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
[in-text-ad]
Allen
> Hurricane year: 1980
> Count of baby names in 2021: 551
Opal
> Hurricane year: 1995
> Count of baby names in 2021: 553
Hattie
> Hurricane year: 1961
> Count of baby names in 2021: 680
[in-text-ad-2]
Fabian
> Hurricane year: 2003
> Count of baby names in 2021: 681
Hugo
> Hurricane year: 1989
> Count of baby names in 2021: 711
[in-text-ad]
Alicia
> Hurricane year: 1983
> Count of baby names in 2021: 751
Michelle
> Hurricane year: 2001
> Count of baby names in 2021: 793
Laura
> Hurricane year: 2020
> Count of baby names in 2021: 797
[in-text-ad-2]
Cesar
> Hurricane year: 1996
> Count of baby names in 2021: 830
Ismael
> Hurricane year: 1995
> Count of baby names in 2021: 919
[in-text-ad]
Otto
> Hurricane year: 2016
> Count of baby names in 2021: 965
24/7 Wall St.
Manuel
> Hurricane year: 2013
> Count of baby names in 2021: 1,031
Fiona
> Hurricane year: 2022
> Count of baby names in 2021: 1,070
[in-text-ad-2]
Joaquin
> Hurricane year: 2015
> Count of baby names in 2021: 1,073
Diana
> Hurricane year: 1990
> Count of baby names in 2021: 1,321
[in-text-ad]
Isabel
> Hurricane year: 2003
> Count of baby names in 2021: 1,902
24/7 Wall St.
Ivan
> Hurricane year: 2004
> Count of baby names in 2021: 2,273
Juan
> Hurricane year: 2003
> Count of baby names in 2021: 2,344
[in-text-ad-2]
Eloise
> Hurricane year: 1975
> Count of baby names in 2021: 2,528
Elena
> Hurricane year: 1985
> Count of baby names in 2021: 4,252
The Average American Has No Idea How Much Money You Can Make Today (Sponsor)
The last few years made people forget how much banks and CD’s can pay. Meanwhile, interest rates have spiked and many can afford to pay you much more, but most are keeping yields low and hoping you won’t notice.
But there is good news. To win qualified customers, some accounts are paying almost 10x the national average! That’s an incredible way to keep your money safe and earn more at the same time. Our top pick for high yield savings accounts includes other benefits as well. You can earn up to 3.80% with a Checking & Savings Account today Sign up and get up to $300 with direct deposit. No account fees. FDIC Insured.
Click here to see how much more you could be earning on your savings today. It takes just a few minutes to open an account to make your money work for you.
Our top pick for high yield savings accounts includes other benefits as well. You can earn up to 4.00% with a Checking & Savings Account from Sofi. Sign up and get up to $300 with direct deposit. No account fees. FDIC Insured.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Latest from 24/7
Our expert who first called NVIDIA in 2009 is predicting 2025 will see a historic AI breakthrough.
You can follow him investing $500,000 of his own money on our top AI stocks for free.