Special Report

21 Popular Baby Names Once Used for Hurricanes

Joe Raedle / Getty Images News via Getty Images

Shortly before Labor Day weekend, Hurricane Idalia swept through parts of Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas, as if violently declaring the end of summer. (Here’s how Hurricane Idalia compares to the last 25 most destructive named storms to hit the Gulf Coast.)  

Idalia? There’s a Cuban sprinter named Idalia Hechavarría, and it’s the name of the character played by young Isla Colbert on the Netflix series “From Scratch” – but it’s not a very common name. Other hurricane names, though, are popular among parents naming their offspring – even though it’s doubtful that they have the storms in mind when they make their choices. (Here’s a list of the most popular names in America since 1880.)

To assemble a list of the most popular baby names that were once used for hurricanes, 24/7 Tempo drew storm names from the retired storm name history published by NOAA’s National Hurricane and Central Pacific Hurricane centers, then consulted the Social Security Administration’s register of Social Security card applications in 2021, the most recent year for which data is available. Only names occurring at least 500 times were included.

Click here to see the most popular baby names that were once used for hurricanes

Hurricanes and other violent storms used to be remembered by the year they happened (“the great storm of 1703”), the saint’s feast day on which they occurred (“Hurricane San Felipe”), or the place they most devastated (“the Great Galveston Hurricane”).

At some point in the late 19th century, somebody – possibly an Australian meteorologist – conceived the idea of naming hurricanes after women, a practice the U.S. adopted in 1953. Beginning in 1978, men’s and women’s names were alternated. 

Today, the determination of what to christen a tropical storm, which may develop into a hurricane, is made by an international committee of the World Meteorological Organization. The group publishes  lists covering six years at a time for the Atlantic and the Eastern and Central North Pacific.

Up next for the Atlantic? Jose, Katia, and Lee.

Gloria
> Hurricane year: 1985
> Count of baby names in 2021: 525

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Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Allen
> Hurricane year: 1980
> Count of baby names in 2021: 551

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Opal
> Hurricane year: 1995
> Count of baby names in 2021: 553

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Hattie
> Hurricane year: 1961
> Count of baby names in 2021: 680

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Getty Images / Getty Images News via Getty Images

Fabian
> Hurricane year: 2003
> Count of baby names in 2021: 681

Gary Williams / Hulton Archive via Getty Images

Hugo
> Hurricane year: 1989
> Count of baby names in 2021: 711

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Public Domain via the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration / Wikimedia Commons

Alicia
> Hurricane year: 1983
> Count of baby names in 2021: 751

Jorge Rey / Getty Images

Michelle
> Hurricane year: 2001
> Count of baby names in 2021: 793

Laura
> Hurricane year: 2020
> Count of baby names in 2021: 797

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Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Cesar
> Hurricane year: 1996
> Count of baby names in 2021: 830

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Ismael
> Hurricane year: 1995
> Count of baby names in 2021: 919

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Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Otto
> Hurricane year: 2016
> Count of baby names in 2021: 965

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Manuel
> Hurricane year: 2013
> Count of baby names in 2021: 1,031

noaasatellites / Flickr

Fiona
> Hurricane year: 2022
> Count of baby names in 2021: 1,070

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Joaquin
> Hurricane year: 2015
> Count of baby names in 2021: 1,073

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Diana
> Hurricane year: 1990
> Count of baby names in 2021: 1,321

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Alex Wong / Getty Images

Isabel
> Hurricane year: 2003
> Count of baby names in 2021: 1,902

Scott Olson / Getty Images News via Getty Images

Ivan
> Hurricane year: 2004
> Count of baby names in 2021: 2,273

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Juan
> Hurricane year: 2003
> Count of baby names in 2021: 2,344

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Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Eloise
> Hurricane year: 1975
> Count of baby names in 2021: 2,528

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Elena
> Hurricane year: 1985
> Count of baby names in 2021: 4,252

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