Patches of Names

In the second summer of the COVID-19 pandemic, Disney Pixar released its newest hit on Disney Plus. That movie was about a sea monster who becomes a human upon reaching the land. He then makes a few friends and participates in a bicycling contest. That sea monster is the titular character of the movie, Luca. Luca was the fastest rising name of 2021 thanks to the Disney Pixar movie. Yet, of course, Luca has been a given name long before the movie came out. Luca is the Italian form of Lucas, which itself is a form of Lucanius, meaning "light". The name has seen centuries of use in Italy. One famous historical bearer was Renaissance sculptor Luca della Robbia. Besides, according to BehindtheName.com, Luca ranked #22 in 1427 Italy.  In the United States, though, Luca is relatively novel. It was not even used at all before the 1960s. Luca then entered the top 1000 in 2000 and the top 100 19 years later. As it has been previously described, Luca was the fastest rising name of 2021.

We all know the fairy tale, Goldilocks and the Three Bears . In the story, Goldilocks eats the porridge, sits on the chair, and sleeps on the bed that is "just right." These all happened to belong to Baby Bear.  Goldilocks and the Three Bears originated from the nineteenth century. However, the name Goldie did not originate from the fairy tale. It is a diminutive of the Yiddish name Golda, which means "gold". Golda, itself, came from the Germanic name Golde. Besides, Goldie's literary pedigree is not limited to Goldilocks and the Three Bears . Golde was Tevye's wife in the Russian musical Fiddler on the Roof . Goldie has been used in England since the Middle Ages. It later ranked in the American top 1000 through 1957. Goldie was also a top 200 name from 1884 to 1920. Goldie then retired from fashion. Goldie is now starting to make a comeback, re-entering the top 1000 in 2021 in the 800s.  Goldie can work as a nickname for longer names like Marigold. Yet, it

Several names left the United States top 100 this past decade. Some of these names, such as Kaylee and Brayden, sound dated to another era. Others, like Luis and Faith, still work today. Either way, many of the names are still falling as of 2022. They are moving farther and farther away from their former place in the top 100.  Here are the names that left the top 100 during the 2010s and where they are now: 2010 Dropouts: Brian (#290) Katelyn (#900) Kyle (#393) Miguel (#185) Mya (#302) Sean (#397) Vanessa (#311) 2011 Dropouts: Aidan (#296) Angelina (#305) Bryan (#291) Eric (#229) Gabrielle (#499) Jessica (#508) Paige (#316) Rachel (#244) Valeria (#146) 2012 Dropouts: Brooke (#269) Cole (#143) Destiny (#391) Diego (#124) Hayden (#160) Jaden (#320) Jesus (#165) Kaitlyn (#627) Mariah (#345) Max (#156) Payton (#289) 2013 Dropouts: Alex (#190) Andrea (#155) Bailey (#182) Carlos (#147) Kimberly (#210) Molly (#199) Trinity (#310) 2014 Dropouts: Camden (#187) Damian (#108) Jase (#554) Jocelyn

A few days ago I discussed the new top 100 girls' names of 2021. Today I discuss the boys' names. This year, four names left the boys' top 100. These names are: Jaxson  dropped from #85 to #101 after eight years in the top 100. I initially did not expect this trendy re-spelling of Jaxson to drop, but Jackson and variants have been popular for a while.  Jace dropped from #96 to #102. It sounds dated as the first syllable of Jason even though it did not enter the top 100 until 2012. Jace has also been declining lately. Thus, I expected this one to leave. Adam fell from #96 to #104. I expected this classic to leave. It entered the top 100 in 1970 and reigned for an impressive 51 years. Even as it declines, though, Adam will remain timeless. Kayden finally dropped down to #108 after hanging onto the fringes for years. Kayden was first popular from 2012 to 2015 and again from 2017 to 2020. Names ending in "ayden" are declining, so I expected Kayden to leave.  At the sa

Yesterday the new name data came out. This year, only two names left the top 100. These are the names that left: Brielle dropped from #99 to #118. It has been moving in and out of the top 100 in recent years.  Samantha  dropped from #90 to #105. It first entered the top 100 in 1976 and reigned there for an impressive 45 years, thus counting as a new classic. Samantha has been dropping rapidly in recent years, so I expected this to leave.  This means that two new names entered the top 100. These are the names that entered: Athena jumped from #108 to #98. It is a mythological name that mixes Aurora and Sophia soundwise. I expected Athena to enter the top 100 last year, but it slipped slightly then. Yet, Athena's popular now.  Rylee jumped from #102 to #97. Like Brielle, this spelling variant of Riley has been moving in and out of the top 100 recently.  I expected Raelynn, Melody, Clara, and Alaia to enter the top 100 this year, but none of them did. Instead, they either remained stab

I recently predicted the new top 100 girls' names for when the new name data comes out this Friday. Now I focus on the boys' names. Every year, a few names enter and leave the top 100. These are the names I think will enter the top 100: Beau -This Southern name jumped 23 spots last year and just 10 spots will bring it to the top 100. Beau is proving to be a better male counterpart to Scarlett than Rhett. Bennett -Bennett begins with the same sound as Benjamin and has the same ending as Everett. It jumped seven spots in 2020. Just two spots will make this name popular. Waylon -Like Beau, Waylon is a country name with ties to singer Waylon Jennings. It jumped 10 spots in 2020. If it jumps just five spots, Waylon will be popular. Parents might be using this as an alternative to Wyatt. These are the names I think will leave the top 100: Adam -This classic name has been popular for decades and could leave the top 100 if it falls just five spots. Even if it leaves the top 100, though

Every Friday before Mother's Day, the Social Security Administration publishes the new name data. That day is this Friday. Thus, I will make predictions for the new top 100 names below. Names enter and leave the top 100 this year. These are the names that I think will enter the top 100: Alaia -Alaia jumped 64 spots up the charts last year. If it even jumps by just 20 spots, Alaia will officially be in the top 100.  Clara -Clara was in the top 10 in its heyday, but for some reason this is not rising. Hopefully that changes soon. Melody -Melody is a new classic making an early revival. It has the musical associations of Aria and the rhythm of Emily.  Raelynn -Paisley has been in the top 100 for years. Raelynn mirrors Paisley in its complete femininity, contemporary style, and country singer association.  These are the names that I think will leave the top 100: Adeline -Several spellings of this name were so popular recently that Adeline quickly felt overused. Madeline -Madeline has b

A topic frequently debated in the naming world is what dates a name. Is just being popular enough to date a name to its era? Can names date even if they never become popular? The definition of a dated name varies. However, on Patches of Names, a dated name usually has at least one of the following qualities: A dramatic rise in use  Newfangled popularity Mix-and-match sound (i.e. Jayden and Hayden) Strong celebrity and/or pop culture association EXAMPLES: Ashley skyrocketed from #34 in 1981 to #4 just two years later, pinning it to the 1980s. Ashley has been out of the top 100 since 2016.  Chad soared from #51 in 1970 to #29 in 1971. The name has since fallen out of the top 1000.  Darren skyrocketed from #127 in 1964 to #52 in 1965. Darren feels dated to the 1960s and has been out of the top 100 since the early 1970s.  Heather skyrocketed from ranking outside the top 100 in 1965 to its peak at #3 in 1975. A 1980s film entitled The Heathers  also dates the name. Heather has since dropped