Is it a state, or is it a baby?
Let’s start off easy. Connecticut is a state. Emily is a baby. Georgia we’ll have to score for both sides. Now, how about Kansas? Before you answer, you might want to talk to the 30 American families that named babies Kansas last year. (Any guess at the gender ratio?)
State names aren’t a new style. The 1900 U.S. Census counted over 9000 women named Missouri and 4000 named Tennessee. But individual states move in and out of fashion. Florida, for instance, has vanished from the modern name pool. See where your state stands in this literal-minded name map of the USA. Full stats are below.
| Name | Girls Born | Boys Born | Total |
| Alabama | 10 | 10 | |
| Alaska | 46 | 46 | |
| Arizona | 125 | 5 | 130 |
| California | 13 | 13 | |
| Carolina | 749 | 749 | |
| Dakota | 1264 | 959 | 2223 |
| Georgia | 1467 | 1467 | |
| Indiana | 104 | 83 | 187 |
| Jersey | 157 | 50 | 207 |
| Kansas | 25 | 5 | 30 |
| Louisiana | 6 | 6 | |
| Missouri | 6 | 6 | |
| Montana | 120 | 110 | 230 |
| Nevada | 21 | 7 | 28 |
| Tennessee | 32 | 17 | 49 |
| Texas | 11 | 11 | |
| Utah | 7 | 7 | |
| Virginia | 567 | 567 | |
| Washington | 10 | 10 | |
| York | 9 | 9 |
5 Comments
Any data on how many of these babies were born in the same state vs out of state? If I had to guess, I’d say the big ones (200+) are more likely out of state.
You can enter them in this tool to see: https://namerology.com/ultimate-map/
Your guess seems mostly true.
When I was a kid I went to a camp called Camp Virginia (it was in Massachusetts) and there was a kid named Virginia there. She mostly went by Ginny, but I still thought that was Extremely Cool.
My neighbor goes by Mississippi. I don’t know if it’s a nick name or given name, but she has no trace of a southern accent.
For some reason, when I picture Utah as a name, I think of a woman in her mid 30s. I think it’s because Utah ends in -ah and has two syllables, much like the name Hannah.