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ArchivesMy column about the 2015 SSA list
Here is the link to my newspaper column about the 2015 SSA baby name list, as promised:
http://www.omaha.com/living/evans-in-the-currency-of-boys-baby-names-bank-on/article_32ad175b-df94-5134-8561-dc5962004db3.html
http://www.omaha.com/living/evans-in-the-currency-of-boys-baby-names-bank-on/article_32ad175b-df94-5134-8561-dc5962004db3.html
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Replies
Your info on Riaan is very interesting! I had no idea it was an Indian name, but there are plenty of Riaan people of all ages in South Africa because it is used as a nn for Adriaan (the Afrikaans version of Adrian), and sometimes as a name in its own right. There are also women and girls named Riana.
The difference in spelling is because Riaan is stressed on the first syllable, so the -a- is doubled to show it has a long sound: REEaahn. Riana is stressed on the middle syllable, riAAHnah, so the length happens naturally.
The difference in spelling is because Riaan is stressed on the first syllable, so the -a- is doubled to show it has a long sound: REEaahn. Riana is stressed on the middle syllable, riAAHnah, so the length happens naturally.
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Interesting. I never linked the popularity of Jackson (or Carter) with presidents. Jackson seems popular just because it contains two popular name elements, Jack and -son. -son names are in general extremely popular. Carter seems to fall in with Cooper, Hunter, etc, -er surnames which make another large segment of boy's names. That they also are former presidents seems to be coincidental. The sibsets that I know with Jackson and Carter in them have no other presidential names. Instead Jackson is paired with Jamison, and Carter is paired with Hunter.
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I'm not sure I agree; whether or not parents are naming with specific presidents in mind, the fact that Jackson and Carter (as well as Reagan and Madison) are presidential gives them a depth of familiarity and history that most other surnames don't have. I think it's going too far to say the fact that these names were borne by presidents is merely "coincidental." I'm sure it's a large contributing factor to their popularity.
For what's it's worth, I know two Reagan/Madison sibsets. But of course having given one such presidential name, many parents would deliberately avoid a second because they don't want that recognizable theme.
For what's it's worth, I know two Reagan/Madison sibsets. But of course having given one such presidential name, many parents would deliberately avoid a second because they don't want that recognizable theme.
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