Hot on HuffPost Parents:
27 Fantastic Books For Kids Of All Ages
Mike Ryan: Ben Affleck Bids Bill Hader & Fred Armisen A Fond Farewell
What Baby Names Say About the Parents
Filed under: Baby Names
A baby's name says a lot about the parents' values and tastes. Credit: Getty Images
The name parents give to their newborn baby says more about them than it does about their child. A name communicates a wealth of social information, including the parents' tastes and background."We're in the middle of a naming revolution," Laura Wattenberg, author of the popular book "The Baby Name Wizard" told LiveScience.com. "Parents are putting a much higher premium on distinctiveness."
Half the babies born in the 1950s were given one of the top 25 most common boys' names or one of the top 50 most common girls' names. Fast forward to today, and you would have to list the 134 most popular boys' names and top 320 girls' names to cover half the babies born in a year.
"If you have 10 guesses to get somebody's name today, there's almost no chance you'll get it," Wattenberg told LiveScience. "But 100 years ago, if you guessed the top 10 names, you'd have a really good chance" of guessing correctly.
These stark changes in naming conventions have come with social implications. "The more diverse naming styles become, the more we are going to read into somebody's name," Wattenberg told LiveScience.com, adding that a baby girl who is born today and is named Mary says a lot more about that child's parents than such a name would have said 50 years ago. And that is true for all other names, too.
A baby's name tells others the parents' values and tastes and often their dreams and ambitions for their child. "Sociologists love names," Wattenberg told LiveScience.com. "They're practically the only case of a choice with broad fashion patterns that there's no commercial influence on. There's no company out there spending millions to convince you Brayden is a perfect name for your son."
What is most different today than 50 years ago? Parents today tend to believe their baby's name should be a unique signifier that separates them from everyone else. "Names never had to be unique. But today, your name is often the first way and sometimes the only way people know you," Wattenberg said, referring to social networking and easy online communication worldwide. It used to be enough to have a unique name in your neighborhood, such as, being the only one named Mary. Now the neighborhood is much bigger, spanning the globe.
But humans still want to fit in with others. "We all want to be different from each other, but our tastes are still as much alike as they ever were," Wattenberg told LiveScience.com. "So the result is we have a thousand tiny variations on a theme. You get Kayden, Brayden, Hayden, Jayden."
Your<span>Voice</span>
Ask Us Anything About Parenting
TheTalkies:RelatedVideos
-
Hilary Duff Gives Birth and Names Baby Boy Luca Cruz Comrie
A big congratulations goes out to Hilary Duff and her hubby Mike Comrie who are the proud parents to a baby boy they named Luca.
Hilary tweeted the news saying, "We are overjoyed and feel like the luckiest parents in the world."
Their healthy baby boy was welcomed on this planet weighing 7 pounds and 6 ounces
Hilary was getting anxious prior to giving birth. She was ready to meet her son.
She said: "People keep saying to me, 'Sleep right now. Get your sleep!' I keep saying, 'I just want th
-
Pregnancy and Birth: Baby Names
How to pick a name for your baby.
-
Gay Fathers' Win Over Baby Name
For the first time in Brazil's history, a gay couple has succeeded in having a child through in vitro fertilisation, and listing both their names as parents on the baby's certificate.
-
Top 10 Baby Names in 2010
In this episode of The Lab, we learn more about baby names. Daddy Clay talks with Linda Murray of BabyCenter.com to find out what the top baby names for 2010 are. She tells us about the annual Top 10 Baby Name list and reveals what the popular names for girls and boys are. Find out how pop culture, including television shows like Mad Men and Glee, influence parents and their choice of names. Politics and sports stars also lead to trends.
SitesWeLove
- Site Map
- |
- Staff
- |
- Terms of Service
- |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Trademarks
- |
- Advertise With Us
- |
- About Our Ads
- |
- AOL Downloads
- |
- Contact Us
- |
© Copyright 2012 AOL Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Aol Family
ReaderComments (Page 1 of 5)
1-10-2011 @ 2:38PM
meg said...a thousand variations and even more spelling options. i think it's kind of nice though that we're straying away from the over-used (no offense anyone) jessica, kristin, jason, justin, megan, jennifer and so on. some names really got popular. i'm happy to see more unique choices. there are some great ideas and free baby stuff at Http://savecreatively.com/BabyLanding.aspx
Reply
1-11-2011 @ 5:17AM
vacamom said...I don't think she was being close minded at all. Don't feel defensive because your child has a somewhat common name. They are still nice names. My family didn't care for the name I chose for my 3rd child(Marley), but we LOVE it. It totally goes with our personalities and it fits him too. Our first son has the most popular pet name-Max. Do we care ? No ! Our daughters name is beautiful and multicultural-Maya and is as beautiful as she is. Be confident in what name you picked for your child. Whether it be common and classic, unusual or downright strange.
1-15-2011 @ 12:23PM
call me names said...What ever happened to the good ole' names?? Chester, Goober, Clem, Billy Bo, Cooter.. and the use of initials too. Like G.W. I think first names should go along smoothly with the last name as well. Like if your last name is Dover, a first name like Ben is nice. or a last name like Jassol, a first name of Hugh works well too. Jim is cool if your last name is Naysium. Seymour works with the last name Cooley.
1-10-2011 @ 8:11PM
brianna8904 said...I named both of my girls after my grandads. Brianna Olivia Rae
( Ollie and Ray) and Holly (Ollie, because my first called him "Holly" instead of "Ollie":)
Reply
1-10-2011 @ 8:26PM
Nana said...Really? That's the whole article? That people make up wierd names to separate their child from the pack? Waste of time!
Reply
1-20-2011 @ 1:19PM
Liz said...That was my only thought, too. It didn't even live up to its headline. Deeply lame.
1-10-2011 @ 9:10PM
cassiechassey said...my parents gave me a traditional names Courtney and Ashley and I'm glad about it (no offence to anyone else).
Reply
1-14-2011 @ 1:38AM
Addy said...Um, Ashley and Courtney were originally boy names. If they are used on a girl, it is trendy.
1-15-2011 @ 4:14PM
Ashleigh said...My sister is named Courtney and I am Ashleigh... lol.
1-15-2011 @ 9:28AM
Blair said...So what if it was a boy's name before, what is your point? Probably SO far back in time, because now the thought of calling a boy "Courtney" would be hilarious.
1-10-2011 @ 9:13PM
Wil said...Kids are a lot more accepting of different names than they were 50 years ago as well.I thought my 2 nephews,Micael anArginnis,would
get teased about their names in school,but most of the kids think they're cool.
Reply
1-11-2011 @ 9:55AM
wtf said...So what is the point of this article. It never really reaches any conclusion. I think AOL and Popeater and all theseother sites need to fire their entire writing staff and hire people who know what they are doing.
Reply
1-11-2011 @ 2:35AM
Jessica Noriega said...As a pregnant woman this article confirmed some things for me. It also gave me food for thought in how I view others. If you're not having a baby then the article won't relate to you.
1-10-2011 @ 9:18PM
Marlene Haffner said...I hated that there were no Marlene's in my class and I had no one to identify with. Children only own their name and age when they are so young. When I hear of a weird far out name, there is usually a weird mother behind it.
Reply
1-11-2011 @ 7:50AM
Bill said...Choosing the name (like MAKIN' the kid in the first place) takes TWO. Just a thought.
1-10-2011 @ 10:15PM
Bebee's Human said...I like the name Marlene. Really!
1-11-2011 @ 1:31AM
Jessy said...I love the name Marlene it is my grandmas and I would love to use it if I decide to have a child. As far as names go I have a very common one and my sister got a very unusual one neither is better than the other. I hated being one of many and she hated being so different than anybody else. My sister went one to name her children uncommon but well known names so none of them are 'weird' and unpronouncable just a little different than everybody elses.
1-11-2011 @ 2:10AM
caugrl said...Be greatful; having a name that no one else has would have been nice. I was 1 of 5 Jennifers in my class of 52. As I grew older I would only respond to my last name, because there was only a 20% chance that they were calling me.
1-22-2011 @ 12:04PM
Jeannie said...I think thats pretty much a summary of what the article said, yea!
1-10-2011 @ 9:54PM
Mary said...I named my sons Ken and Phil, they don't like their names. Oh well. Can't change that now. I like the names.
Reply