Before You Choose Emily, Think What Happened To Lisa
No doubt Emily is a hot name
these days. It’s been number
one on the girl’s list of top names since 1996. But before
you finally
decide on Emily,
remember what
happened to Lisa. And to Amanda, Heather and Brittany.
Lisa was the top girl’s name during most of the Sixties,
just like Emily has been for the past decade. Lisa stayed in
the top three until 1972. But since then, Lisa has lost
ground every year, hitting a new low in 2005 when it fell to
number 493. What was once America’s hottest name is now
ignored by
almost everyone.
What happened? Names, like fashions,
come and go. And of all the reasons for a name to plummet
in popularity, over-exposure is surely the biggest. Emily,
hot as it is today, is probably due for a fall. Perhaps a
big one. To take another example, Amanda was a very popular
name in the Eighties. Today, it is number 80. Heather, which was very popular in the 1970s,
is around number 300 in the latest statistics. Brittany, the
darling of the early Nineties, is now number 278, and
her freefall
shows no sign of slowing down.
As you can see, sooner or later,
names that have risen to the top can experience an equally
dizzying fall.
Boys’ names also come and go according
to popular tastes, although the change from year to year is
less noticeable than for girls’ names. Boys names are
more traditional. Robert was a hugely
popular name
from just after World War II until the 1980s. Today, it is
around number 40. Brian, which was usually in the top ten in
the 1970s, is now around number 60. You can look at our page
about The Top Names of the 20th
Century for more examples of this.
Whether
you’re naming a boy or a girl, don’t be swayed
by the popularity
of a name today.
As you can
see, it might
change dramatically
by the time
your child
reaches high school. When you are choosing a name, you should
try to include
more reasons
for your selection than simple popularity. You can also give
weight to such things as the name’s meaning;
how it sounds
with sibling
names; whether
it may lead
to a nickname,
and to your own gut feeling,
to name but
a few considerations. Name popularity is one factor you can
consider, but only one. And don’t
forget, if
you choose
a wildly popular name today,
your child
will go through
life with a
fairly “common” name.
But if you
pick a name
wisely that
is unpopular
today, it will
be very distinct and unique
in the future.
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