Girl · #9,750 in 2026

Vanilla

Vanilla is a spice derived from orchids of the genus Vanilla, primarily obtained from the seed pods of the flat-leaved New World vanilla (V. planifolia).

Current Rank
#9,750
Peak Rank
#2,264 (1919)
Total Babies
199
5-Yr Trend
Stable
1898
First Year
1978
Last Year
1919
Peak Year
#2264
Peak Rank
199
Total Count
27
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Vanilla

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Vanilla is a spice derived from orchids of the genus Vanilla, primarily obtained from the seed pods of the flat-leaved New World vanilla (V. planifolia).

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Etymology
The word vanilla is derived from the Spanish word vainilla meaning "little pod", the diminutive of vaina derived from the Latin vagina (sheath) describing the shape of the pods . The word "vanilla" entered the English language in 1754, when the botanist Philip Miller wrote about the genus in his Gardener's Dictionary .
Origin & history
Drawing of the Vanilla plant from the Florentine Codex (c. 1580) and description of its use and properties written in the Nahuatl language Before domestication, Vanilla planifolia grew wild around the Gulf of Mexico from Tampico around to the northeast tip of South America, and from Colima to Ecuador on the Pacific side, as well as throughout the Caribbean. The Totonac people, who live along the eastern coast of Mexico in the present-day state of Veracruz , were among the first people to domesticate vanilla, cultivated on farms since at least 1185. The Totonac used vanilla as a fragrance in te

The Story of Vanilla

Vanilla first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1898, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1919: 15 births, good for #2,264 nationwide. About 35% of every Vanilla on record arrived during the 1920s, its defining decade. Vanilla last appeared in the published SSA data in 1978, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 199 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1890s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Names that sound like Vanilla

Phonetically similar names — useful when Vanilla is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Vanilla

What does the name Vanilla mean?
Vanilla is a spice derived from orchids of the genus Vanilla, primarily obtained from the seed pods of the flat-leaved New World vanilla (V. planifolia).
How popular is Vanilla in 2026?
In 2026, Vanilla ranks #9,750 among girls' names in the U.S., with 5 babies given the name that year.
When was Vanilla most popular?
Vanilla reached its peak popularity in 1919, ranking #2,264 that year with 15 babies given the name.
Is Vanilla a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Vanilla is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Vanilla?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Vanilla include Almer, Evva, Elcie. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

Similar Names

👧
Almer
Peak #2264
👧
Evva
Peak #2264
👧
Elcie
Peak #2264
👧
Lovena
Peak #2264
👧
Rosine
Peak #2264
👧
Alphia
Peak #2264
👧
Eutha
Peak #2264
👧
Lunette
Peak #2264

About the name Vanilla

Vanilla is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1898 and has accumulated 199 births in the dataset. Vanilla's peak popularity came in 1919 when it ranked #2,264. Use the chart and map above to compare Vanilla's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.