April is a female given name of Latin origin. It means "to open" or "to reveal". The name April is derived from the month of April, which was named after the goddess Aphrodite in Roman mythology. In ancient Rome, April was considered a sacred month dedicated to the worship of Aphrodite and her counterpart Venus. The name April has been used since the Middle Ages, but it became more popular during the Victorian era. Today, April is still a popular choice for girls' names, especially in English-speaking countries. It is often associated with the month of April, springtime, and new beginnings. Some notable people named April include American actresses April Bowlby and April Donovan.
The name April has been a popular choice for parents in the United States over the years, with a significant increase in its usage from the mid-20th century onwards.
In the early decades of the 1900s, the name April was not very common. Between 1917 and 1938, there were less than 58 births per year with the name April. However, starting in 1939, we see a significant increase in the popularity of this name.
From 1939 to 1946, the number of babies named April ranged from 58 to 242 births per year. Then, in 1947, there were 383 births with the name April, marking a significant jump in its popularity.
The trend continued to rise throughout the 1950s and 1960s. In 1952, there were 824 babies named April, which more than doubled to 1,934 births in 1960. The peak of this trend occurred in 1967, with a total of 4,467 babies named April that year.
However, starting from the late 1970s, we began to see a decline in the popularity of the name April. From 8,454 births in 1974 to 584 births in 2023, the number of babies named April has significantly decreased over time.
In total, from 1917 to 2023, there have been 241,744 babies born with the name April in the United States. Despite its decline in recent years, April remains a classic and recognizable name that has been a beloved choice for parents throughout many generations.