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ArchivesRe: My column about the 2015 SSA list
in reply to a message by clevelandkentevans
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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