Waht is very interesting to me is the way names suddenly take off inpopularity. Look at Tyler, Taylor, Emily, Alexis (which is Sasha's name, btw). It makes you wonder just what societal forces are at work that cause these booms and busts.

We named our daughter Margaret Alexis. Margaret because her mother and maternal grandmother share that name, and Alexis because the Russian woman who was my barber at the time suggested it as a pretty name. We'd not have used Alexis but Tatiana told us that Sasha is the Russian diminutive for Alexis, and both of us liked that name. I had no idea it was becoming popular.

And I still had no idea until I saw this data that Emily was the number one girl's name in 2003.

But not listed are the more interesting names. In Theo's kindergarten class there was a child whose parents (may they burn in hell for eternity!) had named him Nathzellious. Not sure of spelling, but the pronunciation had the emphasis on the second syllable. How could parents do this to a child??? And they refused to allow him to be called by a nickname.


TEd