I'd mentioned before a few examples of boy names which have been gradually effeminized (Alice, Cameron, Taylor). Using the SSA data I have tried to demonstrate this trend graphically. Let's start with the name "Taylor":
(Note that high popularity corresponds to the lower part of the y-axis)
MALE
The earliest data (from 1880), ranks "Taylor" as #279, but it diminishes in popularity until the mid 1960s. Taylor grows steadily more popular through the 1970s and 1980s, hitting #51 in 1993. By 2005 it has slumped back to #224.
FEMALE
Taylor did not even break into the top 1000 for girls until 1979, but when it did it came screaming. From 1993 to 2000, Taylor was one of the TOP TEN names for girls, sitting at #6 for three of those years. As of 2005 it had retreated back to #24.
Clearly, the name Taylor saw its popularity increase dramatically for both genders in the early 1990s. But in 1978 no one would have guessed that only 15 years later it would become the 6th most popular girl's name. Too bad for any boys named Taylor born around 1980. ;)
The sturdy old name "Henry" certainly has not been abandoned, but the SSA data shows that its popularity has greatly diminished in the last 100 years.
It is interesting to note that during the 1880s, Henry was used for girls frequently enough to break the top 500, although it dropped off the map completely by 1942 and has not resurfaced. So, if my brother is worried about names that get effeminized, Henry is probably a safe bet.
Sorry about the tangent. We'll be back to measuring beans, fruit and office supplies tomorrow.
2 comments:
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Dig that link. Wanna here something wild? In 1971, year of my emergence, Darren was in position 100. The female name in position 100 that year? Beth. Pretty cool.
Grandpa's ancestors came from England, but were not related to HENRY V11 - so stick with Henry for the other obvious reasons that Helen and I gave you! He has three named after him with Ralph, but no Henry's so far!
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