Patches of Names

As I continued researching first names over the past few years, I noticed patterns in syllables. Some patterns are common, while others are rare.  I counted the number of names featuring each syllable pattern among the girls' and boys' top 100. My results are recorded below: FOUR-SYLLABLE NAMES Within the girls' top 100, 13% of names have four syllables: 6% have emphasis on the third syllable Examples: Is-a- BEL -la, El-i- A -na, Val-en- TI -na, Lil-i- A -na, Gab-ri- EL -la, Ar-i- A -na 7% have emphasis on the second syllable Examples: O- LIV -i-a, A- MEL -i-a, Pe- NEL -o-pe, E- MI -li-a, Vic- TOR -i-a, Na- TA -li-a Within the boys' top 100, just 5% of names have four syllables: 4% have emphasis on the third syllable Examples: Al-ex- AN -der, San-ti- A -go, Le-on- AR -do, Je-re- MI -ah 1% has emphasis on the second syllable Example: E- ZE -ki-el THREE-SYLLABLE NAMES Within the girls' top 100, 37% of names have three syllables: 13% emphasize the middle syllable

In the beginning, there was a garden that was full of life and joy. Its inhabitants would live forever... until they ate from a forbidden tree.  Eden, the name of the garden, means "pleasure, delight." Most names that are not straight-up words lack obvious meanings, but the delightful Biblical garden gives Eden a different story. If a name has such a positive meaning and shares a prefix with vintage Edith, Eden must have been a name forever, right? Wrong. Well, Eden appears in the British Baby Names list of Tudor names. Nameberry, too, claims Eden was used by seventeenth-century Puritans. Yet, there are no historical women with the name. Its history of use as a girls' name is silent, making it come off as more modern than traditional.  Eden did not even appear in the naming data in 1880. It first appeared for seven girls in 1917 and entered consistent usage in 1954. It rose into the top 1000 in 1986 and continued until hitting the top 100 in 2023. Eden entered the English

There have been debates on name blogs about the problems with using "trendy" names that date themselves to an era. Many of them argue that, since most names eventually "date" anyway, there really is no problem with Everly and Mason. Even though most names cycle in and out of fashion, some currently declining names remain usable. There are plenty of names popular in the 1990s and 2000s that still work today; Paige and Trevor may not be current, but they don't sound as dated as, say, Brittany and Tyler.  I have gathered 26 revival names from the girls' top 100 and 11 from the boys' top 100. After researching each name's cycles, I found that of the 20 girls' names that remained in the top 1000, 11 came back within 80 years after dropping out. In contrast, four out of the six names that left the top 1000 came back within more than 80 years after falling out. For the boys, eight out of eleven names returned within 80 years.  This is not a ban on Luna

I discussed notable rises within the boys' top 1000 a few days ago. Today I move on to notable falls. As many names rise within the top 1000, there are also a lot of names that fall. Like the notable boys' rises, the notable falls were harder to find for boys than they were for girls. Yet, here are five notable top 1000 dropouts with statements about name trends as well as five notable falls within: DROPOUTS Braden This name, which first entered the charts in 1970, became the first of the Brayden spellings to leave the top 1000. It is a sign that the name is getting dated.  Brennan This Brendan sound-alike, a top 1000 choice since 1966, fell from #994 to #1021. Brendan and Brandon are also falling; Brennan's sound officially marks the last generation.  Gary This short name, which has ranked most years since 1880, is officially out, having fallen to #1063 from #956. Having peaked at #9 in 1954, the name is difficult to imagine on a modern boy. Jaxx Having dropped from #985 t

I have previously discussed notable girls' top 1000 entries and dropouts, as well as movements within. This week, I move on to the boys' names. There have been fewer significant rises within the boys' top 1000 than for girls, so it has been more difficult to pick out ten examples. Yet, the following five new entries and five movements within are as significant as they can be: NEW ENTRIES Boaz This traditional-sounding Biblical name, which has never even ranked before, entered the top 1000 at #958. With Beau in the top 100 and Bowie not far behind, Boaz came at the right time. Hollis This unisex surname-name, though sounding female, skewed masculine in usage a century ago; it ranked within the 300s throughout the 1910s and 1920s. It also came back for boys first, returning at #1000 while it remains unranked for girls.  Massimo This is the age   of Italian boys' names with Luca and Enzo both in the top 100. Massimo, another Italian name, just joined the club at #842. Rish