My ten year old daughter told her pesky, impish seven year old brother that she intends to have four children one day: [name_m]Jonathan[/name_m], [name_m]Jacob[/name_m], [name_f]Sarah[/name_f], and [name_f]Emma[/name_f]. I spent a moment pondering if the adventurously-named children of today are going to swing hard the other direction with their own kids or if my daughter is just incredibly traditional. Then my son cast a shy look my direction:
“Girls is easy to name. If my wife has a baby with blond hair and pink cheeks we’s naming her [name_f]Rose[/name_f].”
I admit to swooning just a bit, imaging my little boy, with his dirt-streaked nose and skinned knees, presenting me with my grandbaby, [name_f]Rose[/name_f]. I’d have expected him to gravitate towards [name_u]Wonder[/name_u] Woman or Tooty.
Awe! [name_f]Rose[/name_f] and [name_f]Emma[/name_f] are two of my most favorite names! Such good taste! I think traditional names will always be used, but I could definitely see them jumping up even more in the future generations!
So cute. I think naming trends do get recycled and it seems like [name_f]Emma[/name_f] has stayed on trend throughout a couple decades now, so some names stick around. But she will probably change her mind for what its worth. When I was younger I loved the name [name_u]Kimberly[/name_u] [name_f]Dawn[/name_f] for whatever reason but as I got older, it didn’t appeal to me anymore. And having to agree on a name with a partner is also a crazy experience. I went in wanting certain names that were very vetoed and ended up naming my child a name that I literally had never thought much about before. So you just never know!
But I love how your son has a girl name he likes. I think thats really sweet. I feel like [name_f]Rose[/name_f] could be one of those timeless names since its a flower name so it could be a contender!
Your son has taste! (Not that your daughter doesn’t, but I swoon over [name_f]Rose[/name_f] myself. )
I wonder this, too. I think it will probably be a bit of both: Some children will love their wild names and want equally unique names for their children; others will not and seek out all the names that feel timeless and classic. It seems that way nowadays, too, come to think of it. The Emilys want something one-of-a-kind and the Jakaylas want something more familiar.
I think children are less jaded by the commonality or popularity of certain names - they see magic in everything! Whereas we adults are all so exhausted by [name_f]Sarah[/name_f] H., [name_f]Sarah[/name_f] L., [name_f]Sarah[/name_f] W., etc.
I was given a super uncommon name by my parents. When I was a child I really liked common names, but as I got older and developed my own identity my taste has swung rather uncommon as well, and I relate to my parents’ choice more. I also think I just liked whatever I heard, and I heard common names!
What an interesting question. [name_m]Will[/name_m] the generational pendulum swing will affect baby names going forward? I’d wager mostly not - for multiple generations people stuck to a pool of familiar names because of the way society was set up, but now the world is so connected, cultures, languages, points of view - I can’t imagine things going back to the way they were. That said, there are some people with traditional taste, but that in itself now is seen as unique!
I think super-traditional, “basic” names will be one of the hipster name trends of the future. It’s not cool to look like you’re trying too hard to come up with something unique and original, especially once everyone’s doing it!
I predict nurseries full of ironically named Johns and [name_f]Marys[/name_f]
Really good points! On the flip side, having too many options can cause stress; as the pool of names continues to expand, people may clamour for structure and boundaries and revert back to classics. It will be interesting to see!
This is super insightful! I have to say you’ve got a really good point here. It kind of reminds me of [name_u]Ashton[/name_u] Kutcher who said of his children (whom he doesn’t share on social media) “privacy is the new celebrity”. Not bothering with the competition to find the most unique, interesting name may soon become the most unique, interesting thing to do.
Aww! [name_f]Rose[/name_f] is such a sweet name, imo
Related topic: yesterday, I asked my sister if she had kids tomorrow, what would she name them. Her answers: Girl- [name_f]Theodora[/name_f] [name_u]London[/name_u]. Boy- [name_m]Tom[/name_m] [name_u]Brennan[/name_u]
@bjoy Your kids have excellent taste in names. I would be excited to hear of being a grandma to a little [name_f]Rose[/name_f] also. I hope you do some day.
As to what I believe:
I think, as someone with a creatively spelled name (actually it’s a rare spelling variation of a common name), that future generations will be choosing more “traditional” or “normal” names a bit more. When I emphasise these two words, I don’t mean we will see a huge upswing of people with the same few names. I do think that more traditional spellings will become more common — traditional spellings relevant to not just their own country but any country — and less trying to ensure the spellings stand out due to their “new" or "creative” interpretation or being a rarely used or nearly unheard of spelling variation worldwide.
There are plenty of great names out there and the list is always building. I don’t think we will ever go back to using a limited number of names en mass, but I do think how we go about spelling names as future generations name their own children will certainly change.
)
thank you for sharing!
