Sunday Summary: Mother's Day Edition 2021

If you’re celebrating Mother’s Day today, sending you warm wishes!

And if today is hard for you? Thinking of you, too.

I’m off to visit my mom. It’s a surprise – she thinks she’s meeting just one of my sisters for a picnic in the park by her house, but actually? My daughter and I are driving three-plus hours to meet them, too. It’s been over 18 months since we’ve seen each other. Too long!

If you need a diversion today, well … the US Social Security Administration delivered their annual gift to name-lovers everywhere and published the updated list of the most popular baby names for the calendar year 2020.

ELSEWHERE ONLINE:

Namerology has the biggest story of the year – the rapid rise of Kobe and Gianna. It’s a tragedy that still feels raw, more than a year later, even after an absolutely unthinkable 2020. Worth a read.

Nancy looks at the names that debut in the data, those rarities at the bottom of the list. The boys’ new names are here – so curious about Deluka and Krown! – and the girls’ list is here. We expected Dalett, but I find Souline and Morwenna ever so intriguing.

Ren breaks down the names returning to the Top 1000 after an absence. It’s a category I look at closely, too, but I love the details she adds here. It makes it clear that Rosalia, Marceline, and Violette are the vintage picks for girls; Jones and Abner for boys.

Okay, I should be updating posts, but instead I’m watching videos from this sweet family. Because it turns out The BANKS Family gets credit for the rapid rise of baby name Avayah. Big sister is Ameera, and new baby is Aylah.

And I have lots of thoughts about Star Wars names, as well as names from fandoms in general. Because not only did Kylo AND Anakin climb a lot a lot a lot, but Lucifer’s Mazikeen entered the Top 1000, which I both completely get and find insanely baffling. All at the same time. Other names from various sci fi/fantasy names still ranked: Supernatural’s Castiel, Game of Thrones’ Khaleesi, Lyanna, and Arya … and there might be more, but that’s all that leaps out at me just this minute.