Baby books are outdated — mostly name lists with no context for
how popular a name actually is, how it's spelled different ways, or
whether it peaked in 1953 or last year. This project was built to fill
that gap: a free, open-source tool that lets parents explore
100,000+ names with real data behind every one.
All data comes from the
US Social Security Administration
(1880–2024). Names that sound the same but are spelled
differently — like Jonathan, Johnathan, and Jonathon — are
grouped together using the
CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, so you only review each distinct name once. Counts are combined
across all spellings.
How names are classified
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Meaning
📖 Biblical
Name appears in the Bible — as a person (e.g., Sarah,
David), a place (e.g., Jordan, Eden), a name of God (e.g.,
Emmanuel), or other reference.
📈 Trending
Peak popularity was within the last 15 years — a name
that's hot right now or very recently.
🕰️ Classic
Peak popularity was before 1960. Think grandparent-era names
making a comeback — or timeless picks that never left.
⚤ Unisex
Used for both boys and girls, with at least 30% minority-gender
share. The percentage and minority gender symbol are shown
(e.g., "42% ♂" means 42% of babies with this name are boys).
🔁 Palindrome
Reads the same forwards and backwards (e.g., Anna, Ava).
🔤 Alliteration
Contains a repeated sound in its pronunciation (e.g., the "n"
sound appears twice in Nathan).
💬 Nickname
A short form of a longer name (e.g., Matt → Matthew, Liz
→ Elizabeth). Counts are kept separate.
Other columns
Rank — Popularity rank within gender (1 =
most popular of all time).
Count — Total babies born with this name
across all spelling variants.
Years — First and last year the name appears
in SSA data.
Peak — The single year with the highest count
for the primary spelling.
Syllables — Counted from phonetic
pronunciation when available, otherwise estimated from spelling.
Spelling variants — Alternative spellings
grouped by pronunciation, sorted by popularity.
Swipe mode
Tap the ♥ button to review names one at a time.
Swipe right to like, left to pass, up for maybe. Share your picks with
a partner and compare to find names you both love. Progress is saved
automatically in your browser.