the rare names most concentrated in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

　　Some of these are easily explained. A hundred baby boys were named Brigham in 2015, 23 of them in Utah. Less than 1 percent of all Americans live in Utah, so that’s 23 times higher than you might expect. But, of course, Brigham Young was an early leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, headquartered in Utah, so it’s not a surprise.

　　Yiddish names Shimon and Faigy are the quirky favorites in New York, where there’s the largest concentration of Hasidic Jews, while Spanish names Santana and Estevan are favored in New Mexico and Hawaiian names Kalea and Keanu are popular in, boom!, Hawaii.

　　And it does make sense that nature names Wren and Wilder are the Quirky Favorites of rural Vermont, while nouveau names Oakleigh and Bridger are well-liked in Red State Montana, consistent with our analysis that found Red Staters prefer gender-neutral invented names while Blue State baby names are more likely to pick names that are ethnic and traditional.

　　Other stands-outs are harder to explain. Why is Ophelia so prominent in Alaska? Or Brecken in Iowa? If you have the secret to why these names are the favorites in your state, please share with the class!

　　Here are all the quirky favorites by state:

　　Torin

　　Ophelia

　　Dewayne

　　Lynlee

　　Payton

　　Kynslee

　　Hiram

　　Arleth

　　Arman

　　Jaylene

　　Amias

　　Aspen

　　Andreas

　　Alessia

　　Zyaire

　　Egypt

　　Makai

　　Devyn

　　Jahmir

　　Martina

　　Jarvis

　　Ansley

　　Keanu

　　Kalea

　　Brecken

　　Kinzlee

　　Krew

　　Oakley

　　Umar

　　Jaylani

　　Ross

　　Lucinda

　　Brogan

　　Camdyn

　　Leeland

　　Kenleigh

　　Tylan

　　Jolie

　　Javian

　　Maeve

　　Chaz

　　Rhyan

　　Eliot

　　Quincy

　　Hussein

　　Yasmeen

　　Abdirahman

　　Sumaya

　　Kelly

　　Braylynn

　　Jakobe

　　Deasia

　　Bridger

　　Oakleigh

　　Juelz

　　Ivey

　　Teagan

　　Aspyn

　　Coy

　　Juana

　　Davin

　　Penny

　　Yaakov

　　Nechama

　　Estevan

　　Santana

　　Kenji

　　Laylani

　　Shimon

　　Faigy

　　Jaron

　　Bexley

　　Hagen

　　Gentry

　　Cedar

　　Zinnia

　　Yasir

　　Maura

　　Domenic

　　Amalia

　　Banks

　　Hollis

　　Sutton

　　Haddie

　　Courtney

　　Briley

　　Mauro

　　Renata

　　Brigham

　　Oaklee

　　Aubrey

　　Iman

　　Wilder

　　Wren

　　Ransom

　　Roslyn

　　Jordy

　　Etta

　　Bryer

　　Cambrie

　　Trace

　　Taya

Previous Article：Irish Baby Names: Top Choices Here and There Next Article：Not Your Mother’s Baby Names

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