The Name Maze Project Returns...Part 2 including Name Data

I have made a lot of Name mazes. And after awhile I got tired of only updating one page on the website. I expanded into new types of mazes and less repetitive maze making. In 2019 I made 1,499 name mazes. in 2020 I only made names when I got a request to make a name into a maze. Today I tell you about the updated names I added to Name maze section of the website. (If you are just interested in HOW to make a maze of your name, I have that covered.) Now the story of how I added new mazes.

Here were the stages I went through in Part 1 (to read the full blog click here):

Stage 1 - Names of my Close Friends and Family

Stage 2 - The Ten Most Popular Male and Female Names

Stage 3 - My LinkedIn Connections Names

Stage 4 - Close variations of Existing Names

Stage 5 - Top 100 Male/Female Names

Stage 6 - Top 200 Male/Female Names

Stage 7 - Top 300 Male /Female Names

Stage 8 - Regional names page - “The Land”

Stage 9 - Top European names

Stage 10 - Top Americas and Oceanic names

Stage 11 - Top African Names

Stage 11.1 - National Bubba Day

Stage 12 - Male names from Asia

Stage 13 - Female names from Asia

Stage 14 - Names from Movies

And now the new stuff:

Stage 15 - Name requests by readers

It was a long time between updates, but site visitors kept me busy throughout the year. Name mazes are always fun because I tend to get non-Western names since most of those are already covered on the site. New names added by request include Sadat, Farhan, Rehan, Protha and Fahim. And of course I always like to learn a new Z name like Zasia and Zarif. Overall I added 43 names from requests during this time frame.

Stage 16 - Dating Site name mining

I used a dating site, set the location to worldwide and picked the first 50 New names I did not have on the site. The worldwide search really gave me some diverse names. Eishah, Fyokla, Jamuna, Kaisa, Kia, Lupine, Miu, Neta, Rea, Remi, Shalina, Tiana, Yu, Yuko and Zsu all were added this way. I also captured some new calendar names with Summer, Autumn and May (June, August and April were already on the site). And of course if you add Dagny you need to add Ayn (it’s a rule). Overall with some spelling variations this added 58 new names to the site.

Stage 17 - Popular Names from Mexico

I want to continue to add more international names and Mexico seemed like a logical choice. Many names are spelling variations on existing names with an O or A added or an E becoming IO (Leonard became Leonardo, Marc became Marco, Maurice became Mauricio, and Justin became Justina for example) . Also there were a large number of Hispanic names already on the site from the Top 300 males/female US names. I was surprised I was missing Juana, Marco, Margarita and Arturo. This added 38 new names.

Stage 18 - Popular Names from India

I have been watching a lot of Bollywood movies and I notice so many new names. So I researched Indian names and found a list broken into 2 categories, Hindu, and Muslim. This gave me a nice long list of names to add ! My favorite section was when I added Tanisha, Manisha, Anisha, Nisha, and Isha. I just kept dropping one letter ! Anyway, I had gone 5 steps without adding any V names, but that was changed during this step with 3 new ones, Vinod, Vikash and Vijay ! I also added Zaid and Zuhaib to give the Z’s some love. Overall this added 59 new names to the website !

Stage 19 - Names I was surprised I missed

I ran the query for additional names that are not yet on the website for the next 100 male/female names and selected 12 names each that I was surprised have never made it onto the site. Surprised because I know people with the names or just because I thought they were more popular and already on there. Usually I don’t list every name I added in a section, but this time is an exception. I grouped them into these categories: Names of people I know, Evan, Stuart, Rudy, Lindsay, Lindsey, Joanna, Monique, Opal, and Sheryl. Popular names I missed: Blake, Devin, Damon, Dominic, Edmund, Grant, Homer, Neal, Rex, Brandi, Harriet, Lynda, Maggie, Natasha, and Whitney. AND THEN I said how about a few more and I added 16 more…

Name Maze Data

And now, I am going to go through some of the data from the names on the site. Maybe you find it interesting like I do. Maybe you like playing in spreadsheets like I do. For fun, see if you can guess the answers before I give them to you !

Most (and Least) Popular Starting Letter

The Letter that starts the most names on my site is A with 182, or over 10% of the total. This is followed by M,S,J,C,L, and R. These 7 letters represent over 50% of the starting letters (52.6%). None of these surprised me. The least popular letters did, however, led or not led? by the letter U with 2 and Q with 3. I have 6 X names, 14 O’s and 22 Z’s. I think I am going to work on finding more names with these letters.

Most (Least) Popular Ending Letter

Not too much surprise here with A leading the charge with 403. Both N and E are solid with 225 and 223. Add in Y with 147 and the first 4 letters represent 58.5% of all last letters. The worst performing ending letters on the site are Q at 3, X and W at 4, and J at 5.

Most Common Length of Names

The most common name length on the site is 5 from 467 Names, then 6 and 4. 11 is the longest which has been used 3 times, most commonly with Christopher. And the shortest name length is 2 which has been used 20 times. I did go to school with a guy named R but he didn’t make the cut.

Most Popular First 2 Letters

Of the 676 possible first two letter combinations to start a name, I have 197 of them on the site. These range from AA 3 times to ZY once. Any idea what the most common (by far) 2 letter combination is appearing 89 times ? MA. Next with 46 occurrences is AN, then AL (41) SA (40) and JA (39).

Double Letters used to start a name besides AA (Aaron, Aasha, Aarav), include LL (Lloyd) and, well that’s it. Only 4 names start with double letters.

Most Popular Second Letter

This was a blowout that I will have to make a bar bet out of somehow, A is used 457 times as a second letter in the name on my site, about 27% of the time. This is followed by E 228, 211 I , 191 O and 106 U. That’s an easy pattern to see. Vowels make up 70% of all second letters (But only 18% of first letters). All letters were represented except one……..X.

So what is next for name mazes ? What is Stage 20 ? Here are the options I am considering:

1. The next 100 names for men/women

I need to research the next 200 overall names, 100 from each gender (both thru #400). Hopefully a nice number of them are covered already on the site.

2. MORE Top international names

Keep with International by doing the most popular names in the world.

3. The uncommon letters

Search out names that start with uncommon letters like U, Q, X, Y, and Z

4. Maze the names of everyone I meet in a day

5. Pick a random sports roster and maze all names

Have an idea you’d like to see ? Let me know in the comments.

Maze Website Review: maze4u

Sometimes you stumble upon a website that should be shared. Today I am going to review the website maze4u. I previously looked at the top Google search results for online maze generation websites and reviewed them in 8 different categories. Maze4u became a late bonus add after the original post was completed. Why add another website ? Well because it does something things better than others that I want to share with you. So what is it ?

1 - Onscreen solving - the maze generator includes a conversion of your cursor into a pencil when in the maze area. This allows you to hold down your mouse button and draw on the maze, solving it on the screen !! Personally I think this would be a wonderful site for children that love mazes (but I like it to). You may also change the color of your pencil (check out the rainbow option!) or use an emoji as your solving cursor. Here is an Isometric maze being solved with an orange pencil:

2- More Interesting Preset Styles - At the time of this writing there are 33 preset styles to choose from that are more interesting and fun than other websites give you. Rail, Jigsaw, and Isometric 3-D are three of my favorites. Here are the Rail and Jigsaw options:

3- Reset button - The button to generate a new maze means you can solve a maze, generate a new one and solve a new one right away ! No printing needed, it’s all done on screen. Perfect for kids.

Those are the 3 things that I think set this site apart. Here is the original review from the maze generator post with a few examples:

BONUS site: : maze4u

Shapes: 33+ : 33 different styles of maze are currently available to be generated, plus a Create button that allows additional options

Cell types:: Many. The 33 shapes include some unique inner cell shapes that are best explored on your own !!

Width and Height: Varies, but you do not control the output size for the 33 styles generated. However, under the Create button you can control the X and Y to create a maze in the size you want.

Start: Pre-defined in Style mazes

End: Pre-defined in Style mazes, internal or external in the Create section

Solution generated: No

Downloads available: Mazes are both shareable and Printable

Examples: 2 of the 33 styles are shown below (Rail and Jigsaw examples used above). Jigsaw, and Corn mazes.

So if you have some time check the site out, I think you will enjoy it !

A Collection of Common (and uncommon) Maze terms

Sure, you could use a dictionary, but why not look right here for the maze and labyrinth term definitions you are wondering about. Certainly not a complete list, but it should include most things you are looking for.

ADJUSTABLE MAZES - Real world mazes (Often hedge mazes) that can be changed by using maze gates.

ANFRACTUOSITY - A winding channel or course as in a maze.

ARROW MAZE - A maze where you must follow the direction of the arrows to solve the maze. Or - A maze containing arrows to limit the direction a solver may take the pathways.

AXONOMETRIC - A type of grid that allows a maze creator to draw an object in 3 dimensions on a flat piece of paper by rotating the line of sight.

CAERDROIA LABYRINTH - A type of Welsh turf maze based on the Cretan labyrinth design.

CHAKRA-VYUHA - An Indian labyrinth pattern used to focus a mother during childbirth.

COLOR MAZE - A type of conditional maze that uses color and color patterns to determine path decisions you can make to move forward in the mazes.

CONDITIONAL MAZE - A maze where rules or conditions are established on where you can move.

CORN MAZE - (Maize maze in UK) - A maze made from the strategic planting of corn stalks (or alternatively the removal of corn stalks).

DEAD END - A path in a maze that ends without reaching the goal where you must turn back and choose a new pathway.

DIRECTIONAL MAZE - A maze with one way passages where you must follow the direction indicated. A type of conditional maze.

ENTRANCE - The start of the maze or labyrinth where you enter it, although not all mazes have an entrance !

EXIT - The goal of the maze where you exit. In a labyrinth the exit is typically in the same location as the entrance although there are some exceptions such as a Baltic Wheel Labyrinth.

FREE DRAWN - A maze that does not use a pre-determined grid pattern for structure.

GOAL - The end of a maze !

GRID - A frame of spaced blocks that create the backbone to the design of many maze types.

HEDGE MAZE - A maze whose barriers are made of hedge.

HAND ON WALL SOLVING METHOD - A method of solving a real world maze that works on any “SIMPLY CONNECTED” Maze.

INTERACTIVE MAZE - A maze that changes as you move through it. Often achieved in WATER Mazes.

LABYRINTH - A maze with no decisions or junctions. Moving forward will get you to the goal.

MAZE GATES - Gates used to adjust mazes and change the paths allowing visitors to complete a maze multiple times.

MINOTAUR - A half bull / half human that in mythology was believed to live in the center of the labyrinth at Knossos.

MIRROR MAZE - A maze typically found in a carnival funhouse where the walls are made of mirrors to add complexity (and hopefully a bit of fun) for the solver.

ORIENTATION - Where you are in relation to your surroundings.

PATHWAY - The part of the maze or labyrinth that you travel on for physical paper and digital mazes.

PAVED STONE MAZE - A maze whose path is made of paved stone. borders may be made of earth/turf, ditches of water or stones of different colors than the path to differentiate them.

PUZZLE MAZE - Mazes that require some type of solving in order to determine proper movement in the maze. Examples are a Math maze, number maze, letter maze, and a block move maze.

SPIRAL - A common maze pathway design meant to confuse to solver as lines converge to a central point.

QUICK EXIT - In a real world maze, a quick exit takes you from the GOAL to the exit (often via a bridge or tunnel) so you don’t have to exit the maze by reversing your path.

THESEUS - Greek hero who killed the Minotaur according to legend.

TROY TOWN (OR TROYTOWN) - A name commonly given to turf mazes, especially in England, because in popular legend the city of Troy was laid out in a confusing way to confuse attacking enemies.

UNICURSAL - A single-pathed way with no decision points or junctions. Commonly referred to as a Labyrinth in the US.

WEAVING MAZE - A type of maze where the pathways weave above and below each other and allow the solver to solve in another dimension.

For a more complete list of the different types of mazes and labyrinths with examples and videos I suggest this post:

44 Different Types of Mazes and Labyrinths

And also this page with some fun quotes:

Quotes about Mazes and Labyrinths

A Collection of Maze and Labyrinth Resources

Below is a list of websites I have come across that I found helpful as I have researched various maze and labyrinth subjects.

labyrinthlocator.com

The leading worldwide search tool to find labyrinths near you or to plan a visit while you are on vacation. Includes locations, pictures, and contact information for over 6,000 labyrinths in an easy to search database. I have personally used this to find a nearby labyrinth to walk while I was on vacation.

veriditas.org

Non-profit dedicated to the spiritual aspect of walking labyrinths. Founded by Lauren Artress, author of the book Walking a Sacred Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Practice. Has an extensive calendar of events that include a pilgrimage to Chartres in France. Also offers facilitator training for leading spiritual labyrinth walks.

labyrinthsociety.org

Non-profit dedicated to “to support all those who create, maintain and use labyrinths, and to serve the global community by providing education, networking and opportunities to experience transformation” to quote their mission statement. Includes a wonderful events calendar that includes worldwide walking events.

www.mazegenerator.net

Exactly what the domain suggests, an online maze generator. You can select between 4 shapes, 4 styles of cells, along with the height and width.

labyrinthe.at

Labyrinth resource specializing in labyrinths in Austria. Wonderful for persons who are German speaking. Has a listing of labyrinth walking events in Europe, typically including Chartres Cathedral in France, as well as events in Austria and Germany.

hrp.org.uk

The historic royal palace website in England with a direct link above to the most famous maze in the world, The Hampton Court maze. Includes vistor information for tickets, and some historical information.

cathedrale-chartres.org

The Chartres Cathedral in France has the most famous church floor labyrinth. This pattern is thought to be the most copied labyrinth pattern. You can find pilgrimages there on many of the sites on this page, or you can plan a trip yourself on their website.

blogmymaze.wordpress.com

A blog about labyrinths from Erwin Reißmann and Andreas Frei. The cumulative amount of information is impressive and the research is excellent. Has been around since 2008.

relax4life.com

Site dedicated to holistic education and mindfulness that focuses on the healing power of labyrinths. They sell a variety of labyrinth themed products like labyrinth blankets, canvas labyrinths and an extensive collection of finger labyrinths.

sagebrushexchange.com

If you live near Kansas City, Missouri stop by the Prairia Labyrinth. Also explains the use of 7 chakras to spiritually explain the walk of a classical labyrinth.

ispiritual.com

A gift shop full of labyrinth items including jewelry, scarves, finger labyrinths and books.

paxworks.com

A little bit of everything labyrinth wise, with links to labyrinth themed books, music, videos, and a photo gallery.

And from this site:

How to make a Digital Maze (over 40 different types)

How to make a variety of Digital Labyrinths

The Surprising Benefits of Solving Mazes

classical labyrinth