Posted under: childhood, fluff
See this report on the top 10 baby names for both girls and boys for 2008. I have no complaints–most of the names are traditional and dignified (which isn’t always the case with the girls!), although if I were going to name a baby girl after a dead president, I think it would be Cleveland, not Madison. (You’d have endless opportunities to say, ”Hello, Cleveland!”)
I have a joke with a friend of mine about a family having four kids, and naming them all after the major cities in Wyoming. Can’t you just imagine a short-tempered parent in a supermarket parking lot screaming, “Cody, Jackson, Cheyenne, Casper–get in the damn car, NOW!” (I bet there’s already more than one family out there who has done it, don’t you?) Speaking of family naming trends, there was a family in the town where I grew up who named their first daughter Faith, their second daughter Hope–but then they had a son, whom they named Myron. (Must have been a family name?)
When I was a child, I was resentful that I didn’t have a trendy name among the girls of my generation. (Debbies, Stephanies, and all variations on names starting with Chris- or Kris- were big among girls born in the late 1960s and early 70s.) But it’s been a plus ever since not to have a name that identifies me with a particular generation. Daughters are more frequently hobbled with trendy or fey names, whereas more people seem to understand that some kind of seriousness is important in naming sons. I think a good rule for naming a child of either sex is to imagine the full name at the end of this phrase: “Chief Justice of the United States’ Supreme Court _____________________.”
Do you like your name? Was it a name you had to grow into, or that you feel you grew out of too quickly? Leave your suggestions for humorous family theme names below.
brassai on 12 May 2009 at 7:48 am #
Wow, Jennifer, Kimberley, and Michelle aren’t on the girls’ list? They were all the rage among the parents of people my age. Not to mention Heather. And no John, David, Steven, or Scott on the mens’? The times they are-a-changin’.
Historiann on 12 May 2009 at 7:50 am #
Jennifer and Michelle–my era, too. I forgot about them. (The Kims and the Lisas were more early 1960s, it seems to me.)
Moria on 12 May 2009 at 7:51 am #
Oh, too bad. I’ve always wanted to name a daughter (the one whose probable nonexistence will make this a moot point) Sophie or Sophia. The coincidence of “Chloe” and “Olivia” in one list makes the closet Woolfian in me smile.
I love my beautiful Welsh name (no kin to my nom de blog), and love its unusualness, though it was a bit of a rough thing as a kid. I love its cultural specificity, too: no one in the United Kingdom has ever asked me to repeat myself when I give my name, or to spell it, while in France it was entirely inscrutable, and in the States it often gets a sneer (Americans’ favorite response to their own incomprehension) or a, “No, I want your first name, honey.” It was fun to type – along with my strong Anglo-Italian middle name in full – into grad school applications. And it will look very well, I think, on the spine of a book. Reasons to be an academic.
As for themes, I’ll never get over the doe-eyed inclination for Shakespearean names for girls. “These are my daughters, Goneril and Regan…”
Historiann on 12 May 2009 at 7:52 am #
There was a briefly lived fad in the 1980s and 90s for naming little girls in the U.S. “Reagan,” as in Ronald, not as in King Lear.
Mother of ALL on 12 May 2009 at 7:56 am #
When I was a child I wanted to be named Marilyn. This was the age of Marilyn Monroe. My name just seemed too plain. As I got older I realized my name was somewhat unique. I have met very few women with my name.
When my daughter was born, I was sure I was going to name her either Kristin or Jennifer. When I looked at that little bundle, there was no way she was either of those names. As it turned out, those names were all too prevalent in her age group. Her name became her own. I just can’t imagine calling her Jen or Kris.
Notorious Ph.D. on 12 May 2009 at 8:06 am #
My friend M. has exactly that “Supreme court justice test” that you do. And I’m with the gendered thing. My childhood friend Zoe always hated her name. She also had a sister named Tana, and a brother named… Mark. She asked her parents why, and one of them (I forget which) told her that they thought it was important to give boys “good, solid names.” Wonder what *that* means.
Ben on 12 May 2009 at 8:07 am #
Omg, you haven’t even begun to have fun with baby names until you’ve checked out the SSA’s actual site here and gone back to check out your own birth-year, or checked out your own name across the decades: http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/
I’ve always liked my name, which is sufficiently dignified, can be considered culturally specific (or not), and (most importantly) has a good nickname. Popular, but not too popular. My parents were way too egalitarian, though, which made the name somewhat ironic. I was the eldest and deserved to rule, dammit.
Ann was my grandmother’s name. No one does statistics on middle names, but I have to imagine that Ann/Anne is one of the most popular middle names for girls.
christina on 12 May 2009 at 8:13 am #
My name is okay, though very trendy for when I was born (in the 80s). It’s often shortened to Christine or Chris, which annoy me slightly, and very occasionally to Chrissy, which I absolutely detest. I’d prefer to have a more classic name — Elizabeth has always been one of my favorite names, but I think it would be too weird to change it now.
Sterling Fluharty on 12 May 2009 at 8:20 am #
Don’t forget that names can also serve as markers of privilege and socioeconomic class. The correlation has already been demonstrated in national studies. And yes, I have always liked my name.
Dame Eleanor Hull on 12 May 2009 at 8:29 am #
I’m about ten years older than the bulk of women with my real name. When I was little, lots of people couldn’t pronounce it. My parents expected it to be unusual and distinguished. Then a movie star with that name came along . . . . I think it’s fairly distinguished, but no longer unusual. Like Christina, I like classic names, which is part of the reason I took my nom de blog.
Clio Bluestocking on 12 May 2009 at 8:40 am #
“Jennifer” was big in my high school. In fact, it seemed more popular in the year before mine. I, too, noticed the absence of “John” because it seems like every other guy is named John. In fact, I joke with my students that, during tests, if they can’t remember the first name of a male historical figure (especially in the pre-1865 sections), just call him John. Nine times out of 10 they will be correct.
You could name kids after cities in Texas: “Dallas, Houston, Austin, Amarillo!” Not so much with San Antonion or El Paso. How about naming kids after cokes? Like “Shasta, Barqs, RC, Sprite! Get over here right now!” Then, there was Eddie Murphy’s riff off of “Buckwheat,” saying that the Little Rascals’ writers probably thought black people all named their kids after cereals. Chris Rock (I think) also had some fun with girls names like “Brandi” and “Tiffani,” saying that they were doomed to be strippers.
Anyway, my other name never doomed me (or my audience) to a life on the pole. All three of my names are family names, chosen at the behest of my father. The spelling of the first was varied because my mother wanted me to have at least a little originality. My brothers only carry a family last name, which was a break with tradition since both of my parents had family names.
I actually, desperately wanted a regular, easily spelled name like yours when I was a little girl. “Susan” was my highest choice, since it was just so darn normal. Then I wanted a truly bizarre name in middle and high school, and the odd spelling of my own name did not suffice. Later, I learned that my last named was considered “way cool.” Now, surrounded by names that clearly did not originate in northwestern Europe, its pretty darn plain. (This is my daytime alias, not my online name!)
Speaking of which, that list is pretty Judeo-Christian and Anglo-centric. I wonder what accounts for that?
GayProf on 12 May 2009 at 8:48 am #
My name wasn’t popular during my era, but has moved way up on the list for current boy’s names (I think it broke the top ten). It never made sense for me to like or dislike it as I didn’t really have a choice.
squadratomagico on 12 May 2009 at 9:04 am #
Rather than comment here, I’ll simply add a link to my own blog musings on my name, posted sometime last year. It IS quite an interesting issue.
http://squadratomagico.net/2008/08/04/my-name/
CanadaGoose on 12 May 2009 at 9:12 am #
The current Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada is Beverley McLachlin. I think it sounds great!
(There are three other women on the court as well.)
Dr. Crazy on 12 May 2009 at 9:59 am #
I do really like my name, though as a kid I hated that it really isn’t able to be shortened into a cute nickname (ala Jenny, my best friend). Looking at the rankings for the name, I was named it during the three years where it was most popular, but the highest it ever got in the rankings was the high 30s, so it’s not a ridiculously common name (I only knew of maybe 7 other people all the while I was growing up with the name, and I never shared the name with a person in any class I took throughout school), though there are more people in my age range with it than in other age ranges. More than anything, I like the way that my first and last names go together.
Historiann on 12 May 2009 at 10:01 am #
Squadrato’s post is interesting–I remember it from last year. I think it’s better to have a bigger-than-your-name personality than to have a flashy or infamous name and turn out to be a little mousy thing. (This is why, while dignity is important when naming children, that you not saddle them with a long, pretentious name with a lot of baggage.)
I think names are very important in shaping people’s personalities, but of course, it’s difficult to analyze precisely how it matters. (It’s not like we can go back in time and grow up with a different name, is it?)
Barb on 12 May 2009 at 10:30 am #
My siblings and I were all given saints’ names, in good Catholic fashion, most of which were also traditional in both families. However, my name was not a common one – it wasn’t until grad school that there was ever someone else with my name in my class. As a kid, I hated it – especially given the prevalence of Barbie dolls! However, once I looked up the meaning, when I was about 12, I decided it was really appropriate given my sense of not fitting in. (It means “stranger” or “outsider”) Once I trained my family and friends that “Barbie” and “Babs” are not acceptable nicknames, I’m happy with it. But I do wonder whether my strong individualism is connected to my name – if I was given a more common name, would I have felt less able to go my own way without caring about other peoples’ reactions? Or even more determined not to fit in, with the name one more thing to resist?
As far as family naming trends go, we know a family that named their kids alphabetically: Amy, Bonnie, Cindy, Dana, Emily, and Freddie. Their last name began with G, so we always wondered it they had always planned to have six kids!
JJO on 12 May 2009 at 10:37 am #
I like my name. It’s not unusual but it is uncommon — it’s an actual name that people recognize (though more often as a last name), but it’s not one that has ever appeared in the top 150 (it seems to have peaked at 160 in 1951, and hasn’t been in the top 1000 at all since 1996). So I guess it’s kind of old-fashioned, though I’ve never thought of it that way.
As a kid it caused me some anxiety, especially around Christmas (because it resembles that of a well-known reindeer, and that resulted in some teasing), but I never seriously wanted to change it or wished that I was named something else. I’ve had to fight a mostly, but not entirely, successful battle against its diminutive, of which I’m not particularly fond.
One of the things I’ve always liked about it is that people can just use my first name without any further specification or confusion. But sort of strangely, my office is right next to that of a colleague with the same name (luckily, he uses the short version). And a couple of years ago I discovered someone with the same first and last name, which led me to start using my full name, including middle name, when I publish. So the whole distinctiveness thing doesn’t carry as much water as it once did.
Indyanna on 12 May 2009 at 10:58 am #
In Wyoming, I think I might have gone with Green River, Lander, Sheridan, Gillette, and maybe Rawlins. Or, if counties were your basic template, how about Sweetwater, Fremont, Campbell, and [one of my all time faves], Niobrara? For the kid after Faith and Hope, what, I guess boys don/t do Charity, or something like that?
onebadbint on 12 May 2009 at 10:59 am #
Laura Wattenberg’s naming blog is fascinating, especially the visualization tools:
http://www.babynamewizard.com/blog
One of her recent posts is on the skyrocketing popularity of the names of female murder victims. It’s not just the result of the name being in the news, apparently, but specifically of being a victim of violence.
Penny on 12 May 2009 at 11:06 am #
Um, Penny. Born before “Penny Lane.” Pretty sure I’m named for Penny Robinson on “Lost in Space” (my mother vehemently denies this). So it has some kitsch value. But I’d have preferred “Penelope,” overall. Don’t get me started on having a sister with a rhyming name….grrrr.
For hours of fun with baby name trends, you have to play with the NameVoyager visualizer:
http://www.babynamewizard.com/voyager
Penny on 12 May 2009 at 11:07 am #
Aha, looks like Onebadbint beat me to the Wattenberg link.
Janice on 12 May 2009 at 11:44 am #
I really don’t care for my name. It lacks a certain historical weight. And every one of the few characters in popular culture who shares my name comes across as a horrid shrew!
Both our girls are named after famous medieval women and we use their full names exclusively, so I guess my kids now have to suffer with the names that I would have preferred.
Digger on 12 May 2009 at 12:04 pm #
Both my sister and I have first names that were “odd” at the time we were given them (though at least mine has become more common in the generation since). My parents gave us each “good solid, traditional” middle names. Their reasoning: if we hated our weird first names, we could switch to using our middles, without the pesky pain in the arse of petitioning and paying to have our names legally changed. Such practicalness!
Historiann on 12 May 2009 at 12:31 pm #
Digger, what a sensible pair of parents you and your sister have! I think that’s a great plan.
Janice: I’ve been wracking my brains–who are the horrid shrews named Janice in pop culture? (And for the record, Penny: I always liked Penny Robinson, and thought it was a cool name for a sensible, smart girl. I went to college with a Penelope who went by the nickname Penny.) She was so much more appealing to little girls than her big sister, who was just a simpering dope following “Don” around.
Historiann on 12 May 2009 at 12:38 pm #
BTW–I’m glad that most of you are happy with your names. The consensus here seems to be that: 1) parents should err on the side of caution and tradition rather than following a fad, because 2) people seem to appreciate having been given traditional or “boring” names as adults, even if they didn’t so much as children. (Maybe this is due to the academic audience here?)
In my department among the faculty, we’ve gone through weird name trends. One year, there were three Anns in the department (all spelled the English way, without a final “e.”) Then we had three variants of Fred: a Manfred (who went by Fred), a Frederik, and a Fred. Now we’re down to just one Fred and one Ann, but we had three Marks this year (only two next year, though.)
Someone in the thread above observed how traditional (for the boys, Biblical) and English the top 10 names for each sex are. That’s true–here in Potterville, it’s interesting to watch the naming patterns among recent immigrants, who (perhaps unsurprisingly) are not giving their children names from their countries of origin but are going with the Biblical/English trend.
Knitting Clio on 12 May 2009 at 12:50 pm #
My twin sister’s name is Hope, so almost got named Faith. I like Heather better, but I grew up before that name was cool. Needless to say, the film “Heathers” was far from my experience — I was one of the nerdiest girls in school.
Indyanna on 12 May 2009 at 12:58 pm #
For classic black and white TV fans out there, there might be a YouTube version of the episode on the old Dick Van Dycke show [with Mary Tyler Moore before she ran off to the Twin Cities] demonstrating how their first t.v. kid [Ritchie, I think] got his middle name of E.D.W.A.R.D. It involved a compromise that ended a titanic and comedic struggle among four very determined grandparents, as I recall. [I didn/t actually SEE this episode, you understand. Rather, we had to study it again and again in film school. NOT.]
Indyanna on 12 May 2009 at 1:08 pm #
Uh, oh. Never don/t fact check. Wiki informs that the episode in question was called What/s in a Middle Name? The name in question was Rosebud, not Edward. It was broadcast on November seventh, nineteen sixty two [my keyboard is not working], a couple of weeks after the world didn/t get blown up in the Cuban Missile Crisis. Written by the legendary Carl Reiner. God bless Wiki. This is why I dropped out of film school and went to history school instead [again, NOT].
Flavia on 12 May 2009 at 1:15 pm #
I’ve got a relatively uncommon WASPy first name and a short but identifiably ethnic last name. My first name was extremely rare when I was a kid, and I’ve met almost no one of my own age who bears it — but when I was in elementary school a young celebrity with my first name burst on the scene, so it’s been in the top 50-100 names for girls ever since.
I like my name, and the combination of my two names even more; my brother’s name is similar (both in length, rarity, and the combo of WASPy/ethnicness). I like the fact that it’s an unusual and memorable name without being pretentious, difficult, or obviously peculiar (or even very long).
Historiann on 12 May 2009 at 1:29 pm #
Get out–I don’t remember a Flavia McNicholl, Flavia Cummings, Flavia O’Neal, Flavia Shields, or a Flavia Foster!
(Just kidding. Whatever to Kristy McNicholl? And to what degree might we guess that the name “Tatum” might have steered someone down the wrong path at a young age?)
My apologies if your name is Tatum. (Why do I always want to call her “Tater,” as in Tater Salad?)
Rose on 12 May 2009 at 1:36 pm #
“And now abideth faith, hope, and Myron. But the greatest of these is Myron.” Somehow, it doesn’t have the same ring.
I went to school with three siblings named Rex, Cigarette, and Baron. Srsly.
Historiann on 12 May 2009 at 1:42 pm #
Cigarette!
I had a student a few years ago named Nicolette, and I’ve seen that more than once. But no Cigarettes, ever. (Was Cigarette the girl? I’m not sure if that’s better or worse, just curious.)
When I first moved to Ohio, there were a few locally famous criminal brothers on the lam with the unforgettable names of Chevie (pronounced like the car) and Cheyenne (pronounced “Shane”) Kehoe. I think they were white supremacists, too, just in case you were thinking, “hey, that’s an idea…”
Liz2 on 12 May 2009 at 2:01 pm #
When we went to name my son I came up with all sorts of family names. I tried my mother’s maiden name “Rock” and my mother-in-law’s maiden name “Johnson” but neither seemed to go with my spouse’s last name “Harter”. That’s right, put them together and you get the ultimate name for a particular career path. My son has none of those names. We spared him and he even got my last name and we expect him to grow old at the end of his neighborhood bar (with the name we gave him). He wasn’t going to win anyway.
And when my younger sister was born, my step-mom named her Beatrix. When the doctor asked my father the name of his daughter, he said “Trixie, she’s going to be a stripper.” Her name was changed on the birth certificate that day. Of course, they gave her a name that could be abbreviated to Mojo, so go figure.
I hated my nickname and changed it when I was 27. Happy I did.
Susan on 12 May 2009 at 3:05 pm #
When I was born, my name was #5 on the list (love that Social Security database
. Now its 700+ (it stayed inthe to 10 until 1967, then the top 100 until 1984.) As a kid, the problem with the name was that I was never in a class with less than 3 Susans. Never ever. I always hated Sue and Susie, and only my sister gets away with another shortening. It’s been a lifelong struggle to be Susan, which at least has some dignity.
Do I like my name? Sort of. It’s mine, not too fancy, not too plain.
Lilian Nattel on 12 May 2009 at 3:09 pm #
My name was unusual and old-fashioned when I was a kid and I wasn’t keen on it for that reason. But it’s come back into fashion and my kids’ school has lots of Lilies and Lilians. My only gripe is the spelling. People are always throwing in an extra L!
HistoryMaven on 12 May 2009 at 3:30 pm #
My name was ranked number 4 in the 1930s when Shirley Temple helped keep Hollywood afloat during the Great Depression. Don’t know what my role is in the current Great Recession, but mine is a name that people LOVE to sing about (banana fana anyone?), and ask me about my naturally curly hair. Kinda diminishes my professional stature.
Add to it a surname unpronounceable to Americans, et voila! you know who really knows you at a conference. O have overheard attendees I have never met telling others they know me as they mispronounce my last name as they note it in the conference program. I contemplated mightily about publishing under another name.
Digger on 12 May 2009 at 4:23 pm #
HistoryMaven, that’s awesome. Especially if the person claiming to know you is talking to someone who actually does (or, even better, when the someone-who-knows-you is YOU!)
I know someone doesn’t really know me when they use the short form of my name. And I find it annoying when new acquaintances automatically shorten my name. Was I introduced as Shortform? No. Did I sign my correspondence to you as Shortform? No, didn’t do that either. Hmmm… now that I ponder this, it is usually men who automatically cute-ify my name without asking.
All or nothing, please
Unless you are really really close family. Really close family can get away with a lot.
Bing on 12 May 2009 at 8:16 pm #
My roommate reports that she once knew a family whose kids were named Matthew, Mark, Blake and John.
HJ
Historiann on 12 May 2009 at 8:31 pm #
Bing–maybe they were using some kind of “modern” translation of the N.T. or something. (Was it a “Good News Bible? A Gideon Bible?)
Ignatz on 12 May 2009 at 9:13 pm #
Bing–that’s funny! More traditionally–sort of–one year in college I dated 4 guys: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Yup.
The kids at my kid’s preschool who were 5 last year or are 5 now almost all have names ending in “on” or “en” sounds. Jadeyn (girl), Jadon (boy), two Holdens, two Carsons, Ethan, Damon, Caiden, Kaylen…My kid’s name is German, but that’s the extent of its “en”-ness.
Professor Zero on 12 May 2009 at 9:22 pm #
I was neutral on the question of my name throughout my life until the age of Google, at which point I learned how convenient it was to have a name this unusual. It’s not an eccentric name at all, but we are few and it’s easy to tell which one is me. This simplifies life.
Names that were floated for me include Noelle, Carol, Holly, Heather, and Hilary … so white, all of them!
Mamie on 12 May 2009 at 9:46 pm #
Ok, first, Ritchie Petrie’s middle name was Rosebud, not Edward (which, of course, would not have required a sitcom plot to explain).
And continuing the theme of knowing too much midcentury pop culture, MY reference to the name Penny is the girl sidekick in “Sky King”–whom I adored, though it has been so long since I’ve seen an episode of “Sky King,” I don’t recall why. Possibly just because she was a girl. But I really, really wished my name were “Penny.”
What is curious about my actual first name is that people regularly confuse it with another, more common name with the same number of syllables and a similar initial sound. (Not that my first name is uncommon.) I get called by this other name ALL THE TIME. Recently, a new-minted professor with an Ivy League Ph.D. humbly asked me to read her paper. Her notes and bibliography cited my last book a lot but used this other first name. What’s with that? (I mean, presumably, she’s seen my name in writing, right in front of her. She read the book.) Do other people regularly get called by the wrong name?
Indyanna on 12 May 2009 at 10:32 pm #
Penny was Sky/s neice, I think, unless I/m forgetting yet another archaic detail. Which was about as far off of patriarchal equilibrium as the network Standards and Operations boyz would allow a script to get back in those days.
Vance Maverick on 12 May 2009 at 10:44 pm #
Here’s the SSA’s page. The HuffPo article adds the “meaning” of each name, that is, an unsourced translation of the supposed original. (Surely a better “meaning” is history of the name’s use in relevant communities, but that would be harder.) The SSA gives more information, including historical frequency — but to visualize that, you really want the Name Voyager. It’s clear that my daughter’s name, Rosa, has steadily declined ever since records were kept.
(As for myself, I was named after my great-grandmother.)
Grandoc on 13 May 2009 at 3:42 am #
As a semi-retired pediatrician I could probably write a book on names. When I was given an family Irish surname. the name was almost unheard of. When a child in my practice garnered the same name via authentic family lines we decided that in the future families needed to register with us before they used the name – re spelling and family ancestry. Nobody did and the name is now way up on the list. One mother named her son ” Mister” and another liked her first child’s name so much that she gave her second son the same name. Both of these choices created chaos in our practice and the schools. Sean and Kaleigh were big in the 90′s with multiple creative spellings. Parents were pi—ed if you didn’t know the spelling. Br names have been chic recently – Braghman, Brogan, Bragan – ” The day care says Braghman has been lethargic”
Vance Maverick on 13 May 2009 at 7:35 am #
(Also, Ron Mueck FTW. Remarkable how much mileage he’s gotten out of his horror-movie-makeup background.)
Monocle Man on 13 May 2009 at 8:38 am #
I have an unusual middle name.
It is vital that I remain anonymous here, so that’s all for now.
Rose on 13 May 2009 at 8:57 am #
Yes, Cigarette (“Ciggy” for short, again, srsly) was the girl. She actually went on to become one of the highest-ranking women in the Navy, though, so apparently her name didn’t hold her back any. I suppose after enduring years of taunts about her name, boot camp was nothing.
The parents were Romanian emigres, escaping Communist rule. So, the story always was that when they got to the States, they thought the word was pretty, without quite thinking through the implications. Still….
Historiann on 13 May 2009 at 10:08 am #
The word “Cigarette” is very pretty–and it recalls names like Antoinette, Annette, Bernadette, etc., so there is a European Catholic connection.
Ah, but I’m just blowin’ smoke…
mebrett on 13 May 2009 at 2:28 pm #
I actually like my given name, although the whole thing written out feels somewhat unglamorous. My name ended up making the top ten two years after I was born, and stayed there for a little while, so in high school and college I had to contend with the slew of freshmen who had my name (luckily they often went by a nickname, but it still got confusing).
I am so glad I was not named for my great-grandmother (Mary), but both my sister and I intend to use family names when we have kids. Of course, mostly that’s for middle names. Not sure if it’s a southern thing or just my mother’s family, but middle names are always family surnames. I have my great-grandmother’s maiden name for a middle name.
Judith on 15 May 2009 at 4:41 pm #
I’m a little like you – I wanted a trendy 80s name, but my name, Judith, is fairly classic and I think gives people the impression of professionalism more than Stephie or Jamie or Lisa might. I was named after my aunt, who was born in the 50s when Judith was a popular name. Of course, it’s kind of funny to be 24 and all the people with your name are in their 50s and 60s, but I never had to deal with someone in my class having the same name, which was nice.
Digger on 18 May 2009 at 4:46 pm #
If you’re interested in geeking out on your name (or anyone else’s), re: popularity, etc., check out WolframAlpha. Note: Elizabeth is not my real name.
http://www45.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=elizabeth