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Help[Opinions] Re: American Names
in reply to a message by Felie
Regional differences can be subtle and vary between communities. For instance, Detroit and Grand Rapids may have different styles even though they are both in Michigan. Within the American South, Tennessee, South Carolina, and New Orleans have many cultural differences that probably impact names.
In the northeastern US, traditional names linked to historic personalities seem common. For instance, while the rest of the country has a lot of boys named Noah and Liam, I would expect to encounter comparatively more boys named Benjamin (Benjamin Franklin), Henry, Thomas (Thomas Jefferson) and maybe Lincoln than in the US as a whole. To a lesser extent, I associate names like Julian with the northeast more than with other areas, but I haven’t researched this.
Added: The Rocky Mountain region and more western Midwest areas like North Dakota, Montana, Nebraska, etc. seam to have more unconventional/free-spirited names like Ryker, Maverick, Easton, and Nash.
The Pacific Coast (Oregon, Washington, and parts of California) seems more hipster, so I would expect some names to reflect that like Sebastian and Penelope.
In the northeastern US, traditional names linked to historic personalities seem common. For instance, while the rest of the country has a lot of boys named Noah and Liam, I would expect to encounter comparatively more boys named Benjamin (Benjamin Franklin), Henry, Thomas (Thomas Jefferson) and maybe Lincoln than in the US as a whole. To a lesser extent, I associate names like Julian with the northeast more than with other areas, but I haven’t researched this.
Added: The Rocky Mountain region and more western Midwest areas like North Dakota, Montana, Nebraska, etc. seam to have more unconventional/free-spirited names like Ryker, Maverick, Easton, and Nash.
The Pacific Coast (Oregon, Washington, and parts of California) seems more hipster, so I would expect some names to reflect that like Sebastian and Penelope.
This message was edited 1/24/2019, 9:28 AM
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Replies
But you will also see a lot of Italian and Portuguese-derived names in the Northeast, because Italian and Portuguese are very prevalent backgrounds in those areas.
It's kind of almost a cliche that Utah parents tend to pick more unusual, tryndee-seeming names for their babies, like Kinsley and Braxton and such.
But in general, I'd say that family's ethnic backgrounds, family tradition and other factors are much more to do with the prevlalence of names than pure geography is.
It's kind of almost a cliche that Utah parents tend to pick more unusual, tryndee-seeming names for their babies, like Kinsley and Braxton and such.
But in general, I'd say that family's ethnic backgrounds, family tradition and other factors are much more to do with the prevlalence of names than pure geography is.
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You also see a lot of Italian names in the Midwest like because there are a lot of Italians that settled those areas too as well as in the New Orleans Metro area.
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"But in general, I'd say that family's ethnic backgrounds, family tradition and other factors are much more to do with the prevlalence of names than pure geography is."
Agreed, there are a lot of factors. A few name trends are very Geographical like Aurora's popularity in Alaska due to the aurora borealis, but belief patterns, work traditions, and history all come into play. Since some areas were predominately settled by a particular group (Dutch, Spanish, German, Irish, Norwegian, etc.), it definitely impacts the regional culture. One town I visited came into being after a Catholic priest advertised the area in a Catholic magazine in Germany during the mid 1800s, so the whole area is very Catholic and very German.
Agreed, there are a lot of factors. A few name trends are very Geographical like Aurora's popularity in Alaska due to the aurora borealis, but belief patterns, work traditions, and history all come into play. Since some areas were predominately settled by a particular group (Dutch, Spanish, German, Irish, Norwegian, etc.), it definitely impacts the regional culture. One town I visited came into being after a Catholic priest advertised the area in a Catholic magazine in Germany during the mid 1800s, so the whole area is very Catholic and very German.
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