Sunday Summary: Lark, Bess, and Baby Frankenstein

Happy Sunday!

Here’s a fascinating suggestion: if you want to find a name your child won’t share with half her class, maybe you should choose from the very top of the list. While you’ll still hear about preschool classes with three Emmas or two Olivias, that’s the exception these days. (Unlike earlier generations, when Ashley or Jennifer or Linda or Mary seemed pretty thick on the ground.)

There’s only one Ava in my kids’ entire school, and no boys named Noah or Mason. There are a handful of girls named Sophia/Sofia, and a few Isabellas. Alexander repeats across the grades, as does William. But names that you would never expect to repeat do, too, like Bernadette and Benedict.

I think there are plenty of reasons to use a popular name. And one of those reasons is this: Even a #1 name is less popular than it was in previous generations:

In 1907, over 5% of boys were John and more than 5% of girls were Mary. In 1977, nearly 4% of boys were named Michael, and over 3.5% of girls were called Jennifer. Today, a mere 1% of all children born each year receive the most popular name, and the percentage will probably continue to drop.

Does that mean that the perfect name for your next baby is Liam or Mia? I’m not sure, but I do think it means you shouldn’t necessarily rule out a name just because it’s near the top of the charts.

Elsewhere online:

• Lately, I’m semi-obsessed with Bess. I mean – we’re all about Tessa and Tess. And there are so many amazing names that could lead to Bess. Check out this list from Roses and Cellar Doors. Betony (or Bettany?) and Bettina top my list of unexpected formal names for Bess. As for Tess, would Thessaly-called-Tess be gorgeous?
• What would you name a brother for Edie and Rupert? I love all of the suggestions from British Baby Names. But maybe most especially Barnaby, Wilfred, and Felix.
• This is a tough one: a family member won’t call their child by the nickname everyone else uses. Swistle’s answer is long, but on point – and very much worth a read.
• While we’re visiting with Swistle, I’m in love with the name Lark Genevieve – and really, all of the names this family chose for their four children.
• I’ve often heard that Chester isn’t wearable, but British Baby Names makes a convincing case for the name’s revival.
• A baby Frankenstein with a Halloween birthday? That’s all kinds of fun! Welcome to the world, Oskar Gary Frankenstein.
• Tolkien-inspired baby names, via Clare’s Scoop.it page.
• From the wayback machine: Viorica, which could make a great Victoria alternative, was featured last year. In 2015, it was this list of Bold Boy Names Inspired by Jax.

That’s all for this week! As always, thank you for reading – and have a great week!