When I was about 7, I became fascinated by the life of Helen Keller. (don’t ask me why). I thought it was a lovely name, but was even prettier when I tacked on an A. I was so proud of myself for coming up with something so pretty. Years later, when I discovered the name I had “made up” had actually been in existence for quite some time, I was a bit dissapointed. But it hasn’t made me love it any less! 17 years later, I am still enraptured by it!

Emmy Jo and Kayt, I think your experience is very, very common. My husband’s tastes are all over the map – he likes Emily for a girl, but was also willing to consider Octavia, Aurelia and Clio. For a boy, though, he was set – we HAD to use his dad’s name, Alexander. No discussion. He was willing to *call* him Alexei, but it doesn’t change the fact that he’s still one in a horde of Alex-names.

I console myself with the statistics: In 1907, almost 40% of boys had one of the Top 20 most popular names while just under 29% of girls shared a Top 20 pick. By 1957, those numbers were 43% for boys and 30% for girls. And even in 2007, 16.5% of boys get a Top 20 choice, while just 13% of girls do.

While women’s opportunities may have been more constrained over the years, in terms of naming, it seems like we’ve always been able to imagine a wider range of possible personalities and qualities attached to our daughters. Or maybe there’s some other explanation, but it is a curious – and enduring – fact that the range of acceptable name for girls always seems to be broader.