Every time I read about a celebrity naming their newborn something unusual, such as Zillion, Wilde Wolf, Strummer, Lyra Antarctica, and Bluesy Belle—you get the idea, and those are real— I try to imagine our parents explaining names like those to their parents if they had decided to introduce us to the world with such creative monikers.
Of course, there are many other baby names that would be easier to live with and I went to peruse the list of the top 200 Most Popular Baby Names of 2022. Nothing too wacky there. I decided to cross-reference those names with the ones that were most common in our class and Duane ran a list from the class database.
Our boys’ names didn’t fare too badly in today’s popularity; I mean, at least they made the list. James even comes in at #10 out of 200. Robert turns up at #158, with John, Michael, William, and David somewhat closer to the top. However, Donald, #7 in frequency on our class list, didn’t make the cut in 2022.
If you’re a Don, don’t be too disappointed about that; the girls have it worse. Not one of our most popular girls’ names in high school shows up among the top 200 baby names of 2022. No Mary, Martha, Sharon or Nancy? Nope. And not a Susan to be found.
But if there’s anything we know about names, it’s that they run in cycles. Sooner or later, the classics will come back and some new parents with an appreciation for those will name a son or daughter after their great-great-grandfather Donald, or great-aunt Susan because they had such lovely names. Doubtful if Zillion or Bluesy Belle will ever get that honor.
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