A museum of names
Every name has a history
Walk through three thousand years of names, from the Bible and ancient Rome to this decade. Discover where a name was born, what it truly means, and how it rose and fell through time.
Five ways in
Before you choose
A few thoughts from the curators
Say it aloud, many times
Call the name across a room, say it with your surname, and imagine it on a school register, a wedding invitation and a business card. A name lives in the voice more than on paper.
Look at the wave before you choose
A name at the top of the charts will be shared by many classmates; a name that peaked thirty years ago may sound like a parent's generation. Every name page here shows its wave, so you can see where a name stands.
Know what the name really means
Many meanings repeated online are later inventions. Here every meaning carries a confidence rating and its source, so you can tell a well-established meaning from a guess.
Honor family without repeating it
A grandparent's name can live on as a middle name, or in another language's form: Margaret as Margot, John as Ivan or Sean. The family section of each name page shows its forms across Europe and the Americas.
Check the initials and the full name
Write out the full name, the initials and any likely nickname. The Full Name Check on your shortlist does this for you and warns gently about initials that spell an unfortunate word.
Keep the spelling simple
An unusual spelling of a familiar name means a lifetime of correcting it. If you love a name's sound, the standard spelling usually serves the child best.
At the information desk
Common questions
Where do the popularity figures come from?
From the United States Social Security Administration's records of names given to babies since 1880, which count every name given to at least five babies in a year, and from France's national birth records where they have been loaded. Where no birth records exist for a place or era, the name page says so instead of guessing.
How do you know what a name means?
Each meaning comes from the history of the name's language, and carries a rating: certain, likely, uncertain or disputed. Where popular meanings found online are later inventions, the name page says so.
What is a forgotten name?
A name that was once in genuine use, often for centuries, but is rare or unused for babies today, such as Wynflæd, Thurstan, Isolde or Ebenezer.
Are the Indigenous names genuine?
Yes. The Indigenous Americas gallery includes only personal names documented among a named nation, credited to that nation, and leaves out names used in ceremony or not meant for outside use. Many baby-name sites list invented "Native American names"; this one does not.
Do you keep my shortlist?
No. Your shortlist and the Full Name Check stay on your own device. Nothing you choose is sent to or stored by this website.
Can I suggest a correction?
Please do. Name histories are a living field of study, and corrections with a source are always welcome through the contact page.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.