Usage of Brooklyn as a given name is a recent trend. Considered androgynous (although largely used on baby girls), Brooklyn comes from a geographical place name, one of the boroughs of New York City, which Dutch settlers originally named “Breukelen” (meaning “broken land”). When one views a map of New York City and its five boroughs, one can quickly see that “broken land” says it all. Place names as given names have become particularly trendy since the 1990s (other examples currently on the U.S. female naming charts include Madison, Savannah, London – even Kimberly and Brittany are place names transferred into female given names). Brooklyn, however, is one of the most recent of these examples, and one which has taken off in popularity faster than a blink of the eye. Brooklyn is really a North American favorite (popular for baby girls only in Canada and the U.S.). For boys, the name shows up with mild success in England, thanks to the British celebrity couple (the Beckhams) who named their firstborn son Brooklyn in 1999.
Ironically, one of the most well-known Brooklyn is the eldest son of the celebrity couple David and Victoria Beckham. Truth be told, while Brooklyn is technically considered a “unisex” name, it doesn’t appear on the U.S. popularity charts for males (only 62 baby boys were given the name Brooklyn in 2012 compared to almost 7,000 baby girls). As a choice for daughters, it’s a Top 30 favorite. This is very recent, as the name Brooklyn only entered the charts for girls in 1990 – a mere 20+ years ago. Its advancement into the Top 50 only happened in 2008. Ironically, the states that favor Brooklyn the most for their baby girls are Utah, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi and West Virginia (she’s a Top 10 favorite in these five states). Funny thing: those five states couldn’t be less like Brooklyn, NY! In fact, New York and New Jersey are the ONLY states where Brooklyn is NOT on the Top 100 list. Maybe parents in Brooklyn should consider naming their daughters Boise?