Patches of Names

Frances Hodgson Burnett created three notable protagonists in her children's novels. Two of them are girls: Sara Crewe in A Little Princess and Mary Lennox in The Secret Garden . The other happens to be a boy: Cedric Errol in Little Lord Fauntleroy . Cedric did not begin with Little Lord Fauntleroy , though. Walter Scott invented the name for his 1819 novel Ivanhoe . However, he based it on the older name Cerdic, who founded the British kingdom of Wessex in the sixth century. Cerdic likely originates from the Celtic name Ceretic, itself a form of the Welsh Caradoc.  Ivanhoe turned Cedric into a given name in Victorian England. It surpassed 10 births for the first time in 1888, two years after the publication of Little Lord Fauntleroy . Cedric peaked in English usage during the 1890s. Its American peak came decades later, though. Cedric moved in and out of the top 1000 many times between 1893 and 1939. Afterward, the name rose to its 1970s peak in the 230s due to its then-African-Am

In the famous medieval legends, the titular King Arthur had a tragic wife. She had an affair with another man only to end Camelot. Her name was Guinevere. Guinevere is the Norman French form of the Welsh Gwenhwyfar, meaning "white phantom." That Gothic meaning puts Guinevere in the same company as Delilah and Ophelia. It has been used in England from the fourteenth century but did not enter regular use until the late Victorian Era. In the United States, Guinevere has been used for at least five girls as early as 1912. However, it did not begin to rise until the late 1990s. Guinevere entered the top 1000 girls' names for the first time in 2021. Hence, while Guinevere sounds like a vintage name via Arthurian legend, it is actually modern in usage. Even in England, Guinevere has yet to become more common.  Guinevere makes for a stylish update for Jennifer, the Cornish form. The name can also serve as an alternative to the rising Genevieve and Gwendolyn via its structure and

The new name data that came out this past Friday brought us many changes in the most popular names. A bunch of names have departed the girls' and boys' top 100 lists alike. Here are the five names that left the boys' top 100 this year: Austin -This Texas city name has ranked in the top 100 since the 1980s and now feels a bit dated. It shows in its drop from #96 to #111.  Carson -Carson has clearly lost its luster as parents seek fresher surname-names. It fell from #97 to #110.  Connor -This remains a solid Celtic pick, but it dropped from #98 to #118 after decades of popularity. Dominic -A top 100 name for over twenty years, Dominic finally fell from #99 to #102.  Hunter -Hunter is clearly losing its freshness since it fell from #86 to #101.  While five names left the top 100, five new ones arrived: Adam -After one year out of the top 100, this timeless classic returned to its 2020 rank of #97 from #104. It peaked several decades ago, so Adam might be regaining its freshnes

This past Friday, the new name data came out. Several names moved in and out of the top 100 this year. Perhaps more names left the girls' top 100 than I predicted. Here are the six names that dropped out of the top 100: Allison -I knew this modern traditional is declining, but I did not expect Allison to leave the top 100 this year. Yet, with fellow neoclassic Samantha leaving last year, Allison has taken its turn. It fell from #82 to #101 to end all "Allie" names (except for Alice) in the top 100.   Eva -I did not expect this timeless multicultural mini-name to leave, but at least it ranked in the top 100 for the entire 2010s decade.  Madeline -I have predicted that name would leave the top 100 for years since it hovered in the lower 90s. After guessing it wrong for many years, Madeline finally slipped from #95 to #102. Peyton -This unisex surname-name made a bigger fall than I expected, dropping from #99 to #104. Piper -After about ten years in the top 100, surname-name

The new name data comes out the Friday before Mother's Day nearly every year (it was postponed to September in 2020). I have recently predicted the new top 100 girls' names in preparation for that event. Now I move on to the boys' names. Plenty of names entered the boys' top 100 last year and I think the same will happen this year. Here are the names I think will become popular: August -August has associated itself with many celebrity babies over the last years, including those of Princess Eugenie and Mandy Moore. It is also a vintage name that rose 34 spots to the 120s. Emmett -Emma has been popular for girls for decades. With the trend for double-"t" names like Wyatt and Bennett, Emmett fits in.  River -River has the unisex style and "er" ending modern parents love. It jumped 19 spots in rank last year. Hence, rising by just 10 spots can make it popular. Rowan -With Celtic names like Liam being popular and the trend for unisex and tree names, Rowan

With the new name data coming out this Friday, it is time to predict the popular names once again.  I will begin with the girls' top 100. There have been few changes last year, but I expect more to happen this year. Here are the names I think will enter the top 100: Eloise -Eloise does not just fit in our era of "el" names, but its kidlit connections also makes this today's Madeline. It rose nearly 30 spots last year to #109, so it will take under 10 spots to make this popular. Iris -Iris is a goddess name in the key of Luna and Aurora and a vintage nature name like Hazel and Ivy. It has also risen 20 spots to #107 last year. Maeve -This has risen from the 170s all the way to the 120s last year under the influence of the television series Sex Education . Rising just 25 more spots will make this popular. Raelynn -This has risen little this past year, but its similarity in country-singer association to Paisley gives it potential.  When new names enter the top 100, there

There is still less variety in boys' names than there are in girls' names. However, the gap is narrowing. It is harder for even boys' names to reach today's top 100 than it was a century ago. Underused boys' names have all the ingredients to reach the top 100, whether it be through sound, style, or current pop culture references. However, parents are neglecting them for some reason. Perhaps they are not even aware of these names' existence.  Here are some boys' names from below the top 500 that have yet to rise in use and deserve to do so: Abbott Ansel Bastian Benton Blaze Bram Bronson Calder Carver Cecil Cedric Clarence Coleman Darwin Dashiell Demetrius Diesel Domingo Egan Elam Emil Ender Fisher Fletcher Flynn Foster Frost Gibson Gino Gus Harris Ivor Judd Leopold Lionel Linus Lucian Magnus Maxim Noam Noble Penn Percy Phineas Quinlan Raphael Reuben Rex Robinson Roscoe Seamus Simeon Stone Thaddeus Theron Truman Vance Vaughn Vito Wilson What names would you ad

Names often associate themselves with either boys or girls. John has almost always been used for boys; nearly every Anna throughout history has been a girl. However, a select group of names bring all genders to mind. Unisex names, which do not associate themselves with specific genders, are gaining more interest as the gender binary continues to deconstruct itself. Some people become transgender or non-binary. Others are even born intersex, meaning they have both female and male characteristics. With unisex choices, a name change would never be necessary. Here are some names that can work for any gender: Adair Auden Avery Baylor Blair Blake Campbell Carson Carter Chandler Charleston  Charlie Clancy Dakota Dallas Darby Darcy Denver Dylan Eden Egypt Ellis Emerson Emery Finley Frankie Greer Harlem Harley Harlow Harper Hollis Hunter Indigo Jackie Jamie Jordan Jupiter Justice Kasey Kendall Kennedy Kolby Laken Landry Larkin Lennon Lennox Leslie Linden Logan London Lyric Mackenzie Madigan McK