2004's Most Popular Names
I don't know why I care about this, but it fascinates me.
posted by Gina @ 11:43 AM
9 comments
I don't know why I care about this, but it fascinates me.
posted by Gina @ 11:43 AM
9 comments
9 Comments:
Names have always fascinated me. I just read a book about the psychology of names, and it was so cool.
I note with probably-misguided pride that neither of my boys' names (Simon, Jude) are on the most popular lists, and neither is my intended girl name (Eleanor) or other boy name (Angus).
I've always hated my name, personally. I always wanted to be called Leslie, or even my middle name, which is Catherine, which would have been Kate. Oh well. My mom hated her name too, with good reason (Elsie!) so i guess she liked Valerie at least.
I like my name now, but when I was little I was always disappointed that I couldn't get a license plate for my bike that had my name on it. If you weren't a Jenny or a Kelly or Michelle, you were out of luck.
I'm equally pleased that there is no incarnation of Theodore on the list. If he had been a girl, however, he would have been Madeleine Jean, after Madeleine L'Engle and my grandmother. There's a version of Madeleine on the list, but not with that spelling. My second girl choice was Mary Margaret. It's probably for the best that Ted's a boy, though. I think I'm too messed up to raise a sane female.
Not to mention a girl named Mary Margaret.
Unfortunately, I think that any permutation of Mary with a middle name condemns the poor girl child to an expectation of a future as a nun. Except maybe my friend's little girl, Mary Sabrina. Try to imagine a nun there....doesn't work.
I was almost a Jennifer. My mother fully intended to name me Jennifer but I was born the same year Love Story came out, and then she realized that every other female baby in the maternity ward of Lankenau Hospital was also named Jennifer. Hence, Valerie.
(Apparently Samantha was also an option - which I love - and Tamar, which was nixed because in the Bible, Tamar is raped by her brother (http://www.keyway.ca/htm2003/20030727.htm)
And here's another sordid Tamar story which I found while Googling for that first link - I presume a different woman - http://www.ishipress.com/tamar.htm. Gosh, and people want to ban Tom Sawyer and Catcher in the Rye?!?!!)
I was almost a Samantha, too. Roxanne was another choice. However, the nurse who delivered me was named Gina, and she was very kind to my terrified mother.
I know a Tamar, and now I'll never be able to look at her the same. Her own daughters are Mia and Jordanna.
oh Jesus, you are so not a Roxanne. But maybe that's because I know a Roxanne who is the quintessential Roxanne. But you'd be a cute Roxie : ) (OK, you can hit me for that when you next see me.)
Wouldn't I be the perfect Sam? My mom was obviously still under the effects of the anaesthesia. Valerie is elegant and crisp and grown-up and oddly efficient (must be the Germanic root)- All the things I am not. Whereas Sam...Sam fits me to a tee.
Hemlock. I LOVE Hemlock. "Oh, Hemlock, please listen to mommy, or I'll KILL myself!" Muwahahhaahahaaa
Doesn't that remind you of the J Crewe catalog colors? I always wanted to scream, For God's sake, I want a BROWN sweater. Not sable or loam or even feces, just BROWN. Argh! Not to mention the ones you could never tell what the color was supposed to be, like "luggage." I don't know about you but my luggage is a motley collection of grey-blue tweed, olive green nylon, navy blue hardshell, and a various assortment of canvas duffel bags. None of which I would want to wear, esp. in a $75 J Crewe sweater.
At my school we had a ton of Janines and Vickis too. God forbid you spelled it VickY.
We even could lay claim to a Tammi.
The family who bought our house last year has two kids. The little girl's name is Persephone. I'm not thrilled about it, but I don't really take offense. The boy's name, however, is HAVOC.
That should be illegal.
Persephone is liveable, if therapy-inducing (it makes me think of Persis from the Anne of Green Gables books.). But HAVOC? What were they thinking?
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