What’s in a name? Less than there used to be

Last summer I was wondering about North Carolina’s abundance of Zebs, Flays and Flakes.

Now I’m looking at the Social Security Administration’s data on popular baby names from 1960 forward. Most striking over that half century is the minimal difference between the names chosen by North Carolinians and those chosen by Americans as a whole.  Homogeneity rules — darn few Zebs in anybody’s nurseries!

For the record:

Most popular names for baby girls in North Carolina, 2009:

1. Emma (2 in U.S.)

2. Madison (7)

3. Isabella (1)

4. Ava (5)

5. Abigail (8)

Most popular names for baby boys in North Carolina, 2009:

1. William (5)

2. Jacob (1)

3. Christopher (11)

4. Noah (9)

5. Joshua (6)

2 thoughts on “What’s in a name? Less than there used to be”

  1. My first cousin’s wife just had a baby. They named him Zebulon. I look forward to meeting the new addition to our family (and the latest NC Zeb) tonight.

  2. In 1960 the third most popular name for baby girls in North Carolina was Teresa. Nationally it was 19th.
    Could be a statistical aberration, of course, but in both 1961 and 1962 Teresa came in third and 18th respectively. And in 1963 it was fifth and 18th.
    What was it about Teresa that N.C. parents found so appealing?

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