When preparing for the AP exam we read a passage about the development of language over periods of time. I was wondering if this same rule also applies to names. Here are the top five names from various years over the last century:(http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/top5names.html)
1909:
Mary, Helen, Margaret, Ruth, Dorothy
John, William, James, George, Robert
1939:
Mary, Barbara, Patricia, Judith, Betty
James, William, John, Robert, Richard
1969:
Lisa, Michelle, Kimberly, Jennifer, Melissa
Michael, David, James, John, Robert
2008:
Emma, Isabella, Emily, Madison, Ava
Jacob, Michael, Ethan, Joshua, Daniel
If you look at this website the boys names are much more consistent than the girls, but I think that is from the use of names from the Bible for boys. So if language is always developing and changing, does this same rhetorical shift affect names? If not, what does?
(Kelley Volosin)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
I'd answer your question with yes. If language is one of the most dominant ways in which we express ourselves, then it must be something that transforms with us over time. This may not be the strongest example to support my argument, but when people read a book with a heroic protagonist, they may feel that they would like to name their child after that character. When a couple visits a nice city or travel destination, they may name their soon-to-be child after their vacation spot, or something they encountered on their trip. The names that we give people (real names, nick names, etc..) are dependent upon the way we are feeling at that very moment. Language is the same way. We say the things we do, when we do, because we are in need of expressing something particular in a certain frame of time. Therefore, I think that the evolution of language does indeed apply to names.
On second thought, the symbol may not be the thing, yet names are the closest thing we have to classifying each individual. Knowing and calling someone by their name inspires a sort of cooperation between two people (not necessarily positive). Names are, in some way, shape, or form, a form of language.
(Sam Maliha)
I think this topic is actually quite an interesting one. Why is it that names are so popular for years in a row? I mean, Emily was one of the most popular name for eight or nine years straight. So, why is this? Why do people tend to name their kids the same way for years in a row? Does it have to do with the name, or the fact that it is popular and people want to associate themselves with the most popular new name? It sounds kind of ridiculous, I know, but how can this phenomenon be explained? I do agree with Kelley, though-- it seems as though the boys' names tend to be Biblical. That would explain, at least partially, the trend for boys, but what about girls?
Emily T.
Names certainly can indicate a shift in language or attitude. I'm not sure if any of you read Freakonomics, but there was an entire section analyzing people's names. For example, the names Jasmin, Jasmyn, Jasmine, and Yasmin all indicate different backgrounds of the person who came up with the name, as factors such as literacy and culture come into play.
A few years back, shortly after 9/11, the name Nevah became quite popular. Why? Spell it backward, and you end up with "Heaven." Many people wanted to make a statement of hope in the aftermath of such a terrible tragedy.
And if I remember correctly, during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, there was a surge in new names that celebrated Mao and the red Communist Party.
Names absolutely reflect the circumstance and culture they came from.
-Eric W.
I agree with both Sam and Eric. Names do seem to reflect both the constant rhetorical shifts in language and the circumstance or culture from whence they came. Perhaps a variety of factors affect the names that parents choose to give their newborns. Might another factor be the simple fact that parents who are initially unsure what name to give to their child may look at lists of currently popular baby names for ideas? This is one possible explanation for how certain names stay popular for years at a time.
(Janet Lee)
Freakonomics actually had an entire section on the trend in baby names. To answer your question about the smaller changes in male names. If I recall correctly, it is because there are simply less of them to choose from.
I would also have to agree with Eric. Names have a lot to do with socioeconomic status. One example. The popular names of babies with parents in the middle to high income bracket usually become the popular names of babies with parents in the lower income brackets within the next ten years. This shift occurs, with the rich adopting newer and more avant garde names to impress their peers and show off their intelligence and the poorer parents adopting the names of the rich in order to emulate them, over and over again. They say that the thing is not the thing symbolized, but there is clearly a correlation. So while the changing language may introduce new names and influences, the actual driving force behind the changes are the humans themselves and society.
Post a Comment