Last time I talked about (dubious) claims that the recession is turning baby names back toward the traditional, in a parental "flight to quality." Today, I look at the historical precedent: naming during the Great Depression.
My points of comparison were baby names in 1928 before the crash vs. 1932 at the depth of the crisis. A quick eyeballing shows that the traditional classics fell along with the stock market. John, James, William, George, Mary, Katherine, Elizabeth and Margaret all dropped in popularity as the Depression took hold. Now let's zoom in closer.
Applying the standard Baby Name Wizard Hotness Formula, the fastest falling boy's name, by a mile, was...Herbert. That's a clear reaction to the economy, but not in a stylistic way. Parents of the '30s simply decided that Herbert Hoover wasn't a president they'd care to remember. (Let's keep an eye on George in the years ahead.) As a group, the 10 fastest-falling boys' names fell into two categories: namesakes of public figures, and traditional classic names.
1. Herbert
2. Alfred
3. William
4. Harry
5. Joseph
6. Hoover
7. Edward
8. Lindy
9. George
10. Arthur
And the fastest rising boys of the Depression? They were the boyish ones. Check it out:
1. Jackie
2. Jimmy
3. Barry
4. Jerry
5. Franklin
6. Larry
7. Bobby
8. Ronnie
9. Gary
10. Ronald
That's a whole lotta nicknames, with a late smattering of movie stars (Gary Cooper, Ronald Colman). Even as James was falling, Jimmy was soaring. This could suggest a twist on the "flight to quality" idea: a "flight to comfort." Perhaps in a scary world, we just want to curl up under a cozy blanket with our dear little babies. It makes some sense.
Except those are just the boys' names.
Over on the girls' list, the hottest rising names list brimmed with glamourous sophistication. Top-10 gainers included Marlene (as in Dietrich), Carole (Lombard), Joan (Crawford), and Barbara (Stanwyck) -- a veritable honor roll of strong, stylish modern women. Sandra and Sondra both made the list too, their continental panache a contrast to fast-falling names like Helen and Ruth.
If you want a theory of naming for tough times, then, you'll have to account for cuddly, down-home boys and glamorous, urbane girls. I'll take a stab. To me, the key thing to remember is that names aren't simply reflections of our current reality; they're reflections of our dreams.
Amid the job losses and bread lines of the Great Depression, one industry soared: the movies. And sure enough, reports are already piling up that this recession era is following suit with huge box office tallies, especially for comedies, adventures, and rip-roaring spectacles.
Maybe, then, everybody predicting serious, conservative baby naming today has it exactly backwards. In grim times, we don't want solemnity. We want fun and glamour and excitement, and glimpses of a world far removed from layoffs and foreclosures. We certainly want to envision that kind of sunny future for our children. So bring on the creative, carefree names! Why not? They're free.
Recession-era baby naming, Part 2
04/10/2009, 5:33PM
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Comments
Laura -- Very interesting article! I've been reading for a couple weeks, but this is my first time posting. I appreciate all the research you've done...data analysis is so much more convincing than speculation.
Philippa -- Sylvia and Fiona are both lovely names. I don't think Fiona is too Shrek-associated (and even if it were, Princess Fiona is an awesome character who chooses inner beauty over outer beauty, so she's a good role model for a daughter). However, I would slightly recommend Sylvia over Fiona, and here's why: If you look at the NameVoyager on this site, you'll see that Fiona is experiencing a huge peak of popularity right now. It is thus likely to decline in the next few years, so your daughter's name might sound somewhat dated to the decade in which she was born. Sylvia, on the other hand, has been on the decline since the 1930's. It seems due for a resurgence. If you choose Sylvia now, chances are you'll be a trendsetter, and your daughter's name will likely still be popular 20-30 years after she is born. It's certainly not the only thing to consider, but it's something to think about.
I recently wrote a blog article on "Ahead of the Curve" names which discussed Sylvia. Here's a link if you'd like to read it:
http://muchadoaboutnaming.wordpress.com/2009/04/05/naming-ahead-of-the-c...
Oh, and as far as Grace goes, I'm all in favor of passing on a family name. Though it is one a lot of people are choosing, it has meaning for you, so it's thus less "filler" than something you would choose solely based on sound. Since you're choosing an uncommon first name for your daughter, it's fine to pick a more common middle. Sophia Grace is boring, but Sylvia Grace and Fiona Grace still sound distinctive.
JennaP -
The Ari (not Air-y) pronunciation enables me, like RobynT, to abandon my areola worries-- a beautiful pronuncation and name!
By the way-- one of my friends recently spoke of a female Kevin she has as a 9 year old student. I know that came up here on another thread...
@JennaP, Ariella Rose is beautiful. I assumed the pronunciation was Are-iella rather than Air-iella, and am glad that's how you'll be saying it. I agree Ella is, at least in some places, overdone, but you have other great nn possibilities.
Philippa -- I know a little Sylvie that was named for her grandmother I believe and I think it fits in with the trends of the day (It goes with an Olivia and Emma in my mind) without being too popular or trendy. I also like Fiona, however. I don't have an opinion of Grace as a middle name myself. It sound good with both names.
My husband and I have a girl name that we have been discussing for more than 4 years, since before we found out our first child was going to be a boy. Now baby #3 might be a girl and I'm just not sure I want to stick with it. It has mostly narrowed to Mary Eleanor or Eleanor May. I just have had so many friends who have named their girls Elle or Ella in the meantime that my love of Eleanor is dying a little. My husband is kind of stuck on the name, however. Since our second boy was named for his grandfathers, I think the best bet I have of getting him to consider something else is to come up with something related to her grandmothers. Neither of them have middle names, and I just can't do Linda as a first name. Elizabeth is a great name, but my sister-in-law has already taken it. Is there a variation on on Linda and Elizabeth that anyone could suggest? I already came up with Bethany Lynn, but my dh thinks Bethany is too dated and he might be right. I'd appreciate any ideas.
Moonlady: you have made my day! I knew that once day i would find someone in here that knew a Gilead. :) Actually, naming my baby Gilead is loosely connected to the "Balm of Gilead" hymn. All in all it is personal to me(and my dh). Yet not so strange namewise that my prospective son would rue the day I made that choice. While no one in my personal life circles even realize it is a legitmate name, it is a very familiar word and idea. Hence my ease in choosing it. (having said all the, it is probaly quite obvious that I am not Israeli. ) :)
Now to see if this baby is actually the boy the I think it is. :D If not, it will be Catherine... :)
Sylvia vs. Fiona: Then longer I think about it the more my vote falls in the lap of Sylvia Grace. It seems ageless to me. Yes, a name lots know from some old lady. But equally, not shockig on a baby or toddler. Given your personal connection to Grace, it is anything but throw-away name in my mind.
Regarding Linda and Elizabeth, the name Evelyn popped into my head. It starts with the same letter as Elizabeth and has the Lyn sound from Linda. Plus, the style of Evelyn is similar to Eleanor.
Melanie1 -- I love the name Eleanor (and you can always call your daughter Nora if the "Elle" names seem to common). Mary is also lovely, and it's the least popular it has ever been, so it's a good choice if you want to avoid any accusations of going with the trends. However, if you decide you want to honor the grandmothers, then Linda and Elizabeth give you tons of options.
Linda means "soft/tender" in Germanic or "beautiful" in Spanish. Some ideas related in sound or meaning:
Rosalind/Rosalinda ("soft/tender horse")
Belinda ("beautiful and soft/tender")
Lucinda (uses all five letters in order)
Lindita ("dawn of a new day" in Albanian)
Isolde ("beautiful")
Callista ("most beautiful")
Bella/Belle ("beautiful" -- but it's a very common nickname)
Anwen ("beautiful")
Caoimhe (KEE-vuh; "beautiful")
Calanthe (cal-ANN-thee; "beautiful flower")
Elizabeth has tons of diminutives and foreign variants. Here are some that seem to stand particularly well on their own:
Eliza
Elsa
Elise
Elisa
Elspeth
Liesl
Anneliese (a smoosh combining Anne and Elisabeth)
Isobel/Isabella (only recommended as a middle due to popularity)
Isabeau
Belicia (bay-LEE-see-uh)
Hope this helps!
As for Eleanor, the traditional nickname is Nell. Are there lots of little Nells around?
@Miriam, Nell is an adorable nn for Eleanor, but with all the Elles, Ellies, Ellas, Belles, and Bellas around today, I'm afraid little Nell would just blend in. Too bad as it's a great name.
re: Ariella Rose: I think you have to accept that MANY people will automatically pronounce it more like the Little Mermaid's Ariel. It's a more natural extension of most American accents.
If this is going to annoy the hell out of you, I'd pick another name or just learn to be Zen about it.
I have to keep correcting my husband on the pronunciation of a friend's son. Eventually he will get it, but it helps that it doesn't bother his parents.
Laura- great post, thank you! The only thing I have to add is that I think George may drop a bit, but it won't be as noticeable because a subset is using George anyway. Does that make sense? I think it may drop but not hugely. I also think something like Scarlett could rise, but I can't tell if that's because I actually think the name could rise or if I just really like it:)
Re Gilead- I was really surprised by the proncunciation of this, I also know the hymn, but when singing it is always said Gil-ee-ahd. I'm having a really hard time saying it as two syllables. Just something to keep in mind. I don't dislike it that way, it's just that I keep singing it in my head the other way... AND I know better because the way you sing words is not necessarily how you say them (practically anything sung in French!)
Love Ariella Rose- I automatically said it like Aria, which was also my first thought for a nn as someone else also suggested above.
Zoerhenne- I read Brytten as Britain, if it were Bryten I'd say Brighten. That said I don't know if they'd see it the way I do, but that's my guess!
Fiona Grace and Sylvie/a Grace are both lovely. I agree that with a less common first name a common middle name is not a problem. We were discussing this with fn/ln combos recently and I think it really holds true. I have a coworker Nancy Smith and her email is different from everyone elses' because she's the second Nancy Smith here! If her name were Ariadne it wouldn't be an issue:)
Melanie1- Bethany doesn't sound dated to me, but that's because the only one I've ever known was at college with me so she's 25 now. I also think Mary is a great option. No one will ever have problems with it, but it is much less popular than it used to be. There are also some great alternatives above though.
@ zoerhenne yes I thought the same thing about Emily Elizabeth when i first heard it. But as soon as i saw the little baby, i forgot all about it.
I just discovered this website, interesting and fun! I have always loved the "science" of names. Or, perhaps the "literature" of names is more correct for me.
As for the previous discussion of Fiona and Sylvie/Silvia: Fiona has always been a favorite of mine when I saw as a child, "Brigadoon", starring Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse. Fiona is the female lead character, a well respected, intelligent, beautiful woman who is "waitin' for her deary" rather than settling for any old "laddie" just to get married - qualities we would all love in our daughters. The story is set in the Scottish Highlands. I also like Sylvie better than Sylvia as it has a continental sound and is a bit more elegant/less old-fashioned.
Regarding the discussion of Ariella: why not consider Aria as a name? It has a lovely sound and meaning (a song sung by a female in an opera, usually light and happy). Plus, it is a little more unique and doesn't have the "ella" over-usage problem discussed above.
Jenny L3igh: yes, I know. I fell in love with it with the "song version". That is the only way anyone I know would know to pronounce it and I am ok with that. I actually can't get the gil-ODD out of my mouth properly. I have chosen to not even broach that pronunciation bc it sounds like I am trying really hard and just not cool enough. I ran the pronunciations past several people in my life with linguistic educations and everyone agrees to stick with the familiar one. Seeing as we are not Israeli, I hope that I am not doing an injustice to the name...
hello everyone,
does anyone have any feedback for the name julian david?
thanks in advance--it's much appreciated. :]
Melanie1--I love Emmy Jo's wide-ranging suggestions..Lucinda Elspeth does honor both original names and is lovely and distinctive.I can also see using Elnora as an alternative--then, I think, the nn Nora comes natually to people.
Julian David sounds nice together, although Julian has spiked dramatically in recent years so if you fell in love with it because it was fresh and new, keep in mind, you'll probably run into other Julians around.
emily rae- Julian David has a nice cadence and both names are strong classics. I was just thinking Of Julian today, as a suggestion for a mn of a baby I am helping to name.
Re Elizabeth + Lynn: The first thing I thought of was Lisette. You have already received some nice suggestions from others as well. Love Bethany btw. Elizabeth is coming back into favor and won't sound dated but to me Mary does.
Re Julian David: Lovely. Julian seems to be on the upswing here though (central PA) so check your local #'s to see if popularity is a concern or you.
Kam-I'm sure if I ran across an actual Emily Elizabeth or Emma Elizabeth I would refrain from making the Clifford connection out loud. But since the board is a safe place for respectful comments of the sort, I felt obliged to do so. I hope I didn't hurt anyone's feelings. My apologies if I did.
Laura's post had me thinking last night, and I stayed up for a good while reviewing the SSA stats for interesting thoughts on trends. I will post my comments when I am finished.
There's some sort of commercial out where there are children with job titles like "tinkerer" and "imagination specialist". What caught my eye where the kids names -- 1 boy named Elijah, and 3 girls named Julian, Liana, and Jayden. It kind of surprises me that with so many Jul- girl options (Julia, Julie, Julianne, Julianna) that Julian, the only boy option, is being used as a girl name.
anyway, @emilyrae, I like Julian David a lot!
oops, I meant 'were the kids' names' not where. :) Guess I should proofread better...
New babies in my circle!
Twin girls:
Gwendolyn Elise (Gwen)
Arianna Janae (Ari)
On the way:
Lainnie Walker
Logan Grayce
@Anne with an E -- I saw that commercial yesterday! It's an Exxon Mobil ad, and the use of Julian on a girl really bugged me. There are other versions of that commercial with different kids' names. I'll have to remember to write them down next time I see it.
@emilyrae -- Julian David is a great boys' name. It has good balance, as it's a fashionable first name paired with a very traditional middle. As others have said, Julian is really on the rise in some areas (including mine), but I love the name. You might consider the more distinctive Julius instead if you want something a little different.
New baby alert:
Janae Charlotte
I also knew a girl named Kevin growing up but she spelled it Kevan.
Emilyrae: Julian David is a very nice name!
re: Julian on a girl: Do you think it is pronounced like Julianne? i think I have seen Juliann before...
firstly, thank you for your thoughts.
regarding the popularity of julian, it doesn't bother me much. it's not in the top 100 in my state, or most of the surrounding states. interestingly enough, it seems to be mostly in heavy use in the northeast and the southwest, though i'm not sure why this would be.
regarding julian as a girl's name, i can't say this thrills me, particularly since there are already so many nice juli- names for girls. however, as it is still quite uncommon to hear the name on a girl, i won't get too bent out of shape.
emmy jo, i actually have tossed around the idea of julius, which i do like, but i think i prefer julian (at least for now).
julian has been a long time favorite of mine and david is my father's name. i'm pleased that you all seem to have mostly positive reactions, though of course i'm always happy to hear honest criticism.
Can you give the top ten rising and falling lists for the girls as you did for the boys?
@emilyrae, I like Julian David too. Julian has been a favorite of mine for years, and David is a name that, despite my knowing loads of Davids any one of whom could have ruined the name for me, retains its charm.
Argh! Nameberry blog keeps deleting my comments. Just thought you'd all want to know what they consider a discussion over there.
I guess they don't like the competition. There was a recent post on recession naming.
Looks like Duggars are expecting again... this time it's a grandchild though! I think due in October The expecting parents said they will not be using a J-name, though perhaps an M-name in honor of soon-to-be-grandmother, Michelle. Any ideas on what they'll use?
I have a question for all the British posters out there. I was just wondering how many little Isaacs they knew, and if they thought the name was going to continue getting popular, along with Noah say. It is the name I had picked out for my first born son, but Im worried that it is going to have taken off big style, for example my cousins wife was discussing it for her son.
On the other hand I have come across people who think it is totally out there.
This is not urgent at all, since this baby is unlikely to be born for a couple of years, and I have pleanty of other names I like, but it has just been playing on my mind, since I don't want to get too attached to it if its going to loose its distinctiveness.
Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll have to go over them with my husband tonight and see if it sparks any debate. I guess ultimately I just wanted to get unstuck from our one note discussions, and this helps us explore other possibilities.
I haven't heard any Julian's here in Colorado. It's a nice name even if nms. I think that Julian David has a nice feel together.
ps. I'm still open for more suggestions if you have any :).
Celeb Baby News
"Josh Holloway and wife Yessica welcomed a daughter on April 9 in Oahu, PEOPLE has exclusively confirmed. They named their baby girl Java Kumala Holloway."
Just FYI, the wife appears to be Asian.
ET--regarding Isaac, are you in the UK? I've got a nearly-6-year old Isaac, we live in the Eastern US. The name has gained a little bit of popularity here, but doesn't seem to be climbing the charts (I think it's about the 50th most popular, and it hasn't moved much since 2003 when our Isaac was born).
We run into other Isaac's on occasion, but ours is the only one in a school of 400 students.
Here, the name seems to split between two distinct demographics--religious parents who want a biblical name for their son (sibs w/ names like Noah, Hannah, Eve), and parents who choose the name because they like the sound, or want a good "football" name (sibs w/ names like Tyson, Jordan, Jaxxon).
zoerhenne- oh no offense taken at all! i totally agree with you. Thanks for giving honest opinions, that's what this site is for. : )
oh and BTW they are just calling the baby Emma.
Kam- You are welcome.
Tirzah-Java is nms. I think I would hate for my little girl to get too many "coffee" comments while going to school. Unless of course they are pronouncing it to rhyme with Ava. Then it would be distinctive and interesting. Although still nms.
I'll have to read the Nameberry blog. This recession stuff is fascinating.
I am trying to consolidate my analysis so that I don't have a post that is too long. Quickly though, I am also wondering (like knp) that maybe the trends are not recession based. There are only 30 boy names within the top ten combined decade lists and 62 for girls. This disparity continues with the top current choices. Also there were big name shifts in the 1940's and 1970's. I am no history major so I don't know if these were tied to US/World events or not.
More info on baby Java Kumala. Reportedly, Mom is a native of the island of Java. Kumala is her maiden name. I suspected something like that!
I know a Fiona who goes by the nickname Noni (mainly only her family calls her this). I think it's kind of cute.
Tirzah-Not to keep "picking on" your friends baby name, but wasn't there a better way to include her relationship to the island of Java then by actually naming her Java? I'm just not a fan of people naming their children after things/objects or events like Cesaerean sections and such.
zoerhenne, Java is Josh Holloway's baby (celebrity baby).
But, in defense, I do tend to go for place names (but usually cities (that can commonly be named after people therefore completing a circle in a way, but not countries). I totally agree with you on 'noun' names though like Cesarean, or objects. I guess I like 'proper noun' names!
zoerhenne- I don't know what sort of name trends you're seeing in the 40's and 70's, but if you're looking at a whole decade there will always be historical factors that play a big part in naming. The obvious one in the 40's would be WWII, I don't have the time to look at how German sounding names or Asian sounding names (if there were any in the general population) were affected, but you may find trends there. In general German heritage wouldn't have been such a bad thing earlier, but it was not easy to be or sound German in the US during WWII. They were not put in internment camps like the Japanese(various reasons for that, mostly it's easier to be racist against people who "look different" and are newer immigrants as a culture). That said, it certainly wasn't a good thing either. That may not have changed naming, but it may have. Other historical influences could be renewed prosperity, more men overseas, some marrying foreigners they met in war, a huge baby boom in the end of the 40's, heightened patriotism... those are what I think of off the top of my head.
The 70's you'd have the Vietnam War, general disillusionment with government, "left-over" civil rights (I mean from the 60's), hippies, various musical influences, etc.
Any of those things seem like they fit in with the shifts you're seeing?
New baby to friends!
Emerson Victoria (born in South Dakota)
I find the name lovely, but have been surprised the reaction of mutual friends. Many are appalled--"Emerson is just NOT a first name! Let alone for a girl!" I was surprised to hear this.
Philippa: I love both Slyvie and Fiona a lot. In fact, Fiona was a finalist for my daughter. You can't go wrong with either--just go with your gut!
Last thing: a new playmate in my kids' lives is named Fiorela (age 2). I think that's a beautiful name!!
Oh and Jessica- good to know, I'm glad I was imagining that pronunciation!:)
jb112- Isn't Fiorello a musical or something? I like Fiorela, do you know if it's Italian or where it's from?
Also I had announced the fn's of these siblings before but now I have mn's:
Azur3 Sophi@ age ~6
Ir!s Sp@rrow age ~18 mo's
I love these names together and on the kids, who are adorable. I'm especially loving Sp@rrow as a mn right now!
Jenny L3igh--
Fiorello LaGuardia was a mayor of New York City with a rather flamboyant personality, and, yes, a musical was made based on his life. The name Fiorello is (obviously) Italian and means little flower. If Fiorela were the feminine form of Fiorello, I would expect the spelling Fiorella. So Fiorela may be a similar name from a language other than Italian, may be a name that has nothing to do with Fiorello, may be simply misspelled (or creatively spelled), or may be made up as far as the parents are concerned.
Ooh, I love those sib names, Jenny L3igh!
jb112- I'm afraid I have the same reaction, although I've heard Emerson mentioned frequently here as a girl's name. It just sounds like an old man to me!
I love Fiorela. Being a big fan of Florence, Italy, I love names that are related to Florence or Firenze (the Italian name for the city). For example, Florencia, Fiorentina, Fiorina (of course, these all relate to flowers/ flowering as well). There's a Romanian boy's name Florin that I love too.
I actually think, in this case, that as Fiorela only has one L, it's more likely to be Spanish than Italian.
And yes, I do realize these names are very 'frilliana'. ;)
I like Emerson Victoria as a girls name. Maybe its the influence of this board :) My dh was just commenting the other day on little Emery Hope (Angie Harmon's dd) He said it was unusual to which I replied "Yea I've heard of it. I kind of like Emerson better on a girl and Emery on a boy". Don't know why. I think I equate Emery with Henry in sound and Emerson with Madison/Addison, etc.
J3nnyL3igh- Thank you for the historical reminders. I am looking at the SSA top names for the decades. I thought it would be easier to notice things using this data since there would be WAY too much info for me to look at each year separately. Laura had reviewed both before and after the depression but I wanted to get a broader picture.
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