Follow this link to find the most popular names of 2004:
http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/
So, if you're expecting out there and wanting to give one of these cool hip names, don't. Every other kid in your child's class will have the same name. In other words, it's a fad. And it will seem dated in the future. **You can search to see how popular your name has been. For fun, I mention that my name (not disclosed here) was apparently around 300 on the list for quite a while until about the year I was born, when it began its long plunge and then disappeared off the top 1,000 list in 1993.
It's a sad commentary on American culture that everyone sees the same popular names on TV shows and then just gives them to their kids without thinking. For example, Kobe appears on the list for the first time in 1997 at 553 on the list, and went up to about 250. In 2004, it went back to below 400.
You can see changes in demographics and politics too. 2004 is the first year that Jesus outranked Jesse. Mohammed has declined sharply since 2001. George was #8 in 1938 and has declined each year to 148 now. In California, Jose is #4. In New York, it's #60. In Texas, it's #1. Anyone who wants to know which names to give their children can go to the West Virginia site and take instruction (or warning). For boys, the top ten include Logan, Hunter and Tyler. For girls, Madison tops the list. In Utah, Brooklyn is #8 for girls.
Other news has to do with twin names. Some on this blog may know why that subject interests me. The top two sets for boy twins are "Jacob/Joshua" and "Taylor/Tyler." Can you imagine? I mean, to be mistaken for one's twin would be bad enough, but the constant name confusion? Of course, in an age of fertility drugs, the % of identical twins has decreased as a % of all twins. For girls, the idiocy is topped by "Madison/Morgan" (GIRLS, if you can believe that!). In fact, with the exception of "Faith" and "Hope" you have to get to #15 on the list to find a pair of names with different initial letters. Trying to save on monograms? Jeez! For God's sake, do NOT do that to your kids. It's not funny. It's not cute. It's a form of child abuse.
**Particularly stay away from "Madison" for a girl, as the name is (1) a surname, and (2) is an older corruption of "son of Matthew" -- not appropriate for a girl! Try not to seem ignorant as well as trendy.
2 comments:
I think that any boy named Logan, Hunter or Tyler should be banned from donating blood or sperm.
Same goes for any girl named after a state, city or county except the sperm ban would obviously not apply to them.
My own name is ethnic. It is currently in the top 25 for boys but when I was born it was ranked around 150. Unfortunately, a wave of ignorant parents from outside my ethnic group have recently started giving my name to girls as well...such people should also be banned from donating blood or sperm.
// posted by Raised By Republicans
Well, LTG, shall we congratulate you on the upcoming birth of twins? So what shall we do with quintuplets?
Actually, the top 10 list for boys has many classic (i.e. biblical) names. Andrew, for instance, is a big name in my family as is Elisabeth. What I really dislike is when Andy and Lizzie are used. My niece, Elisabeth, thinks being called Lizzie is cool. Teenagers. What can you do?
Be careful what you say about place names for children. My grandfather was named Austin. I am surprised that hasn't caught on more. A friend named her daughter Montana back in the 1980s and we were unpleasantly surprised by the name my sister-in-law choose for my niece. Destany. Don't get me started!
Surprisingly, my name (which I seem to be hearing on the street more often these days) doesn't appear in the top 1000 any year. And if I meet another Jennifer, I am going to puke. But if you want to get really nit picky, I hate people who change the spelling of older names in order to be more hip.
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