What are the most popular word names 2016?
It sounds like an easy question, but when I started to count ’em up, I stumbled.
My first take of this list stretched long, long, long. Some of the possibilities were vaguely archaic. Yes, I know that, once upon a time, mason was a job. But if I’m using Mason in a sentence in 2016, betcha it’s a given name.
The opposite problem came up, too. Christian is a word, no doubt, and I can certainly use it as a noun or an adjective. But it has also been a given name for ages.
In the end, I bid adieu to both Mason and Christian.
Choosing the most popular word names 2016 went far more smoothly when I turned to the girls’ side. Virtue names and nature names abound, so I had my top six before I’d finishing reviewing the Top 100. Not too shabby!
In the end, these rules (mostly) determined which names made the cut:
- Must be a found in a skinny li’l paperback dictionary.
- Must be spelled as it would appear in said dictionary. (Sorry, Scarlett and Jett!)
- Cannot be familiar as a surname. (Arrivederci, Hunter!)
- Cannot be long-established as a given name. (Or, how Christian got the boot, and Mark, too.)
- Cannot be a place name. (Au revoir, London. And Camden and Paris and Savannah and … it’s a long list.)
That left these thirty popular word names 2016, half for boys and half for girls.
Popular Word Names 2016: Boys
Chase (#74) – An action verb name that feels energetic and at home on a prep school campus.
Roman (#102) – Rome would be disqualified, but adjective Roman – as in Roman villa and Roman nose – just squeaks by.
Miles (#107) – Am I cheating here? I almost booted Miles along with Christian, but we can – and do – travel miles and run miles and measure MPH.
King (#163) – King rules! What more is there to say?
Grant (#177) – Another name that nearly fails the tests, I’ll grant you – except that I can easily use it as a verb.
Maverick (#184) – No question here, Maverick is mostly a word. Okay, and a call sign for Tom Cruise. And ask me in 2066, and I’ll probably say Maverick is an underused early twenty-first century gem ready for revival. Ahem.
Jasper (#215) – Finally, we reach the first straight-up nature name on this list! It’s not new – after all, we call one of the three wise men Jasper. (Or Caspar or Gaspard …) But Jasper feels very twenty-first century.
Rowan (#219) – Rowan continues to rise, a unisex nature name almost so familiar it joins Christian and Mark on the names-before-words list. For now, it remains a tree name. (And an Irish surname name, but that’s a different list.)
River (#244) – A stylish sound, a modern vibe, ties to the late River Phoenix … this word name succeeds for so many reasons.
Chance (#250) – Less cumbersome than Bonaventure, more name-like than Lucky, Chance is a modern virtue word name that’s very wearable.
Cash (#267) – Cash is king – um, except that King actually ranks higher on this list! Let’s say that Cash is cool, bringing to mind the man in black, influential music legend Johnny Cash.
Lane (#296) – Once a surname for someone living near a path, Lane now feels like a brisk, bright name for a child.
Colt (#337) – A gun, a beer, a young horse. Colt succeeds as a baby name, too, possibly thanks to surname name Colton ranking in the US Top 100.
Legend (#392) – It’s a lot to live up to, but Legend seems unstoppable. Unheard before the 1990s, Legend has soared into the mainstream.
Ace (#418) – Ace brings to mind fighter pilots, winning hands of cards, and tennis serves. Oh, and also the most popular word names 2016.
Popular Word Names 2016: Girls
Grace (#19) – Grace marries classic elegance with modern popular word names 2016.
Aria (#29) – Operatic Aria owes its success to Pretty Little Liars, Game of Thrones, and our never-ending affection for A names and ends-in-ia picks. How could Aria fail to rise?
Violet (#50) – Shrinking no more, Violet is vintage and powerfully popular today.
Hazel (#63) – Another word name with history, this nineteenth century favorite is on the upswing.
Serenity (#71) – We’ve reached the first truly modern word name on the list, unheard of before the 1990s and now perfectly mainstream.
Ruby (#83) – Red Ruby leads the gemstone names for girls, and also represents the most popular source of color name inspiration for girls: red.
Faith (#91) – Popular with the Puritans, Faith ranks as the most obviously spiritual of the popular word names 2016.
Willow (#111) – Take a popular Joss Whedon character, factor in Will Smith’s famous daughter, and no surprise that gentle nature name Willow ranks among the most popular word names 2016.
Jasmine (#112) – Jasmine was already a hit before this name soared on Aladdin’s magic carpet. Today it feels like a culture-crossing botanical that still has some style, even if it’s no longer surprising and new.
Jade (#129) – Jade tops the list of the literally green names for girls, more modern than Olive, but not as out-there as Emerald.
Ivy (#129) – It’s not just for Christmas anymore! Ivy has followed Ava up the charts as parents embrace mini names, and word names, too.
Melody (#148) – Melody started to rise in the 1940s, had a good run in the 1960s, and now ranks a record-high #148. It’s fresher than Melanie, and still less common than Aria.
Rose (#166) – Classic, elegant, restrained Rose is at the head of several Rose- names, all gaining in use.
Daisy (#183) – Another floral name, this one friendly and accessible.
Harmony (#184) – The third musical choice among the most popular word names 2016 for girls, Harmony doubles as a virtue name.
Now it’s your turn: would you use a word name? Any of these, or something more obscure?
My daughter’s name is Raven Azalea. So the answer is yes, I would use a word name. This is one of my favorite categories for names.
River can actually be used as a girl name, I know a girl named River. I am also wondering if Creek could be used as a name.
My tastes can be very traditional, but I’d actually consider using Ace as a nickname for Achilles. Rose is perennially adorable (hope I’m not accidentally making a flower pun).
Temperance and Mercy rather appeal to me, but they both fell out of the top 1000 last year so they wouldn’t be on this list. Although…I really like Honor, Valor (nn for Valerie?), and Victory, and those are all rare.
One of the awesome things about names is that they all started off as words! The semantic process by which proper names get differentiated from other nouns is such a strange one, and one that neither linguists or philosophers really understand. I loved reading this list! And I like your criteria for separating out “words” from “names”. But on that criteria, I’d quibble with Roman, which has a LONG history as a name (http://dmnes.org/name/Roman) :). (I would probably have also not included Miles or Jasper). I’m also curious why the virtue names got a pass, as they also have a long history as names.
You’re right – as I looked at this list last night, I wished I’d dropped Grace and Rose and a few others … except it felt like I was cheating, because they were so obviously words that could be used that way.
I didn’t even think to look at Roman’s history! Fascinating … thank you!
I had a similar problem with Lane, Grant, and King being on the boys list, all common last names.