Ever notice how baby names often seem to circle back to an earlier age?
With monikers like Winifred, Maxine, Lionel and Eleanora making a comeback, Sophie Kihm has a theory why. The editor-in-chief of Nameberry, the world’s largest website devoted to baby names, called it the “100-year rule.”
She suggests names come back into style roughly a century after their peak popularity.
“It’s morbid,” Kihm said, “but the names start to feel fresh again once we no longer know people who bear them.”
Examining the most popular names from previous generations offers insight into evolving naming conventions. According to data from the Social Security Administration, the top names by decade are as follows:
1920s
Girls: Mary, Dorothy, Helen
Boys: Robert, John, James
1950s
Girls: Mary, Linda, Patricia
Boys: James, Michael, Robert
1980s
Girls: Jennifer, Jessica, Amanda
Boys: Michael, Christopher, Matthew
2000s
Girls: Emily, Madison, Emma
Boys: Jacob, Michael, Joshua
2010s
Girls: Emma, Olivia, Sophia
Boys: Noah, Liam, Mason