Stereotypical baby names have fallen out of fashion, as couples seek to make their child stand out of the crowd. The old standbys have slowly fallen to the wayside, while newer names have risen in popularity.
For 37 years, Michael held the place as the most popular boys name. Only in 1999 did it finally fall to second, replaced by Jacob, a name not even in the top ten in 1992. The third place boys name in 2005, Joshua, has been one of the top ten contenders since 1979, but wasn’t even in the top 100 names in 1970. And the top five spot, held by Ethan, was ranked 17 in only 2001.
Girls names tend to be less traditional. Granted, #1 on the list, Emily, has held the position for almost ten years, but in 1991 it had just snagged the #10 spot. Madison holds fast at #3, but it just grabbed spot #10 in 1997, and wasn’t even in the top 100 names in 1992. Isabella ranks #6 for 2005, but in 2003, it hadn’t even made the top 10, and in 1997, it didn’t rank in the top 100. And Ava, #9 for 2005, was in the 133rd spot only four years earlier in 2001.
Examining the rankings, I found out that my daughter, Dawn, may well be the only one in her class, since her name didn’t even make the top 1000 in 2001, the year she was born. My sons seem to be more likely to find similarly named classmates – Michael, my oldest, holds steady at #2 and will probably have as much fun as his father did with friends using the same name, while Jimmy (or James), ranked 17 in 2007. In the meantime, it’s no wonder with a name like Nola that I never found anyone else; the name hasn’t ranked in the top 1000 since 1964.
On the other hand, I originally wanted a daughter named Aurora instead of Dawn, but was talked out of it by pretty much everyone. While Dawn didn’t hit the top 1000, Aurora ranked 418 in the same year. To think my in-laws swore she would be teased. Apparently she’ll get picked on more as Dawn. And if I had reversed the ‘ae’ to make Michael into Micheal, then my son would have ranked #357 when he was born in 2003.
Want to know where your names rank? Check out the Social Security Administration’s Popular Baby Names web site. While I wouldn’t use rankings to pick a name for my child, it certainly can help you make a good argument for an unusual name. And perhaps looking at other names chosen over the years will give you an idea of a name for your baby.
Freelance writer Nola Redd writes fiction and nonfiction, some of which is stored in her Writing.com portfolio. This article has been submitted in affiliation with http://www.BabyNameVote.Com/ which is a site for Baby Names.
