Top 100 History: Girls' 1950s

Today I continue my Top 100 History series. We are now well into the Baby Boomer era.
Changes
1950

Left: Rosemary, Geraldine, Charlene, Lynda
Entered: Joann, Irene, Denise, Debra

1951

Left: Joann, Irene, Sue
Entered: Valerie, Julie, Vickie

1952

Left: Anna
Entered: Rhonda

1953

Left: Sylvia, Glenda, Eileen, Dianne
Entered: Cindy, Anna, Leslie, Robin

1954

Left: Roberta, Sarah, Anna, Lois, Evelyn, Constance, Jeanne, Charlotte
Entered: Terri, Laurie, Wendy, Michelle, Debbie, Michele, Terry, Lisa

1955

Left: Doris, Marsha
Entered: Lori, Kim

1956

Left: Maureen, Leslie, Sally, Frances, Marcia
Entered: Jennifer, Angela, Dawn, Tina, Kimberly

1957

Left: Wendy, Suzanne, Alice
Entered: Jill, Annette, Leslie

1958

Left: Elaine, Marie, Victoria
Entered: Amy, Beth, Tammy

1959

Left: Phyllis, Helen, Marilyn, Jacqueline, Jo
Entered: Renee, Anna, Suzanne, Wendy, Kelly

Movement

  • Denise, Debra, Valerie, Julie, Vickie, Rhonda, Cindy, Leslie, Robin, Terri, Laurie, Wendy, Michelle, Debbie, Michele, Terry, Lisa, Lori, Kim, Jennifer, Angela, Dawn, Tina, Kimberly, Jill, Annette, Amy, Beth, Tammy, Renee, and Kelly became popular for the first time. 
  • Rosemary, Geraldine, Charlene, Lynda, Joann, Sue, Sylvia, Glenda, Eileen, Dianne, Roberta, Sarah, Anna, Lois, Evelyn, Constance, Jeanne, Charlotte, Doris, Marsha, Maureen, Sally, Frances, Marcia, Alice, Elaine, Marie, Victoria, Phyllis, Helen, Marilyn, Jacqueline, and Jo left the top 100.
  • Irene returned to the top before leaving again.
  • Lisa, Debra, Deborah, Donna, Karen, and Cynthia entered the top 10.
  • Barbara, Sharon, Sandra, Carol, Kathleen, and Nancy left the top 10. 
  • Pamela, Cheryl, Debbie, and Kathy entered the top 20. 
  • Carol, Judy, Carolyn, and Kathleen left the top 20. 
  • Janet returned to the top 20 before leaving again.
  • Teresa, Julie, Lori, Denise, Tammy, Robin, Terri, Michelle, Kimberly, Cathy, Rhonda, Kim, and Cindy entered the top 50. 
  • Laura re-entered the top 50. 
  • Beverly, Jean, Gloria, Dorothy, Ruth, Peggy, Shirley, Joan, Darlene, Bonnie, Judith, and Betty left the top 50.
Trends

  • A new wave of nicknames, regardless of ending, became common (Debbie, Vickie, Cindy, Terri, Laurie, Terry, Lori).
  • Shorter names were preferred over longer ones again (Debra, Julie, Cindy, Kim, Lisa, Jill, Tina, etc.)
  • French names no longer trended (Geraldine, Jeanne, Charlotte, Marie).
  • Names ending in "da" still trended (Linda, Brenda, Rhonda, Wanda).
  • Two-syllable "D" names were in style (Debbie, Debra, Denise, Donna, Diane).
  • Names ending in "is" stopped trending (Phyllis, Doris, Alice, Frances).
  • Names ending in "een" were falling from favor (Eileen, Charlene, Maureen).
  • Names containing "or" continued to decline (Doris, Victoria).
  • Single-syllable "j" names were falling from favor (Jo).
  • Names with the "sh" sound declined (Charlotte, Marsha, Charlene).
  • The Spanish name decline paused (Anita, Rita).
  • Two-syllable "l" names became common as well (Lisa, Laurie, Leslie, Lori, Linda, Laura).
What was the most interesting change from the top 100 of the 1950s?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hazel

Image
In the Northern Hemisphere, there is a common broadleaf tree. It produces nuts with a certain shade of brown. The tree and nut have one name in common: Hazel. The nature name, which derives from the Old English hæsel , has been in sparing use as a unisex name between the late 1700s and early 1800s. It became a common feminine name alongside Myrtle and Olive in the late Victorian Era. Hazel was a top 100 American name between 1886 and 1936, peaking in the top 20 in 1897.  Hazel was popular in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand around the same time as its American run. However, it did not enter the British top 100 until 1924. It remained popular in England and Wales until 1954, making it more retro over there.  As Hazel declined in popularity, pop culture reminded the public of its dated sound. A comic strip featuring a troubled housekeeper by the name and Witch Hazel from Looney Tunes did the job.  Hazel dropped out of the American top 1000 in 1976. It began its revival when it reentere
Read more

Biblical Girls' Names

Image
Most people's names come from sources, whether it be ancient mythology, literature, or the most influential book in history: the Bible. There are several names mentioned in the Bible, but only those associated with one prominent character and with complete usability will count. For instance, there are too many Marys in the Bible for the name to count. Place and word names in the Bible, such as Shiloh, will not count either. Here are some Biblical girls' names that will especially appeal to Christians: Abigail Adah Bathsheba Deborah Delilah Dinah Esther Eve Hagar Hannah Jael Jezebel Keturah Leah Magdalene Martha Miriam Naomi Peninnah Rachel Rahab Rebekah Ruth Sarah Tamar Tirzah Zillah What names would you add?
Read more