First Names Only Used in the USA

[Balderdasha]

57 baby Roscoe's in 2017.

[Patrick Thistle]

There is a girl who has achieved semi-notoriety in the Valleys for being called La-a, pronounced Ladasha. I know someone who taught her.

[Patrick Thistle]

I have also heard of a baby called Abcde, pronounced Abseedee.

[Balderdasha]

Names that have been officially rejected by the authorities in New Zealand:

https://www.dia.govt.nz/press.nsf/d7...1!OpenDocument

e.g. Majestee-Honours, Messiah and III (or 111?).

The UK is one of the more lenient countries in this regard. There are no official restrictions that I'm aware of, apart from that it has to use the alphabet, not other characters, but individual registrars can advise against using certain names. Swear words, for example, are heavily discouraged.

[Balderdasha]

860+ Jesse's in both 2018 and 2019. Almost entirely boys, but one or two girls as well. It's on the rise.

[Balderdasha]

No record of Cletus in the UK. The Simpsons has probably ensured there never will be.

[Balderdasha]

11 baby Jefferson's in 1997.

[Balderdasha]

Chad has dropped from 110 baby boys in 1997 to 13 in 2019.

[Balderdasha]

Dale has dropped from 241 baby boys to 8 over the same time period.

[Balderdasha]

Clay is rising, up to 62 baby boys in 2019.

[Balderdasha]

Strom.
Rand.
Marcy.

Zero Strom's. Ten Rand's in 2016, both boys and girls. 21 baby girls called Marcy in 2019 (it's rising).

[Duncan Gardner]

I'm sure that Duncan Gardner remembers Dale Jasper's reign of terror in a Chelsea shirt in the '80s.

Aye, he stood out even in that mediocre era

From memory I think he may have been at school with my old mate 'Team of the 80s' Cridford. Or it might have been another Chelsea stalwart Timmy 'Dutch' Elmes

[sw2borshch]

Any Ayns?

[Balderdasha]

Chase
Jeb

321 baby boys named Chase in 2013. A sprinkling of girls with this name since 1996.

Zero Jeb's. And zero Jebediah's, which surprised me. Generally if I've heard of a name there'll be at least a few.

[Balderdasha]

Any Ayns?

Fortunately no. Closest is Aynsley.

[Patrick Thistle]

21 baby girls called Marcy in 2019 (it's rising).

Isn't the more common spelling Marcie? (As in the Peanuts character?)

[Balderdasha]

Chet.

Three Chet's in 2016 and three in 2006.

[Patrick Thistle]

Jesus is a very common first name in the Americas. Less so here.

[Balderdasha]

Tanner
Clay

There's also a propensity to have your first name replaced by initials, AJ being a seemingly common example.

Eight baby boy Tanner's in the UK in 2018. I met an American Tanner on the Inca trail. He hadn't thought to slim down his rucksack (we left everything but essentials for the three-day hike at a hostel) and was carting something like 20kg in high altitude, swearing most of the time.

[Balderdasha]

You missed Cooter and Enos.

Neither of these seem to have made it to the UK yet.

[Reality Checkpoint]

A friend of mine was at uni with a girl called Crys Lear - her full name was Crystal Shanda Lear (true)

[Balderdasha]

My husband knew a Crystal Maize.

[Balderdasha]

I should clarify that the site I'm using is only actually for names in England and Wales. There may be quite a bit of variation for Scotland and Northern Ireland.

[Balderdasha]

Yeah, we have most of the Staceys, Kims and Lornes too.

Six baby Lorne's in 2001.

[Balderdasha]

Lorne is 100% Canada only, I think, as is Gord. I know a few Gordon's over age 60, but no Gords or Gordies.

And, of course, there's the hockey style of diminutives. I don't know if that's just hockey or a Canadian thing.

I went to university with a Gordon and a friend's "gay best friend" is also called Gordon, but I think this may be an anomaly, it's not that common.