The Baby Name Wizard

Update: new edition of Baby Name Wizard at Amazon now!

Laura Wattenberg — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 14:58:18 +0000

Broadway Books informs me that they've coordinated with Amazon to assure that starting today, Amazon will ship only the revised edition of The Baby Name Wizard. Happy shopping. :-)

Order The Baby Name Wizard (revised) at Amazon

Baby Name Wizard 2, Now with Extra Naming Power!

Laura Wattenberg — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:12:34 +0000

At last! The 2nd edition of The Baby Name Wizard will be on sale Tuesday, July 7. Here's a Q&A on what to expect in the new, expanded book:

Q: I have the first edition. Should I bother to buy BNW2?
A: You betcha! I recommend one copy for yourself, one to give as a gift, and a spare for when somebody "borrows" your copy and it never returns.

Q: Cut that out. How different is it, really?
A: Well, it's different enough that my publisher had to give up on revising the old files and treated it like a whole new manuscript instead. Here's a rundown of what's new:

More than 100 added name snapshots
2 1/2 added style categories
New (and improved) popularity graphs
By request of BabyNameWizard.com readers, a pronunciation guide with every name entry
Special "Spotlight" lists on hot topics (X and O names, Old Hollywood names)
New discussions on subjects like sibling naming, middle names, and matching with surnames
Hundreds and hundreds of updates to existing material

In all, the book has grown from 350 to 400 pages. Even that doesn’t reflect the real scope of the changes, though. I went over every word in the book, updating and upgrading as needed. Most of the name entries have at least been tweaked -- swapping out a couple of sibling suggestions here, updating a trend there -- and quite a few were rewritten from scratch. The upshot is that you'll still recognize The Baby Name Wizard, but I've done my best to make it bigger, better, fresher, and genuinely worth a second look.

Q: Great. So should I pre-order a copy right now?
A: Ah. There’s a wee little catch.

Names of the world, updated

Laura Wattenberg — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:48:54 +0000

I've just finished the strange and wonderful task of updating the international name rankings in Namipedia. Not every country tracks name popularity, and those that do provide wildly different levels of information. Some just report a top 10 or 20 -- or in the case of Armenia, precisely 48. Others issue no official report, but a census officer reveals the top names of the year in a newspaper interview. And then there are the countries that record every single name given to a child all year in an enormous, strangely formatted pdf file. In Cyrillic.

Gather enough rankings, though, and you have a fascinating window on a name's place in the world. For instance, look at the pages for Sofia or Alexander (scroll down on the right to "Global Popularity") to see a portrait of universal style. In contrast, some names are specific to a single culture. In fact, over 1500 names from the global ranking lists are not found in Namipedia (yet). Here's a sampling of some of the most distinctive local color among top-50 names.

Armenia
Astghik (F, #41)
Gohar (F, #13)
Hasmik (F, #12)
Gagik (M, #18)
Tigran (M, #8)

Belgium
Fien (F, #46)
Kato (F, #50)
Seppe (M, #42)
Wout (M, #21)

Canada (Quebec)
Laurence (F, #4)
Maika (F, #10)

Chile
Ignacia (F, #18)
Maite (F, #28)

Czech Republic
Anezka (F, #31)
Vendula (F, #26)
Vojtech (M, #6)
Zdenek (M, #44)

Denmark
Malou (F, #26)
Naja (F, #47)
Jeppe (M, #34)
Villads (M, #37)

Finland
Helmi (F, #6)
Ilmari (M, #8)
Olavi (M, #5)
Onni (M, #6)

Hungary
Boglarka (F, #2)
Enikő (F, #32)
Virag (F, #17)

And now for something completely different

Laura Wattenberg — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:03:10 +0000

I know what you've been thinking: "This here baby name statistics blog is mighty good. But wouldn't it be even better animated?"

First reacquaint yourself with the posts on recession baby naming (part 1 and part 2) and the fastest rising names of 2008, then check out how the CBS News "Fast Draw" folks tackle the material:

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5101202n

(Duck! Eraser!!)

First name vs. Surname

Laura Wattenberg — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 12:27:36 +0000

In my last post, "Sharing the Choice," I talked about the value of parents sharing and compromising in baby name decisions. Among the examples of non-sharing I mentioned was this occasional refrain:

“I figure he gets the surname so I should get the first name, it’s only fair.”

Not surprisingly, some of you called me on it. Isn't it "only fair"? In the words of one reader:

"You gloss over the fact that the last name is still a 'solo domain.' Very few children (especially of married parents) have the mother's birth surname as their last name. Even if the mother has a beautiful, easy to spell surname, the children inevitably get the father's name, even if it's harsh-sounding and impossible to spell. When is there going to be a discussion about women being automatically cut out of that naming picture?"

So let me clarify.

I don't think giving up first-name rights because you "get" the surname is a natural tradeoff, because I consider first and last name decisions fundamentally different. The choice of a surname is about relationships, roles, traditions, and power. The choice of a first name is about individual identity.

Sharing the Choice

Laura Wattenberg — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:01:02 +0000

In the supermarket checkout line, I overheard two 60-something grandmas talking about their kids' baby-naming dilemmas. Grandma One lamented that the parents-to-be ignored all her lovely suggestions, like Karen and Diane. Grandma Two shook her head at the whole complicated business, and reminisced:

"Back when my kids were born, I just told my husband what names I'd picked and he didn't interfere."

“Didn’t interfere.” I've talked to countless 21st-century expectant parents, and that is one sentiment I've never heard. Rightly or wrongly, it summons a vivid picture of that 1970s family...a picture that doesn't include a lot of late-night feeding and diapering on Dad's part. He wouldn’t want to “interfere” with his wife’s child-rearing. Most moms today wouldn’t stand for that, right? And yet…haven’t you heard a mom say something like this?

“I figure he gets the surname so I should get the first name, it’s only fair.”

“I’m the one who has to give birth, so I get the final say.”

or even…

“I just waited until I was deep in labor and he was feeling so guilty that he agreed to whatever name I wanted!”

I understand the impulse. Pregnancy and birth are huge undertakings, and it’s tempting to claim naming rights as part of your reward for a job well done. And yes, most kids do still bear their fathers’ last names. But moms, before you cut your partner out of the naming picture, think about what precedent you’re setting by declaring this first major parenting decision a solo domain.

Bits & Pieces: guns, books and more

Laura Wattenberg — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 01:37:25 +0000

Clearing out the odds and ends rattling around in the back of my mind....

Gauge followup
After the last post on the names Gage and Gauge, some of you made the great point that the spelling Gauge could appeal particularly to hunters. (Among its many measurement meanings, "gauge" is the the unit of diameter of a gun barrel.) That suggests that the spelling Gauge tilts the name away from the preppy side and toward the cowboy/ammo style of Colt. It also calls to mind another name that has been respelled away from tradition toward a common word: Gunnar --> Gunner. And Remington's rising fast, too.

Renesmee
Some of you also commented with distaste on the name Renesmee, coined from Renee and Esme by Twilight author Stephenie Meyer. Style aside, this name has a unique status with me. In Namipedia, it's the one page I've given up on maintaining as a name per se; it's become a kind of shrine.

One of the challenges in Namipedia is to separate reality from fiction. Many young users love to enter "siblings" from their favorite books and movies. I'm constantly removing Phoebe from the Holden sib list, and Hermione from the Harry page. Twilight swamps them all. The big adoptive family of undead Cullens threatens to overwhelm pages for names like Jasper and Rosalie. I try to stem the tide, but on Renesmee I've thrown in the towel. Any visitor to that page is thinking vampires anyway, right? So the sibling list ("Belward," "The Lochness-monster") grows as a little museum of teenage obsession.

Name Spotlight: Gage, Gaige, Gauge

Laura Wattenberg — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 00:46:08 +0000

The name Gage hit the American mainstream in time-honored style: as a demon child.

You might think that the spawn of Satan would be a negative association when picking a baby name. In fact, the fiend-children of Hollywood horror are a reliable source of new hit names. The name Damien was launched into popularity by The Omen, Adrian by Rosemary’s Baby, and Regan by The Exorcist. Little Gage of Pet Sematary wasn’t technically demonic, just an undead kid, but he was evil-cute enough to make the cut. The name Gage debuted in the top 1000 in 1989, the year the movie came out, and has been a mainstay ever since.

As a surname, Gage has a deeper history. It has multiple derivations in English and French and ranks among the 6000 most common American surnames. Moved up to first-name status, it strikes a nice balance between the cowboy machismo of Colt and Cash and the preppy breeziness of Tate and Trey. It’s also a snap to spell and pronounce. Until it’s not.

As the baby name Gage rose steadily year by year, alternate spellings started to appear. Gaige first hit the top 1000 in the year 2000. Gauge broke through five years later, and it’s now the fastest rising form of the name. To me, it’s also the most intriguing.

Names and fandom: The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat

Laura Wattenberg — Thu, 21 May 2009 16:44:30 +0000

In September 2001, unheralded young football quarterback Tom Brady took over for the New England Patriots' injured star Drew Bledsoe. By the close of that season in February 2002, Brady had led his Cinderella team to a Superbowl championship.

Brady proved to be more than just a one-year wonder. He soon lead the Patriots to two more titles, and in 2007 to the greatest statistical season of any QB in history. Also, he was a nice-looking fella. But February 2008 brought a tough Superbowl defeat, then at the start of the Fall 2008 season Brady tore up his knee and was lost for the year.

Let's tell that story again, in baby-name terms:

You can see the strong, steady rise that began with Brady's 2002 Superbowl triumph, the extra burst in record-setting 2007, then the six-year surge coming to an end with the 2008 injury. (Note that a baby Brady on "Sex and the City" makes no impact in comparison.) Of course, it's possible that the name had just run its course by 2008 and wasn't reflecting the quarterback's injured-reserve status. But the closer you zoom in, the more the pattern spells football.

Massachusetts, home of the Patriots, experienced an especially strong Brady surge -- and an especially strong post-injury dip. Nationwide, the number of baby Bradys fell by just 3% in 2008. In Massachusetts, the drop was 21%. Take into account that Tom Brady started the year as King of the World and wasn't injured until September, and it's likely that the rate of little Bradys in the Bay State fell off a cliff in the 4th quarter.

The latest on the Age of Aidans

Laura Wattenberg — Mon, 18 May 2009 12:29:23 +0000

The more things change, the more they sound the same. Last year I checked in on the dominant sound of 21st-century boyhood, the names that rhyme with Aidan. At that time, the number of top-1000 boys' names rhyming with Aidan had risen to 40. That number held steady this year (though a few names changed: goodbye Adin and Haden, hello Aaden and Zaiden). The number of babies represented, though, continued to rise by a healthy 7%. It's fair to say that the Age of Aidans isn't over yet.

Looking more broadly, over a third of all boys continue to receive a name ending in -n, extending the extraordinary transformation of masculine naming.

For those keeping score at home, here's the current top-1000 rhyming roster. Note that it doesn't include girls' names, near rhymes like Payton, or Adan, which is also the Spanish form of Adam and often pronounced accordingly.

Aaden
Aden
Adin
Aedan
Aidan
Aiden
Aidyn
Aydan
Ayden
Aydin
Braden
Bradyn
Braeden
Braedon
Braiden
Brayden
Braydon
Caden
Caiden
Cayden
Haden
Haiden
Hayden
Jaden
Jadon
Jadyn
Jaeden
Jaiden
Jaidyn
Jaydan
Jayden
Jaydin
Jaydon
Kaden
Kadin
Kadyn
Kaeden
Kaiden
Kayden
Raiden
Zaiden
Zayden