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Pearls from the top 1000 baby names

Instead of trawling through the whole of the top 1000 baby names lists, why not sit back and enjoy these goodies - place names, descriptive names, and some unusual baby names that you may not have met before!

I've updated this page to reflect the newest names from the 2007 rankings of the Social Security Administration, which were released in May 2008.


These top 1000 baby names from the US provide us with a wonderful glimpse into what is happening further down in the popularity rankings.

Baby names you may never have considered have proudly found their place a few hundred places lower than the top names you already know and love.

Without further ado, let's get going - with some geographical names from around the world!

Top 1000 baby names - countries, states, towns and more

Would Troy make a good girl's name? And how about India for a boy? Some place names just seem to choose their gender in the baby names world; others like to associate themselves with both male and female.

For boys:

Dakota - from the US states of North Dakota and South Dakota, this name is also given to some towns as well as two movies and an aircraft!

Devon - a county in the south west of England, famous for its cream teas and wonderful coastline. Devon also takes its place as a girl's name in the top 1000 baby names.

Israel -this name could refer to the state of Israel or to the name given to Jacob in the Bible.

Troy - another movie, and another popular town name, the legendary city of Troy and the tales of the Trojan war feature in Greek mythology. Modern Troy is in Turkey.

Santiago - the name for Saint James, Santiago is used for many place names, among them the capital city of Chile, and one of the Galapagos islands.

Orlando - a form of the name Roland, Orlando is most famously a city in Florida.

Dallas - Dallas, Texas, is the ninth largest city in the United States. It is also the name of that now almost cult tv show featuring the Ewing family.

Phoenix - the name of a mythological bird, Phoenix is also a major US city in Arizona. It's a popular name used in many other contexts, too - ships' names, sports teams, music bands and of course part of the title of a Harry Potter book! You'll also find Phoenix appearing as a girls' name within the top 1000 baby names.

Houston - the largest city in Texas.

Lincoln - a city in the east of England, and of course, the surname of Abraham Lincoln. Also a mountain name, as well as a luxury automobile.

Boston - the capital of Massachusetts and famous for its Tea Party!

London - the capital of the UK, London is looking forward to hosting the 2012 Olympic Games.

Memphis
Not only the city in Tennessee - and of towns and places around the US - but also an ancient Egyptian capital.

Zaire
The name of what is now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Situated in central Africa.

Girls' place names from the top 1000

Chelsea - a part of London and also a football club. Chelsea is the name of several towns in the US, and the name of former US President Bill Clinton's daughter.

Paris - the capital city of France as well as the name of towns across the US, Paris has jumped genders to become more female than male.

Asia - could you name your child after a continent? Yes, you could - Asia is such a pretty name, and a much better choice than Europe or Antarctica.

Eden - from the Garden of Eden in the Bible, Eden is another popular place name around the world.

Georgia - a country and a US state, Georgia features in the song "Georgia on my mind" - and you'll also find her as one of the fonts on your computer.

Maritza - a river in the Balkans, with its source in the Rila Mountains in Bulgaria. Maritza is also the name of an operetta.

Sofia
A name rising fast through the baby name rankings, Sofia is the capital of Bulgaria.

Virginia - not only the name of a US state, but also an asteroid belt, whose proper name is "50 Virginia"!

India - the country with the second largest population in the world.

Kenya - a country in eastern Africa.

Lorelei - a rock on the river Rhine in Germany. Folklore recounts the tale of Lorelei, a beautiful maiden with a broken heart... who threw herself into the river, and returned as a singing spirit, her beautful voice luring sailors to their deaths. Still a nice name though!

Top 1000 descriptive baby names!

This section gives food for thought - flowers and flavors, virtues and jewels, cosmic inspiration and musical notes! There are vastly more girls' names than boys' here, as you'll see.

Boys' names

ChanceRiverOrionAugustClay
MessiahColtRockySincereCash

Girls' names

SummerAngelDaisyGenesisSerenity
HopeCrystalCadenceHeavenPiper
SiennaMelodyHollyIvyApril
RoseAuroraRavenIrisSage
VioletHarmonyMiracleLibertyJoy
WillowPreciousTiaraPatienceCharity
LyricBrandyPrincessRosemaryJewel
MeadowEssenceScarletJourneyAmber

Let's change focus now - with a quick look at some more exotic choices from the top 1000 baby names.

Interesting baby names from the top 1000

Baby names are becoming ever more exotic and unusual. Of course, what may be unusual for me may be perfectly normal for you, but these names caught my eye from the top 1000 baby names lists.

For our baby boys:

  • Ty
  • Zane
  • Kai
  • Jaxon
  • Dante
  • Omarion
  • Noe
  • Davion
  • Jax

For baby girl bundles:

  • Alivia
  • Malia
  • Brielle
  • Araceli
  • Itzel
  • Samara
  • Litzy
  • Parker
  • Xiomara
  • Yesenia

Watch out for Luna! Could the inspiration of Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter account for Luna's five year rise through the baby name rankings? She's currently ranked 451 in the baby girl lists.

Careful with those combos! Noe for a boy and Yesenia, shortened to Yes for a girl could result in some interesting conversations!

Names used for both boys and girls include:

  • Skyler and Skylar - this could get confusing! Is he a boy, is she a girl - and how do you spell it?

  • Ariel - more popular for girls than boys at the moment.

  • Dylan - very popular for boys, but features as a girls name too.

  • Logan - the boys' name is now ranking in 17th place, the girls' version losing popularity and currently ranked 455.

  • Hayden - spotting a trend here, another goodie for the boys, the girls' version less popular again. However...

  • ...Sage is higher up in the rankings for the girls!

I hope you enjoyed my pearls from the top 1000 baby names. You can obtain a full list from the US Social Security Administration:

Search SSA stats on the top 1000 baby names by year and by decade.

Browse the top 100 baby names in the US - with a look at hot names currently gaining in popularity.

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