The Reddest and Bluest Baby Names

When it comes to politics, Red States are usually thought of as conservative while Blue States are liberal, but baby name preferences defy those categorizations in surprising and counterintuitive ways, according to an exclusive analysis by Nameberry of the Reddest and Bluest baby names.

The study calculated which of the Top 500 names in the US were chosen predominantly in states that voted Red or Blue in the last presidential election.

“Our findings show an America deeply divided on baby names in ways that point to larger and more profound conflicts in American culture and ideals,” says Nameberry creator Pamela Redmond.

The Reddest baby names set forth an American ideal deeply rooted in the land and family heritage. At the same time, the Reddest names rebel against naming conventions around gender, spelling, and the very definition of a first name.

The Bluest baby names, by contrast, celebrate America as a melting pot while also honoring tradition. Baby names chosen predominantly by parents in the Democratic-leaning Blue States tend to be time-honored first names from a diverse range of international, historical, and religious sources.

It’s important to note that name choices reflect the political leanings of the states where the babies were born, not necessarily the voting habits of the individual parents who chose them.

Key Red State-Blue State Baby Name Differences

The extreme divide between the Red and Blue State baby names might be most dramatically illustrated by the Number 1 Reddest versus Bluest boys’ names: Kohen and Moshe.

The Number 1 Red State boy name Kohen or Cohen, which also makes the list of Reddest names, is a quintessential Jewish surname, a holy name reserved for a centuries-long lineage of priests. Many Jewish people consider it sacrilegious to name a child Kohen or Cohen, meaning that parents who use these names are either unaware of the potential offense or simply not concerned by it.

The top boys’ name on the Blue side, on the other hand, is Moshe, a name related to the Old Testament Moses and used exclusively by Jewish parents. (But while Orthodox Jews who name their sons Moshe almost always live in Blue States, they vote overwhelmingly Red.)

The different ethnic populations in Blue States and Red States are one important factor behind the polarized baby name choices.

Among our key findings:

–  The top names in the  Blue States, with higher Irish, Spanish, Italian, Arabic, and Jewish populations, are 84% derived from non-English sources, while 90% of the Reddest names have English origins.

– Every one of the Top 25 Reddest boys’ names — and nearly half the girls’ names — are surnames appropriated as firsts, though only two of the most popular Blue names started life as surnames.

– Over 70% of the Bluest names are rooted in religious sources: the Bible and the Quran along with the names of saints and mythological figures. But none of the names favored in the Red States have religious roots.

– More than half of the Bluest girl names end in the letter A, but none of the Reddest girl names carry an A ending.

– All of the Red State boys’ names end in a consonant, most notably N, but 40% of the Bluest boys’ names end in vowels.

– Every one of the top Blue State names is spelled the traditional way, while more than a quarter of the top Red State names has an unconventional spelling.

The Bluest Baby Names

Ethnic differences go far to explain the Red State-Blue State baby name divide. Muslim, Italian, Irish, and Jewish parents, who claim a larger share of the population in Blue States and are more likely than average to vote Democratic, also tend to more closely follow family and religious traditions when naming their babies.

Of the Top 25 Bluest names, 84% of the girl and boy names are rooted in languages other than English. These include Arabic names such as Aisha and Ali, Italian names such as Viviana and Nico, and Irish names such as Maeve and Rory. The Blue State parents choosing these names are tying their children’s identities to specific ethnic or religious cultures. 

There are also Blue names that claim origins in multiple cultures. Mira is Sanskrit and Slavic. Kian is Persian and Irish. Liana is Arabic, French, Italian, Iranian, and more. These are culturally indistinct names — clearly international in origin, but not overtly tied to a single culture.

Parents using these multicultural names may be trying to blend ethnic backgrounds or might be looking for names with a sophisticated, international feel that can work in a range of countries and cultures.

The vast majority of the Bluest names, 70%, are ancient names with theological ties. Names like Rachel and Yusuf are found in religious texts like the Bible and Quran, while others, such as Remy and Maeve, are linked to saints and mythology, respectively.

Blue State parents prefer names that end in a vowel, with 40% of boys’ names and 88% of girls’ names ending in vowels. A full 60% of the Bluest girl names end in the letter A.

The Reddest Baby Names

The Reddest baby names defy expectations in every way. These are not your Reaganite grandparents’ conservative names like William and Charlotte. Rather, Red State baby namers are pioneers, turning surnames into first names, favoring gender neutral choices, inventing spellings, and eschewing formality by putting the nickname right on the birth certificate.

The Reddest surnames-turned-first-names might sound like old family names, with the popular “son” suffix denoting patrimony, the “ton” and “ley” endings identifying habitational roots. But these surname-style names are more likely to be chosen for their image or style than for any genuine family connection. Using surnames as first names is a practice rooted in inheritance and lineage as well as in all-male cultures like fraternities and sports teams. 

Another popular motif among Red State names is romanticized rural imagery. There’s cowboy-conjuring Stetson and bandana pattern Paisley. Red State parents disproportionately use farming occupational last names as first names like Shepherd and Colter (a keeper of horses) and those that sound like they should be, such as Baylor, Hayes, and Haisley, evoking hay bales.

Nature names — more common among Red State girls than boys — fit into this pastoral image. Oak trees are a particularly popular inspiration source, spawning Oaklynn, Oakleigh, Oaklee, and Oakley. Palmer is another tree-related Red State girl name, and Wrenley hatched from the bird name Wren. Among the Reddest boy names is the aquatic Banks — which could also be viewed as a finance name, a la Kashton.

The Red States have a relative preference for gun-themed and military names, with Gunner and Knox in the Top 25 for boys and Remington and Navy among the Top 25 for girls.

While some spelling variations nudge a name toward the male or female side — Oakleigh and Charlee, for instance — about 70% of the top Red State names are at least theoretically gender-neutral. Also popular in the Red States for girls are diminutives such as Allie and Macie, which carry a less serious and even childlike image.

None of the top Red State names for boys end in a vowel, while 15 of the top Red State names for girls have a vowel ending — but usually E or Y, never A. The Reddest name endings are N for boys and the “lee” or “lyn” sound for girls.

The Bluest Baby Names

Here, the 25 Bluest Baby Names for each sex, with the percent of babies with that name born in Blue States. For instance, 77.7% of American baby girls named Fiona in the US in 2023 were born in Blue States.

Blue State Girl Names

1. Fiona — 77.7% Blue

2. Liana — 74.8%

3. Mira — 74.6%

4. Maryam — 74.5%

5. Kira — 74.4%

6. Miriam — 73.5%

7. Nina — 71.8%

8. Aisha — 71.2%

9. Paige — 70.9%

10. Kayla — 70.7%

11. Brooke — 70.5%

12. Rachel — 70.5%

13. Celine — 70.3%

14. Adelina — 69.9%

15. Francesca — 69.6%

16. Maia — 69.6%

17. Maya — 69.3%

18. Viviana — 69.3%

19. Esme — 68.6%

20. Fatima — 68.6%

21. Kaia — 68.2%

22. Colette — 68.2%

23. Anya — 68%

24. Maeve — 67.9%

25. Sienna — 67.8%

Blue State Boy Names

1. Moshe — 97.1% Blue

2. Santino — 80.6%

3. Muhammad — 79.2%

4. Yusuf — 78.2%

5. Kieran — 74.2%

6. Ari — 74.1%

7. Aidan — 74.1%

8. Ibrahim — 73%

9. Ali — 72.5%

10. Nico — 72.3%

11. Colin — 72%

12. Francis — 71.8%

13. Angelo — 70%

14. Remy — 69.6%

15. Desmond — 68.4%

16. Felix — 68%

17. Frank — 68%

18. Zayn — 67.9%

19. Gianni — 67.9%

20. Hugo — 67.8%

21. Sean — 67.8%

22. Rhys — 67.8%

23. Rory — 67.5%

24. Kian — 67.3%

25. Connor — 67%

The Reddest Baby Names

The Number 1 Reddest American names are Hattie for girls and Kohen for boys. The rest of the Top 25 for each gender follow.

Red State Girl Names

1. Hattie — 65.6% Red

2. Oaklynn — 64.5%

3. Oakleigh — 64.3%

4. Gracelynn — 63.1%

5. Wrenley — 63.1%

6. Blakely — 62.3%

7. Collins — 62.1%

8. Oaklee — 62%

9. Saylor — 60.6%

10. Oakley — 60.4%

11. Palmer — 60%

12. Haisley — 59%

13. Armani — 58.5%

14. Sutton — 58.5%

15. Marlee — 58.4%

16. Charlee — 58.4%

17. Brynlee — 58.2%

18. Remington — 58.1%

19. Hallie — 58%

20. Evelynn — 57.4%

21. Paisley — 56.4%

22. Navy — 56.1%

23. Emory — 56%

24. Macie — 55.4%

25. Allie — 55.3%

Red State Boys Names

1. Kohen — 71.5% Red

2. Baylor — 71.2%

3. Stetson — 69%

4. Kyson — 65.9%

5. Tripp — 65.5%

6. Sutton — 64.3%

7. Briggs — 62.3%

8. Cohen — 61.5%

9. Gunner — 61.3%

10. Baker — 61.3%

11. Jensen — 60.9%

12. Lawson — 60.7%

13. Hayes — 60%

14. Colter — 59.7%

15. Waylon — 59.4%

16. Shepherd — 59%

17. Banks — 58.9%

18. Karson — 58.3%

19. Kayson — 58.3%

20. Beckham — 58.2%

21. Knox — 58.2%

22. Daxton — 57.8%

23. Tucker — 57.6%

24. Kashton — 57.4%

25. Dallas — 57.3%

Statistical analysis by Daniel Parris of Stat Significant, original concept developed by Joe Satran