The naming of hurricanes is a practice that has been in use for over 70 years, and has become an important tool in tracking and communicating information about these powerful storms.
Since the early 1950s, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) has been using a rotating list of names to identify hurricanes in the Atlantic basin, with names assigned in alphabetical order each year.
This naming system has become a valuable aid for meteorologists, emergency responders, and the public in tracking and preparing for the potential impact of hurricanes.
The practice of naming hurricanes began with the purpose of reducing confusion when multiple storms were active in the same region.
Before the use of names, storms were identified by their latitude and longitude coordinates, which could be difficult to remember and communicate.
The first hurricane to be named under this system was Hurricane Able in 1950, and since then, the practice has become an established tradition.
The names given to hurricanes are selected by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and are usually chosen from a pre-determined list of names.
The names are often chosen based on their cultural and historical significance, and they are rotated every six years.
If a hurricane is particularly destructive or deadly, its name may be retired and replaced with a new name in future years.
In this article, we will explore the history of hurricane names, and examine the criteria used to select the names.
We will also list out retired hurricane names.
Overall, the naming of hurricanes has become an important aspect of our understanding and management of these natural disasters, and has contributed significantly to the safety and well-being of people living in hurricane-prone areas.
Hurricane Names for Each Year Since 1953
Here are the hurricane names for each year since 1953 (when hurricane naming became common practice):
1953:
- Alice, Barbara, Carol, Dolly, Edna, Florence, Gail, Hazel
1954:
- Alice, Barbara, Carol, Dolly, Edna, Florence, Gail, Hazel, Ida
1955:
- Alice, Barbara, Carol, Dolly, Edna, Florence, Gail, Hazel, Ida, Janet
1956:
- Alice, Barbara, Carol, Dolly, Edna, Florence, Gail, Hazel, Ida, Janet, Katie
1957:
- Audrey, Bertha, Carrie, Dolly, Edna, Florence, Gilda, Hazel, Irma
1958:
- Alma, Becky, Carrie, Daisy, Ella, Flossy, Gilda, Helene, Ida, Judith
1959:
- Arlene, Beulah, Cindy, Debra, Ethel, Flora, Gerda, Hannah, Irma, Judith
1960:
- Alma, Betsy, Cleo, Donna, Ethel, Flora, Gerda, Hattie
1961:
- Anna, Betsy, Carla, Debbie, Ella, Flossie, Gerda, Hattie, Inga
1962:
- Alma, Becky, Carrie, Daisy, Ella, Flossie, Gilda, Helene, Ida, Judith
1963:
- Arlene, Beulah, Cindy, Debra, Ethel, Flora, Gerda, Hannah, Irma, Judith
1964:
- Cleo, Dora, Ethel, Faith, Gerda, Hilda, Isbell, Cleo
1965:
- Anna, Betsy, Carla, Debbie, Ella, Flossie, Gerda, Hattie, Inga
1966:
- Alma, Becky, Carrie, Daisy, Ella, Flossie, Gilda, Helene, Ida, Judith
1967:
- Arlene, Beulah, Cindy, Debra, Ethel, Flora, Gerda, Hannah, Irma, Judith
1968:
- Abby, Brenda, Cleo, Dolly, Edna, Flossie, Gerda, Gladys, Hallie, Isabel
1969:
- Blanche, Camille, Debbie, Eve, Francelia, Gerda, Holly, Isbell, Joanna, Kara
1970:
- Alma, Celia, Dorothy, Ethel, Fifi, Greta, Holly, Isbell, Joan
1971:
- Arlene, Bret, Chloe, Doria, Edith, Fern, Ginger, Heidi, Irene, Judy
1972:
- Agnes, Betty, Candy, Daisy, Elaine, Fern, Gilda, Holly, Isbell, Joan
1973:
- Alice, Brenda, Carmen, Delia, Ellen, Flossie, Gladys, Heather, Inga
1974:
- Alma, Becky, Carmen, Dolly, Ellen, Fifi, Gertrude, Holly, Isbell, Judy
1975:
- Amy, Caroline, Eloise, Faye, Gladys, Henri, Inez, Judy, Katrina
1976:
- Belle, Carmen, Dorothy, Emmy, Frances, Greta, Hallie, Joyce
1977:
- Anita, Babe, Clara, Dottie, Emmy, Fern, Georgia, Holly, Irma, Judy, Kit, Lily, Minnie, Norma, Odette, Pauline, Roxie, Susie, Tanya, Vanessa, Wendy
1978:
- Amelia, Bess, Cora, Debra, Ella, Flossie, Greta, Hope, Judith
1979:
- Bob, Claudette, David, Elena, Frederic, Gloria, Henri, Isabel, Juan
1980:
- Allen, Bonnie, Charley, Danielle, Earl, Frances, Georges, Hermine, Ivan, Jeanne
1981:
- Arlene, Bret, Cindy, Dennis, Emily, Floyd, Gert, Harvey, Irene, Jose
1982:
- Alberto, Beryl, Chris, Debby, Ernesto, Florence, Gilbert, Helene, Isaac, Joan
1983:
- Alicia, Barry, Chantal, Dean, Erin, Felix, Gabrielle, Humberto, Isabel, Jerry
1984:
- Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal, Diana, Edouard, Fran, Gustav, Hortense, Isidore, Josephine
1985:
- Ana, Bob, Claudette, Danny, Elena, Fabian, Gloria, Henri, Isabel, Juan, Kate
1986:
- Bonnie, Charley, Danielle, Earl, Fran, Gabrielle, Hugo, Iris, Jerry
1987:
- Arlene, Bret, Cindy, Dean, Emily, Floyd, Gert, Harvey, Irene, Jose
1988:
- Alberto, Beryl, Chris, Debby, Ernesto, Florence, Gilbert, Helene, Isaac, Joan
1989:
- Allison, Barry, Chantal, Dean, Erin, Felix, Gabrielle, Humberto, Iris, Jerry
1990:
- Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal, Dolly, Edouard, Fran, Gustav, Hortense, Isidore, Josephine
1991:
- Ana, Bob, Claudette, Danny, Erika, Fabian, Grace, Henri, Isabel, Juan
1992:
- Andrew, Bonnie, Charley, Danielle, Earl, Frances, Georges, Hermine, Ivan, Jeanne
1993:
- Arlene, Bret, Cindy, Emily, Floyd, Gert, Harvey, Irene, Jose, Katrin
1994:
- Alberto, Beryl, Chris, Debby, Ernesto, Florence, Gordon, Helene, Isaac, Joyce
1995:
- Allison, Barry, Chantal, Dean, Erin, Felix, Gabrielle, Humberto, Iris, Jerry, Karen
1996:
- Arthur, Bertha, Cesar, Dolly, Edouard, Fran, Hortense, Isidore, Josephine, Kyle, Lili
1997:
- Ana, Bill, Claudette, Danny, Erika, Fabian, Grace, Henri, Isabel, Jeanne, Kate
1998:
- Alex, Bonnie, Charley, Danielle, Earl, Frances, Georges, Hermine, Ivan, Jeanne, Karl
1999:
- Arlene, Bret, Cindy, Dennis, Emily, Floyd, Gert, Harvey, Irene, Jose, Katrina
2000:
- Alberto, Beryl, Chris, Debby, Ernesto, Florence, Gordon, Helene, Isaac, Joyce, Keith
2001:
- Allison, Barry, Chantal, Dean, Erin, Felix, Gabrielle, Humberto, Iris, Jerry, Karen
2002:
- Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal, Dolly, Edouard, Fay, Gustav, Hanna, Isidore, Josephine, Kyle
2003:
- Ana, Bill, Claudette, Danny, Erika, Fabian, Grace, Henri, Isabel, Juan, Kate
2004:
- Alex, Bonnie, Charley, Danielle, Earl, Frances, Gaston, Hermine, Ivan, Jeanne, Karl, Lisa, Matthew, Nicole, Otto
2005:
- Arlene, Bret, Cindy, Dennis, Emily, Franklin, Gert, Harvey, Irene, Jose, Katrina, Lee, Maria, Nate, Ophelia, Philippe, Rita, Stan, Tammy, Vince, Wilma
2006:
- Alberto, Beryl, Chris, Debby, Ernesto, Florence, Gordon, Helene, Isaac, Joyce, Kirk, Leslie
2007:
- Andrea, Barry, Chantal, Dean, Erin, Felix, Gabrielle, Humberto, Ingrid, Jerry, Karen, Lorenzo, Melissa, Noel, Olga, Pablo, Rebekah, Sebastien, Tanya, Van, Wendy
2008:
- Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal, Dolly, Edouard, Fay, Gustav, Hanna, Ike, Josephine, Kyle, Laura, Marco, Nana, Omar, Paloma, Rene, Sally, Teddy, Vicky, Wilfred
2009:
- Ana, Bill, Claudette, Danny, Erika, Fred, Grace, Henri, Ida, Joaquin, Kate, Larry, Mindy, Nicholas, Odette, Peter, Rose, Sam, Teresa, Victor, Wanda
2010:
- Alex, Bonnie, Colin, Danielle, Earl, Fiona, Gaston, Hermine, Igor, Julia, Karl, Lisa, Matthew, Nicole, Otto, Paula, Richard, Shary, Tomas, Virginie, Walter
2011:
- Arlene, Bret, Cindy, Don, Emily, Franklin, Gert, Harvey, Irene, Jose, Katia, Lee, Maria, Nate, Ophelia, Philippe, Rina, Sean, Tammy, Vince, Whitney
2012:
- Alberto, Beryl, Chris, Debby, Ernesto, Florence, Gordon, Helene, Isaac, Joyce, Kirk, Leslie, Michael, Nadine, Oscar, Patty, Rafael, Sandy, Tony, Valerie, William
2013:
- Andrea, Barry, Chantal, Dorian, Erin, Fernand, Gabrielle, Humberto, Ingrid, Jerry, Karen, Lorenzo, Melissa, Nestor, Olga, Pablo, Rebekah, Sebastien, Tanya, Van, Wendy
2014:
- Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal, Dolly, Edouard, Fay, Gonzalo, Hanna, Isaias, Josephine, Kyle, Laura, Marco, Nana, Omar, Paulette, Rene, Sally, Teddy, Vicky, Wilfred
2015:
- Ana, Bill, Claudette, Danny, Erika, Fred, Grace, Henri, Ida, Joaquin, Kate, Larry, Mindy, Nicholas, Odette, Peter, Rose, Sam, Teresa, Victor, Wanda
2016:
- Alex, Bonnie, Colin, Danielle, Earl, Fiona, Gaston, Hermine, Ian, Julia, Karl, Lisa, Matthew, Nicole, Otto, Paula, Richard, Shary, Tobias, Virginie, Walter
2017:
- Arlene, Bret, Cindy, Don, Emily, Franklin, Gert, Harvey, Irma, Jose, Katia, Lee, Maria, Nate, Ophelia, Philippe, Rina, Sean, Tammy, Vince, Whitney
2018:
- Alberto, Beryl, Chris, Debby, Ernesto, Florence, Gordon, Helene, Isaac, Joyce, Kirk, Leslie, Michael, Nadine, Oscar, Patty, Rafael, Sara, Tony, Valerie, William
2019:
- Andrea, Barry, Chantal, Dorian, Erin, Fernand, Gabrielle, Humberto, Imelda, Jerry, Karen, Lorenzo, Melissa, Nestor, Olga, Pablo, Rebekah, Sebastien, Tanya, Van, Wendy
2020:
- Arthur, Bertha, Cristobal, Dolly, Edouard, Fay, Gonzalo, Hanna, Isaias, Josephine, Kyle, Laura, Marco, Nana, Omar, Paulette, Rene, Sally, Teddy, Vicky, Wilfred
2021:
- Ana, Bill, Claudette, Danny, Elsa, Fred, Grace, Henri, Ida, Julian, Kate, Larry, Mindy, Nicholas, Odette, Peter, Rose, Sam, Teresa, Victor, Wanda
2022:
- Alex, Bonnie, Colin, Danielle, Earl, Fiona, Gaston, Hermine, Ian, Julia, Karl, Lisa, Matthew, Nicole, Otto, Paula, Richard, Shary, Tobias, Virginie, Walter
2023:
- Arlene, Bret, Cindy, Don, Emily, Franklin, Gert, Harvey, Irma, Jose, Katia, Lee, Maria, Nate, Ophelia, Philippe, Rina, Sean, Tammy, Vince, Whitney
2024:
- Alberto
- Beryl
- Chris
- Debby
- Ernesto
- Francine
- Gordon
- Helene
- Isaac
- Joyce
- Kirk
- Leslie
- Milton
- Nadine
- Oscar
- Patty
- Rafael
- Sara
- Tony
- Valerie
- William
2025:
- Ana
- Bill
- Claudette
- Danny
- Elsa
- Fred
- Grace
- Henri
- Ida
- Julian
- Kate
- Larry
- Mindy
- Nicholas
- Odette
- Peter
- Rose
- Sam
- Teresa
- Victor
- Wanda
2026:
- Arthur
- Bertha
- Cristobal
- Dolly
- Edouard
- Fay
- Gonzalo
- Hanna
- Isaias
- Josephine
- Kyle
- Leah
- Marco
- Nana
- Omar
- Paulette
- Rene
- Sally
- Teddy
- Vicky
- Wilfred
2027:
- Ana
- Bill
- Claudette
- Danny
- Elsa
- Fred
- Grace
- Henri
- Imani
- Julian
- Kate
- Larry
- Mindy
- Nicholas
- Odette
- Peter
- Rose
- Sam
- Teresa
- Victor
- Wanda
Retired Hurricane Names
When a hurricane is particularly destructive or deadly, its name may be retired and replaced with a new name in future years.
The following is a list of hurricane names that have been retired since the current naming system began in 1953:
1955:
- Diane
- Ione
1957:
- Audrey
1960:
- Donna
1961:
- Carla
1963:
- Flora
1964:
- Cleo
- Dora
- Hilda
1965:
- Betsy
1966:
- Inez
1967:
- Beulah
1969:
- Camille
1970:
- Celia
1972:
- Agnes
1974:
- Carmen
- Fifi
1975:
- Eloise
1977:
- Anita
1979:
- David
- Frederic
1980:
- Allen
1983:
- Alicia
1985:
- Elena
- Gloria
1988:
- Gilbert
- Joan
1989:
- Hugo
1991:
- Bob
1992:
- Andrew
1995:
- Luis
- Marilyn
- Opal
- Roxanne
1996:
- Cesar
- Fran
- Hortense
1998:
- Georges
- Mitch
1999:
- Floyd
- Lenny
2000:
- Keith
2001:
- Allison
- Iris
- Michelle
2002:
- Isidore
- Lili
2003:
- Fabian
- Isabel
- Juan
2004:
- Charley
- Frances
- Ivan
- Jeanne
2005:
- Dennis
- Katrina
- Rita
- Stan
- Wilma
2007:
- Dean
- Felix
2008:
- Gustav
- Ike
- Paloma
2010:
- Igor
- Tomas
2011:
- Irene
2012:
- Sandy
2013:
- Ingrid
2015:
- Erika
- Joaquin
- Patricia
2016:
- Matthew
2017:
- Harvey
- Irma
- Maria
- Nate
2018:
- Florence
- Michael
2019:
- Dorian
- Imelda
2020:
- Laura
- Eta
- Iota
2021:
- Ida
2022:
- Fiona
- Ian
How Do Hurricanes Get Names?
FAQs – Hurricane Names
When did hurricanes start being named?
Hurricanes started being named regularly in the early 1950s by the United States National Hurricane Center (NHC).
Hurricane George was the first named hurricane that caused damage to Fort Lauderdale in 1947.
The practice of naming hurricanes was originally adopted to avoid confusion when multiple storms were active at the same time.
The first hurricane to be named under this system was Hurricane Able in 1950. At that time, only female names were used, but in 1979, the practice was changed to include both male and female names.
Today, a list of names is used to identify hurricanes in the Atlantic basin, with names assigned in alphabetical order each year.
If a hurricane is particularly destructive or deadly, its name may be retired and replaced with a new name in future years.
Why are hurricanes named?
Hurricanes are named to help identify and track them more easily, and to reduce confusion when multiple storms are active in the same region.
The use of names for hurricanes began in the early 1950s, and since then, it has become an established practice by the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
Naming hurricanes allows for better communication among meteorologists, emergency responders, and the public. It is much easier to remember and communicate the name of a storm than its numerical designation.
It also helps to create greater awareness and interest in storm warnings and preparedness, which can help save lives and reduce the impact of a hurricane.
The names given to hurricanes are selected by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and are usually chosen from a pre-determined list of names.
The names are often chosen based on their cultural and historical significance, and they are rotated every six years. If a hurricane is particularly destructive or deadly, its name may be retired and replaced with a new name in future years.
How are hurricanes named?
Hurricanes are named according to a system developed by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The WMO maintains a rotating list of names for Atlantic hurricanes, which is updated every six years.
The list of names for Atlantic hurricanes consists of 21 names, one for each letter of the alphabet except for Q, U, X, Y, and Z.
The names are assigned in alphabetical order, alternating between male and female names.
If a hurricane causes significant damage or loss of life, its name may be retired and replaced with a new name.
The naming of hurricanes serves several purposes. It helps to avoid confusion when multiple storms are active at the same time, and it also helps to raise public awareness of the storms and their potential impacts.
Additionally, the use of names can help with communication between forecasters, emergency responders, and the public.
Conclusion – Hurricane Names
The practice of naming hurricanes has proven to be a valuable tool in tracking and communicating these dangerous storms.
Since the early 1950s, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) has used a rotating list of names to identify hurricanes in the Atlantic basin, with names assigned in alphabetical order each year.
The use of names makes it easier for meteorologists, emergency responders, and the public to communicate and remember information about the storm, increasing awareness and preparedness efforts.
When a hurricane is particularly destructive or deadly, its name may be retired and replaced with a new name in future years.
These retired names serve as a reminder of the impact and devastation that these storms can cause.
Overall, the naming of hurricanes has become an important part of our understanding and management of these natural disasters.
