How To Pick A True Modern Classic...
2022-style
I was wondering recently which names have been the most stable popularity-wise over the last few decades: the ones you’re just as likely to find on a newborn as on a new parent, or a fiftysomething.
So I found out. Want to know too?
There are 31 boy names and 10 girl names in the US Top 1000 that have not moved up or down more than 100 places in the last 50 years (from 1971-2021).
Predictably there are more boys than girls: male name fashions tend to change more slowly than female ones.
Their style is somewhere between modern and timeless. Some of the traditional classic names, like Mary and Peter, don’t make the list because they’ve dropped too many places.
Some that do make the list, like Sarah and Christopher, are well past their peak popularity. But for now, they’re still given to hundreds of children a year. Use any of these steady, solid choices, and your child’s name will blend in with their peers and older generations.
Modern Timeless Girl Names
(Rank in the USA in 2021 is in brackets)
Allison (82)
Anna (84)
Elizabeth (14)
Margaret (125)
Maria (106)
Melanie (129)
Miriam (261)
Sarah (92)
Valerie (153)
Victoria (43)
Modern Classic Boy Names
(Rank in the USA in 2021 is in brackets)
Aaron (65)
Adam (104)
Alan (197)
Andrew (57)
Angelo (316)
Anthony (43)
Calvin (145)
Charles (50)
Christian (72)
Christopher (52)
Daniel (16)
David (30)
James (5)
Javier (249)
John (27)
Jonathan (78)
Jose (89)
Joseph (28)
Joshua (58)
Luis (137)
Matthew (36)
Michael (17)
Nathan (59)
Nicholas (92)
Rafael (237)
Robert (79)
Ryan (66)
Samuel (23)
Thomas (46)
Vincent (117)
William (6)
More on the blog…
New in: the top Jewish names in each decade. Happy Rosh Hashanah to all celebrating!
How I Named My Baby: this week, a trailblazing girl’s name inspired by a D-Day hero
Love photography? Some of these names are sure to click with you
It’s birthday season for Libras! Find perfectly balanced names for Libra babies (and Libra parents)
