Fact-Checking Policy

People use our lists to name children, characters and businesses, so the numbers need to be right. This is how Names That Start With checks what it publishes.

Our sources

• First names: US Social Security records of every name given to at least five babies of one sex in a year, from 1880 to 2017.
• Last names: the US Census list of surnames shared by at least 100 people.

How we use them

• Counts, ranks, peak decades and trends are calculated directly from the records, not estimated.
• A name is listed as a girl or boy name when most babies given it were girls or boys. Unisex lists use a clear rule shown on the page.
• Placeholder entries in the records, such as “Unknown” or “Baby”, are removed.

What we leave out

• Name meanings and origins, unless they are well established, because the records do not include them.
• Any claims about the background of people who carry a surname.

Corrections

Spotted a problem? Email guestpostadvertising@gmail.com with the page link. We review every message and fix confirmed errors.

Independence

Advertisers have no say in our lists, and paid placements are always labelled, as explained on our advertising page.