These Baby Names Are Just as Popular Now as They Were Decades Ago
Choosing baby names can be tough. You want your child’s name to be a positive reflection on who they are, and who you hope they become. You might want it to describe someone who is strong, beautiful, kind-hearted, creative, or all of the above. Some folks like choosing extremely unique names, with interesting spelling. Others prefer classic names that don’t leave folks guessing on the pronunciation. Regardless, even in our world full of kids named Maddox and Aria, there are still some popular baby names that are just as popular now as they were some generations ago.
FiveThirtyEight, a website that analyzes baby name trends via Social Security data, recently released a few charts that might help folks figure out someone’s age just by their name. For example, if you meet a Norman, Chester, or Elmer, you’d likely be right if you assumed they were around retirement age. And you might not be surprised when your friends name their baby daughters Ava, Mia, or Emma (which are all quite popular for babies at the moment). But what about names that have peaked in popularity, waned for a while, and are back on the upswing? It seems we’re currently bringing back a lot of old school favorites. Care to see if your kiddo’s name makes the list?
Top 5 Girls Names With Widest Age Spread
Violet: Latin for violet flower (I happen to have a friend whose daughter is named Violet. As a thirty-something, I’ve only heard the name Violent two other times in my life: as a Hole song, and a recurring character on Saved By The Bell. It definitely was not a popular name in the 80s and 90s).
Lola: a shortened version of Dolores, taken from “Our Lady of Sorrows”
Lillian: Latin for “pure” as related to a flower
Stella: Latin for “star” (You may recall Marlon Brando shouting this name in A Streetcar Named Desire, but it hasn’t shown up much in pop culture since)
Genevieve: French for “white wave”
Top 5 Boys Names With Widest Age Spread
Leo: Latin for “lion” (Although the most notable Leo these days would be Leonardo DiCaprio, we can’t be sure if he’s the reason this one has made such a strong comeback)
Jack: Meaning “God is gracious” (While names like Jax and Jackson have seen relative popularity as of late, it seems the classic Jack is also rising in the ranks)
Everett: Anglo-saxon for “strong” or “wild boar”
Henry: German for “estate ruler” (Definitely withstood the test of time, with namesakes like Henry Ford and Henry Miller to current Superman Henry Cavill)
Charlie: English for “free”
What do you think of these long-standing names? Would you pick them for your next baby? Let us know in the comments.
(Image: Pexels / Pixabay)
