Parents draw baby name inspiration from many different places, including politics. Indeed, many U.S. presidents’ last names, like Lincoln and Kennedy, have become popular first names for newborns over the years.
It’s unlikely all of these parents had presidents in mind when naming their babies. (A clear exception might be the parents who named their kids Obama in 2008 and 2009.) Still, it’s interesting to see how these world leaders’ last names appear in U.S. culture today.
Below, find 28 presidential baby names and the number of newborns given each name in 2017, according to Social Security Administration data:
Jackson (10,356, 26 girls)
Carter (9,753 boys, 598 girls)
Lincoln (8,146 boys, 237 girls)
Madison (38 boys, 7,847 girls)
Kennedy (140 boys, 4,137 girls)
Tyler (3,744, 174 girls)
Harrison (3,499 boys, 14 girls)
Reagan (212 boys, 2,999 girls)
Taylor (571 boys, 2,692 girls)
Grant (2,279 boys)
Arthur (1,503 boys)
Hayes (760 boys, 67 girls)
McKinley (67 boys, 724 girls)
Nixon (603 boys, 31 girls)
Pierce (544 boys, 15 girls)
Monroe (132 boys, 427 girls)
Wilson (402 boys)
Jefferson (353 boys)
Ford (340 boys)
Truman (175 boys)
Clinton (139 boys)
Johnson (59 boys)
Roosevelt (45 boys, 14 girls)
Cleveland (28 boys)
Adams (24 boys)
Washington (23 boys)
Taft (14 boys)
Harding (five boys)
