Names that Peaked in 2002

Actually the Spanish name for Bethlehem, which means "house of bread," this name is high on Spain's popularity list and is rising in the US as well. Though this is one of the Spanish names for girls that has not for the most part crossed over to the English-speaking population, that could change thanks to its similarity to the popular Belle or Bella.

This diminutive, similar to Alex or Alexis, has been yo-yoing in popularity since the turn of the 21st century.

Kade falls into the trend of using a letter K at the beginning of a traditionally C-starting name, perhaps to give it a sharper edge. Trending since the 90s, Kade is currently in the Top 400, while Cade ranks nearly around 70 places ahead. Given to 933 babies in 2023, it is a consistently used name.

Luc is the sleeker Gallic cousin of Luke, and if you want to know the difference between their pronunciations, just watch Kevin Kline's hilarious description in the film French Kiss. Peter Gabriel and Sean Patrick Thomas picked this version for their sons.

Alonso is the Spanish and Portuguese diminutive version of Alfonso, itself deriving from an old Germanic name "Adalfuns" meaning "noble and ready." Although the Italian spelling Alonzo is more popular in the US, Alonso has its own strong history.

Jesus -- pronounced hay-SOOS -- is used exclusively and extensively among Spanish speakers, though JEE-zus as in the first name of Christ is never used in the Anglophone world. Jesus Quintana was a character in The Big Lebowski and Jesus Velasquez appeared on True Blood.

Kaleb is one of several boys' names starting with k that started life as a classic C name, Caleb. Kevin Federline named his boy Kaleb Michael Jackson.

This is one of the ninety-nine attributes of Allah, deemed by Muhammad to be a recommended name for a male child. In this country, it's been primarily associated with boxing immortal Muhammad Ali, known as "the greatest." But Ali is also one of the most popular unisex names for both boys and girls.

A life-affirming choice — just beware pronunciation issues among the goyim in your neighborhood.

Given to children of both sexes as far back as colonial times, this carries a lot of baggage. However, parents continue to take the risk. Actress America Ferrera may be have inspired some families to choose the name. Ferrera's Honduras-born mother shares her unusual name.

Both Karla and Carla are sliding down the ranks, though Karla remains far more popular in the USA than Carla.

This unusual two-syllable K name relates to shipbuilding.

Has lots of energy, perhaps due to its association with top tap dancer Savion Glover.

Abdullah is an alternative transcription of the name Abd Allah, which translates to "servant of Allah". Popular across throughout the Muslim world, it ranks in the Turkish Top 100 and the UK Top 200.

The mononymous Colombian-born singer inspired a popularity blip in the 90s and early 00s.

More stylish than either Paula or Pauline, it was given a glamour gloss by model Paulina Porizkova in the nineties.

Kaiya reached a peak of Number 652 in 2002. This spelling performs worse than its sisters Kaia and Kaya, and it likely creates more pronunciation confusion.

The name of a companion of the prophet Muhammad who became the first person to call Muslims to prayer. Bilal is well-used in the US.

Keon, a mashup of Kevin and Leon, has been in the Top 900 for a decade and a half, following in the wake of female cousin Kiana.

Lisbeth is one of the many short forms of Elizabeth that are used on their own. Not only is it the name of the mother of the main character in George Eliot's novel Adam Bede, but it takes on a whole new, powerful image as the heroine of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo trilogy. Lizbeth is another spelling.