Community Chat

[lork]

In 1979 we named our first son Adam.  At the time, I watched Adam Drake on The Edge of Night, and knew about Adam & Eve.  That was the extent of the Adam's in my world. . . By the time he started school (in a very small, rural community) there were 5 Adam's in his CLASS!  Noah was our second son.  We loved the name and knew only the Biblical Noah. . .Now we even have friends with a sweet little Noah GIRL!!!  Our third son was named after a character I read in a western novel.  Mace (NOT Mason!!) was a real unknown. . . Until my mom said it was actually a "family name", she had a cousin (female!) named Mary Mace!  EEEEEEK!!!!  Locally we are acquainted with several younger Maces, I suspect all named after our son (his teacher's kid, and a buddy's little brother).  Life marches on. . .

[Oznell]

There are all kinds of theories as to why certain names swing in, and then go wildly out of popularity for decades or centuries.

In this generation, the "Baby Name Wizard",  Laura Wattenberg, is a fount of trans-generational lore, facts and ongoing research on baby naming.   I really enjoy her books.

One of the interesting things about "old-fashioned" names coming back in style, is that it usually follows a "100 year" cycle.  According to experts, if a name almost exclusively seems to belong to very old living individuals, it will lose its freshness for new parents on the brink of naming.  But, once 100 years have passed from its height of popularity (and presumably, there are fewer or no people around bearing the name-- it re-enters the market as a possible name. 

It becomes quaint or "charming" at that point, instead of "dowdy", in the eyes of many parents.

Her books are useful too, in zeroing in on the few names that are virtually trend-proof-- that won't sound "dated" later on.  One of the keys to a trend-proof name is that it must have retained a 'steady' (not necessarily either huge or small) popularity down through the centuries, not swinging wildly in and out of style.    

[Trailrun23]

I never liked my name and even my family has never used it when addressing me....which begs the question...why the heck was I given that name in the first place? 
Two guys live in a condo not too far from us..,they walk their two standard poodles every afternoon about the same time we walk so we see them often. The dogs names are Razzle and Dazzle. Sigh

[teganslaw]

A character on the show "The Blacklist" named her daughter Agnes. Talk about old fashioned.