Italian Surnames

Some Italian surnames can mean strange and/or funny things. Check it out:

http://www.beginningwithi.com/italy/living/surnames.htm

Who's a good boy? DAVE! Yes you are!

Here's an article about the correlation between the most popular dog names and baby names in NYC and Britain.

While we're on the subject, why *do* some names just work well for dogs, and others don't? I remember when my sister was pregnant with her first kid, she wanted to name him "Zeke," but everyone said that was a "dog name."

Then I met a dude with a large, smelly bulldog named Sarah. That was just weird. I mean, Sarah. I know about 50,000 girls named Sarah. Would you name a dog Dave? Maybe a cat. My stepfather had 12 cats and 5 dogs when my mom met him--he had named them all after his (now ex-) in-laws. Thus I would let Emily, Judy, and... i can't remember the rest of the dogs' names out at night when I house-sat, and made sure that Dave and Tim didn't scratch the couch, while Bob and Nancy sat on my lap... We actually inherited Bob and Dave. I couldn't call them Bob and Dave; they weren't Cat-like enough for me. I tried Robert, Roberto, and finally Robert pronounced the French way. Dave was Monsieur David... I don't know why French names seem better on cats to me... Anyway, I find it really strange to call animals by the same names as people that I know.

What was the point of all this? Oh yeah, pets and people names. Maybe we should start naming children Fluffy, Whiskers and Patches to even the score. Or, since most babies aren't fluffy and don't have whiskers, Baldy, Ears and Screamer?

Aiden is #1!

I just re-did the SSA's top baby names by spelling. This year Aiden (the most common spelling) supplants Jacob (although it means "the supplanter")! Aiden has 9 different spellings, which, taken separately, didn't even crack the SSA's Top 20 Names for 2006. Jacob has been in the top spot since 1999, so de-throning this name was no easy task!

Here's what the SSA got vs. what I got for dudes, spellings grouped separately:

Rank	SSA top 25	my top 25
1	Jacob (24418)	Aiden (11430), Aidan (9888), Ayden (3551), Aden (1382), Adan (1087), Aydan (424), , Aydin (288), Aedan (272), Aidyn (206)
2	Michael (22220)	Jacob (24418), Jakob (1143)
3	Joshua (21875)	Michael (22220), Micheal (674), Mikel (184)
4	Ethan (20254)	Joshua (21875)
5	Matthew (19991)	Matthew (19991), Mathew (1001)
6	Daniel (19652)	Ethan (20254), Ethen (192)
7	Christopher (19439)	Christopher (19439), Cristopher (511), Cristofer (249)
8	Andrew (19425)	Nicholas (15414), Nicolas (2888), Nickolas (918), Nikolas (772)
9	Anthony (19101)	Daniel (19652)
10	William (18645)	Andrew (19425)
11	Joseph (18037)	Anthony (19101), Antony (245)
12	Alexander (17940)	William (18645)
13	David (17248)	Alexander (17940), Alexzander (380)
14	Ryan (16219)	Jayden (9469), Jaden (4863), Jaiden (1711), Jadon (744), Jaydon (680), Jaeden (336), Jadyn (274), Jaydin (187)
15	Noah (16088)	Joseph (18037)
16	James (15945)	Jonathan (14110), Johnathan (2262), Jonathon (786), Johnathon (460)
17	Nicholas (15414)	David (17248)
18	Tyler (15285)	Christian (14210), Cristian (2989)
19	Logan (14974)	Ryan (16219), Rayan (182)
20	John (14924)	Noah (16088)
21	Christian (14210)	James (15945)
22	Jonathan (14110)	Caden (4708), Kaden (4681),Cayden (1738), Kayden (1546), Kaiden (1391),Caiden (1021), Kadin (361), Kaeden (280), Kadyn (202)
23	Nathan (14031)	Tyler (15285)
24	Benjamin (13524)	Logan (14974)
25	Samuel (13372)	John (14924)

Without the help of the variant spellings, notice that the -aden brothers (Aidan, Jayden and Caden) don't make the top 25 at all!

Here's the comparison for chix:

rank	SSA top 25	NameNerds Top 25
	Emily (21118)	Emily (21118), Emilee (850), Emilie (622), Emmalee (406), Emely (1052)
2	Emma (18838)	Madison (18395), Maddison (782), Madisyn (760), Madyson (769)
3	Madison (18395)	Isabella (17954), Isabela (664), Izabella (1112)
4	Isabella (17954)	Emma (18838)
5	Ava (16741)	Sophia (13313), Sofia (5008)
6	Abigail (15429)	Hailey (8330), Haley (4230), Haylee (1362), Hailee (683), Haleigh (479), Hailie (356), Halie (275)
7	Olivia (15244)	Caitlyn (1738), Caitlin (1636), Kaitlyn (5991), Kaitlin (940), Kaitlynn (566), Katelyn (4830) Katelynn (1201 ), Katlyn (343)
8	Hannah (14294)	Abigail (15429), Abbigail (623), Abigayle (348), Abigale (295), Abagail (293)
9	Sophia (13313)	Ava (16741)
10	Samantha (12316)	Olivia (15244), Alivia (1304)
11	Elizabeth (12193)	Hannah (14294), Hanna (1202), Hana (390)
12	Ashley (12172)	Brianna (9224), Briana (2750), Breanna (2724), Breana (314), Bryanna (733)
13	Mia (11851)	Sarah (10910), Sara (4314)
14	Alexis (11078)	Ashley (12172), Ashlee (958), Ashleigh (405), Ashly (346)
15	Sarah (10910)	Jasmine (7391), Jasmin (1915), Jasmyn (280), Jazmin (2204), Jazmine (1507), Jazmyn (462)
16	Natalie (10791)	Natalie (10791), Natalee (601), Nataly (795), Nathalie (546), Nathaly (346)
17	Grace (10780)	Mia (11851), Miah (352), Miya (266)
18	Chloe (10249)	Kaylee (5924), Kailey (1264), Kayleigh (1214), Kaylie (1,181), Kaleigh (628), Kali (537), Kailee (494), Kaley (420), Kayley (379), Kayli (296)
19	Alyssa (10039)	Samantha (12316)
20	Brianna (9224)	Elizabeth (12193)
21	Ella (9080)	Alyssa (10039), Alissa (844), Alisa (295), Elisa (536)
22	Taylor (8480)	Alexis (11078), Alexus (533)
23	Anna (8442)	Katherine (6197), Katharine (288), Kathryn (2364), Catherine (2749)
24	Lauren (8387)	Anna (8442), Ana (2377)
25	Hailey (8330)	Madeline (4426), Madelyn (2916), Madelynn (527), Madeleine (962), Madalyn (906), Madalynn (339) Madilyn (719 )

Katherine has long been divided between the C and K spellings. When you count them all, it makes the top 25, along with Caitlin et. al. Basically, there will be a lot more little Katies out there than you would think! Also, Madeline, Jasmine and Kayley break into the top 25 when you list all spellings.

* I know most people would pronounce Alyssa and Elisa differently, however, I know an Alisa who is pronounced like /a LISS a/ and an Alyssa who is pronounced like "Lisa" with an "a" on the front, so that's why I group them together.

Anyway, CONGRATULATIONS, AIDEN!

Name Popularity

This article from the Chicago Tribune:

Sorry, Gert, not your year again

Will Vivian go va-va-voom? Is Olivia over? Had enough Jacobs? Parents-to-be look to 'namerologists' for the next hot monikers

By Bonnie Miller Rubin
Tribune staff reporter
Published May 19, 2007

When the Social Security Administration announces its ranking of the top 1,000 names for baby boys and girls just before Mother's Day, Laura Wattenberg rolls up her sleeves and goes to work.

A mother of two from suburban Boston, Wattenberg is a self-confessed name geek who wants to know more than just whether Emily and Jacob are No. 1 for the umpteenth time.

Will Olivia go the way of Tiffany, which sank without a bubble after a brief period of glory in the mid-'80s? Has the Aiden/Kaden/Jaden cycle peaked, destined to be the naming equivalent of shag carpeting?

Are old-sounding names like Isabella, Ava and Sophia -- all in this year's top 10 -- running out of steam, poised to be replaced by "new" old names, such as Ethel, Lois and Blanche?

"It's an exercise in fashion, values and fortune-telling," said Wattenberg, 37, who spends weeks entering the new name information into her master database. "Eighty years from now, the names we choose will be the sound of a generation, the stamp of an era."

The annual list was the brainchild of a Social Security actuary who hoped to bring more citizens to the agency's Web site. It has fueled a mini-industry that some dub "namerology," though the academic term is onomatology or onomastics.

Like analysts studying the market in search of the next sizzling stock, "namies" scrutinize the rankings and thrive on the thrill of discovering the next big thing or stumbling upon an amusing oddity. (This year, No. 152 for girls is Lucy; for boys, it's Ricardo.)

The interest goes far beyond expectant parents. The "Today" show even arranged for a live unveiling of this year's list by the Social Security commissioner, a first since the list debuted in 1997.

What particularly intrigues people like Wattenberg is what causes some names to heat up and then just as inexplicably to cool off. Why should a relic like Grace, all the rage in the early 1900s, suddenly be dusted off for the 21st Century?


Generation gap

Cleveland Evans, a psychology professor at Bellevue University, said girls' names often go through a 100-year cycle. (Boys' names, while also subject to fads, tend to be more stable over time.) Parents tend to avoid the names from the generation of their grandparents or great-grandparents because they bring "gray hair and wrinkles" to mind, Evans said.

But when that generation is no longer around, suddenly the names sound dewy fresh to parents -- sometimes puzzling their older relatives who find the names more suited to a nursing home. The cycling may explain the current fondness for Sophia and Emma, which last had a heyday in the 19th Century. It also may be why Sadie (now at 157) and Vivian (223) may be ready for stardom.

It's still too soon for a chestnut like Betty, however. The name, which crested in the 1930s, still conjures up an apron-wearing, cookie-baking image. But in another 20 years, pre-schools could be filled with a whole new batch of Bettys -- and the Debbies, Barbaras and Nancys will be right behind them.

Many of today's parents find that as hard as they try to choose a unique name, they fail.

Jennifer Thanos of Roselle was born smack in the middle of a Jennifer explosion in 1973, which included two of her close friends. "We just called each other by our last names -- and still do, even though we're all married," said Thanos, a hospital development director.

Her stepmother, now in her mid-50s, endured the same problem. With five Lindas in her 5th-grade class, circa 1961, the teacher arbitrarily chose one girl to retain her Linda-ness and forced the others to go by their middle names. For an entire year, she glumly answered to Patti.

Thanos was determined it would be different with her daughter. Torn between Ava and Mia, she obsessively checked Web sites to make sure the names weren't overexposed. When a maternity nurse said she had witnessed a recent Mia mania, that sealed the deal.

Now Ava is 2 years old -- and her name is No. 5 on the popularity list.

"Ava has had this meteoric rise, which really makes me cringe," Thanos lamented.

Stanley Lieberson, a Harvard University sociologist and author of "A Matter of Taste: How Names, Fashions and Culture Change," said the recycling of names is accelerating. Reasons include the migration from rural areas to cities, because a feeling of anonymity can drive a desire for uniqueness.

Ethnic influence

The increasingly diverse American society plays a role also, as race and ethnicity strongly affect naming patterns. (The top 100 boys' names include Diego, Juan, Angel, Jesus, Miguel and Alejandro.)

Although names are often influenced by pop culture, Stephanie Thompson insists the Maddox bandwagon currently rolling through her Park Slope neighborhood in Brooklyn has nothing to do with Angela Jolie's little boy. (The name has surged by 1,000 percent in the last three years).

"Most people I know just like the way it sounds," said the marketing writer. "You hear it -- and then it just lodges in your brain and stays there."

When her own son was born in 2004, she chose Oscar, a name that has risen to No. 118. While friends immediately embraced it, her parents laughed. One of her mother's friends even asked: "How could you do that to a small child?"

Thompson, 36, knew Oscar was old-fashioned, but because the playgrounds weren't teeming with them, she came to the name with no perceptions, positive or negative. "It just seemed new."

Of course, just because a name is antique doesn't mean it will stage a comeback. Gertrude, for example, is old but has remained on the shelf.

"Too many consonants packed together," Evans said, noting today's preferences for the lilting final "ah" sound found in seven of the top 10 girls' names.

Because of a confluence of trends, Wattenberg thinks Vivian is on a fast track. There's no clash of consonants, and it ends with the hugely popular "N." (Hayden, Ethan, Morgan.)

But what really gives it an edge? "The 'V' -- which is soaring" along with all the other exotic, end-of-the-alphabet letters, she said.

The Social Security list (ssa.gov/OACT/babynames) isn't perfect.

It ranks different spellings such as Hailey, Haley and Hayley separately, diluting a name's true strength.


More names, business

Even allowing for multiple versions, parents are choosing from more names than ever. In the 1980s, a typical book might be "5,000 Names for Baby"; now, titles tout 100,000 names.

Wattenberg has parlayed her hobby into a business, writing a book titled "The Baby Name Wizard" and developing an addictive Internet tool showing how names rise and fall in popularity (babynamewizard.com/namevoyager).

With all the options, making a choice is creating unprecedented anxiety for parents, who want to be original but not overly so. ("The trick is to choose a name that is unusual -- but not to the point of ridicule," said Thanos, citing Gwyneth Paltrow's daughter Apple.)

"The most remarkable thing is what they're not choosing," Wattenberg said. "The classic English name stock that has stood for centuries is suddenly disappearing. Nevaeh [heaven spelled backward] is now more common than Mary.

"Doesn't that say it all?"

- - -

Name influences, from TV to Old Testament

Some observations, gleaned from experts.

Addison is at an all-time high (No. 27) as a girl's name, which some attribute to the popularity of the TV show "Grey's Anatomy." But nobody was giving babies that name when the fictional physician, age 39, would have been born.

Jack is big in blue states; Jackson in red.

There is no correlation between biblical names and the parents' level of religious observance. Old Testament names abound for boys, but feminine options are rare. So when a girl's name gets a foot in the door, it zooms to prominence. First it was Ruth, then Deborah and now Hannah. Sarah has remained in the top 100 for most of the last century.

Of all boys born in England between 1550 and about 1800, about half were given one of three names: William, John and Thomas. Half the girls were Elizabeth, Mary or Anne.

In their book "Freakonomics," Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner noted that 40 percent of African-American girls born in California in the 1990s received a name that not 1 in 1,000 white girls received. They also noted that the parents of a Tennyson tended to have more education (15.6 years) than parents of a Chastity (10.6).

The only two names experts say are officially dead: Bertha (it has come to symbolize size) and Adolph (for obvious reasons).

-- Bonnie Miller Rubin

----------

brubin@tribune.com

And, while we're at it, the Social Security Administration has unveiled its top baby names for 2006.

Need a bellydancing name?

Here's a guide to choosing the right name for your bellydancing persona.

There's also a link to another article about dancer names: Names for Dancers and Other Graceful Souls.

This site also has lists of names suitable for Bellydancers (mostly Arabic names and words).

Metallica! Time for dinner!!!

from the Associated Press:

Couple Fights to Name Baby 'Metallica'

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) - Metallica may be a cool name for a heavy metal band, but a Swedish couple is struggling to convince officials it is also suitable for a baby girl.

Michael and Karolina Tomaro are locked in a court battle with Swedish authorities, which rejected their application to name their six-month-old child after the legendary rock band.

``It suits her,'' Karolina Tomaro, 27, said Tuesday of the name. ``She's decisive and she knows what she wants.''

Although little Metallica has already been baptized, the Swedish National Tax Board refused to register the name, saying it was associated with both the rock group and the word ``metal.''

Tomaro said the official handling the case also called the name ``ugly.''

The couple was backed by the County Administrative Court in Goteborg, which ruled on March 13 that there was no reason to block the name. It also noted that there already is a woman in Sweden with Metallica as a middle name.

The tax agency appealed to a higher court, frustrating the family's foreign travel plans.

``We've had to cancel trips and can't get anywhere because we can't get her a passport without an approved name,'' Tomaro said.

They should have moved to the USA, where names like Tesla (probably after the band and not after the inventor?), Jamiroquai, Rush and Slade (To name a few) have been found on birth certificates.

Author Pen names

Lately I've been into authors' pen names. Here are a couple of sites where you can find lists of them:

Author Pen Names

a.k.a

and finally, How To Choose a Pen Name.

Dear uh... Mr. or Mrs. Balasubramanian...

If you're not familiar with Hindu names, this is a cool toy-- it tells the gender of names. I used to work in a university, and professors were always emailing me asking if the student they were meeting with was male or female. I should have directed them here!

Hindu Name Guesser

I think it works by analyzing the last letter or so of a name, and then using naming conventions to guess the gender. Of course, the first name I entered was "Aditya," which is the name of a dude I know. I always thought it would be beautiful on a girl... and the name guesser told me it was a female name. Were Aditya's parents hoping he was a girl, or is this the exception to the rule? Just for kicks, I typed in "Susan" and it told me it was a male name. I guess most Sanskrit-based names ending in N are for guys (like Narayan, Naveen etc.)

If you're not into Hindu names, check out the Baby Name Guesser. This tool searches the web and delivers results based on the findings. This site also has sone fun toys, like the Alter Ego Finder, which gives you a name of an "alter ego" by finding names with similar popularity and gender. The one it came up with for me was Cecilia Hillman, which is super creepy, because I was once engaged to a dude with the last name Hillman, and I always planned on naming my first daughter Cecilia. Cecilia Hillman was the name of our fictional kid.

Name of the Year

The Name Of the Year blog collects interesting, unusual names. you can even vote for their Name Of the Year!

A Brief overview of Chinese naming practices

Here's a short article on how Chinese parents can come up with their children's names.

Chinese Baby Names

Ritzy Urban moms: definitely using creative names

Here's an article about the naming choices of the well-to-do in Manhattan:
Baby Names Get Weird... Milo, Shiloh... Thijs?

Jerry Seinfeld would have been right at home in ancient Rome.

Wasn't Seinfeld the one who thought Seven was the perfect name for a kid? Maybe I'm getting the joke wrong; I think I've seen that show maybe twice. However, everyone I know is constantly quoting it at me, so I know there's something about naming a kid Seven. Incidentally, there is a little boy named Seven in Ithaca (his brother's name is Tenor).

Anyway, here is a list of Numerical Names from Wikipedia.

Finally, a decent baby name site!

Check it! These guys strive to have accurate information and not just gimmicky pink and blue name charts!

Baby Name Addicts

While your at it, take the baby name survey at this site-- apparently the survey owner wants to write a baby name book based on this research!

History of African-American names

Continuing my fascination with African-American naming trends, I found this site about a brief history of African American names:

Finding Our History: African American Names.

Creating new names out of old names has been a long-standing tradition in African American culture. Long before there were LaTanyas, Donnelles and Andraes, there were Samanthas (Sam + -antha bet you didn't know this was a 200-year-old African American creation!), Authorine (the first African American student at a white university in Alabama), Araminta (Harriet Tubman's first name at birth), & Cabell (Cab Calloway's birth name).

Another site about the importance of names in both African American and African culture:

Slavery in America: African American Names

Irish Names for everyone

I've long been interested in Irish names, but it seems like the Irish aren't as into them as I am.
Here's the top baby names in Ireland for 2005, as reported by the Central Bureau of Statistics.
I put the Irish names in green (of course!).

In the boys' list, there are 8 Irish names in the top 25, and I suspect that Ryan is in there more because it's a "modern" name, rather than having a long, Irish heritage (it was used primarily as a last name only in previous centuries).

The Girls have 6 Irish names in their top 25, though I'm thinking that Molly may be used more for it's old-fashioned charm than it's Irishness (along the lines of Sophie, Lucy, Katie, Emily etc.)

Why people use names has always fascinated me, but that's a whole other ballgame!

BOYS:

1. Jack
   
2. Sean
   
3. Adam
   
4. Conor
   
5. James
   
6. Daniel
   
7. Cian
   
8. Luke
   
9. Aaron
   
10. Michael
    
11. Dylan
    
12. Ryan
    
13. Jamie
    
14. Ben
    
15. David
    
16. Thomas
    
17. John
    
18. Patrick
    
19. Matthew
    
20. Darragh
    
21. Eoin
    
22. Oisin
    
23. Shane
    
24. Alex
    
25. Evan
    

GIRLS:

Katie Amy
Aoife
Ciara
Sophie
Chloe
Leah
Ella
Emily
Rachel
Niamh
Grace
Rebecca
Hannah
Caoimhe
Ava
Lauren
Jessica
Anna
Kate
Roisin
Lucy
Molly

If you want some historical Irish names for your baby (or your D&D character), check out Fantasy Ireland's Top Baby Names. I always find it fascinating what names people gravitate towards and why-- this site gives information as to why each name is cool in their eyes.

Meet my daughter, Vagina (va GEE na)...

Snopes.com is awesome. Here's an interesting article about the common urban legend names we're always hearing about.

Another is about comments from a Congresswoman about giving hurricanes African-American names that were warped and painted with racism.

Unwanted baby names!

Send us your unwanted baby names

Why waste a perfectly good name like, er, Leopard?

Everybody has one. No, not one of those. We're talking about that list of brilliant but unused baby names. Most people come up with something like 2,734 good ones before having to settle on just one or two - unless, they really go nuts and knock out maybe three. But still, think of all the wasted potential...

New trend: biblical names

Celebs turn to the Good Book for baby names

By Gayle White

Cox News Service

Hollywood is a long way from Puritan New England, but celebrities are harking back to an old tradition: biblical baby names.

Consider:

Robert De Niro's son Aaron.

Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin's little girl, Delilah Belle.

Annie Potts' Isaac Harris.

Albert Brooks' two-for-one Jacob Eli.

Not to mention all the Elijahs, Hannahs and Jacobs in Beverly Hills preschools.

Shiloh Jolie-Pitt and Moses Paltrow-Martin are among the newest additions to the rolls of Scripture-based baby monikers.

Judith Tropea, author of "Classic Biblical Baby Names," says she thinks the trend shows that people want names that are "meaningful, spiritual and have lasted through the course of time."

Tropea, who lives in New Jersey, is expecting her third son. Matthew is 8; Daniel, 6.

She's considering Noah for the newest addition.

Tropea has some suggestions that go way beyond the obvious in scriptural appellations.

For her:

Damaris -- a woman who listened to Paul as he preached about Jesus in Athens.

Elisheba -- wife of Moses' brother Aaron.

Kezia -- Job's second daughter.

Tirzah -- the youngest of five sisters who protested Moses' division of Canaan based on sons. God agreed with the girls.

Zipporah -- given to Moses as a wife.

For him:

Aeneas -- a paralyzed man healed by Peter in the name of Jesus.

Gaius -- a popular name among Christians in Rome.

Nicanor -- an early disciple of the church in Jerusalem.

Othniel -- the first judge of Israel after Joshua's death.

Zuriel -- a Levite ruler during the exodus from Egypt.

I've been pushing Keziah and Tirzah for years! I also love Damaris. The Pilgrims used Damaris quite a bit.

Names and Socioeconomic Status/Race

Here are a couple of articles about the socioeconomic differences in naming trends, as well as the difference in naming trends between blacks and whites in the USA.

A Roshanda By Any Other Name

Where do Baby Names Come From?

I am totally fascinated by African American vs. white naming trends. White people have a tendency to make fun of names like Lakisha, Shaniqua, etc., that are pretty much exclusively used by African Americans. I've heard comments like, "adding -isha to a name doesn't make it African," and "it's so obvious that they're black" (implying that if LaShondra had been named something "whiter," she might be taken more seriously).

Today I met a pregnant black woman who plans on naming her daughter Samaria (pronounced like Sa MAHR ee a (second syllable rhymes with 'car'), not like sa-mary-a, where the 2nd syllable rhymes with 'bear')-- she made it up after the Samartian women in the bible. She asked me if I'd heard of the name, and I said "no, but I've heard sa-mary-a." She breathed a sigh of relief, saying she wanted her daughter to have a totally unique name. In fact, the baby's middle name is going to be Eunique (baby's dad picked that one out).

The woman stressed the "unique" thing several times. It's funny, because white people seem to want just the opposite. When white people are talking about baby names, they are always worried that the child's peers will make fun of it, or that a boy's name will be "girly" (a really big fear). A name's uniqueness doesn't seem to enter into the equation at. all.

I would love to do some kind of project on naming and race, but I'd look like a total freak walking up to random black people and being like, "what's your name? How did you get that name?" I'd also like to talk to white mothers of babies with (1)really common names and (2) really odd names. Ahh, the things I would do if I had the time and money to do stuff!

How popular is your first name?

I have no idea where this information comes from, but Name Statistics is kind of a fun site. It will tell you how common your first name is, and then give you some HTML to paste in your blog or webpage or wherever you'd like.

For Example:

Otto is the #504 most common male name.
0.018% of men in the US are named otto.
Around 22050 US men are named otto!
source namestatistics.com

Dorcas is the #1388 most common female name.
0.005% of females in the US are named dorcas.
Around 6375 US females are named dorcas!
source namestatistics.com