Did you know that our trusty government can show you the most popular U.S. baby names for every year...going all the way back to 1880?!? As you can imagine, one can have hours (or at least minutes) of fun looking back at the trends. Go to www.socialsecurity.gov to start the fun!!
Here are some interesting things I found out...
- For 2007, my first name (James) ranked #15, my middle name (Douglas) ranked #396, and my nickname (Trey...being used as an on-the-birth-certificate name, not a nickname) ranked #285. And, just for fun, the derivative version Treyvon ranked #986.
- Back in my birth year, 1981, my name was a bit more common. James-#7 and Douglas-#64, although Trey only ranked #747. Surprisingly, no Treyvon's that year.
- This past year, the name Samson ranked #897, while the name Delilah ranked #298. Hmm...
- In 2007, my sister, Madeline, has a decent following (#61), as did multiple versions of her name. Madelyn-#104, Madeleine-#290, Madalyn-#371, Madilyn-#382, Madelynn-#471, Madalynn-#665, Madilynn-#801.
- In the year my grandmother was born (and I'm too much of a gentleman to post that year here), her name, Dorothy, was the #3 girl's name. Only Mary and Betty were more popular.
- The award for Most Popular Name That I've Never Ever Heard Of goes to Nevaeh, which ranked #31 in girl's names. 6,689 girls were born with that name last year, which only shows how behind the times I am. And, if you notice, Nevaeh is Heaven spelled backwards.
- In 1990, the name "Taylor" was more popular as a girl's name for the first time ever, and it's been that way ever since.
So, lots of interesting stuff. Look around the website and let me know what cool things you find!
