Some New Names for a New Millennium
May 12, 2015 § Leave a comment
The article linked in this post talks about some names that just plain weren’t on the radar before the year 2000, but which shot up in popularity after the turn of the millennium. Names that made the cut include:
For girls: Adalyn, Arabella, Arya, Brynlee, Isla, Jaylah, Khloe, Londyn, Lyla, Mila, Nevaeh, Norah, Paisley, and Vivienne
For boys: Beckett, Bentley, Brantley, Cash, Gael, Jax, Karter, King, Kingston, Maddox, Riker / Ryker, and Zayden
For more information on these names, where they ranked, when they hit the big time, and some commentary on the contributing trends, click through to the article!
“Popular Names That Basically Didn’t Exist Before 2000”
(Related: “5 of the Hottest Baby-Naming Trends of 2015“)
The Decade’s Trendiest Baby Names
April 24, 2015 § Leave a comment
Following is a link to an article about the 15 trendiest baby names in the U.S. (those which have shown the fastest increase in popularity). If you’re looking to stay on top of fashion, or are hoping to avoid blending in with the crowd, this is some handy information, here.
Names included on the list are: Aria / Arya, Aubree (alternate spelling of “Aubrey”), Bentley, Easton, Harper, Jase (shortened version of “Jason”), Jaxson (alternate spelling of “Jackson“), Khloe (alternate spelling of “Chloe”), Lincoln, London, Mila, Paisley (side note: I cannot believe people actually name their children after a print fabric!), Penelope, Scarlett, Violet
Click through for more information (like when the names first hit the charts, and how long their rise to popularity has been coming):
“Today’s Trendiest, Fastest Rising Baby Names“
Everything Old is New Again
April 5, 2015 § 2 Comments
I’ve long been of the opinion that there are many classic names that are long since due for a revival. I’d like to see more Olivers and Theodores and Maudies and Candaces and even Victorias running around. Apparently, I’m not the only one, as these links illustrates (click through for the whys and wherefores):
- “20 Victorian Baby Names That Are In Style For 2015“
- “20 Old-Fashioned Baby Names That Are Back In Style“
- “10 Traditional Baby Names That Are Making A Comeback“
For girls: Adeline, Alice, Alma, Amelia, Aubrey, Blanche, Clara, Cora, Edith, Effie, Evelyn, Florence, Hattie, Hazel, Leah, Lillian, Lucy, Maggie, Naomi, Nora, Olive, Ruth, Sadie, and Stella
For boys: Alfred, Bernard, Charlie, Eli, Everett, Henry, Harold, Henry, Isaac, Jack, Jasper, Leo, Max, Oliver, Oscar, Owen, Raymond, Samuel, Silas, and Warren
What other names do you think should make a comeback?
More Than 100 Years of the Most Popular Girls’ Names in the U.S.
March 19, 2015 § Leave a comment
The video shown in the linked article is a fascinating graphic representation of the most popular girls’ names in the U.S., year by year, since 1880, and includes interesting statistical analysis as well as historical context. A running list shows the top ten for each year, and how they change, while the bubble graph includes all of the most popular names for the year. Click through the link to see what names ranked where in popularity:
“See the popularity of hundreds of U.S. girls’ names evolve every year for 133 years.”
The names which have made the top three since 1880 include:
Alexis, Amanda, Amy, Anna, Ashley, Barbara, Betty, Brittany, Deborah, Debra, Dorothy, Elizabeth, Emily, Emma, Hannah, Heather, Helen, Isabella, Jennifer, Jessica, Karen, Kimberley, Linda, Lisa, Madison, Margaret, Mary, Melissa, Michelle, Olivia, Patricia, Ruth, Samantha, Sarah, Shirley, Sophia, and Susan
What do you think? Did your name make the list, and if so, where and when? Any particular trends that caught your eye? (For me, I think it was interesting to see Emma make it back onto the top three after a hundred years or so! Everything old is new again, I suppose.)
Some Names for Girls Inspired by Amazing Women from History
March 7, 2015 § Leave a comment
Names that made the list are:
Beatrice, Charlotte, Christina, Clara, Cleopatra, Daphne, Diana, Dorothy, Harriet, Mercy, Pearl, and Rose.
Want to know which Charlotte, Diana, Rose, etc. they’re talking about? Click through the following link to find out more about these wonderful women and why they’d be great choices to name your girl (person, pet, or character) after! And feel free to share any additions you’d make to the list!
Endangered or Extinct Last Names
January 28, 2015 § 1 Comment
The linked articles list some last names which are going (or have already gone) the way of the dodo, and discuss some of the reasons for their disappearance. Did you even know last names could go extinct? (Also, don’t you think some of these last names sound perfect for gnomes or hobbits?)
9 Last Names on the Brink of Extinction:
“Any last name with under 200 “bearers” is endangered, and we’ve found some which are even extinct. Do you have a rare last name on the verge of extinction? Or is your last name extremely common?”
Endangered last names:
Ajax, Edevane, Gastrell, and Slora
Critically-endangered last names (fewer than 20 bearers):
Berrycloth, Birdwhistle, Dankworth, Fernsby, Loughty, MacQuoid, Miracle, Relish, Sallow, Tumbler, and Villan / Villin
Extinct last names:
Bread, Bythesea, Bytheseashore, MacCaa, Puscat, Pusset, Pussmaid, and Spinster
10 English Surnames About to Go Extinct:
Names which have disappeared from England and Wales (extinct last names):
Chips, Harred, Hatman, Jarsdel, Nithercott, Raynott, Rummage, Southwark, Temples, and Woodbead
Names with fewer than 50 bearers through England and Wales (critically endangered last names):
Bonneville, Carla, Febland, Fernard, Grader, Gruger, Mirren, Nighy, Pober, and Portendorfer.
Names dying out the fastest in England and Wales, compared to the 1901 census (endangered last names):
Ashworth, Brook, Butterworth, Clegg, Cohen, Crowther, Greenwood, Haigh, Ingham, Kershaw, Nuttal, Ogden, Pratt, Sutcliffe, and William
Can you think of any other uncommon or vanished last names?
(Also, if you’re looking for endangered or extinct first names, try this post!)
Some Formerly-Popular Baby Names for Girls
January 20, 2015 § Leave a comment
Here is an article about some names that were once top of the list in popularity for baby girls, but have since gone nearly extinct. What do you think? Is it time to resurrect some of these old-fashioned names? (Note: If you’re looking for good names for characters, remember that the young adults of any particular decade would be likely to have a popular baby name of ~20 years earlier. So, say, an Ethel born in the 1890s would be a “new woman” of the WWI years, or even a “flapper” of the 1920s!)
Bertha (popular in the 1880s)
Betty (popular throughout the 1930s)
Doris (popular in the 1930s)
Dorothy (popular in the 1920s)
Edna (popular from the 1880s through to the 1920s)
Ethel (popular in the 1890s through the early 1900s)
Florence (popular from the 1880s-1930s)
Gladys (popular around the 1890s-1910s)
Ida (popular in the 1880s)
Mildred (popular in the 1910s-1920s)
Minnie (popular in the late 1800s)
Tammy (popular in the 1960s)
Most Common Names for Some Common Jobs
January 7, 2015 § Leave a comment
Click here to see an infographic showing the six most disproportionately common names for for 37 professions. The data was gathered from U.S. public records, with some rather interesting (and useful, if, for example, you’re trying to choose a name that really suits a particular character) results. What do you think: Do certain names just sound right for certain jobs? Were there any results that surprised you? Are you in the right position for your name (keep in mind, some names show up for more than one occupation)?
– ACCOUNTANT: Adele, Charmaine, Kurtis, Maribel, Mindy, and Mitzi.
– BIOLOGIST: Cheryl, Janet, Nicholas, Sara, Stuart, and Suzanne.
– CAR SALESPERSON: Allen, Bob, Clay, Larry, Pete, and Travis.
– DRUMMER: Billy, Chad, Dave, Joey, Mickey, and Tommy.
– ELECTRICAL ENGINEER: Alfred, Bernard, Charles, Edwin, Eugene, and Harvey.
– FARMER: Darin, Delbert, Duane, Elwood, Marlin, and Mavis.
– FIREFIGHTER: Brandon, Darren, Jason, Jeremy, Matthew, and Ryan.
– FITNESS INSTRUCTOR: Jennifer, Julie, Karen, Pamela, Rebecca, and Virginia.
– FOOTBALL COACH: Bill, Dan, Jim, Mike, Rich, and Steve.
– FOOTBALL PLAYER: Darnell, Derrick, Jermaine, Nate, Quinton, and Reggie.
– GEOLOGIST: Frederick, Henry, Hugh, Leonard, Samuel, and William.
– GOLFER: Bobby, Bud, Johnny, Simon, Tommy, and Willie.
– GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Alison, Diana, Jan, Jessica, Kurt, and Vanessa.
– GUITARIST: Buddy, Eddie, Mick, Richie, Sonny, and Trey.
– HAIRDRESSER: James, Lori, Patricia, Raymond, Robert, and Susan.
– HISTORIAN: Adrienne, Caroline, Emma, Henry, Herbert, and Theodore.
– INSURANCE SALESPERSON: Brent, Clark, Dalton, Garrett, Mac, and Patty.
– INTERIOR DESIGNER: Bonnie, Elise, Lynne, Marjorie, Martha, and Melinda.
– JOURNALIST: Alastair, Angus, Gideon, Hanna, Jonah, and Louisa.
– JUDGE: Archibald, Clement, Josiah, Lise, Louise, and Rufus.
– LAWYER: Augustus, Cecily, Marshal, Norton, Sanford, and William.
– LIBRARIAN: Abigail, Eleanor, Johanna, Julia, Margot, and Nanette.
– MECHANIC: Dave, Fred, Jerry, Patrick, Randy, and Rick.
– METEOROLOGIST: Bill, Jeff, Joe, Jim, Mike, and Scott.
– PHOTOGRAPHER: Annie, Bruno, Hugo, Noah, Tracey, and Zoe.
– POET: Anne, Celia, Dorothy, Edgar, Edmund, and Hannah.
– POLICE OFFICER: Kevin, Kim, Louis, Raymond, Timothy, and Wayne.
– RABBI: Chaim, Judah, Meir, Moshe, Shlomo, and Yosef.
– RACE CAR DRIVER: Bobby, Jimmy, Johnny, Luigi, Robbie, and Sebastian.
– RANCHER: Boyd, Clifford, Judy, Leland, Leroy, and Roy.
– SOCIAL WORKER: Constance, Jeannette, Marsha, Penelope, Stella, and Vivian.
– SOLDIER: Jacob, Jeremy, Joshua, Justin, Kyle, and Zachary.
– SONGWRITER: Benny, Billy, Mick, Richie, Sonny, and Stevie.
– STUNT-PERSON: Alex, Ben, Eddie, Erik, Terry, and Tom.
– SURGEON: Barrett, Harris, Holly, Jefferson, Sanford, and Sherwin.
– VENTURE CAPITALIST: Alexander, Doug, Guy, Joanna, Nicholas, and Shawn.
– VETERINARIAN: Gene, Larry, Peggy, Sara, Tracy, and Wayne.
Top 20 Baby Names for Naughty (and Nice) Children
December 4, 2014 § Leave a comment
Here’s an article about the names shared by kids “most likely to misbehave“. Are you on the naughty list? Do you need to clean up your act before Santa comes to town? Or maybe just change your name real quick so you can make the nice list?
Worst-Behaved Girl Names:
Amber, Bethany, Caitlin, Courtney, Eleanor, Ella, Holly, Jade, Laura, and Olivia
Best-Behaved Girl Names:
Abigail, Alice, Amy, Charlotte, Emily, Emma, Georgia, Grace, Hannah, and Sophie
Worst-Behaved Boy Names:
Benjamin, Cameron, Ethan, Jake, Jamie, Joseph, Joshua, Lewis, Luke, and William
Best-Behaved Boy Names:
Adam, Daniel, Harry, Jack, Jacob, James, Oliver, Ryan, Samuel, and Thomas
A Bevy of Very British Names
November 21, 2014 § Leave a comment
A series of links to articles on British names (you can find a second installment here). Some popular, some not-so-popular, but all veddy veddy British. Click through for more info on the names themselves!
10 Extremely British Baby Names for Girls:
Ada, Agatha, Amelia, Boadicea (or Boudicca), Edith, Frideswide, Gladys, Lettice, Myrtle, Nora, and Olivia
10 British Girls’ Names That Struggled to Cross the Pond:
Bronwyn, Bryony, Cerys, Hermione, Imogen, Nichola, Nigella, Poppy, Rhiannon, and Tamsin
10 Extremely British Baby Names for Boys:
Alastair, Conall, Crispin, Duncan, Ellis, Euan, Fergus, Kenzie, Lachlan, and Piers
10 British Boys’ Names That Struggled to Cross the Pond:
Alfie, Basil, Ewan, Gareth, Hugh, Menzies, Murray, Nigel, Rupert, and St. John