Name Rarity
Look up how rare your name is in the US top 1000, then play streaks guessing which of two names is rarer. The gap shrinks as you climb
Look Up a Name
Search any name to see its rank and rarity in US baby names.
Data: US SSA top 1000 (2024)
About Name Rarity
Name Rarity is a duel between two first names · the game shows two names and asks which of the two is rarer. Above the duel, the page has a lookup. Type one name and see where it sits in the list. Useful for a character name, for a guess about your own name, or for a "have you ever met anyone called X?" argument.
One list, and the page names it. Every rank here comes from the United States Social Security Administration top 1000 baby names of 2024 · one list of 1000 for boys and one for girls. There is no other country and no other year. A name outside those two lists has no rank in this game.
What the lookup shows. Type a name and you get a card for each list that holds it. The card gives the rank, a band (top 10, top 100, top 500, top 1000 or outside the top 1000), and a "one in N" figure for births of that sex in 2024.
How the duel gets harder. Difficulty sets the gap in rank between the two names. Easy leaves 203 places between them, Medium 110 and Hard 58. Difficulty also pushes both names deeper down the list, from rank 121 and below on Easy to rank 421 and below on Hard. You also choose which list to draw from: boys, girls or both.
Part of the PlayMemorize family of browser tools. Runs entirely in your browser, works offline as a Progressive Web App.
FAQ
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Where does the name data come from?
From one public list: the United States Social Security Administration top 1000 baby names of 2024. It holds 1000 boys' names and 1000 girls' names, each with its rank and its share of births of that sex. The list ships inside the app, so the game and the lookup both work offline. -
Does it work for surnames too?
No. The data holds first names only, split into a boys' list and a girls' list. A surname returns nothing. You can choose which of the two lists a duel draws from, or draw from both. -
How is the rarity rating calculated?
There is no rating, only a rank and a coarse band. A name is in the top 10, the top 100, the top 500, the top 1000, or outside the top 1000 of its list for 2024. The lookup also gives a "one in N" figure from the name's share of births of that sex. -
Why does my name look more / less common than I expected?
Two reasons. The list is one country and one year, so a name that is normal where you live can be absent from the 2024 United States top 1000. And spellings count separately · "Catherine", "Katherine" and "Kathryn" each hold their own rank, so a name with many spellings ranks lower than the sound of it suggests. Try the other spellings when a result surprises you. -
Does it work offline?
Yes. PlayMemorize is a Progressive Web App. The name dataset is bundled locally so lookups work without an internet connection. -
Can MemPi help me study and practice this game?
Yes! Click MemPi in the header or on the game board to summon him. He observes the board, thinks out loud, and can demonstrate moves or guide you through tricky steps.