Naming the entire human life is pressure. A person’s name is fairly permanent (unless they choose to change it later), and there is something about a person’s name that shapes them in some way. So expectant parents tend to think this decision through carefully. But do those considerations change depending on where people live? Apparently they really do!
Nameberry — an online resource featuring essentially every name known in history — released data showing the most popular baby names in Republican-leaning states and the most popular baby names in Democratic-leaning states.
To determine what’s “blue” and “red,” Nameberry looked at data on people who voted in the 2020 election and social security card application data in 2023 to chart the most popular red and blue names.
The results were amazing.
For example, 84% of the top names in blue states come from non-English sources. These states tend to be more diverse, with large Irish, Spanish, Italian, Arabic, and Jewish populations.
Meanwhile, 90% of the top names in red states are of English origin.
Also, the top 25 “reddest” boys’ names are all surnames that have been appropriated as given names.
“Our findings show that America is deeply divided on baby names, which points to a larger and deeper conflict in American culture and ideals,” says Nameberry creator Pamela Redmond.
Check out the complete list below.
the bluest boy’s name
- Moshe
- Santino
- muhammad
- Yusuf
- At Keira
- Ali
- aidan
- ibrahim
- Ali
- Nico
reddest boy name
- kohen
- baylor
- stetson
- Caison
- trip
- sutton
- briggs
- cohen
- gunner
- baker
the bluest girl’s name
- fiona
- liana
- Mira
- Mariam
- Kira
- Miriam
- nina
- Aisha
- page
- Kayla
reddest girl’s name
- Hattie
- oaklin
- oakley
- Gracelyn
- Renly
- blakely
- collins
- oakley
- sailor
- oakley
After review, the list seems to indicate that the “reddest” baby names lean toward an “Americana” vibe, but tend to defy naming conventions regarding gender, spelling, and the very definition of the first name.
In contrast, the bluest baby names emphasize diversity, celebrating America as a mosaic of different cultures coming together to create something more beautiful.
According to Nameberry, baby names chosen by parents in predominantly Democratic blue states tend to be time-honoured first names drawn from a variety of international, historical and religious sources.
It’s important to note that the choice of name reflects the political leanings of the state where the baby was born, and not necessarily the voting habits of the individual parents who chose the baby.
Read the full study here.
