Formerly Popular Names that Died Off, Male Edition
Why do some names seem to have eternal staying power, while others eventually fall out of favour?
This visualisation looks at male names that were popular at the beginning of the 20th century, but would later die off. (At least for the most part. Shout out to all the Gen Z Elmers out there.)
Naming children is a highly personal and subjective decision, and it's one that pop culture absolutely has a role in shaping. For example, when Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt named their baby Knox in 2008, that name shot up in popularity. Today it continues to climb, sitting at 200th place. On the flip side, we'll never know for sure if the plethora of Ernest movies in the '80s and '90s tanked that name's fortunes, but the drop-off in popularity does steepen during that time period.
What other examples can you think of?
Dataset
Name | Latest Year of Peak Popularity | Year Dropped Out of the Top 1000 |
---|---|---|
Willie | 1946 | 2021 |
Ernest | 1906 | 2019 |
Clarence | 1905 | 2011 |
Elmer | 1901 | 2010 |
Clifford | 1909 | 2006 |
Herbert | 1929 | 2003 |
Herman | 1909 | 2000 |
Chester | 1919 | 1996 |
Claude | 1901 | 1994 |
Bert | 1901 | 1984 |
Data sources
SSA's name data is derived from Social Security card applications for births that occurred in the United States.