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Helpnames that popularities that surprised you
What are some names that surprised you when you looked at their popularity charts. Some of my examples:
Wren -I had no idea why this was never in the top 1000
Abigail -This didn't appear in the top 1000 until the 50's. I thought for sure it would have been there long before that
Hayden and Kyler -I had no idea that people were actually using this name semi-commonly in the 80's
Wren -I had no idea why this was never in the top 1000
Abigail -This didn't appear in the top 1000 until the 50's. I thought for sure it would have been there long before that
Hayden and Kyler -I had no idea that people were actually using this name semi-commonly in the 80's
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I was surprised to find that Ryan has been popular for as long as it has; I totally associate it with the late 1980's-now, and then alone. Boys' names surprise me less, though, because boy's names pretty much never vary. That said- the fact that trendee names have gone to the boys as well in the last decade or so (ushered in by the -den craze).
Niamh is a beautiful name, but I'm so surprised that it's getting popular in England- I'd think they'd go for Neve. Perhaps, due to their closeness to Ireland, Galliac names aren't so bear difficult there.
Niamh is a beautiful name, but I'm so surprised that it's getting popular in England- I'd think they'd go for Neve. Perhaps, due to their closeness to Ireland, Galliac names aren't so bear difficult there.
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I was surprised to find that Ryan has been popular for as long as it has; I totally associate it with the late 1980's-now, and then alone. Boys' names surprise me less, though, because boy's names pretty much never vary. That said- the fact that trendee names have gone to the boys as well in the last decade or so (ushered in by the -den craze).
Niamh is a beautiful name, but I'm so surprised that it's getting popular in England- I'd think they'd go for Neve. Perhaps, due to their closeness to Ireland, Galliac names aren't so bear difficult there.
And then there are the host of names that sound sooo dated to me, I'm surprised they're still on the top 1000 list at all (Lisa, Michelle, Nicole as a first name, Donna, etc)
Niamh is a beautiful name, but I'm so surprised that it's getting popular in England- I'd think they'd go for Neve. Perhaps, due to their closeness to Ireland, Galliac names aren't so bear difficult there.
And then there are the host of names that sound sooo dated to me, I'm surprised they're still on the top 1000 list at all (Lisa, Michelle, Nicole as a first name, Donna, etc)
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recent increase in Josephine being used the last few years...
Jadon on a girl
Kayden and its varied spellings... and suddenly seemed to pop up out of nowhwere
Ethan, Liam and Aidan... also were next to nil and almost unheard of and suddenly popped up out of nowhere... I guess other people like them, but I don't so much.
Noah: not a bad name (though I still think it's weird on a girl), but always thought of it more as a historical name growing up and never knew anyone by that name until some friends of mine had a son named Noah and then suddenly it became popular.
Wyatt: just doesn't seem like a name one expects to become popular...
Payton: sounds more like a surname than a feminine given name
Neveah... *just shakes head*
Jackson, Connor, Parker and various other surnames... makes it hard to tell which is the person's surname and which is a given name... esp. if they wind up being Jackson Parker or something... I think most of them work better as surnames than given names anyway.
Trinity... not what I think of as a name
boys named Tristan... What's with that? Even if it didn't mean sad, it still sounds girly.
Jadon on a girl
Kayden and its varied spellings... and suddenly seemed to pop up out of nowhwere
Ethan, Liam and Aidan... also were next to nil and almost unheard of and suddenly popped up out of nowhere... I guess other people like them, but I don't so much.
Noah: not a bad name (though I still think it's weird on a girl), but always thought of it more as a historical name growing up and never knew anyone by that name until some friends of mine had a son named Noah and then suddenly it became popular.
Wyatt: just doesn't seem like a name one expects to become popular...
Payton: sounds more like a surname than a feminine given name
Neveah... *just shakes head*
Jackson, Connor, Parker and various other surnames... makes it hard to tell which is the person's surname and which is a given name... esp. if they wind up being Jackson Parker or something... I think most of them work better as surnames than given names anyway.
Trinity... not what I think of as a name
boys named Tristan... What's with that? Even if it didn't mean sad, it still sounds girly.
This message was edited 1/18/2009, 6:27 PM
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Boys:
Ethan - I was surprised when this entered the top 10 in the U.S., and I was even more surprised when I found out that it was #3 in 2007.
Kevin - I didn't realize that it was still in the top 50. I thought it's popularity would have dwindled more by now.
Wyatt - I didn't expect it to make the top 100.
Cooper - Same with Wyatt. It also surprised me that it's been in the top 1000 since the 1980s and has been rising ever since. It just doesn't strike me as a name that would be popular.
Girls:
Arabella - I'm really surprised that this isn't more popular because it's similar to Isabella (very popular), Ariana/Arianna (top 100), and Ariel/Arielle/Ariella.
Isadora - It's not even in the top 1000 and never has been in the U.S. I imagined that people would have turned to this as an alternative to Isabella by now and that it would have gained more popularity for that reason.
Nevaeh - This name just seemed to appear out of nowhere and now it's in the top 50.
Layla - I didn't realize that it was in the top 100 until recently.
Nicole - I'm surprised that it's still in the top 100. I would have imagined that it would only still be popular as a MN.
Jennifer - It's hard to believe that it's still in the top 100.
Ashley - I'm surprised that it's still in the top 15.
Lillian - It was surprising to see it at #33 in the U.S.
Addison - I guess it's not all that surprising that this name is popular given that Madison is very popular, but what surprised me is that this name got really popular all of a sudden. It jumped from #106 in 2005 to #28 in 2006 and then to #11 in 2007.
Gemma - I'm surprised that this has never made the top 1000 names list in the U.S. It seems like more people would be using it considering how popular Emma is.
Ethan - I was surprised when this entered the top 10 in the U.S., and I was even more surprised when I found out that it was #3 in 2007.
Kevin - I didn't realize that it was still in the top 50. I thought it's popularity would have dwindled more by now.
Wyatt - I didn't expect it to make the top 100.
Cooper - Same with Wyatt. It also surprised me that it's been in the top 1000 since the 1980s and has been rising ever since. It just doesn't strike me as a name that would be popular.
Girls:
Arabella - I'm really surprised that this isn't more popular because it's similar to Isabella (very popular), Ariana/Arianna (top 100), and Ariel/Arielle/Ariella.
Isadora - It's not even in the top 1000 and never has been in the U.S. I imagined that people would have turned to this as an alternative to Isabella by now and that it would have gained more popularity for that reason.
Nevaeh - This name just seemed to appear out of nowhere and now it's in the top 50.
Layla - I didn't realize that it was in the top 100 until recently.
Nicole - I'm surprised that it's still in the top 100. I would have imagined that it would only still be popular as a MN.
Jennifer - It's hard to believe that it's still in the top 100.
Ashley - I'm surprised that it's still in the top 15.
Lillian - It was surprising to see it at #33 in the U.S.
Addison - I guess it's not all that surprising that this name is popular given that Madison is very popular, but what surprised me is that this name got really popular all of a sudden. It jumped from #106 in 2005 to #28 in 2006 and then to #11 in 2007.
Gemma - I'm surprised that this has never made the top 1000 names list in the U.S. It seems like more people would be using it considering how popular Emma is.
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I think the main appeal of Isabella is the -bella part as are its nicknames Belle and Bella so I guess that's why Isadora isn't more common. Dora is not very fashionable at the moment.
As for Arabella I think it reminds peopleof "arable".
I'm surprised about Nicole as well. Some celeb actually named her daughter Nicole Elizabeth which I find very 80s dated. I wonder why people didn't turn to Nicola, Nikola or Nicolette.
Agree about Jennifer.
I think Ashley still sounds fresh to most people. I think many parents wanted to use Madison but were scared off by its popularity and thought they were being creative by using Addison. uhm yeah :P
argh I'm surprised about Gemma and especially Jemma as well. They are much nicer than Emma if you ask me. I also wonder about Jillian and Gillian which are close to Lillian.
As for Arabella I think it reminds peopleof "arable".
I'm surprised about Nicole as well. Some celeb actually named her daughter Nicole Elizabeth which I find very 80s dated. I wonder why people didn't turn to Nicola, Nikola or Nicolette.
Agree about Jennifer.
I think Ashley still sounds fresh to most people. I think many parents wanted to use Madison but were scared off by its popularity and thought they were being creative by using Addison. uhm yeah :P
argh I'm surprised about Gemma and especially Jemma as well. They are much nicer than Emma if you ask me. I also wonder about Jillian and Gillian which are close to Lillian.
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Addison's sudden leap in use was because of the television character Addison Montgomery, originally introduced on Grey's Anatomy, who is now the lead character in the spinoff series Private Practice.
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Popular Names in British Columbia
Looking at the list for popular baby names in British Columbia, Canada (my province) I was surprised to see the following:
Boys: Hayden (I know one boy with this name, but everyone finds it uncommon), Riley (seriously? I always considered this more of a girl's name, I don't know any Rileys), Kai (does anyone know the orgin of this name? Sounds Asian...) and Carter (don't know any Carters).
Girls: Trinity (??? I have never met or heard of a Trinity before), Neveah (again, what orgin is this? Indian? I like it), and the fact that Makayla was above Mikayla, while I always thought Mikayla was the more common spelling.
Looking at the list for popular baby names in British Columbia, Canada (my province) I was surprised to see the following:
Boys: Hayden (I know one boy with this name, but everyone finds it uncommon), Riley (seriously? I always considered this more of a girl's name, I don't know any Rileys), Kai (does anyone know the orgin of this name? Sounds Asian...) and Carter (don't know any Carters).
Girls: Trinity (??? I have never met or heard of a Trinity before), Neveah (again, what orgin is this? Indian? I like it), and the fact that Makayla was above Mikayla, while I always thought Mikayla was the more common spelling.
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May depend what part of BC you're from what the trends are too.
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The Island :D
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Victoria and Nanaimo!
I'm form Victoria, but I've lived in many different "neighborhoods" around the area, like Saanich and the Peninsula. I'm going to the university up here in Nanaimo!
I've actually lived on Shawnigan Lake as well! I've lived in a ton of different areas on the lower lower Island :)
Are you from Japan, or just living there?
I'm form Victoria, but I've lived in many different "neighborhoods" around the area, like Saanich and the Peninsula. I'm going to the university up here in Nanaimo!
I've actually lived on Shawnigan Lake as well! I've lived in a ton of different areas on the lower lower Island :)
Are you from Japan, or just living there?
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just living here... graduated from Cow High... and did my first 2 yrs. of uni at Malaspina... I think Nanaimo was my favourite place of the 3 to live... had a good group of friends there... a few of which are still there and others of which are scattered around... 1 of my best friends that I met there came to Jpn. a year before I did and is still here (just worked out that way... I was thinking Jpn. from the start, but she didn't know what country she'd wind up in.. she's a long schlep on local trains from here though).
This message was edited 1/20/2009, 12:20 AM
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I've encountered and heard about multiple Haydens in BC... not really what appeals to me as a fn, but most surnames don't
I always considered Riley a boys' name and was surprised when they started using it on girls.
I think there are multiple languages with the name Kai... 1 is Jpns., but I believe there are others.
Originally thought of Michaela as the standard spelling.
I always considered Riley a boys' name and was surprised when they started using it on girls.
I think there are multiple languages with the name Kai... 1 is Jpns., but I believe there are others.
Originally thought of Michaela as the standard spelling.
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About Nevaeh
Its heaven spelled backwards. Its not Indian
Its heaven spelled backwards. Its not Indian
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**NOTE** - Neveah is actually spelled Nevaeh, my mistake.
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Mary - it is still in the top 100. I was born in the 80s and have never met a Mary younger than 40. My theory is that people use Mary as a silent first name and let the child go by their middle name as in the case of my friends Ashleigh, Elle, Walker and Grace, who are actually Mary Ashleigh, Mary Elle, Mary Walker and Mary Grace. I didn't even know until I saw their passports.
Jennifer - how come this is still so high on the list? aren't people sick of it?
Rachel, Rebecca - I thought these classics would stay common for forever but they lost places and are as good as out of the top 100.
Laura, Amanda - both out of the top 100. I thought as classics they had more staying power.
Kaitlyn - how this ever got more common than Caitlin is beyond me. It looks so ugly and childish.
Haley, Hailey - how did this get more common than the much more appealing Hayley?
Evangeline - wow, that's what I call a dark horse name
Kimberly - still in the top 100?
Jennifer - how come this is still so high on the list? aren't people sick of it?
Rachel, Rebecca - I thought these classics would stay common for forever but they lost places and are as good as out of the top 100.
Laura, Amanda - both out of the top 100. I thought as classics they had more staying power.
Kaitlyn - how this ever got more common than Caitlin is beyond me. It looks so ugly and childish.
Haley, Hailey - how did this get more common than the much more appealing Hayley?
Evangeline - wow, that's what I call a dark horse name
Kimberly - still in the top 100?
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I've met a few Marys under 40, but not many... I can think of 4 Marys, a Maryanne and a Mariana.
as for Jennifer.. yes some of us are sick of it, but w/ it being so overused in the 70s, it's possible there are namesakes for friends and aunts... though I'd look at the person's mn instead
Rachel's still listed in the top 30 in BC
as for Caitlyn, I prefer the spelling Katelyn to either of those spellings...
as for Jennifer.. yes some of us are sick of it, but w/ it being so overused in the 70s, it's possible there are namesakes for friends and aunts... though I'd look at the person's mn instead
Rachel's still listed in the top 30 in BC
as for Caitlyn, I prefer the spelling Katelyn to either of those spellings...
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I don't like most Cate/Cait name spellings with a C... Catherine and maybe on occasian Catrina are the only exceptions, but they're not Cate/Cait(s). Cate somehow doesn't look right w/ a C (in my opinion). Ironically though, Caitlin looks more natural to me than Kaitlin... perhaps because I've seen it more that way though.
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Kimberly
Wow, I thought that was long gone. That's another surprise added to my list.
Wow, I thought that was long gone. That's another surprise added to my list.
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did you notice that it is rising? I wouldn't have been so surprised to see it at the bottom of the list and falling but this name feels so dated that I wonder why it is about to enter the top 50 again.
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namesakes for people born during its popularity season?
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possible. but most people honor in the middle position when a name is dated. and usually (my experience) they honor grandparents and most women named Kimberly were born in the 60s and aren't quite at that age yet.
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I've encountered people who either were named for or chose a name in honour of a friend or an aunt... and the friend is usually close to the parent's age... A lot of Kims were born in the 70s and 80s as well (I don't know the Cdn. stats that far back, but we have a lot from both decades). According to the popularities listing, it was #5 in BOTH decades (oodles of Kims when I was in school) and then dropped to #17 in the 80s and hasn't left the top 100 since then. It crept into the top 100 in the 50s though... May be different in Europe though.
At one time I knew a gal who'd been named after her mum's best friend and wound up being Jeopardy. (that's right... like the game show) A friend of mine stuck her sister's name in as an mn for her first daughter.
At one time I knew a gal who'd been named after her mum's best friend and wound up being Jeopardy. (that's right... like the game show) A friend of mine stuck her sister's name in as an mn for her first daughter.
This message was edited 1/19/2009, 10:48 PM
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I think that's correct, and it is a common phenomenon among first generation immigrants. Immigrants often want to give their kids "American" names to help them fit in, but they are not acculturated enough yet to be affected by the same trends that native born American parents are, so they choose "American" names from among the names of adults that they know. They don't realize that by doing so they are usually -- especially when it comes to girls' names -- giving their kids names which are now "out of date".
Immigrants from China, Korea, and Vietnam do exactly the same thing.
You can see this if you look at the New York City top names for 2007:
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/22/popular-new-york-baby-names-2007/
And of course even the "White" list for NYC is very different from the national list because of the very large Jewish population there.
Immigrants from China, Korea, and Vietnam do exactly the same thing.
You can see this if you look at the New York City top names for 2007:
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/22/popular-new-york-baby-names-2007/
And of course even the "White" list for NYC is very different from the national list because of the very large Jewish population there.
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That's very true
I have a friend who is Filipino, him and his siblings have what some would call "out of date" names.
Their names are:
Wayland
Janet - I graduated with her
Reginald Cedric "Reggie" - My friend
Ashley
Aileen
Sheldon
With the exception of Ashley, they all have unusual names for their age groups
I have a friend who is Filipino, him and his siblings have what some would call "out of date" names.
Their names are:
Wayland
Janet - I graduated with her
Reginald Cedric "Reggie" - My friend
Ashley
Aileen
Sheldon
With the exception of Ashley, they all have unusual names for their age groups
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Yes... I've met my share of Fannys, Cindys and Glorias who were from Asia... Actually, with Fanny, I pretty much expect to hear a Chinese family name with it... and hope the poor woman never winds up in England or Australia, poor dear.
For boys, it's frequently Chris, Matthew or Daniel, it seems... but those are more long-lasting.
For boys, it's frequently Chris, Matthew or Daniel, it seems... but those are more long-lasting.
This message was edited 1/19/2009, 12:19 AM
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I didn't know Joan was ranked so highly in the 1980s. I suppose its because I've never met another Joan that was my age. I still find it odd, maybe they all go by their middle names. I also think it's weird it pops up every now and then for boys! I know it's a male name in another language, but wow! Joan is more popular for a boy than a girl right now!
Other names:
Irene - Didn't realize this was still in the top 1000
Eleanor - Ditto
Matilda - Thought this would at least be in the top 1000 now
Marie - Surprised to see this falling so quickly
Owen - I find it strange this is so popular, I have never met an Owen!
Oscar - Didn't know it's been pretty consistent over the years
Phillip - Surprised to see it falling
Other names:
Irene - Didn't realize this was still in the top 1000
Eleanor - Ditto
Matilda - Thought this would at least be in the top 1000 now
Marie - Surprised to see this falling so quickly
Owen - I find it strange this is so popular, I have never met an Owen!
Oscar - Didn't know it's been pretty consistent over the years
Phillip - Surprised to see it falling
This message was edited 1/18/2009, 1:29 PM
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That's interesting. I knew it was pronounced JO-ahn or something along those lines, but I didn't know it was popular among the Hispanic community. I wonder if it will become more popular in Texas since Hispanic names are popular here.
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I've met almost no Malcoms... may be a regional thing.
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Maybe... I live in Central-Eastern Canada and we`ve quite a Scottish population. Don`t you live in Japan? I would still think it would be higher than it is, though.
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I live in Japan, but grew up in Canada (Ont., Ab. and BC)... First time I encountered the name was Malcolm Jamal Warner on Cosby. A guy I knew in high school had it as 1 of his 3 middle names... Other than that, I'm not sure if/when I've met any others... Seems somewhat common among those in the African American community who idolize Malcolm X though... (after doing some research on him, it doesn't quite make sense though because he was so racist and promoted such racism for a while).
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