Name Popularity Trends Over Time
Type a name and watch its star-track across the years. Una charts the share percentage so you can see rises, falls, and steady glows ✨
Type a first name above and Una will draw its trend across the years.
Name Popularity Trends: Watch a Name Rise, Shine, or Gently Set
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Welcome to Una’s star chart for names, your friendly place to visualize how a single first name changes over time. Type a name, choose your country and years, and, when available, pick Female, Male, or Combined. The chart above traces the share percentage of that name each year, turning the big question “how rare is my name?” into a curve you can read at a glance.
What the Trend Line Shows
The line represents the percentage of all first names in your chosen sky that match the name you entered. When the line climbs, the name is gaining momentum. When it dips, usage is cooling off. Some names move in gentle waves influenced by culture, media, and migration. Others burst into view and then quietly settle back down.
Seeing the motion helps you understand not just whether a name is common or rare, but how that feeling changed over time. A name that feels ordinary today might once have been unusual. A name that feels fresh now might actually be a returning classic.
Why Trend Lines Matter
- Choosing a baby name: look for a steady glow, a gentle rise, or a quieter era of a name you love.
- Exploring vintage names: some names nap for decades and then return at exactly the right time.
- Writing believable characters: trends help match names to a specific era or age group.
- Satisfying curiosity: it is simply fun to see whether a name blazed, drifted, or stayed steady.
How to Read “Rare” in Context
Rarity is not a verdict. It is a feeling shaped by place and time. A rare name can feel special, distinctive, and memorable. A common name can feel warm, timeless, and easy to wear. The best choice depends on your story, not on a single number.
If your heart leans rare, watch for lines that stay low and steady. If you like familiarity, look for names that hold a healthy share across many years. And if you want something in between, those gentle mid-level curves can be especially helpful.
Why Country and Gender Filters Matter
The same name can behave very differently in different countries. A name that feels common in the United States may be much less common in Canada, or the other way around. Gender filters can also change the story. Some names are strongly associated with one gender, while others shift across time or feel more balanced when viewed in Combined mode.
That is why this page is most useful when you test a name through a few different lenses. A small change in filter can reveal a very different trend.
Tips for Trend Sleuths
- Check nearby spellings: Catherine and Katherine, Isabel and Isabelle, Aidan and Aiden can behave very differently.
- Widen the year range: longer windows reveal whether a spike was a quick blip or part of a longer story.
- Test multiple countries: the same name can live under different stars in different places.
- Use Combined first: then switch to Female or Male where available for a closer look.
Frequently Sparkled Questions
Why is the line flat at zero for some years?
That usually means the name does not appear in that exact slice of data, or not for the selected gender. Try Combined mode, a different year range, or a nearby spelling.
What is the difference between share and rank?
Share is the percentage of all names in that year that match your name. Rank is the position among all names. This page focuses on share so the trend remains smooth and comparable over time.
Why is Canada fixed to 2021?
Right now, Canada is limited to 2021 data on this page, so the trend view there stays consistent with the available dataset.
Choosing With Confidence
Whether you dream of a rare firefly or a friendly classic, trends help you see the path more clearly. When the curve and your heart line up, that is often a good sign. Try the name in a sentence, imagine it through the years, and see whether it still twinkles.
Una’s final whisper: names are little constellations we carry. May yours shine exactly the way you want for today, tomorrow, and far beyond.