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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

What website do you use for meaning/popularity info?

8 replies

CucumberCool · 28/12/2021 22:20

I've had a look at the ONS one but has little usable info.

Others I have seen say wildly different things...

Hoping to find reliable UK info in origins, meaning and popularity.

OP posts:
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toastofthetown · 28/12/2021 22:30

Popularity-wise I use the Dark Greener website for popularity after 1996. Has all the ONS data, but in a very visual format which I get on well with.
names.darkgreener.com/

Pre-1996 I use the ONS data set, which has the top 100 between 1904-1994 in ten year intervals. Would love more data than this, but still interesting and have been able to add the data from 2004 and 2014 to do some more analysis of names that have stayed in the top hundred all that time.
www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/livebirths/datasets/babynamesenglandandwalestop100babynameshistoricaldata

For name meanings and history I use Behind the Name. I trust it as a resource, and their name family trees are a great way of looking at names. Also easy to find different countries variants of names. There are a lot of websites/blogs/YouTube videos which mention name meanings which leave me thinking 'really?' so I just stick with one resource I trust.
www.behindthename.com

OrangeAndYellowAndBlue · 29/12/2021 08:21

I agree with @toastofthetown.

I also like British Baby Names, which has some deeper dives into the history of certain names on its "names of the week" feature. Elea, who runs it, does great research.

LozMarieFielder · 29/12/2021 08:28

Behind the name. I’m also a member there.

CucumberCool · 29/12/2021 21:24

Amazing suggestions, thanks folks!

OP posts:
Hazel444 · 29/12/2021 21:27

Darkgreener for popularity and Nameberry for meanings.

wingsofabird · 29/12/2021 22:40

I also use "behind the name" it's amazing

www.behindthename.com/

Ceramide · 30/12/2021 00:15

Think Baby Names is good.

finallychangedmyusername · 30/12/2021 01:30

@toastofthetown

Popularity-wise I use the Dark Greener website for popularity after 1996. Has all the ONS data, but in a very visual format which I get on well with. names.darkgreener.com/

Pre-1996 I use the ONS data set, which has the top 100 between 1904-1994 in ten year intervals. Would love more data than this, but still interesting and have been able to add the data from 2004 and 2014 to do some more analysis of names that have stayed in the top hundred all that time.
www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/livebirths/datasets/babynamesenglandandwalestop100babynameshistoricaldata

For name meanings and history I use Behind the Name. I trust it as a resource, and their name family trees are a great way of looking at names. Also easy to find different countries variants of names. There are a lot of websites/blogs/YouTube videos which mention name meanings which leave me thinking 'really?' so I just stick with one resource I trust.
www.behindthename.com

In complete agreement with all this!

And as well as British Baby Names that @OrangeAndYellowAndBlue mentioned, I also like Appellation Mountain which also contains well-researched names.

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