What we publish, and how
Where the numbers come from
Every popularity figure on this site — a name’s rank, how many babies
received it, the year it peaked — comes from the annual national baby-name
data published by the United States Social Security Administration. We do not
estimate, round up, or infer figures. Charts are generated directly from that
dataset.
The SSA does not report names given to fewer than five babies in a year. Where
that happens we show a gap rather than a line, because we would otherwise be
drawing data that does not exist.
Where the names come from
Name meanings and origins are researched against reference sources. Where the
origin of a name is genuinely disputed, we say so rather than picking the
tidier answer.
How articles are produced
Articles on this site are drafted with the assistance of software and are
reviewed and edited by a person before publication. We use tooling to compile
and sort long lists; we do not use it to invent facts, and no article is
published without a human reading it.
We do not publish invented personal anecdotes. If a piece describes an
experience, it is a real one.
Corrections
When we get something wrong we correct it. Substantive corrections are noted
on the article itself. Write to [[FILL IN: a contact address for this site, e.g. [email protected] — do not use a personal inbox you would not want published]].
Independence
Advertising and affiliate arrangements never determine what we cover or what
we say about it. Where a link earns us a commission, we say so on the page.