Category: Names from the Arts & Pop Culture
It’s been another week of new discoveries about Americans’ favorite names in 2016.
The big news was the release of the top names in every state. If you’re based in the US and concerned about the popularity of a name, you may want to know how it ranks in your state as well as nationally, because there can be big local differences.
by Pamela Redmond, with research by Joe Satran
If you want to give your baby a name that transcends this decade, make sure it doesn’t start with Ad-, end with –ley, contain the letter x, or honor a star who suffered a tragic death.
That’s what we found when we analyzed the Social Security baby names data of 2016 versus 2006 and identified which names have exploded in use over the past ten years and how those combine to create the major baby name trends of the decade.
Juniper and Jayceon, according to our research, may well prove as emblematic of these times as Jennifer and Jason were of the 1970s. The 40 names that have increased the most in usage over the past ten years – which also include Adalynn and Brantley, Monroe and Hendrix – may sound fresh and stylish now, but are likely to become the Brittany and Brian of the future.
Here, our statistical analysis of the dominant baby name trends of the decade and the hot baby names that influenced them.
The big name news story of the week was, of course, the release of the US baby name data for 2016, to much rejoicing and analysis.
The top 10 names only changed a little from 2015, with some names switching places and one new entry for boys, Elijah. The most bizarre take on it I’ve seen is one newspaper’s claim that Michael, the 8th most popular name, is at risk of extinction. While it’s not in the top spot as it was for most of the late 20th century, it’s still a long way from dropping off the charts.
Here’s a look at the fastest rising and falling names of 2016, and the reasons (and people, such as Caitlyn Jenner) behind them.
I’m delighted to be reporting on name-related stories in the news each week – and what a day to start!
Many name-lovers only have one thing on their minds right now: the USA’s official 2016 baby name statistics are due to be released tomorrow.
Whether you’re looking for name inspiration, want to check how your favorite names are doing, or just want to get into the nitty-gritty of the data, there will be lots to discover. For example, you might be wondering:
—Will Emma and Noah hold the top spots again?
–What will the highest-climbing new names be? If you want to guess, there’s still time to enter this contest. The deadline is Thursday, May 11 at midnight.
–Did these hot names rise as predicted?
–Did any of 2016’s celebrity babies influence parents?
While we wait for tomorrow, here are some other name stories in the news right now.
