Baby name ‘Melania’ surged in popularity in the US in 2017 — ‘Donald’ was unchanged
The president’s name remained at its least popular level in decades
By Kevin Breuninger
First lady Melania Trump ‘s approval ratings have far outpaced her husband’s — and it looks like the popularity of her first name did, as well.
Although it didn’t crack the top 10 list of U.S. newborn names, “Melania” saw the fifth-largest jump in popularity among female names last year, according to a new report on the names chosen in 2017.
The report, released Friday by the Social Security Administration, provides data on the popularity of baby names going back as far as 1879. The top four names that rose in popularity last year were “Ensley,” “Oaklynn,” “Dream” and “Oaklyn”.
“Melania” didn’t even crack the top 1,000 names in 2016, landing at number 1,650 on the list. But in just one year’s time, the first lady’s first name surged ahead by 720 spots, winning fifth place in what could be called the “most improved” section of the report.
