Author

Ivy Hung
Data Journalist
Based in Arizona, USA
Ivy is a data journalist based in Arizona, United States. A business school graduate now working her way into tech, she spent her early career in product marketing, project management, and marketing strategy — roles where reading a name the same way you read a brand became second nature.
She joined NamesPop because the name datasets sit at exactly the intersection she cares about: consumer behaviour, cultural identity, and what numbers tell us about decisions families make quietly, one at a time. Her writing leans on SSA and municipal pet registries the way a marketer reads a segmentation report — looking for the audiences hiding inside the aggregate.
Cross-cultural naming is her main beat, with a particular interest in how Hispanic, Asian-American, and bicultural families navigate the tension between heritage and assimilation in the American Southwest.
2,409
Total pieces
140
Articles
1,119
Baby commentary
1,150
Pet commentary
Ivy Hung's contributions
- Baby commentary
Jahziel
Jahziel is a Hebrew biblical name that most American parents haven't encountered before — which is part of what makes it compelling right now. Ranked #1143 with a 2024 peak and on…
- Baby commentary
Jakob
Jakob is Jacob wearing a Scandinavian passport. Same ancient Hebrew name, same meaning, but a different spelling that signals European heritage or simply a preference for the less…
- Baby commentary
Jasai
Jasai is a modern Hebrew-rooted name, believed to derive from the same Semitic root as Jason, meaning "healer" or connected to the Hebrew yasha ("to save" or "deliver"). Ranked #1…
- Baby commentary
Javon
Javon peaked in 2001, has over 17,000 total SSA uses, and sits at #1205 today. It's an African American name creation that draws on the sounds of Javan (an ancient Biblical place…
- Baby commentary
Jayda
Jayda is the phonetic American reinterpretation of Jaida and Jada — a name that peaked in 2009, which means there's a generation of Jaydas currently in their mid-teens. Its Hebrew…
- Baby commentary
Jazlynn
Jazlynn is a constructed American name combining the jazz music word — ultimately of African origin — with the -lynn suffix that has been one of the most productive endings in Ame…
- Baby commentary
Jethro
Jethro is a Hebrew name meaning "abundance" or "excellence" — from the root yeter (excellence, preeminence). In the Bible, Jethro is the priest of Midian and father-in-law of Mose…
- Baby commentary
Jhene
Jhene is almost entirely defined by one person: Jhené Aiko, the Los Angeles R&B artist whose layered, introspective sound earned her a devoted following throughout the 2010s and b…
- Baby commentary
Jianna
Jianna is a phonetic spelling of Giana or Gianna, the Italian diminutive of Giovanna, which is the Italian feminine form of John, ultimately rooted in the Hebrew Yochanan meaning…
- Baby commentary
Jovanni
Jovanni is the kind of name that fills a room — it has rhythm, it has vowels, and it carries the full weight of its Italian-Spanish heritage with unapologetic warmth. Ranked #1113…
- Baby commentary
Juana
Juana is the Spanish feminine form of Juan — which is itself the Spanish John — making it a name with one of the deepest and most globally traveled lineages in Western history. Wi…
- Baby commentary
Jubilee
Jubilee is a word name that earns its place on a birth certificate by meaning exactly what it sounds like: celebration, joy, and freedom. With Hebrew roots through the biblical co…
- Baby commentary
Kai
Kai is one of the most genuinely cross-cultural names in American use — claimed by Hawaiian, Japanese, Scandinavian, and Welsh traditions simultaneously, each with different meani…
- Baby commentary
Kaius
Kaius is Caius with a K — a Roman name rendered in a more phonetically transparent spelling for modern parents. Ranked #1134 with a peak in 2020 and 1,793 total SSA uses, it sits…
- Baby commentary
Kaizer
Kaizer is an alternate spelling of Kaiser — the German title for emperor, itself derived from the Latin Caesar , which traces to the Roman dictator Julius Caesar. Ranked #1237 wit…
- Baby commentary
Kamora
Kamora sits at the intersection of African naming aesthetics and the American tradition of constructed names that sound both musical and grounded. Peaking in 2008 with just under…
- Baby commentary
Kanan
Kanan carries a forested meaning from Sanskrit tradition and a sci-fi hero's profile from the Star Wars universe. Ranked #1140 with a peak in 2022 and 1,613 total SSA uses, it's a…
- Baby commentary
Kathleen
Kathleen is one of the most-used girls' names in American history — over 713,000 SSA records place it among a very small group of names that have genuinely touched nearly every Am…
- Baby commentary
Keily
Keily is a phonetic respelling of Keeley or Kiely, Irish names that trace back to the Gaelic surname O'Cadhla, meaning graceful and beautiful. It peaked in 2018 and represents an…
- Baby commentary
Kenan
Kenan is a name that works on several registers at once — it's biblical, it's TV-comedy familiar, and it's currently at its all-time peak. Ranked #1131 with a 2024 peak and 4,460…
How we work
Editorial policy →
Topic selection, verification, corrections.
How we gather data
Methodology →
Sources, processing pipeline, limitations.