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HelpWhy did some names more/less "classic" than the other, even though the peaks were around the same time?
I was bored and was looking at the rankings of girls' names from 1970-1979 and some names felt more classic than others (this has nothing to do with my personal preference). So I asked a question.
This message was edited 2/27/2024, 3:21 AM
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Some of the names had more use in earlier periods, even if they didn't peak as dramatically, which gives them a more "timeless" quality.
Using your examples, the names Amy and Christina have longer histories than Angela, with more namesakes from other eras. So as a result, Angela feels particularly tied to one era of popularity, while Amy and Christina are less dated and more "classic".
I think it can be hard to get a real sense of how familiar a name was in culture, just using the popularity charts. There can be historical examples of people who loom large in cultural consciousness that give the name a more timeless quality - like Amy from Little Women, or Christina, the 17th century queen who became better known after a movie about her came out in the 1930s. I can't think of a culturally impactful Angela from an earlier era, so it's very 1970s.
Using your examples, the names Amy and Christina have longer histories than Angela, with more namesakes from other eras. So as a result, Angela feels particularly tied to one era of popularity, while Amy and Christina are less dated and more "classic".
I think it can be hard to get a real sense of how familiar a name was in culture, just using the popularity charts. There can be historical examples of people who loom large in cultural consciousness that give the name a more timeless quality - like Amy from Little Women, or Christina, the 17th century queen who became better known after a movie about her came out in the 1930s. I can't think of a culturally impactful Angela from an earlier era, so it's very 1970s.
Thank you. In Angela's case, it's probably just my feeling.
Could you give some examples?
Christina goes surprisingly far back. I had several different ancestors named it. Checking my account, I see the furthest back one was born November 18th 1570 in Switzerland. The other direct female ancestors being born in 1727 and 1750, respectively. Also a few Christine's and Christiana's far back as well.
This message was edited 2/27/2024, 8:34 AM