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ArchivesWashington's lack of usage in the US
Looking at the US popularity charts, I've noticed that, despite it being the last name of its first president, the name Washington seems to have largely fallen out of usage in the United States. It hasn't been on the top 1000 since 1921, and in 2021 it was only given to five boys. I've looked at graves and genealogy records of men with the name as a forename and it seems to have been somewhat frequently used in the early/mid 19th century. (On the other hand, in Brazil it's still in regular usage.) Is there any reason why Americans don't name their kids Washington anymore?
This message was edited 4/27/2023, 1:20 AM
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I think it just feels old fashioned. The -ington ending isn't nearly as popular in the US as it has been in Brazil, and the names with that ending that do sound current have connections to pop culture or shorten to trendier nicknames (Remington, Kensington, Lexington, Wellington, Ellington, Carrington, Arlington, Barrington). Washington shortens to Wash, which would feel like a very strange nickname in contemporary English. And George Washington is not a hugely popular figure.
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If anything kids are naming their kids Lincoln and Kennedy
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Maybe the association with Washington DC puts them off? Politicians and bureaucrats?
This message was edited 4/28/2023, 9:08 AM
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Perhaps because George Washington owned slaves?
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So did Thomas Jefferson, and yet his name has remained relatively popular in the United States (always within the top 1000 and never fell out of use):
https://www.behindthename.com/name/jefferson/top
As such, I personally doubt that the name Washington fell out of use because George Washington was a slave-owner. Perhaps the reason is something much more "mundane" (for lack of a better term), such as the name being quite a mouthful with an awful flow (unlike names like Jefferson and Lincoln).
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But Jefferson is recognisable as a common patrynomic surname. So it fits in with modern surname as first name and -son ending trends. It can also serve as a more unique and less dated variant or way to honour Jeffery. (That being said if you name your son Jefferson I am going to assume you're a white supremacist until proven otherwise).
Whereas Washington is pretty much inseparable from the president. It's not a common surname except among African-Americans whose newly-emancipated ancestors chose it in honour of George. The only reason it ever got semi-regularly used as a given name was because of the US's ridiculous founding mythology, which thankfully most people see through now.
Also what do you think makes a better nickname or element: Jeff or "Wash"? 😄 While Wash/Washing might not be the worst common noun to be named, to me at least the association is pretty strong and weird to think of as a name (although tbf I'm sure there are now many little Drydens running around).
Whereas Washington is pretty much inseparable from the president. It's not a common surname except among African-Americans whose newly-emancipated ancestors chose it in honour of George. The only reason it ever got semi-regularly used as a given name was because of the US's ridiculous founding mythology, which thankfully most people see through now.
Also what do you think makes a better nickname or element: Jeff or "Wash"? 😄 While Wash/Washing might not be the worst common noun to be named, to me at least the association is pretty strong and weird to think of as a name (although tbf I'm sure there are now many little Drydens running around).
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Not only that, but while they're all long names, "Jeff" and "Linc" are good nicknames, but "Wash" is not.
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