The top 100 names that were all the rage in 1940 have dropped almost 700 spots, Find My Past reported recently. This is a harsh contrast to how far the most popular boys names dropped- hardly at all- by only 100 spots. This may point to the way in which we view ourselves and our daughters.
As Gloria Steinem said, “We are becoming more like the men we wanted to marry. Taking their jobs, and in some cases, their first names.”
An apt observation from the website was that Madison is now the 8th most popular name for girls, the highest riser. It used to be a surname, then a popular name for boys after it was that of our president. It was the name that graced Madison Avenue, a place where powerful men worked, Joshua Taylor noted. And now powerful women named Madison are taking their spots.
The site also found that women’s names tend to be more varied and exotic, avoiding the older, classical names like Betty and Paige. These now sound more to us like the names of Mad Men characters than our friends and colleagues.
The most popular girl’s name in 2011 was “Sophia.” What do you think it will be in 2012?
Image via pitch.com
