Tuesday, August 26, 2014

What's Not in Name-alytics


There is A LOT of information in Name-alytics. But there are a few things I found in my research that just didn't fit in the book, so I will share them now...
  • Out of the 825 names that have been in the Top 100 since 1880, two are no longer given (at least not to the minimum of 5 babies in a year). Myrtle and Nannie seemed to have completely disappeared from use. Myrtle disappeared after 1997, with a brief showing in 2005, and Nannie disappeared after 1979, with some appearances in 1981, 1986, 1988 and 1991. Maud was previously on this list until she made a reappearance in 2013; she hasn't been used steadily since 1962. Willie (for a girl) is another one that has been sporadic lately, falling from constant use after 1998 and then being recorded as a given name on and off, reappearing in 2013. On the boy side, Ed and Garfield were almost goners until 2013 when they reappeared after just a few years of non-use. 
  • As popular as they are now, several names in the Top 100 were not used at all in this country until fairly recently. Late boy arrivals (first recorded use after 1950) include: Aiden 1970, Ayden 1990, Brayden 1970, Brody 1954, Caden 1979, Dylan 1953, Jaden 1970, Jase 1967, Jaxon 1972, Jaxson 1991, Jayden 1977, Kaden 1977, Kayden 1989, and Ryder 1960. 
  • Late girl arrivals include: Aaliyah 1976, Addison* 1980, Alyssa 1950, Ariana 1957, Arianna 1959, Breanna 1965, Briana 1950, Brianna 1963, Brittany 1963, Brittney 1958, Brooklyn 1972, Caitlin 1955, Cassidy 1968, Destiny 1956, Genesis 1964, Gianna 1951, Harper* 1971, Jayla 1968, Jordan* 1950, Kaitlin 1971, Kaitlyn 1967, Katelyn 1970, Kennedy* 1957, Khloe 1989, Kiara 1968, Kylie 1960, Latoya 1960, Layla 1950, London* 1963, Mackenzie 1973, Madison* 1971, Makayla 1971, Meghan 1952, Mikayla 1970, Mya 1954, Nevaeh 1997, Paisley 1966, Payton* 1966, Peyton* 1957, Piper 1951, Reagan* 1956, Serenity 1972, Skylar* 1974, Taylor* 1951, and Zoey 1967. (*first year used for girls, used previously for boys)
  • From the Decades list in the book, you can see that Christie/Christy/Kristi/Kristy were at their heights in the 1970s, but Christina/Crystal/Krista/Kristen/Kristin/Kristina/Krystal were at their peaks in the 1980s. The 1970s were also when the Mels (Melanie/Melinda/Melissa) were at their highest. The 1990s brought us the pinnacles of Caitlin/Kaitlin/Kaitlyn/Katelyn. Jean/Jeanne were at their peaks in the 1920s, but the sound preference changed in the next decade, for Joan/Joann/Joanne were at their highest in the 1930s.
  • And while researching the connections between the Top 100 names, I discovered that Minnie, Velma and Wilma are connected through the name Wilhelmina, while Mattie, Maud and Maude are connected through the name Matilda.
I'm sure more blog posts will come out of the basic research from this book. If you would like to see the research and analysis that WAS in the book, you may purchase Name-alytics using the button on the right!

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Monday, August 25, 2014

Name-alytics


I am so very excited to finally announce the release of my eBook!

Name-alytics: An In-Depth Analysis of the Top 100 Names in the United States Since 1880 is a project I have been working on for over a year now. I had the idea and started the research last summer. It took a while to figure out how I wanted to organize it, and then when I realized I wanted to be a control freak about it all, I was tremendously blessed to have a husband who helped with creating the database after I collected the raw information from the Social Security Administration. Once the data was put together, I retrieved the information for all the names that have been in the Top 100 since 1880 and formulated several Excel spreadsheets from which to work. Then I started writing the book by going back and forth between Excel and Word. Then I realized all the awesome lists I could create from what I had gathered. Then I got the bright idea to research the possible pop culture effects on name popularity. After that was completed, it dawned on me that a graphic would be really eye-opening in terms of what I wanted the results to present, so I spent quite a while generating graphs. By that time, I realized I had to update all of the information with the 2013 numbers. All of that plus the day-to-day, school events, trips, holidays, and a kid's broken elbow that required four surgeries make the year go by fairly quickly. ;) In any case, the outcome of all this work is something that I am extremely proud of and thrilled to share with you!

So what exactly does Name-alytics present to you? Well, just how popular is popular when it comes to the top names of the country? Name-alytics takes a look at every Top 100 name in the United States since 1880 and presents an entirely new perspective on name popularity. From Mary to Sophia, John to Noah, Beulah to Brittany, Edgar to Ethan... Name-alytics' full analysis of how each name performs throughout time serves as a great resource for soon-to-be-parents, repeat parents, name enthusiasts and even history lovers.

I make an argument that percentage of use is the best way to measure popularity over time. Rankings show how popular a name is in comparison to other names, but doesn't present an accurate picture of exactly how many babies were given that name. And raw numbers tell you exactly how many babies were given that name, but because of the increase in birth rates over the years, they don't show if the name is more popular now or 100 years ago.

Besides giving you a thorough list of all 825 names that have ever been in the Top 100 since 1880, I also include when it was at its peak as well as its highest ranking (and comparing the two can be quite interesting). Here is an example from the book...

Alice (1880-1956)
Highest Percentage: 1.4487% (1880) <-- about 15 girls out of every 1,000 were named Alice in 1880
Highest Rank: 8 (1880, 1882, 1906)
Decade: 1880s (1.2431%)
Variants: Alicia, Alyssa

Additional lists include which names have been in the Top 100 every year since 1880, which names fell out of the Top 100 and returned later, and which names appeared on both the boy side and the girl side. As I said before, the graphs are a visual way of showing a new way of looking at popularity. An example of something I discovered while doing this research is best presented in a graph. Did you know that Bertha was more popular at its height than Catherine ever was? Just take a look at one the graphs included in the book...


This graph shows the highest percentage of use for each Top 100 girl name beginning with the letters A-D and how it lies in comparison to the percentage of use for the #1 girl name (the line). As you can see, Bertha was at its height in popularity in 1883, when Mary was safe at secure at #1. Then you see classic Catherine at its height in 1914, well below Bertha's peak. I'm not sure any of us would have guessed that Bertha was a more coveted name than Catherine. When you see where these Top 100 names actually lie at the apex of their popularity, you will view the acclaim of each of these names in a different light.

There have been several posts concerning "then and now" on this blog. These posts are what got me interested in doing this research in the first place, so I decided to include them in the book. I also include a section discussing the coincidences between certain pop culture/historical names/events and the popularity of Top 100 names. While there is no way to determine for sure why parents used a certain name on their baby, it is fascinating to see possible correlations.

As you can see above, the graphs are pretty detailed and would probably be hard to view on a Kindle or iPhone. Because of this and the fact that I only want to release the best I have to offer, the book is currently available as a PDF file.

That is all I have to say about this tremendous project of mine! I hope you all find it as interesting as I did. To purchase Name-alytics, please click on the button below. I thank you for your consideration and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about the book.

Buy Name-alytics

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Monday, August 18, 2014

Comparison of English/Welsh and American Top 100


British Baby Names has given a great overview of the newly released popular name list for England and Wales in 2013... now I'd like to do a brief comparison of the tastes of the English/Welsh to the Americans!

Names appearing in both Top 100 lists:

BOYS GIRLS
Aaron Abigail
Adam Amelia
Aiden Anna
Alexander Annabelle
Austin Ava
Benjamin Bella
Blake Charlotte
Caleb Chloe
Cameron Elizabeth
Charles Ella
Connor Ellie
Daniel Emily
David Emma
Dylan Eva
Elijah Evelyn
Ethan Faith
Evan Grace
Gabriel Hannah
Henry Isabella
Isaac Julia
Jack Layla
Jacob Leah
James Lily
Jayden Lucy
Joseph Lydia
Joshua Madison
Liam Maya
Logan Mia
Lucas Olivia
Luke Ruby
Mason Sarah
Matthew Scarlett
Michael Sofia
Nathan Sophia
Noah Sophie
Oliver Victoria
Owen Violet
Robert Zoe
Ryan
Samuel
Sebastian
Thomas
Tyler
William
Zachary

It's no surprise there are more boy names in common than girl names, as there are several classics represented. Surprises are present however, and may include Austin, Jayden, and Madison. I'm not sure I like seeing Aiden in common... I would have hoped the English/Welsh would have stuck with the roots of the name and gone with Aidan. Even more interesting is what's NOT in common...

The other boy names in each Top 100:

E/W US
Albert Adrian
Alex Andrew
Alfie Angel
Archie Anthony
Arthur Ayden
Bobby Bentley
Callum Brandon
Charlie Braydon
Dexter Brody
Edward Camden
Elliot Carson
Elliott Carter
Felix Chase
Finlay Christian
Finley Christopher
Frankie Colton
Freddie Cooper
Frederick Damian
George Dominic
Harley Easton
Harrison Eli
Harry Gavin
Harvey Grayson
Hugo Hudson
Ibrahim Hunter
Jake Ian
Jamie Isaiah
Jenson Jace
Jude Jackson
Kai Jase
Kian Jason
Leo Jaxon
Leon Jaxson
Lewis Jeremiah
Louie John
Louis Jonathan
Luca Jordan
Max Jose
Mohammad Josiah
Mohammed Juan
Muhammad Julian
Ollie Justin
Oscar Kayden
Reuben Kevin
Riley Landon
Ronnie Levi
Rory Lincoln
Seth Luis
Sonny Nathaniel
Stanley Nicholas
Teddy Nolan
Theo Parker
Theodore Tristan
Toby Wyatt
Tommy Xavier

The other girl names in each Top 100 (there are more in the E/W list because there was a tie at 100):

E/W US
Aisha Aaliyah
Alice Addison
Amber Alexa
Amelie Alexandra
Amy Alexis
Beatrice Allison
Bethany Alyssa
Brooke Aria
Daisy Ariana
Darcey Arianna
Darcy Ashley
Eleanor Aubree
Eliza Aubrey
Elsie Audrey
Emilia Autumn
Erin Avery
Esme Brianna
Evie Brooklyn
Florence Camila
Francesca Caroline
Freya Claire
Georgia Gabriella
Gracie Genesis
Harriet Gianna
Heidi Hailey
Hollie Harper
Holly Jocelyn
Imogen Katherine
Isabel Kayla
Isabelle Kaylee
Isla Kennedy
Isobel Khloe
Ivy Kylie
Jasmine Lauren
Jessica Lillian
Katie London
Lacey Mackenzie
Lexi Madeline
Lilly Madelyn
Lola Makayla
Maddison Melanie
Maisie Mila
Maria Morgan
Martha Naomi
Maryam Natalie
Matilda Nevaeh
Megan Nicole
Millie Nora
Mollie Paisley
Molly Penelope
Niamh Peyton
Paige Piper
Phoebe Riley
Poppy Sadie
Rose Samantha
Rosie Savannah
Sara Serenity
Sienna Skylar
Skye Stella
Summer Sydney
Tilly Taylor
Willow Zoey
Zara

Americans really love A, B, and C names. We have a bunch of them in the Top 100 compared to the E/W list. The English/Welsh have fallen in love with several names that begin with F, while American only prefer Faith. Americans prefer a ton of J names for their boys, and the English/Welsh prefer letters in the second-half of the alphabet. Both sets of parents like M names for girls, but it's interesting to see the wide variety that each country chooses. It's no secret that the English/Welsh love their nicknames as given names, while Americans tend to put the longer name on the birth certificate. And what about Alice vs. Alyssa, Brooke vs. Brooklyn, Hollie/Holly vs. Hailey, Katie vs. Katherine, Poppy vs. Piper, Skye vs. Skylar, and Tilly vs. Taylor? There are a lots of similarities as well as differences between the preferences.

Do you see anything else interesting in the comparison? Which list suits your fancy more?

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