“Grover Cleveland pushed both his first and last names into the Top 100 in 1884,” said Abby Sandel, the creator of the baby name blog Appellation Mountain. “Bryan first trended way back in 1896, when William Jennings Bryan ran for ― and lost ― the presidency. The name Franklin spiked in 1933, as FDR took office.”
Kihm noted that modern parents are more likely to use names inspired by celebrities, influencers, and those figures’ children than politicians.
“JD Vance is a polarizing figure and, right now, the most dominant association with the name Vance,” Kihm said. “Parents that may have otherwise considered the name Vance may have nixed it from their lists to avoid assumptions or questions about their political affiliations. Interestingly, though, Elon actually rose by a few births. I bet we’ll see that reverse in the 2025 data.”
The name Vance briefly dropped off the Top 1,000 list in 1998 and 2000 but quickly recovered. Interestingly, the name rose in popularity from 2022 to 2023 before JD Vance joined the presidential ticket. But if its current trajectory continues, the name Vance may fall off for good this year.
