About this baby name uniqueness score
Choosing a baby name is exciting—and sometimes stressful—because it can feel like you’re balancing two goals at once: familiarity (easy to spell, pronounce, and recognize) and originality (a name that doesn’t show up three times in the same classroom). This calculator is designed to give you a quick, plain‑English estimate of where a name sits on a “common ↔ rare” spectrum using a simple scoring rule and a defined list of commonly used names.
Important: this score is an approximation. Real name popularity varies a lot by country, state/province, decade, language community, spelling variants, and cultural trends. Use this as a starting point for discussion—not as an official rarity certificate.
What the score means (0–100)
The calculator returns a Uniqueness Score from 0 to 100, where higher generally means “less common” within our reference list. To make the result more actionable, you can interpret the number in broad bands:
- 86–100: Rare in our list (often not present)
- 61–85: Uncommon
- 21–60: Common
- 5–20: Very common (top of the list)
These categories are intentionally simple. A score of 90 does not mean “90% unique,” and a score of 20 does not mean “80% of kids share it.” It’s a relative indicator based on ranking.
How the calculator works (formula)
We keep the method transparent and easy to reason about. If your entered name appears in our built‑in common‑name list, it receives a rank (1 = most common in the list, 2 = next, and so on). The uniqueness score is calculated as:
To avoid extremely low outputs, we clamp scores to a minimum of 5 for names that appear in the list. If the name does not appear in the list, we return a default score of 98, indicating “likely uncommon in this small reference set.”
Why default to 98 when a name isn’t found?
Because the calculator is based on a limited “common name” set (rather than a complete national database), a “not found” result usually means the name is less common than the names we included. Returning 98 is a practical way to distinguish “not in our common list” from “present but low ranking.” If you want a more precise estimate, use official name rankings for your country/region and year, and consider spelling variants.
Worked examples
These examples show exactly how the output is produced:
- “James” is in the list at rank 1, so = 98. (Still high numerically because this is a simplified scoring scale.)
- “Sandra” is in the list at rank 30, so = 40.
- “Aurelia” (example) is not in the list, so the calculator returns the default 98.
Tip: If a name you consider “very common” is not found, it may be due to spelling (e.g., “Sophia” vs “Sofia”), punctuation (hyphens/apostrophes), or the limited size of the embedded list.
Comparison table (how different outcomes look)
| Scenario | Rank in list | Score output | How to interpret |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listed near the top | 1–5 | 90–98 (clamped min 5 applies only at very low scores) | Very common within this list; expect to meet others with the same name depending on region and year. |
| Listed near the bottom | 20–30 | 40–60 | More distinctive than top entries, but still present in the common set. |
| Not listed | — | 98 (default) | Not in our common set; likely uncommon here, but could be popular in some locations or recent years. |
How to use this tool (best practices)
- Enter one first name (e.g., “Maya”). If you paste a full name, the calculator will score the full string exactly as typed, which may not match the list.
- Try spelling variants (e.g., “Aidan” vs “Aiden”), punctuation (O’Connor), and accents/diacritics (José vs Jose). Different spellings can behave like different names in lists.
- Compare a short list of favorites and use the score as one factor alongside meaning, family significance, pronunciation, initials, and how it pairs with your last name.
- Share results using the “Copy result” button for quick collaboration.
Limitations & assumptions (read before relying on the score)
- Limited dataset: The built-in list is a small set of common names, not an exhaustive registry. “Not found” does not guarantee rarity.
- Region and time: Popularity shifts by decade and varies by country/state/city. A name can be uncommon nationally but extremely common locally (or vice versa).
- Spelling and formatting: Hyphens, spaces, apostrophes, accents, and capitalization can change matching. “Anna-Marie” and “Anna Marie” may produce different results.
- Gender/unisex usage: Some names trend differently by gender and over time; this tool does not separate results by gender.
- Nicknames vs formal names: “Liz” and “Elizabeth” are treated as different strings unless both appear in the list.
- Score scaling is heuristic: The linear formula is simple by design; it does not map to real-world probability of meeting someone with the same name.
FAQ
Why did my name get 98?
A score of 98 usually means the name is not present in our built-in common-name list. That indicates it’s not among the specific names included—not necessarily that it’s rare everywhere.
Does changing spelling change the score?
Yes. This calculator matches names as text (after basic trimming). Different spellings (e.g., “Sara” vs “Sarah”) may produce different results.
Is this based on official government data?
The tool uses a predefined list of common names embedded on the page for quick scoring. It is not a live lookup of a government database.
Can a common name still be a great choice?
Absolutely. Many families prioritize tradition, meaning, and ease of pronunciation over uniqueness. The “best” name is the one that fits your family and feels right long-term.