Names that Peaked in 2009

Some parents, including rapper Ludacris, are literally bestowing good karma on their children; it could just join the new spiritual name congregation.

Gauge is the dictionary spelling, but Gage is the far more popular choice, ranking at Number 281 in 2016.

Perfect name for a little girl born at Christmas. Its many variations and pet forms include Natalia, Nataliya, Natalie, Nataly, Natascha, Talya, Talia, Tasha and Tasya.

This unusual spelling was introduced via the hot young star of Gossip Girl, Chace (born Christopher Chace) Crawford, and experienced some mass interest, though it has fallen down the charts since it peaked in 2009. Think of it as a combination of cool-guy names Chase and Ace.

Reece is a less popular respelling of Reese, made famous by actress Witherspoon. Reese is the most popular spelling for girls and Rhys for boys, with Reece given to about four times as many boys as girls.

Madelynn is the fourth most popular variation of this durably popular name, with Madelyn ranking first in the Top 100, Madeline dropping to the Number 2 spot, the French Madeleine taking third place, and Madelynn coming in fourth but still ranking in the Top 500.

Similar to Brielle and Riley, this name lags quite far behind these more common variations. It peaked at Number 622 in 2009 in the US, but it is now descending the ranks.

Caylee was the third fastest-rising name in 2009 and peaked then at Number 263, but has since dropped in the charts, perhaps due to the Caylee Anthony association.

Kaylin is a variation of Kayla and Katelyn that had several years of chart climbing before reaching a peak of Number 372 in 2009. Cailin and Kailyn are two other spellings.

Like its cousin Braden, Braydon has been falling in popularity in recent years, perhaps signaling a weakening of the 'aden'-name epidemic. There are thousands of young Bradens and Braydons out there, including the son of Melissa Joan Hart.

Enough parents have appreciated this combinations of the sounds from Brayden and Jaylen to make it a widely used name. Its most noted bearer is former football player Braylon Edwards.

Deriving from the names Sania, meaning "second" or Saniyya meaning "brilliant", it is the single Y spelling that has been preferred in the US, probably owing to its similarity to popular Aaliyah. The name entered the Top 1000 in 2004 but has been out of favor since 2019 when it disappeared from the charts. Still given to 150 girls each year however, it easily crosses cultures and gets you to the possible nickname Sunny.

Taliyah is an elaboration of Talia or a modern smoosh name, combining Taylor and Aliyah. Taliyah does sound natural, but we're not sure it improves on any of its originals.

The more popular Aiden becomes, the more spelling variations we see in the Top 1000. This version was as high as Number 271 in 2009, though we recommend choosing a different spelling if you're set on this uber-popular moniker.

Cameron is starting to fall slightly since its peak in the early 2000s, but is still comfortably in the Top 100. The Camryn spelling has historically been more popular on the girls' side, though it did rank briefly for boys in the late 2000s.

Haylee dropped out of the Top 500 for the first time since 1992 recently, in step with a decline by Hailey (though the alternative Hadley is still near the Top 100). For some, Haylee is one E too many, but it reflects the broader popularity in -lee suffixes.

Kylah makes Kyla feel like an old biblical name, but it's only a reproduction, not a real antique.

Oh dear! We can see where you were going with connecting this name to the classic "Leah," but it just doesn't work. We recommend sticking with the classic Malia.