The Baby Name Wizard

The Baby Name Wizard's NameVoyager is a letter-by-letter exploration of American name trends and history.

The beginning screen shows thousands of given names, each represented by a stripe. Type a letter and you'll zoom in to focus on how that initial has been used in names over the past century. Type more letters to zoom in further, down to the level of a single name. Hit return to see exact results for the current letters typed -- babies named Alex, for instance, without Alexander or Alexis. Backspace to delete letters or try a new search.

Each stripe is a timeline of one name, from 1900 (at left) to present. The changing thickness of the stripe reflects the name's changing popularity. The usage frequency is shown on the right-hand axis, which changes scale as you zoom in and out.

You can also mouse over a single name stripe to highlight its shape and learn its popularity rank at any point in time. Click on a stripe to zoom in on that name.