UK vs. US vs. Nameberry

How do the Top Names A-Z compare?

This week over on the blog, we released the Top A-Z Name Guide, using the latest Nameberry and US data to discover the most popular names for each letter of the alphabet. Some names were easy to predict, such as Oliver and Theodore, but others came as a surprise. Who knew Nameberry visitors loved Yarrow so much?

Today, we’ll be taking a closer look at the US and Nameberry lists, comparing and contrasting them, not only with each other, but with the England and Wales data too. Which names do they all share? Where do the lists differ? And what does this tell us?

Unanimous Favorites

These are the names that come out on top across the board, making it onto all three lists. Regal classics like Charlotte, Henry, and William have long been staples in the English speaking world, while Kai, Jude, and Freya are contemporary favorites – and more popular than some might expect!

Importantly, they feel fresh but familiar, and, in the case of Kai and Jude, have a multiple roots and origins, lending them a wider appeal.

As for Quinn, it wins almost by default due to a limited number of familiar, Q- names with runners-up Qasim, Quincy, and Quentin lagging behind.

The fourteen names that feature on all three lists are:

Charlotte

Freya

Henry

Isaac

Jude

Kai

Noah

Olivia and Oliver

Quinn

Violet

Theodore

William

Complete disagreement (sort of)

Top choices don’t always align! The names below appear as the top names for their letter on just one of the three lists – and if anyone wanted to explain the different naming styles in the US, the UK, and on Nameberry, then this could provide some perfect examples.

Take a look at the boy names for the letter C: Nameberry’s romantic Caspian vs. cool, surname-style Carter from the US vs. the UK’s classic nickname-y choice Charlie.

Or how about the letter U: bold, literary Ulysses for Nameberry users looking for off-beat choices, Biblical Uriel in the US where unusual Biblical names are in vogue, and Arabic Umar in the UK where many Arabic choices appear in the Top 1000.

Or maybe the letter B: vintage, Shakespearean Beatrice for Nameberry, unisex and modern feeling, Brooklyn in the US, and the cute-but-solid Celtic name Bonnie in the UK.

While the name-sets above are totally different to each other, there are other letters where the names might not be exactly the same, but they do still have a similar feel or sound about them. Notable examples are Phoebe, Penelope, and Poppy, or Ruby, Riley, and Rosie, demonstrating how certain sounds are widely popular, even if there’s disagreement over which names showcase them best.

Listed in order of Nameberry, US, and UK

August, Asher, and Arthur

Beatrice, Brooklyn and Bonnie

Caspian, Carter, and Charlie

Daphne, Delilah, and Daisy

Ezra, Elijah, and Edward

Eloise, Emma, and Evelyn

Graham, Gabriel, and George

Kaia, Kinsley, and Khadija

Milo, Mateo, and Muhammad

Phoebe, Penelope, and Poppy

Ruby, Riley, and Rosie

Silas, Sebastian, and Sonny

Ulysses, Uriel, and Umar

Yuna, Yara, and Yasmin

Zephyr, Zion, and Zachary

Nameberry and US in agreement

A large proportion of the visitors to Nameberry are in the US, so it makes sense that they share the greatest number of top choices!

Felix

Josephine

Luna

Nora

Unique

Violet

Vincent

Xavier

Zoe

Nameberry and the UK in agreement

The smallest group of names on the list includes those that are more popular in the UK than the US, but still appeal to Nameberry visitors thanks to their nature connections, mythological links, and international style.

Grace

Isla

Thea

Xanthe

The US and the UK in agreement

Some of these names could be considered modern classics – that is, names that have been around for a long time but have seen more usage in recent years. So why don’t they top the Nameberry charts? Maybe it’s just because parents and name lovers alike already know enough about them and are looking for something more when they decide to visit Nameberry?

Benjamin

Daniel

Harper

Mia

Roman

Sophia

Willow

Yusuf

Only in….

From nickname-y choices like Freddie and Nancy to wildcards like Yuna and Yarrow, to those with Spanish and Arabic roots like Umar and Mateo, these are the names that appeared on only one Top A-Z list. Not only do they reflect different naming trends, but they also reveal population differences in the US and the UK.

Beyond that, they perhaps expose the differences between the names people find interesting to research and read about and those that are actually being given to the most babies.

Bennett (NB)

David (NB)

Freddie (UK)

Hazel (NB)

Isabella (US)

Jessica (UK)

Lily (UK)

Maeve (NB)

Nancy (UK)

Patrick (UK)

Rowan (NB)

Sylvie (NB)

Tatum (US)

Una (UK)

Vinnie (UK)

Wren (NB)

Xander (UK)

Ximena (US)

Yarrow (NB)

Yuna (NB)

Zara (UK)

Now it’s over to you! What do you make of the data? Do any Top Names surprise you? Are there names you thought would be more popular across the board?

And, as a bonus naming challenge, if you could pick your own Top A-Z names, what would your list look like?

More fun stuff to keep you busy:

• Small-but-mighty, these one-syllable names stand out 🏋️‍♂️

• Top A-Z Unisex Names, according to Berries on the forums

• Is this new name from The Telegraph Birth Announcements a surname, a pet form, or a compound name? Or all three?