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Odd baby names: Not just for celebs

Study says more parents are giving kids unusual names

updated 12:14 p.m. ET Feb. 24, 2010



Celebrities aren't the only ones giving their babies unusual names.
Compared with decades ago, parents are choosing less common names for
kids, which could suggest an emphasis on uniqueness and individualism,
according to new research.

Essentially, today's kids (and later adults) will stand out from
classmates. For instance, in the 1950s, the average first-grade class
of 30 children would have had at least one boy named James (top name
in 1950), while in 2013, six classes will be necessary to find only
one Jacob, even though that was the most common boys' name in 2007.

The researchers suspect the uptick of unusual baby names could be a
sign of a change in culture from one that applauded fitting in to
today's emphasis on being unique and standing out. When taken too far,
however, this individualism could also lead to narcissism, according
to study researcher Jean Twenge, of San Diego State University.



Baby naming history

The results come from an analysis of 325 million baby names recorded
by the Social Security Administration from 1880 to 2007. The research
team figured out the percentage of babies given the most popular name
or a name among the 10, 20, or 50 most popular for that year and sex.
Since it wasn't required that people get a social security card until
1937, names before that time may not be random samples of the
population, the researchers note.

Results showed parents were less likely to choose those popular names
as time went on. For instance, in the late 1800s and early 1900s,
about 5 percent of babies were named the top common name, while more
recently that dropped to 1 percent.

About 40 percent of boys received one of the 10 most common names in
the 1880s, while now fewer than 10 percent do.

For girls, the percentage with a top-10 name dropped from 25 percent
in about 1945 to 8 percent in 2007.

Similar results were seen for the top-50 names. About half of girls
received one of the 50 most popular names until the mid-20th century.
Now, just one in four have these names.

This trend in baby-naming didn't show a constant decrease. Between
1880 and 1919, fewer parents were giving their children common names,
though from 1920 to the 1940s common names were used more often than
before. Then, when baby boomers came on the scene, so did more unusual
names.

The biggest decrease in usage of common names came in the 1990s, said
Twenge, who is also an author of "The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in
the Age of Entitlement" (Free Press, 2009) and "Generation Me: Why
Today's Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled and –
More Miserable Than Ever Before" (Free Press, 2007).



Naming narcissists

The results held even when the researchers accounted for immigration
rates and increasing Latino populations, which could bring relatively
less common names into the mix.

"The most compelling explanation left is this idea that parents are
much more focused on their children standing out," Twenge told
LiveScience. "There's been this cultural shift toward focusing on the
individual, toward standing out and being unique as opposed to fitting
in with the group and following the rules."

The positive side of individualism, Twenge said, is that there is less
prejudice and more tolerance for minority groups. But she warns that
when individualism is taken too far, the result is narcissism.

"I think it is an indication of our culture becoming more
narcissistic," Twenge said.



Special feature

Past research has shown that back in the 1950s parents placed a lot of
import!ance on a child being obedient, which has gone way down.
"Parenting has become more permissive and more child-focused and
[parents] are much more reluctant to be authority figures," Twenge
said.

As for whether these unusually named kids will have personalities to
match is not known.

"It remains to be seen whether having a unique name necessarily leads
to narcissism later in life," Twenge said. "If that unique name is
part of a parent's overall philosophy that their child is special and
needs to stand out and that fitting in is a bad thing, then that could
lead to those personality traits."

The research, which is detailed in the January issue of the journal
Social Psychological and Personality Science, also included Emodish M.
Abebe of SDSU and W. Keith Campbell of the University of Georgia in
Athens.



#Conversation Questions

Names


1. What's the most beautiful girl's name you've heard?

2. What's the best boy's name you've heard?

3. How did your parents choose your name?

4. Are you happy with your name?

- If not, why not?

5. What are some of the most common names for boys and girls in
Korea?

6. What are some really unusual names you've heard?

7. Are there any names you absolutely hate?

- If so, what are they?

- Why do you hate them?

8. Do you think names shape our personality? To what degree?

9. Do you have a nickname?

- If so, what is it?

- How did you get it?

- Do you like it?

10. What are some interesting nicknames that you have heard?

11. What do you think of parents who make up unique names for their
children?

12. Do you think it is okay to give pets human names?

13. Can you name some famous world leaders?

- Can you name some famous composers?

- Can you name some famous artists?

- Can you name some Western foods?

- Can you name some Eastern foods?

- Can you name some Middle-Eastern foods?

- Can you name some cars?

14. What's the name of your favorite character from a story you've
read

- What's the name of your favorite writer?

- What's the name of your favorite novel?

- What's the name of your favorite restaurant?

- What's the name of your favorite television show?

- What's the name of your favorite movie?

- What's your name?

15. Do you know the meaning of your name? If yes, what does it mean?

16. Have you ever known a boy that has a "girl's name" or a boy that
had a "girl's name"?

17. Do you wish your name was less common, or more unusual?