5.17.2005
Baby names or I am my demographic
Have you ever had a moment when you knew, without a doubt, that you were unoriginal? For me, the inkling of my utter sameness came when people my age started producing children. I expected a series of Jennifers and Matthews and Sarahs. Instead, I got every damn name I've ever felt might belong to my future progeny: Ella. Isabelle. Grace. Jack. Oliver. What the hell? I mean, who wants to be Chloe M.?
The climax of my baby name angst came in the form of Luke, my favorite boy name. In the past few months, we've known or heard tell of multiple Lukes (and one Luca, but he's French and doesn't count). Now, these are the offspring of friends and friends removed and I wish them no harm, but I fear a lifetime of last initials awaits these children.
I'm overreacting? Here's Massachusetts' top five girls names in 2004:
Emily-577 babies
Emma-552 babies
Olivia-544 babies
Isabella-432 babies
Abigail-427 babies
Since childhood, I have had either a doll, a character in a story, or an imaginary horse/dog/cat with each of these names, with the exception of Abigail. The world is populated with Victorian monikered infants, all ringlets and posture. And I will be forced to name my child Susie or Nancy or Jean in an attempt to pre-empt the next name craze.
Note: As I was writing this post, I got a phone call. A librarian for whom I interned at MIT had a baby girl last week. Name? Olivia.
The climax of my baby name angst came in the form of Luke, my favorite boy name. In the past few months, we've known or heard tell of multiple Lukes (and one Luca, but he's French and doesn't count). Now, these are the offspring of friends and friends removed and I wish them no harm, but I fear a lifetime of last initials awaits these children.
I'm overreacting? Here's Massachusetts' top five girls names in 2004:
Emily-577 babies
Emma-552 babies
Olivia-544 babies
Isabella-432 babies
Abigail-427 babies
Since childhood, I have had either a doll, a character in a story, or an imaginary horse/dog/cat with each of these names, with the exception of Abigail. The world is populated with Victorian monikered infants, all ringlets and posture. And I will be forced to name my child Susie or Nancy or Jean in an attempt to pre-empt the next name craze.
Note: As I was writing this post, I got a phone call. A librarian for whom I interned at MIT had a baby girl last week. Name? Olivia.
