WASHINGTON — The name Sophia – one of the top five baby girl names now – has seen a meteoric rise in popularity in the past 15 years or so. But it was one of the least popular names back in the 1880s. At that time, the most popular baby girl name was Mary.
For boys, the name John was the most popular name 1880. Now, it’s not even one of the top 25 most popular names, according to Social Security Administration data.
Wondering about your own name?
A site called allows readers to track the popularity of any name from 1880 through 2012, based on data from the Social Security Administration. Data for 2013 will be available this spring.
In addition to a line graph showing how the popularity of a name has changed over time, the site shows the peak year for the popularity of a name in every state.
In Maryland, the District and Virginia, Sophia peaked in popularity 2011 and 2012. John peaked way back in 1910.
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