Names that Dropped out of the Top 100

Inspiration :: Scott (the Scott Monument in Edinburgh)

It is inevitable that at some point popular names will drop out of the top 100. This post will have a look at some of the names that dropped out of the top 100 after 2004. This means that they had dropped below the 100 mark in 2014.

Girls' Names

Most of the girls’ names either peaked in the 60s, 70s, 80s or 90s.

60s Names that have dropped out of the top 100:

Rebecca

Aimee

Shannon

Melissa

Jennifer

Jodie

Georgina

Lara

70s Names that have dropped out of the top 100:

Alicia

Eve

Alisha

Nicole

Rachel

Natasha

80s Names that have dropped out of the top 100:

Lauren

Caitlin

Paige

Courtney

Tia

Madeleine

Alexandra

Morgan

Chelsea

90s Names that have dropped out of the top 100:

Madison

Keira

Libby

Jade

Kate

There are even some names that peaked after 1990 but have still dropped out of the top 100 like Kayleigh, Kiera, Charlie and Elise.

As you can see, many of the names on these lists sound dated and this is obviously why they have dropped into the top 1000. Some of the most noticeable drops are Jodie (to 920^th), Jade (to 558^th), Shannon (to 547^th), Morgan (to 527^th) and Kayleigh (to 481^st). I think these will become the most dated sounding names as they have peaked and dropped so quickly.

Names like Louise, Eloise, Naomi and Laura peaked before 1910 and are dropping more slowly down the popularity charts. They sound like classic names at the moment but I wonder if they will start to sound like ‘old-fashioned classics’ such as Mary and Ann soon.

Boys' Names

The boys’ names seem a lot more stable; they peaked in a range of decades and have not dropped as quickly as any of the girls’ names. Here is a list of these names in the order of how popular they are.

Evan (to 102^nd)

Joel

Patrick

Dominic

Billy

Nicholas

Aidan

Taylor

Jonathan (to 171^st)

Jordan

Tom

Declan

Sean

Josh

Scott (to 354^th)

These are the names that have made a significant drop in popularity but are still within the top 100.

So which names are going to drop out the top 100 before the next charts? It is quite hard to say for the boys' names because they are so unpredictable and the charts are slower moving. I think it will mainly be the names that are dropping the most seen in the above chart - Matthew, Lewis, Callum and Luke. For the girls' names, I am going to list the names still in the top 100 that peaked in the 60s, 70s or 80s as this is the pattern I am seeing - most girls' names have a predictable pattern of peaks and troughs.

Sibset Lines

Inspiration :: Olive (Olive Trees, Van Gogh)

It makes sense to think that the more children you have, the harder it is to choose a name. You use your absolute favourite for your first, your runner-up for you second and, by your third and fourth, you have run out of all of the names on your original list. But in my opinion, your second child is the most difficult.

I see sibsetting as the same process as drawing a straight line. You start with a dot (your first child’s name) This dot can be anywhere on the page (meaning the style of the name can be almost absolutely anything). Your second child is a second dot. This can also be anywhere on the page – but once you draw the line between the two dots, the direction of the sibset is pretty much determined. This is why the second child is the hardest – it determines your style. There is a little leeway with the next few children but it is hard to take a complete detour.

Imagine that the black space represents all the names in the world. The coloured circles represent different naming styles. Some overlap and some are closer together than other.

You start a sibset line by putting a dot where your first name of the sibset will go. You can imagine that this will fall into one or two of the style circles from the previous picture. Repeat but with the second name of the sibset and then join the dots.

I added another second child possibility to show how the second child can change the direction of the sibset.

And a third child cements the sibset style. You can imagine a Hannah, Talia and Mary but Talia stands out and doesn't quite fit the pretty but conservative style of Hannah and Mary. You can imagine Talia, Maya and Mary but Mary stands out just like Talia did in my previous example.

So how can you create different sibset lines? Let's pretend that Olive is your first child. You are unsure about naming your second because Olive was the 'perfect' name. You need to first analyse a name. Olive is a nature name, a food name, a vintage sounding name, an 'O' name and a tailored name. These are your categories - look at its historical period, popularity, phonology (sounds) and meaning. These will reveal the types of names you need to connect to Olive. This sounds very stereotypical - a floral sibset, a popular sibset and others. But the categories you use can be very personal - they can be certain feelings or colours.

In fact, the whole premise of sibset lines sound stereotypical. There are obviously exceptions and downsides to the model. But I think that lines are the main type of sibset - but there are others! In my next post in this series - I will look at sibset triangles.

Through the Decades :: 1 syllable, Male

Inspiration :: Dale (Yorkshire Dales)

Below is a chart showing all the one syllable names in the top 100 for each decade. The names are listed in their order of popularity. For example, you can see how John is the top 1 syllable name in 1860 and 1870 but in 1964, it slips to 3rd place.

John, George and James take the the top places for a good 100 years. Others like Fred, Frank, George and Hugh were less popular but remained in the top 100 for a long length of time. Many of the name that appear fleetingly in the top 100, seem dated now - Carl, Bruce, Dale and Shane.

Modern 1 syllable names are a mix of historical (John and James) and Modern (Zain and Cole). The rise of nicknames has had a bigger impact on the boys' 1 syllable names than the girls. They are often diminutives of older, longer names such as Max for Maximillian, Ted for Edward or Frank for Franklin. The longer, older names are rarer now - sometimes we even forget that they were ever a diminutive!

Below are the 1 syllable names from the top 200 names in the UK 2014.

Below are the 1 syllable names in the top 200-1000 in the UK 2014.

From Surname to First Name :: A

Inspiration :: Arco

Surnames as first names are one of the biggest naming fashions at the moment. Think Mason and Sloane or Tierney. Some we forget that they were ever surnames like Donovan. But even with this trend, there are many undiscovered surnames that would fit in fine with the many children named Oliver and Joshua. Spanish and Italian surnames make great girly-girl names and there are many English and Scottish surnames which would create a fine name for a son. Another bonus to surname names is that they are not gender specific – which works very well for those who are conscious about stereotypical genders of names.

Below are some surnames beginning with A that are already in usage as first names but are still quite unusual:

Below are some surname beginning with A that are very rare for first names:

Abry     

Origin: French

Meaning: Shelter

Gender: Unisex

Unisex sounding with a hint of natural ruggedness. Doesn’t sound like a nickname but has the benefit of being short and simple. Could be used as an unusual alternative to Abby or as a diminutive of Abry.

Aliaga 

Origin: Spanish

Meaning: Person who lives in a place overgrown with gorse.   

Gender: Feminine

Feels like a merge of Agnes and Alana. Ali is familiar enough so that the exotic –aga ending doesn’t feel too weird.

Allegri 

Origin: Italian    

Meaning: Quick/lively  

Gender: Unisex

Allegro still feels stuck on sheet music. Allegra is starting to become popular for girls. Allegri has a historical yet fresh sounding, cheery feel.

               

Almeida             

Origin: Portuguese

Meaning: Place Name  

Gender: Feminine

A name that will fit in with popular girls’ names at the moment like Amelia but feels more distinctive. Alma or Mei could be good nicknames.

Alvey   

Origin: English  

Meaning: Form of Alfwy             

Gender: Unisex

Alvey does feel more like a nickname than a full name but some may argue that the extra ‘e’ makes it more substantial. It could be a good diminutive for Alfred.

               

Amiranda                                          

Origin: Spanish

Meaning: Woundrous/lovely

Gender: Feminine

This name seems to have so much strength but is also terrically feminine. She feels like a more unusual alternative to Matilda and of course Miranda. She also has the popular Am– prefix seen in name-nerd favourites Amabel and Amaryllis.

Antilla 

Origin: Finnish  

Meaning: Place Name  

Gender: Feminine         

A hint of Scandi fashion and the familiar three syllable, -a ending girls’ name style. The t adds strength and the An– prefix opens the door to many nickname options such as Annie.

Arco

Origin: Italian and Spanish          

Meaning: Bowmaker    

Gender: Masculine but could also be a brave choice for girls.

A mix of the trendy -o ending with an occupational name, a word name and a nod to the world of music. This name ticks so many boxes.

Ardes

Origin: Scottish

Meaning : Place Name 

Gender: Masculine but could also be a brave choice for girls.

This name feels like it would never stand out (but they would never be Ardes L or Ardes E in class because of its rarity)

               

Arrietta

Origin: Basque

Meaning: Place Name  

Gender: Feminine

If Arrietty is too ‘Borrower’ for you. A perkier alternative to Harriet I think.