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| Inspiration :: Mary (St Mary's Lighthouse, No. 1 in 1914) |
Name nerds use the term '100 year rule' to explain the pattern of name popularity where popular names from 100 years ago become popular again. But how accurate is this 'rule'? I'm going to look at the similarities between the 2014 and 1914 chart to discover this.
Names that were in the top 100 of 1914 and 2014.
27% of names from the top 100 of 1914 were in the top 100 of 2014.
Many of these names are those we would consider 'classic' but is this just because they are historical and are popular at the moment?
Names in the top 100 of 1914 and the top 1000 (but not top 100) of 2014.
40% of names from the top 100 of 1914 were in the top 1000 (but not top 100) of 2014.
67% of names from the top 100 of 1914 were in the top 1000 of 2014.
These names are what people would call 'vintage'. They are the comeback names that seem fresh and exciting after being uncommon for 100 years.
Names from 1914 that were not in the top 1000 in 2014.
33% of names from the top 100 of 1914 were not in the top 1000 of 2014.
These names are the names that people would say were too 'granny-ish' and would be unlikely to return to our charts. However, I think some such as Marion, Bessie and Freda could make a comeback - just a bit later than their 100 year schedule.
I do not have enough data to comment whether the '100 year rule' works or is just a myth but hopefully, when I have data from other years and from the boys' names, I will be able to create some graphs and charts to reveal the truth.
