With the just-concluded tournament of the Top 16 from the 1930s on the games board, I’m here to post some thoughts on the various names that “competed” against each other.
First of all as a reminder here’s the names from the list in order of rank:
1 [name]Robert[/name] [name]Mary[/name]
2 [name]James[/name] [name]Betty[/name]
3 [name]John[/name] [name]Barbara[/name]
4 [name]William[/name] [name]Shirley[/name]
5 [name]Richard[/name] [name]Patricia[/name]
6 [name]Charles[/name] [name]Dorothy[/name]
7 [name]Donald[/name] [name]Joan[/name]
8 [name]George[/name] [name]Margaret[/name]
9 [name]Thomas[/name] [name]Nancy[/name]
10 [name]Joseph[/name] [name]Helen[/name]
11 [name]David[/name] [name]Carol[/name]
12 [name]Edward[/name] [name]Joyce[/name]
13 [name]Ronald[/name] [name]Doris[/name]
14 [name]Paul[/name] [name]Ruth[/name]
15 [name]Kenneth[/name] [name]Virginia[/name]
16 [name]Frank[/name] [name]Marilyn[/name]
As I predicted it was the more classic names that survived to the later rounds of the tournament (hence [name]James[/name] and [name]Margaret[/name] being the winners).
Since this time period is in that “3/4’s the way around the 100-year-rule” zone (not yet likely for a widespread comeback but worthy of looking at) I thought I’d look to see which ones we might see again in the next decade or two and which ones we are unlikely to see for quite awhile.
I’ll start with the boys, since much of that list consists of classics that have been fairly consistently used over time (and thus don’t have the same “fresh” feeling that many of the girl names do). The true classics that haven’t changed much in rank (e.g. [name]James[/name], [name]William[/name]) are of course basically non-news, and then you have for example [name]George[/name] and [name]Paul[/name] which are now in a bit of fashion limbo but could be revived if a fashionable namesake were to come along (ala [name]Edward[/name] with Twilight) or a fashionable nickname (ala [name]Charles[/name]/[name]Charlie[/name]; on the other hand [name]Richard[/name] has a handicap due to a nickname that most want to avoid). I think the most unlikely ones to return in the foreseeable future are [name]Donald[/name] and [name]Ronald[/name], the two most “trendy” ones of the time (-onald was the -aden of the era!).
With the girls I’ll look at each one and break them down into (according to my opinion): Likely to return, unlikely to return, and the others (some names have comments with them).
Likely to return:
[name]Betty[/name] - With [name]Betty[/name] White making the rounds, and then the character on Mad Men, this nickname for [name]Elizabeth[/name] now has a retro-cool feel.
[name]Patricia[/name] - Although very common in the overall US population (#2 on the 1990 Census for all ages) this name has many qualities that are currently in fashion: Three syllables ending in -a with many nickname options, as well as with being related to [name]Patrick[/name] has a tiny bit of an Irish feel (although both are Latin in origin).
[name]Dorothy[/name] - Already being considered by some forward-thinking Berries, and The [name]Wizard[/name] of [name]Oz[/name] gives it a perpetually young namesake.
[name]Joan[/name] - Another name that was on life support until Mad Men came along, and like [name]Betty[/name] is now retro-cool (being one syllable it might find its way into being a common middle name).
[name]Margaret[/name] - Along with [name]Mary[/name] the most classic ones from the list, now well into the Nameberry mainstream.
[name]Nancy[/name] - Still a divided name opinion-wise on here, it’s being revived in the UK and will probably find its way back up in the States after a few years (especially if the nickname-name idea catches on).
[name]Helen[/name] - Another name that the general population still usually sees as an “old-lady” name but some Berries appreciate as a now-underused classic.
[name]Ruth[/name] - With Biblical names in style, once we tire of choices like [name]Hannah[/name] and [name]Leah[/name] I can see [name]Ruth[/name] replacing them.
[name]Virginia[/name] - Another multi-syllabic-ending-in-a name that might be a successor to [name]Isabella[/name] and [name]Sophia[/name].
Unlikely to return:
[name]Shirley[/name] - Being the [name]Ashley[/name] or [name]Madison[/name] of the time (surname-turned-boy-name-then-turned-girl-name) it doesn’t have the history that many of the others do.
[name]Carol[/name] - Another trendy name of its time.
[name]Doris[/name] - On the “so far out it’s unlikey to return” list.
Neutral:
[name]Mary[/name] - Still feels generic to many, but maybe to our kids or grandkids will sound fresh again.
[name]Barbara[/name] - On one hand it has a good history with many namesakes, but on the other hand sound-wise it’s clearly unfashionable.
[name]Joyce[/name] - Another co-opted-from-the-boys name, but more substantial than [name]Shirley[/name] so possibly revivable.
[name]Marilyn[/name] - An “invented” name for the era, but not badly unfashionable either.
Any thoughts?