# Who are so few Americans named Ian, Nigel or Simon? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 16, 2007, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915 "2007-10-16T16:26:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2007, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915/41 "2007-10-16T22:29:11Z")
Died last year in America, • 328 Simons • 161 Ians • 9 Nigels ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2007, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915/42 "2007-10-16T22:52:17Z")
I would think it has to do with those names having currency in the UK and not in the US. Nigel Planer, Ian Curtis, Clive James (yes he’s Australian but he used to be on British TV a lot), Simon Pegg… fairly well known people. Can’t think of a single similarly-named Yank that people would encounter on the TV or the radio. Sport is also a place where names tend to be picked up. I imagine you can find football players with those names pretty easily. Whereas our football players have different names. Similarly, I’ll bet there are a ton of American kids named “Deon” or “Antoine” and very few British kids with the same moniker. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2007, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915/43 "2007-10-16T23:06:57Z")
[QUOTE=dangermom] Nigel is just a really sissy-sounding, unpoetic name to Americans. [/quote] Sissy? I don’t get that. Maybe because the name is so rare that it hasn’t even achieved the level of cliched associations, like “Bruce” or perhaps “Timothy”. > [@](#): > > Peter has lost popularity for obvious reasons, though I have known one kid named Peter. My brother had a friend named Peter all through high school. I was well into adulthood before I knew that “peter” was a slang term for penis. Good thing I never had a kid, if male I might have named him Peter after a couple of 19th century ancestors. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2007, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915/44 "2007-10-16T23:53:01Z")
[QUOTE=Sampiro] …[, while this chart of the most popular 21st century boys’ names in England and Wales](http://www.statistics.gov.uk/specials/babiesnames_boys.asp)… [/QUOTE] Hmm, I was sniggering at a work colleague for naming his newborn son “Oscar”, but I see that he is in fact merely more with it, name-wise, than I am. It seems Oscar has been steadily climbing up the British top 100, year by year. Meanwhile, my own name, once consistent top 10 material, is fast becoming an old man’s name ☹ Anyway, Nigel, Colin, Malcolm, Derek.. these names sound very uncool in Britain too these days. Maybe something to do with Spinal Tap. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915/45 "2007-10-17T05:47:50Z")
You might go to this site which gives you a history of popularity. [http://babynamewizard.com/namevoyager/lnv0105.html](http://babynamewizard.com/namevoyager/lnv0105.html) Type letters in to restrict name choices. Ian for example was no tin the top 1000 boy’s names until the 30s. It peaked in 2004 as the 66th most popular boy’s name, and was 81st in 2006. Since that last agrees with the SSA numbers cited above, I assume this site is for names used in the U.S. As a matter of comparison, Peter for example was the 167th most popular name in 2006 so I think your premise is faulty. Ian is a popular name now in the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915/46 "2007-10-17T06:24:03Z")
My name is pronounced Ahz-weep-ay. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915/47 "2007-10-17T07:19:28Z")
[QUOTE=Spectre of Pithecanthropus] Sissy? I don’t get that. Maybe because the name is so rare that it hasn’t even achieved the level of cliched associations, like “Bruce” or perhaps “Timothy”. [/QUOTE] Is Bruce still considered a sissy name? When I was growing up, it was not just a sissy name, but the archtypical homosexual name, at a time when the stereotypical image of homosexuals was extremely effeminate. But that was then. In the intervening years we’ve had a trio of decidedly non-effeminate well-known Bruces: Willis, Springsteen, and Lee. You’d be hard-pressed to find another set of three men with the same first name and a more macho combined public image. It seems to me that these guys have completely changed the way we view the name. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915/48 "2007-10-17T08:19:56Z")
[QUOTE=dtilque] Is Bruce still considered a sissy name? When I was growing up, it was not just a sissy name, but the archtypical homosexual name, at a time when the stereotypical image of homosexuals was extremely effeminate. But that was then. In the intervening years we’ve had a trio of decidedly non-effeminate well-known Bruces: Willis, Springsteen, and Lee. You’d be hard-pressed to find another set of three men with the same first name and a more macho combined public image. It seems to me that these guys have completely changed the way we view the name. [/QUOTE] Don’t forget Bruce Campbell! 🙂 I’m mystified by where the “Bruce as a Gay Name” thing came from- I remember it being referenced in a Monty Python sketch, though. FWIW, I’ve always pronounced “Ian” (and heard people with the name Ian pronounce it) as something that’s best phoenetically transcribed as “Ean” (or maybe “Eanne”). I’ve never heard it pronounced “Eye-an”, FWIW ---
**Author:** ![MarcusF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/67e7ee/32.png) [@MarcusF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MarcusF)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915/49 "2007-10-17T11:35:04Z")
For Monty Python fans Bruce is the [Australian name](http://www.ibras.dk/montypython/episode22.htm#2) - not a gay name 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915/50 "2007-10-17T14:10:21Z")
I was looking at that British name chart… Callum? Seriously? ---
**Author:** ![Racer1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee59a6/32.png) [@Racer1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Racer1)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915/51 "2007-10-17T15:44:39Z")
[QUOTE=Usram] Anyway, Nigel, Colin, Malcolm, Derek.. these names sound very uncool in Britain too these days. Maybe something to do with Spinal Tap. [/QUOTE] I was going to point this out too. Some of the people in this thread don’t seem to realise the names are now uncool in the UK too, and have been for some time. A lot of the famous British people we are taking as a geographic are middle-aged or older. A kid called Nigel/Colin/Malcolm/Derek/Percy/Morris in the UK, will likely be bullied about it in an ordinary school. This has been true at least since I was at school in the 80s/90s. Simon and Ian aren’t classed as geeky, though I guess they are losing popularity for new parents. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915/52 "2007-10-17T16:06:58Z")
How about Basil? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915/53 "2007-10-17T16:07:08Z")
[QUOTE=Walloon] Died last year in America, • 328 Simons • 161 Ians • 9 Nigels [/QUOTE] Well, there you go. Name your kid Nigel and he’s about 35 times as likely to outlive Simon. How come Brits don’t name their little boys Bubba? It’s a perfectly good monicker, though there’s a risk of the child growing up to chew tobacco and paste NASCAR stickers on his Land Rover. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2007, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915/54 "2007-10-17T18:29:34Z")
[QUOTE=Jackmannii] How come Brits don’t name their little boys Bubba? It’s a perfectly good monicker, though there’s a risk of the child growing up to chew tobacco and paste NASCAR stickers on his Land Rover. [/QUOTE] I have a 3-year-old son, and we refer to his older brother as “Brother” since his given name is a little long and hard to pronounce for a wee one. You can’t imagine how suprised I was when he began calling him “Bubba” – he was saying “Brother.” Light bulb. Until then I had no idea where “Bubba” came from! ---
**Author:** ![Racer1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee59a6/32.png) [@Racer1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Racer1)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915/55 "2007-10-19T11:32:39Z")
[QUOTE=Max Torque] How about Basil? [/QUOTE] Uncool and rare for UK people these days (unless you’re over in the US pretending to be a leading academic). ---
**Author:** ![myskepticsight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@myskepticsight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/myskepticsight)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915/56 "2007-10-19T13:04:29Z")
My friend’s brother was going to name his kid Gareth, but ended up going with Xavier instead. We’re midwestern. A lot of younger parents I know either go for a more ‘unique’ but previously established name or a family name (like another friend’s new baby Dominic - family name). ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915/57 "2007-10-19T13:09:21Z")
This thread instantly makes me think of the 90s rock band Bush, who along with their **Dave** , boasted members named **Gavin, Nigel** and **Robin**. How more British could you possibly get? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915/58 "2007-10-19T17:11:43Z")
Damn… I’m from Detroit, Michigan (lived here all my life) of Sicilian descent, and I named my son Ian. For some reason, it sounded good with my surname and I like it’s simplicity. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915/59 "2007-10-19T17:57:02Z")
Almost as soon as I posted to this thread the other day, I discovered that my neighbor’s little baby is named Ian. ---
**Author:** ![Khampelf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Khampelf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khampelf)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2007, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915/60 "2007-10-19T18:10:54Z")
How is Darrin as a boy’s name viewed in the UK these days? They’re very rare in the US, more often spelled Darren, and rare even then. I have a vague idea it’s more popular in the UK than the US. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-so-few-americans-named-ian-nigel-or-simon/422915.md?page=4)