Names that Peaked in 2001

Like Galilea and Livia, one of the Italian names that fashionable American parents—with or without Italian roots—have started to choose for their daughters. It has endured ups and downs since entering the popularity charts in 1991.

A relatively new name on the scene, increasing in popularity since 1999. It is likely a variation of Nia, a Swahili name based on the Arabic Niya meaning "tenacity, purpose, determination". Alternatively it may be based on Naia, a Basque name meaning "sea foam, wave" or it may simply be a modern creation, influenced by the popularity of Mia, Mya, Kaia, and similar.

Actor Coby Bell gives this short but sweet name a hefty amount of street cred. Can also be spelled Koby or Kobe, as in Kobe Bryant.

While the biblical Javan, the son of Japheth, is spelled with two a's, the -on version is by far the favorite in contemporary America. Variant spellings and pronunciations abound. This name has ranked in the US Top 1000 since 1976, though it's in danger of falling off.

Basketball legend Kobe Bryant, whose name was inspired by a Japanese steak house, brought this energetic and appealing name into -- and out of -- the mix. Bryant's tragic death in a helicopter crash in 2020 increased the popularity of his name, as fans and admirers named their children Kobe in honor of the star.

A cutesy short form of Jordan that's never been overly popular. Pro Bowl wide receiver Jordy Nelson is one famous bearer.

Zechariah is actually the original Biblical form of the name more often found these days as Zachariah, probably because of the popularity of Zachary. People are going to have trouble getting Zechariah because they won't understand the Zech part. This name, in whatever form, begs to be shortened in the modern world to Zach (or Zac or Zack).

This variation of Muhammed is not as popular as some, but it still is a widely used choice.

You know who Beyonce is. One of the most famous people in the world. When she was born, her name was truly unique; it was a riff on her mom's maiden name, Biyence, with an accent over the final e.

In the US, Emmanuel has held steady around the Top 200 for a quarter century now, but this variation has dropped off the Top 1000 for three of the past seven years. It was Number 974 in 2016.

Macey ranks in the Top 1000 thanks to big sister name Macy, ala Stacey and Stacy or Tracey and Tracy. The extra e also relates it to Lacey.

Popular in the Hispanic world and used in honor of Saint Augustine, Agustin is an anglicized form of the Spanish Agustín. It peaked at Number 561 in 2001 in the US charts and has since dropped on and off of the list again. Given to around 210 boys in a recent year, Agustin also ranks highly in Chile and Uruguay.

After cracking the US Top 200 in the early 2000s, fueled by Jacob's rise, this name has been losing steam in recent years. But Jakob is the top form of the name in many other countries, cultures, and languages, ranking highly in Germany, Norway, Austria, Iceland, and Slovenia. Jakub is the Polish variation.

Just one more name to fall victim to the K trend. This version of the name has appeared in the US Top 1000 since the mid-1980s, having peaked at Number 359 in 2001. It is now steadily declining year after year.

The first name of famed designer Balenciaga, was also the birth name of Christopher Columbus--aka Cristobal Colon. A name still well used in the Hispanic community.

This variation of the popular Arabic name has now been in the Top 500 for several years. It wasn't even in the Top 1000 before the 1980s.

As a form of the popular Arabic name, Hamid, Ahmad could be seen as a contraction for one of the 99 names for Allah, al-Ḥamīd, however, it might also be a variation of Muhammad as they share the same roots. Either way, the name has many variants of its own, the Urdu Ahmed, the Kazakh Akhmet, and West African Amadou.

Julia is a name that's ancient and hallowed enough to not only have many variations, but for its variations to have variations. Juliana has been consistently used in the US and Europe, sometimes spelled Julianna. Yuliana or Yulianna is the Russian version. That Y at the beginning makes the name sound distinctly more exotic in the US.