Fast forward to 2014. Many of us who were born in the 1970s and early 1980s, when kindergarten rosters were filled with names like Jenny, are now parents ourselves. However, we aren’t naming our daughters Jenny. Among the top 20 names for girls in 1970, only Elizabeth has managed to hold its place in the top 100 by 2014. The rest of those names—our names—have seemingly vanished. Lisa, Christina, Susan, and Heather failed to make it into the top 500 last year. In 1970, names like Tracy, Tammy, and Dawn were given to over 53,000 newborn girls, yet by 2014, they didn’t even crack the top 1,000.
What’s particularly intriguing about this trend is the contrast with male names. Names such as Michael, David, and James, which were among the top 10 names for boys in 1970, continue to be popular today. In fact, 12 out of the top 20 names from 1970—including William, John, Kevin, and Daniel—still appear in the top 100 for boys in 2014. Every boy in the top 20 for 1970 remained among the top 200 names for boys last year. So, what’s going on?
The Social Security Administration recently released the most popular baby names for 2014, drawing from records dating back to 1879. If you delve into this treasure trove, a few patterns emerge. It becomes evident that this phenomenon has historical roots. The top five names for boys have remained remarkably consistent, with John, William, James, and Michael appearing decade after decade. In contrast, girls’ names change almost entirely every 10 to 15 years. This could be attributed to the tradition of passing down names from fathers to sons, a custom that simply doesn’t exist in the same way for girls.
Yet, it’s disheartening to see generations of women moving away from their own names. I often wonder if this reflects a broader trend of women’s self-criticism. I’ve never encountered a man lamenting about his name or its age; however, my female friends frequently express dissatisfaction with theirs. Have our names, like our physical appearances and personal spaces, become yet another source of discontent?
The irony is that in our quest to give our daughters modern names, we might be setting them up for the same fate. Just as Jennifer marks a 1970s childhood, names like Mia will likely signify “I was born in 2014.” Let’s hope they enjoy a better fate than Tracy.
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In summary, the decline of names like Tracy reflects a broader trend among women to distance themselves from names linked to past generations. While boys’ names tend to endure, girls’ names frequently change, revealing a cultural shift that may point to how women perceive their identities.