Author
Jack Lin
Founder & Editor-in-Chief
Based in Taipei, Taiwan
Jack is a software engineer based in Taipei, Taiwan. He built NamesPop because the naming tools he found online all felt the same: slow, ad-heavy, and better at gathering SEO keywords than answering a parent's actual question.
He spends most of his writing time on trend analysis, data provenance, and the question of how software changes the small family decisions that used to happen in living rooms. Lately he has been thinking about how algorithms shape naming itself — what it means when a top-100 list starts to feel like a recommendation engine.
He lives with a rabbit named Money, which is where most of his pet-naming opinions come from.
2,387
Total pieces
131
Articles
1,085
Baby commentary
1,171
Pet commentary
Jack Lin's contributions
- Baby commentary
Terrance
Terrance is a Latin name derived from the Roman family name Terentius, of uncertain deeper etymology, possibly from an Oscan or Etruscan root — brought into English usage as Teren…
- Baby commentary
Terrell
Terrell is an Old French surname — from the Norman Tirel , which may derive from Germanic elements suggesting "to pull" or from a place name — that became a notable first name in…
- Baby commentary
Terrence
Terrence is the anglicized spelling of Terentius — a Roman family name of uncertain origin, possibly Etruscan — that was introduced to English speakers through the comedic playwri…
- Baby commentary
Tillie
Tillie peaked in 1915 — when it was among the most cheerful of the Edwardian diminutives, a nickname form of Matilda that operated as a standalone name. With over 15,558 SSA recor…
- Baby commentary
Tori
Tori is the diminutive of Victoria — from Latin victoria , meaning "victory" — a nickname that became its own name through the sheer force of the bearers who carried it. With over…
- Baby commentary
Townes
Townes is an Old English surname-turned-given-name meaning "from the town" or simply "of the settlement" — a place-referencing surname that's been used as a first name most famous…
- Baby commentary
Truth
Truth is a contemporary word name — an Old English-derived abstract virtue noun — that began appearing in American birth records in the 2010s and reached its peak in 2021 with 1,3…
- Baby commentary
Tyrone
Tyrone's etymology is uncertain — it's most often traced to an Irish place name (County Tyrone in Northern Ireland, from the Irish Tír Eoghain , meaning "land of Eoghan") — though…
- Baby commentary
Violetta
Violetta is an Italian and Latin name — a diminutive of Viola, itself from Latin viola meaning "violet flower" — that carries the exquisite double-T ending that gives Italian name…
- Baby commentary
Virgil
Virgil is a name of uncertain Latin origin — the Roman family name Vergilius may have Etruscan roots and its meaning is genuinely disputed — carried most famously by the Roman poe…
- Baby commentary
Will
Will is a Germanic name, the short form of William, from wil (will, desire) and helm (helmet, protection) — that has functioned as a complete standalone given name for centuries,…
- Baby commentary
Winslow
Winslow is an Old English surname name meaning "friend's hill," and it's arriving on the girls' side at exactly the right cultural moment. With a 2024 peak year and just 736 SSA r…
- Baby commentary
Xena
Xena derives from the Greek xenos , meaning "stranger" or "foreigner" — the same root as xenophobia and hospitality (xenia). With about 3,331 SSA records and a 1996 peak that corr…
- Baby commentary
Xzavier
Xzavier is a phonetic respelling of Xavier — which traces to Arabic Xabier , meaning "the new house" or "bright," via the Basque homeland of Saint Francis Xavier. Ranked #1265 wit…
- Baby commentary
Yaneli
Yaneli is a Spanish-influenced name — likely derived from the name Janelle or a combination of Yana and the -eli ending popular in Latin American naming traditions. With 3,722 SSA…
- Baby commentary
Yuliana
Yuliana is a Spanish-language variant of Juliana: the Latinate elaboration of Julius, meaning "youthful," that brings a warm Ibero-Latin musical quality to a classical name. With…
- Baby commentary
Yuri
Yuri is a Russian form of George — derived from the Greek Georgios, meaning "farmer" or "earthworker" — that carries entirely different cultural associations than its etymological…
- Baby commentary
Zabdiel
Zabdiel is a rare Hebrew name meaning "gift of God" — from the elements zabad (gift) and El (God) — that appears twice in the Hebrew Bible: as an overseer in the time of Nehemiah…
- Baby commentary
Zaira
Zaira is an Arabic name — a variant of Zahra, meaning "flower" or "radiant, shining" — that has found a distinct foothold in Spanish-speaking communities and is now moving into br…
- Baby commentary
Zakaria
Zakaria is an Arabic and Swahili transliteration of Zechariah, the Hebrew prophet whose name means "God has remembered." In Islamic tradition, Zakariya (زَكَرِيَّا) is the father…
How we work
Editorial policy →
Topic selection, verification, corrections.
How we gather data
Methodology →
Sources, processing pipeline, limitations.