This year marks a remarkable milestone for BehindTheName.com, which has been in continuous operation for 30 years as of January 2026. What began in early 1996 as a small personal project under the title “The Etymology of First Names” soon grew into a pioneering online resource dedicated to the origin, meaning, and history of given names from around the world. In 2000, it adopted the memorable domain behindthename.com, setting the stage for decades of expansion and refinement.
Over three decades, the site has amassed a vast database that includes tens of thousands of names across cultures and periods, from ancient and mythological names to contemporary usages, and supports interactive features such as search tools, name popularity statistics, and a vibrant community through polls and message boards. Its commitment to scholarly accuracy and comprehensive documentation has made it a trusted reference not only for expectant parents and writers but also for linguists, genealogists, and onomastics enthusiasts around the globe.
The importance of BehindTheName.com lies in its commitment to cultural inclusivity, linguistic depth, and accessibility. It offers users an unprecedented opportunity to explore how names have evolved across languages and societies, helping millions understand not just what a name “means” but where it comes from and how it has been used historically.
As it enters its fourth decade, BehindTheName.com continues to grow through volunteer contributions, editorial improvements, and community engagement, reinforcing its position as a foundational resource in the world of name studies.
Michael Campbell is the founder, administrator, and editor-in-chief of BehindTheName.com, one of the world’s leading online resources for the study of personal names. Based in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, he launched the website in 1996 as a personal project devoted to researching and documenting given names and their histories. What began as a hobby grew steadily into a comprehensive international reference work, and since 2016 it has been his full-time professional endeavor.
Here is its statistics and timeline:
BtN by the Numbers
| 41,000 | given names, surnames and place names in the main collection |
| 385,000 | user-submitted names (some since deleted) |
| 6,000 | name elements |
| 77,000 | namesakes |
| 278,000 | user accounts created |
| 3,640,000 | messages posted to the message boards |
| 407,000 | polls created |
| 15,647,000 | poll votes cast |
| 346,000 | comments left on names |
| 1,148,000 | ratings left on names |
| 1,373,000 | up/down votes for comments and messages |
| 2,938,000 | names added to personal name lists |
BtN through the Years
| 1996 | ▶ site launch! |
| 1997 | ▶ alphabetical lists of names with basic meanings along with a few supporting pages |
| 1998 | ▶ vote for your favourite names |
| 1999 | ▶ message board ▶ a few name popularity lists ▶ basic search functionality using Perl |
| 2000 | ▶ new server and new address: behindthename.com |
| 2001 | ▶ anagram names ▶ a few lists of famous namesakes ▶ server upgrade |
| 2002 | ▶ usage and pronunciation info for some names ▶ surname site ▶ name days ▶ user registration system ▶ message boards split into name facts and name opinions ▶ 10,000 given names in the database |
| 2003 | ▶ random name generator ▶ polls ▶ server upgrade |
| 2004 | ▶ user comments for names ▶ name games and lounge message boards ▶ each name gets its own page ▶ adoption of PHP and MySQL |
| 2005 | ▶ glossary ▶ personal name lists ▶ background generation of related names ▶ Greek and Cyrillic script for names |
| 2006 | ▶ user-submitted names ▶ name ratings ▶ popularity prediction game ▶ private messages ▶ writing message board ▶ Hebrew and Arabic script for names |
| 2007 | ▶ name of the day ▶ all names categorized with at least one usage ▶ Devanagari script for names ▶ Han characters for Chinese, Japanese and Korean names |
| 2008 | ▶ multiple lists per user for personal name lists ▶ images for names |
| 2009 | ▶ name popularity graphs ▶ robust internal structure for name relations |
| 2010 | ▶ name family trees ▶ ratings for personal name lists ▶ server upgrade ▶ Persian and Thai script for names |
| 2011 | ▶ U.S. state-by-state popularity animations ▶ place name site ▶ basic name browser ▶ Georgian and Armenian script for names ▶ popularity and related name blurbs on name pages |
| 2012 | ▶ API ▶ namesake redesign ▶ server upgrade |
| 2013 | ▶ major site-wide layout revamp ▶ fantasy random names |
| 2014 | ▶ redesign submitted name interface ▶ surnames/place names/user-submitted names on personal name lists ▶ name elements |
| 2015 | ▶ namesake browser ▶ colourful banner and tabs at the top of each name page ▶ up and down votes for comments |
| 2016 | ▶ major revisions to Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese names ▶ user-created name categories ▶ 20,000 given names in the main collection ▶ 100,000 user-submitted names |
| 2017 | ▶ random life story for random names ▶ major revisions to Indian names ▶ IPA pronunciations ▶ server upgrade, plus https |
| 2018 | ▶ mobile-friendlier design ▶ major revisions to Hebrew and Ancient Mesopotamian names |
| 2019 | ▶ name browser redesign ▶ U.S. meta popularity ▶ up and down votes for some message board posts |
| 2020 | ▶ search bar upgrades ▶ yet another name browser redesign ▶ 200,000 user-submitted names |
| 2021 | ▶ message board redesign ▶ message board tagging |
| 2022 | ▶ notification system for registered users ▶ popularity comparison and visualizations ▶ major revisions to Celtic, Indigenous American, African and Germanic names ▶ phonetic name elements ▶ web server upgrade |
| 2023 | ▶ name meanings reverse dictionary ▶ track approximate fame level for namesakes ▶ 300,000 user-submitted names ▶ database server upgrade |
| 2024 | ▶ dark mode ▶ audio pronunciations ▶ major revisions to Slavic, Arabic, Persian and Indian names |
| 2025 | ▶ trophies for registered users ▶ games and quizzes ▶ personal name list redesign ▶ 30,000 given names in the database |
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