Ranking the most common MCs names in HRs (from a sample pool including everything I've read, to the best of my recollection)

Inspired by a post earlier today about unrealistic character names in historical romance, I decided to rank HR MC names by how many books I've read featuring MCs with those names to see what the most common ones are, and if they align with the most common names of the 1800s (when the bulk of my HR reads take place).

For the purposes of this list, I'm only including names that were used more than once, which excludes a lot of the weirder, less historically accurate names (mostly to avoid summoning the bot an undue number of times, since there's already going to be a lot of links to books under this post. Oops).

I did choose to class variants as separate names, which, as you'll see when we get to the FMCs, may not be the best way of doing it.

I did decide to keep names with only one appearance if they are top-10 names from the 1800s. To determine what the top names of the 1800s were, I'm drawing on the following resources: top US names of the 1880s, top names of the 1850s, and top Regency names.

Based on these resources, the top names of the 1800s were:

For girls: Mary, Anne/Ann/Anna/Hannah, Elizabeth, Margaret, Sarah, Emma, Jane, Catherine/Katherine, Charlotte and Martha.

For boys: John, William, James, George, Charles, Edward, Joseph, Henry, Robert and Thomas.

MMCs' names:

1. x4 Edward: {Seven Minutes in Heaven by Eloisa James}, {His Harlot by SM LaViolette}, {The Suffragette Scandal by Courtney Milan}, {The Girl With the Make Believe Husband by Julia Quinn}

2. x4 George: {Bed Me, Baron by Felicity Niven}, {Only Beloved by Mary Balogh}, {Lord Dashwood Missed Out by Tessa Dare}, {Because of Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn}

3. x4 James: {The Ugly Duchess by Eloisa James}, {Dearest Rogue by Elizabeth Hoyt}, {Clandestine Passion by Felicity Niven}, {The Wolf and the Wildflower by Stacy Reid}

4. x4 Sebastian: {My Lord and Spymaster by Joanna Bourne}, {The Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas}, {My Deceitful Duchess by Aydra Richards}, {The Countess Conspiracy by Courtney Milan}

5. x3 Benedict: {The Devil is a Marquess by Elisa Braden}, {The Escape by Mary Balogh}, {An Offer From a Gentleman by Julia Quinn}

6. x3 Colin: {Desperately Seeking a Scoundrel by Elisa Braden}, {Romancing Mr. Bridgerton by Julia Quinn}, {Someone to Trust by Mary Balogh}

7. x3 Gabriel: {Devil in Spring by Lisa Kleypas}, {His Forgotten Bride by Aydra Richards}, {Someone to Romance by Mary Balogh}

8. x3 Henry: {Heaven Sent by Pamela Morsi}, {Flaming June by Emma V Leech}, {Grace Seymour Steals a Heart by Aydra Richards}

9. x3 Hugh: {Duke of Pleasure by Elizabeth Hoyt}, {A Duke in Shining Armor by Loretta Chase}, {The Sum of All Kisses by Julia Quinn}

10. x3 Hugo: {The Proposal by Mary Balogh}, {Hugo and the Maiden by Minerva Spencer}, {The Governess Affair by Courtney Milan}

11. x3 Jonas: {Seven Nights in the Rogue's Bed by Anna Campbell}, {Mrs. Lady by Stephanie Patterson}, {A Kiss for Midwinter by Courtney Milan}

12. x3 Marcus: {It Happened One Autumn by Lisa Kleypas}, {The Study of a Rake by Kathleen Ayers}

13. x3 Michael: {A Terrible Beauty by Stephanie Patterson}, {When He Was Wicked by Julia Quinn}, {A Rogue by Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean}

14. x3 Oliver: {A Notorious Vow by Joanna Shupe}, {Voluptuous by Felicity Niven}, {The Heiress Effect by Courtney Milan}

15. x3 Rafe: {A Wallflower Christmas by Lisa Kleypas}, {A Ghost of the Rose by Stephanie Patterson}, {A Beastly Kind of Earl by Mia Vincy}

16. x3 Robert: {Ever Yours, Annabelle by Elisa Braden}, {The Spymaster's Lady by Joanna Bourne}

17. x3 Simon: {Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas}, {The Lady Unmasked by Aydra Richards}, {The Duke and I by Julia Quinn}

18. x3 Stephen: {His Valet by SM LaViolette} , {The Footman by SM LaViolette}, {Talk Sweetly to Me by Courtney Milan}

19. x3 Thomas: {Convergence of Desire by Felicity Niven}, {Mercy Fletcher Meets Her Match by Aydra Richards}, {Mr. Cavendish, I Presume by Julia Quinn}

20. x2 Alex: {A Convenient Fiction by Mimi Matthews}, {A Duke in Disguise by Aydra Richards}

21. x2 Alexander: {Despite the Duke by Kathleen Ayers}, {Someone to Wed by Mary Balogh}

22. x2 Andrew: {A Very Bellamy Christmas by Minerva Spencer}, {The Other Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn}

23. x2 Anthony: {Charity Nightingale Heals Her Husband by Aydra Richards}, {The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn}

24. x2 David: {Her Villain by SM LaViolette}, {The Design of Dukes by Kathleen Ayers}

25. x2 Devon: {Cold Hearted Rake by Lisa Kleypas}, {Wicked and the Wallflower by Sarah MacLean}

26. x2 Ethan: {Hello, Stranger by Lisa Kleypas}, {The Finest Print by Erin Langston}

27. x2 Fletcher: {An Affair Before Christmas by Eloisa James}, {Anything But a Lord by Kathleen Ayers}

28. x2 Harrison: {The Truth About Cads and Dukes by Elisa Braden}, {A Proposal to Wed by Kathleen Ayers}

29. x2 Jack: {Bed Me, Duke by Felicity Niven}, {The Lost Duke of Wyndham by Julia Quinn}

30. x2 Jasper: {The Belle of Belgrave Square by Mimi Matthews}, {To Seduce a Sinner by Elizabeth Hoyt}

31. x2 John: {The Bastard by SM LaViolette}, {My Darling Mr. Darling by Aydra Richards}

32. x2 Joshua: {Slightly Scandalous by Mary Balogh}, {A Wicked Kind of Husband by Mia Vincy}

33. x2 Justin: {The Matrimonial Advertisement by Mimi Matthews}, {Someone Perfect by Mary Balogh}

34. x2 Kit: {Duke the Halls by Felicity Niven}, {Kit McBride Gets a Wife by Amy Barry}

35. x2 Leopold: {A Duke of Her Own by Eloisa James}, {A Scandalous Kind of Duke by Mia Vincy}

36. x2 Malcolm: {Her Beast by SM LaViolette}, {The Day of the Duchess by Sarah MacLean}

37. x2 Morgan: {Marrying Off Morgan McBride by Amy Barry}, {The Taming of a Scandal by Kathleen Ayers}

38. x2 Neville: {The Winter Companion by Mimi Matthews}, {One Night for Love by Mary Balogh}

39. x2 Tom: {Chasing Cassandra by Lisa Kleypas}, {A Modest Independence by Mimi Matthews}

40. x2 William: {The Forbidden Rose by Joanna Bourne}, {Baron by Joanna Shupe}

Charles: {Taciturn in the Ton by Emily Royal}

Richard: {The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy by Julia Quinn}

Breakdown of MMC names in HR:

The top 3 MMC names in HR (or, at least, in the HR that I've read) are a very historically accurate Edward, George and James, all top-10 names from the 1800s (sort of). The only resource I have which ranks the names in order of popularity is from the 1880s in the US, so not necessarily representative of the whole century. In the US in the 1880s (bearing in mind that most HRs take place in Britain), Edward was ranked #11, George #4 and James #3. Well done, HR authors! The top-3 MMC names were all actually super popular.

The fourth most popular men's name in HR appears to be Sebastian. Sebastian appears on only one of the three lists I'm using as resources, as a Regency era name, classed as a very rare name possessed by only a handful of people in the entirety of Britain. HR authors, you have failed your historical accuracy test with this one!

The fifth most popular MMC name in HR appears to be Benedict. Now, both Ben and Benjamin appear on the list of the top names of the 1880s, but no Benedict. Nor does it appear on the list of top names of the 1850s. On the list of top Regency names, Benedict appears only one tier up from Sebastian, meaning names possessed by 0.1-02.2% of the population of Britain. Extremely unusual, in other words. Another fail.

The rest of the HR top ten is rounded out with Colin, Gabriel, Henry, Hugh, Hugo and Jonas. Henry, as previously mentioned, was one of the top names of the 1800s throughout the century, coming in at #8 in the US in the 1880s, so that one is historically accurate! Well done, HR authors!

Colin does not appear on either the top names of the 1880s or 1850s, but does appear a tier above Benedict in the top names of the Regency list, meaning it was used by approximately 0.2-0.6% of the population. Still extremely rare. Gabriel appears in the same tier.

Hugh appears on all three lists, at #74 on the list of the top names of the 1880s, in the top 100 names of the 1850s, and in a fairly high tier of the top Regency names, meaning it was a fairly common name at the time. Hugo, on the other hand, does not appear in the top 100 names of the 1880s or 1850s, and appears in the same tier as Sebastian, meaning it was extremely uncommon. Oops. Perhaps best to stick with Hugh.

Our 10th-ranked MMC name, Jonas, does not appear in the top names of the 1880s, but does appear on the list of the top 100 names of the 1850s, and of the Regency. On the Regency list, it ranks at the same level as Gabriel, so relatively uncommon.

Other names that appear 3 times in my sample pool: Marcus, Michael, Oliver, Rafe, Robert, Simon, Stephen (used twice by the same author, even!), and Thomas. As previously established, Robert and Thomas are top-10 1880s names, so well done, HR authors, on the historical accuracy! Now, use them even more!

Marcus does not appear on any of the lists, so that's a big fail, right there. Michael was ranked #50 in the US in the 1880s, appears on the list of top 100 names of the 1850s, and falls in a very high tier on the Regency name list, meaning it was used by up to 2% of the population, and was thus an extremely common name, so that's another A+ for HR authors.

Oliver is ranked #76 in the top names of the 1880s, does appear in the top 100 names of the 1850s, and is ranked roughly similarly to the name Jonas on the list of Regency names. So, it's slightly overused, but not egregiously.

Rafe does not appear on any of the lists, although Ralph ranks fairly highly on both. We can probably assume this is HR authors spelling the name phonetically so as not to confuse readers, and give them a pass.

Simon is ranked #162 in the top names of the 1880s, and does appear on the other two lists. On the Regency list, it's ranked similarly to Jonas and Oliver. Stephen is ranked #89 in the top names of the 1880s, is in the top names of the 1850s, and appears very high up on the list of top Regency names, ranked just below the top 10.

Tldr; the MMC names are actually pretty good, with a few exceptions. Sebastian, Benedict, Marcus, Rafe and Hugo are way overused. We can maybe write Rafe off as a phonetic spelling of Ralph that authors may be using to keep from confusing readers. The other five are all pretty good, though. However, top-10 names Charles and Richard were drastically underrepresented on this list.

FMCs' names:

1. x4 Helen: {Anything But a Lord by Kathleen Ayers}, {Marrying Winterborne by Lisa Kleypas}, {Bed Me, Duke by Felicity Niven}, {To Beguile a Beast by Elizabeth Hoyt}

2. x4 Phoebe: {Phoebe by Minerva Spencer}, {Dearest Rogue by Elizabeth Hoyt}, {Devil's Daughter by Lisa Kleypas}, {Bed Me, Baron by Felicity Niven}

3. x3 Amelia: {A Delicate Deception by Cat Sebastian}, {Texas Destiny by Lorraine Heath}, {Mr. Cavendish, I Presume by Julia Quinn}

4. x3 Arabella: {A Perilous Flirtation by Felicity Niven}, {A Terrible Beauty by Stephanie Patterson}, {A Dangerous Kind of Lady by Mia Vincy}

5. x3 Cassandra: {Chasing Cassandra by Lisa Kleypas}, {A Wicked Kind of Husband by Mia Vincy}, {Ten Things I Hate About the Duke by Loretta Chase}

6. x3 Francesca: {Duke the Halls by Felicity Niven}, {The Devil in Her Bed by Kerrigan Byrne}, {When He Was Wicked by Julia Quinn}

7. x3 Grace: {Grace Seymour Steals a Heart by Aydra Richards}, {Daring and the Duke by Sarah MacLean}, {The Lost Duke of Wyndham by Julia Quinn}

8. x3 Lily: {Darling Beast by Elizabeth Hoyt}, {One Night for Love by Mary Balogh}, {A Scot in the Dark by Sarah MacLean}

9. x3 Olivia: {This Girl is Not for Christmas by Emma V Leech}, {Taciturn in the Ton by Emily Royal}, {The Making of a Gentleman by Kathleen Ayers}

10. x3 Sarah: {Desperately Seeking a Scoundrel by Elisa Braden}, {A Ghost of the Rose by Stephanie Patterson}

11. x2 Abigail: {The Autumn Bride by Anne Gracie}, {Someone to Honor by Mary Balogh}

12. x2 Annabelle: {Ever Yours, Annabelle by Elisa Braden}, {Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas}

13. x2 Anne: {Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold by Ellen O'Connell}, {A Night Like This by Julia Quinn}

14. x2 Beatrice: {To Desire a Devil by Elizabeth Hoyt}, {The Desire of a Duchess by Kathleen Ayers}

15. x2 Charlotte: {The Devil is a Marquess by Elisa Braden}, {The Lady Unmasked by Aydra Richards}

16. x2 Camille: {Rogue Spy by Joanna Bourne}, {Someone to Hold by Mary Balogh}

17. x2 Caroline: {Bed Me, Earl by Felicity Niven}, {A Grand Race by Ellen O'Connell}

18. x2 Cecilia: {All Scot and Bothered by Kerrigan Byrne}, {The Girl With the Make Believe Husband by Julia Quinn}

19. x2 Clara: {The Winter Companion by Mimi Matthews}, {Tycoon by Joanna Shupe}

20. x2 Cordelia: {Texas Glory by Lorraine Heath}, {The Bastard by SM LaViolette}

21. x2 Elizabeth: {Magnate by Joanna Shupe}, {Someone to Trust by Mary Balogh}

22. x2 Eve: {Sweetest Scoundrel by Elizabeth Hoyt}, {Slightly Married by Mary Balogh}

23. x2 Felicity: {Felicity Cabot Sells Her Soul by Aydra Richards}, {Wicked and the Wallflower by Sarah MacLean}

24. x2 Georgina: {The Wager of a Lady by Kathleen Ayers}, {Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover by Sarah MacLean}

25. x2 Harriet: {Duchess by Night by Eloisa James}, {Convergence of Desire by Felicity Niven}

26. x2 Helena: {The Matrimonial Advertisement by Mimi Matthews}, {Frail by Susanna Ives}

27. x2 Henrietta: {Voluptuous by Felicity Niven}, {Brazen and the Beast by Sarah MacLean}

28. x2 Hyacinth: {Hyacinth by Minerva Spencer}, {It's In His Kiss by Julia Quinn}

29. x2 Iris: {Duke of Desire by Elizabeth Hoyt}, {The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy}

30. x2 Jane: {The Truth About Cads and Dukes by Elisa Braden}, {The Heiress Effect by Courtney Milan}

31. x2 Jenny: {A Modest Independence by Mimi Matthews}, {My Deceitful Duchess by Aydra Richards}

32. x2 Julia: {The Belle of Belgrave Square by Mimi Matthews}, {Her Beast by SM LaViolette}

33. x2 Kate: {Clandestine Passion by Felicity Niven}, {The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn}

34. x2 Lillian: {It Happened One Autumn by Lisa Kleypas}, {Mogul by Joanna Shupe}

35. x2 Lucy: {A Proposal to Wed by Kathleen Ayers}, {On the Way to the Wedding by Julia Quinn}

36. x2 Lydia: {Someone to Cherish by Mary Balogh}, {A Kiss for Midwinter by Courtney Milan}

37. x2 Margaret: {Lord of Darkness by Elizabeth Hoyt}, {The Theory of Earls by Kathleen Ayers}

38. x2 Nora: {His Harlot by SM LaViolette}, {Lord Dashwood Missed Out by Tessa Dare}

39. x2 Penelope: {Romancing Mr. Bridgerton by Julia Quinn}, {A Rogue by Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean}

40. x2 Poppy: {An Affair Before Christmas by Eloisa James}, {The Other Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn}

41. x2 Rose: {Return to Kingscote by Lavinia K Darcy}, {Talk Sweetly to Me by Courtney Milan}

42. x2 Serena: {The Scandal of the Season by Aydra Richards}, {The Governess Affair by Courtney Milan}

43. x2 Sophia: {The Arrangement by Mary Balogh}, {Despite the Duke by Kathleen Ayers}

44. x2 Sophie: {An Offer From a Gentleman by Julia Quinn}, {The Rogue Not Taken by Sarah MacLean}

45. x2 Thea: {The Duke's Disaster by Grace Burrowes}, {A Beastly Kind of Earl by Mia Vincy}

46. x2 Violet: {My Darling Mr. Darling by Aydra Richards}, {The Countess Conspiracy by Courtney Milan}

Anna: {Someone to Love by Mary Balogh}

Hannah: {Heaven Sent by Pamela Morsi}

Katherine: {Mrs. Lady by Stephanie Patterson}

Kathryn: {Kathryn by Minerva Spencer}

Maggie: {The Forbidden Rose by Joanna Bourne}

Maria: {Someone Perfect by Mary Balogh} (the closest we come to an FMC named Mary)

Martha: {Hugo and the Maiden by Minerva Spencer}

Breakdown of FMC names:

According to one resource (the list of top names of the 1850s, linked above), women in the 1800s had nearly a 20% chance of being named Mary. Unfortunately, I haven't read a single HR with an FMC named Mary, so that's a fail, right off the bat. About 60% of all women had one of five names (Mary, Elizabeth, Ann, Sarah and Jane).

Spoilers: the FMC names absolutely do not break down like this!

The top 10 HR FMC names, in order, are Helen, Phoebe, Amelia, Arabella, Cassandra, Francesca, Grace, Lily, Olivia and Sarah. The only one that appears in the top 10 names of the 1800s is Sarah. Overall, a big fail.

Helen is ranked #24 in the top names of the 1880s, and appears on both other lists. On the Regency list, it's classed as a less common name, used by 0.06-0.17% of the population. Not common, but not unheard of.

Phoebe does not appear on the list of top names from the 1880s, but does appear in the top 100 names of the 1850s, and very high up in the top Regency names, classed as a fairly common name. Not a fail, but it shouldn't be quite as prevalent in HR as it is. Amelia is ranked #100 in the top names of the 1880s, and appears on both other lists, at a similar level to Phoebe.

Arabella does not appear in the top names of the 1880s, and while it appears on the other two lists, it's classed as an uncommon name, so it shouldn't be as prevalent as it is in HR. Cassandra appears only on the list of Regency names, classed as an extremely uncommon name, meaning it's extremely and egregiously overused in HR.

Francesca does not appear in the top names of the 1880s or 1850s, and is classed in the lowest tier of Regency names, meaning virtually nonexistent in official documentation, and although it may theoretically have been used, there is no proof that it ever was. Another historical accuracy fail for HR authors. Frances, on the other hand, was extremely common throughout the 1800s (#41 in the 1880s). It doesn't appear a single time on this list. I've never found an HR with an FMC named Frances.

Grace falls at #14 in the 1880s, the second-most popular name after Sarah on this list, and thus the second most historically accurate by quite a ways. On the Regency list, the author identifies it as a top-100 name, making it significantly more common than any of the top HR names except Sarah.

Lily does not appear on any of the three lists, so it fails the historical accuracy test. Olivia does not appear in the top names of the 1880s, and is classed as a rare name that people had likely heard of but wouldn't have been used often on the Regency list. Another fail.

No other names were used three times or more.

The actual top names of the 1800s don't feature heavily on this list. Mary doesn't appear a single time, although the variant Maria is used once. Keep in mind that women had a 20% chance of being named Mary during the Regency era, so its absence is extremely egregious.

Anne was used twice, and Anna once, for a combined three times. Hannah appeared only once. The most common variant, Ann, doesn't appear a single time. Margaret was used twice and the nickname Maggie once. Elizabeth, Jane and Charlotte were used twice each. Martha appears only once, and Emma not at all (which surprised me, as I'm sure I've read something with an FMC named Emma, but apparently not).

Catherine and Katherine each appear once, along with the historically inaccurate variant Kathryn, for a total of three times, plus the diminutive Kate appears twice, for a total of 5 times, making Catherine (and its variants) likely the top-10 name that is most accurately represented among FMC names, with Sarah in second place.

Tldr; Sarah and Catherine/Katherine are both decently represented. Grace is the second-most historically accurate name on the list, with Helen in fourth place, although egregiously overused. Amelia and Phoebe, both also egregiously overused, have some historical basis. Arabella is even more overused but not fully inaccurate, as it was in use. However, Olivia, Lily, Francesca and Cassandra all fail the historical accuracy test.

Takeaways:

Generally speaking, MMC names are more accurate than FMC names in HR, which... I did not expect, considering we also frequently get MMCs named Devon and King and so on, but I guess those are just less common overall, so it does make sense.

As for FMC names, I expected them to be more accurate than MMC names (which we HR fans know can be incredibly ridiculous sometimes), and was a bit surprised to find just how much less accurate the top HR girls' names were. Most of the names which appeared more than once don't appear in the top 100 or even 200 names of the 1800s.

Anyway, what other MCs can you think of with these names, and what duplicate names that I don't have on this list can you think of?

Thoughts and prayers to the poor, overworked bot, who will be working overtime to link all these books under this post.