The 90s were a good decade for him, but does he have any charm left today?
Thanks to Photoquilty for suggesting our Name of the Day: Trent.
Spin the globe and you’ll find Trents aplenty. There’s the Italian Trento, best known for the Roman Catholic Church’s Council of Trent in the 1500s. There’s a Trent in Germany and at least two in the US. But the Trent that appears to have inspired the name is the River Trent, a traditional dividing line between the north and south of England. It started out as a surname for those dwelling on the river’s shores.
The name has several possible origins. The first is a Celtic term for flooding, a combination of tros – over – and hynt – way. It may derive from a Germanic word meaning boundary. There’s also some suggestion that the Romans called the river Tristantona, which was shortened to Trent through the ages.
In any case, Trent was first used as a personal name in the late 19th century. He remained obscure for decades, finally charting in the US Top 1000 in 1952. While Trent quickly climbed, he now appears stuck in the 200s. He stands at #289 today. His best year ever was 2001, when he made it to #208.
Still, we think the 1990s were the decade of Trent. Consider these notables:
- Trent Reznor, also known as the force behind Nine Inch Nails, had a smash hit with 1989′s Pretty Hate Machine and by 1997 was on Time Magazine’s list of the most influential forces in American life.
- In 1996, the movie Swingers told us all to get a night life. Vince Vaughn’s character, Trent, helped launch his career. The flick frequently appears in lists of top comedies and favorite films.
- Who can forget former Mississippi Senator Trent Lott? He was big in the 90s. In addition to his legislative career, he performed as one of the all-Republican Singing Senators from 1995 to 2000. They even appeared on The Today Show.
Daria, MTV’s cartoon satirizing American high school life used the name Trent for the brother of Daria’s BFF, Jane Lane. And a handful of professional athletes wear the name, too.
Like Lance, Trent seems to be another single syllable choice for boys that feels a bit dated. Instead, parents who like his sound are opting for Trenton, another choice that leapt off the map and into baby naming books. He stood at #177 last year, and might be seen as an alternative to current favorites like Aiden, Logan, Dylan and Mason.
Trent is a little bit cowboy, and that seems to be appealing these days. Should Cade, Cole and Wyatt start to feel over-exposed, perhaps he’ll make a comeback. And if Trent is on your family tree, we think he’d make a fine middle name.
But for the moment, we find Trent less than inspired in the front spot – though with his place name status, indie cred thanks to Mr. Reznor and his tough guy appeal, we’re prepared to be wrong about this one.
Not that I would ever use Trent, but seriously – it’s way more preferable than Trenton. I mean, have you been there? Why would you name your child Trenton? That’s worse than naming a girl Brooklyn. And totally annoying.
I always thought the Trent on Daria was named after Reznor. Anyway, I’m a fan of Trent, but not in a way that would necessitate my naming a child Trent. I would not roll my eyes at this one – I think I would be shocked to meet a Trent more than any other emotion. I’ve never met one.
I can live with Trent. I’ve never met one and if it was only in the 200s that’s not all that popular. Somehow does not sound as dated as Lance to me (maybe Lance was more popular than Trent at one time). I haven’t been to Trenton and maybe it’s a great place but not too inspiring as a name.
Trenton is not a great place! Well, Trenton, NJ isn’t, anyway. If there’s another Trenton somewhere, it may be better.
Trent’s okay. He’s not something I’d ever consider but I don’t mind his crisp sound. I too, always figured that Daria’s Trent was named for Reznor. Trent Lott makes my skin crawl, though and if I think too much more about that aspect of Trent, my brain may explode.
I really don’t mind Trent, though. He sounds nice, has a decent background and is easy on the eyes. But me? I’m waiting for the tides to shift so Wayne becomes hip again. It was my Pop’s name and I have a soft spot for greying Wayne. (Funny how Trent & Wayne are in the same groove in my head). Trent gets a solid but unenthusiastic :thumbsup: from me.
there’s a lot of Trentons. Trenton NJ, MI, WI, GA, NE, IL,… Trenton NJ has apparently won a placement on some “most dangerous cities” for its size. And a maximum security prison. Original name was “Trent-towne.” hehe
We live about 5 miles away from Trenton, Fl. Think “My Name is Earl”, without any of the comedic value. Cool sounding name, unfortunate association.
Lola: My dad & brother are Waynes, too! Wayne will have his day in the sun again.
I know. I grew up just south of the nasty NJ one. Like I said, other Trenton’s are likely to be nicer. (Maybe?).
I hope so, Allison, My Dad hated his name (his brothers got classics: James, Theodore & Richard) I’d love to see it get a bit more popular again, He’s a logical step in the “Tyler, Taylor, Carter” progression, too!
Photoqulity, I’m sure you’re right that Daria’s Trent was a reference to Reznor.
I’ll admit that Trenton makes me think of New Jersey, too – so I can’t quite imagine parents choosing it for a child. But hey, plenty of mothers seem to find Braxton a reasonable choice for a son … the world is a strange place, indeed.
I knew a Trent in college a couple years ago. He wore it well. It’s nice enough, but I think it sounds a little short or clipped, more so than Lance and a lot of other one-syllable names.
As for Wayne, I know a baby born a few months ago with Wayne as a middle name since it’s his father’s first name. It’ll be interesting to see when/if Wayne comes back.
Verity – care to try out Ford for NotD? I had a thing with a Ford in college, and he was the epitome of pre-Goth cool. Eyebrow rings, nose rings, etc. Also he was extremely hot, so to me the name has an interesting association.
Trent from Daria is “Trent” to me. Which is a good thing, he’s definitely my biggest animated crush of all time. So because of that Trent will always be a little cool, to me. But on the other hand, it really does sound dated. I can’t imagine meeting a very little Trent any time soon, unless his parents were really punk rock and dressed him accordingly.
As for Trenton, being from California (where nobody ever thinks about New Jersey), I don’t really have the negative associations… even though I live in Pennsylvania now. I can see it being appealing to people who have never been there. Not something I’d ever consider, but I don’t think it’s far off from J/C/K/Br/Aiden.