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Phyllis and Edna are grandmothers; Linda has college-aged children; Kelli is in college; and Kayla is an infant. Samuel shares a name with his 2-year-old grandson. And Michael could be any age. You couldn’t guess his age merely by his name.
When choosing a name for your baby girl, carefully consider giving her a name that will withstand the trends. Girls’ names come and go much quicker than boys’ names because of ageism in our culture, the same reason Harrison Ford has played opposite 25-year-old women for 25 years.
Parents tend to choose names for their daughters that reflect the current fashions of society. At the beginning of the 20th century, parents chose botanical names for their daughters (Rose, Ivy, Daisy). In the 1980’s, baby girls received names ending in “i” that had previously ended in “y” (Mindi, Kelli).
Current name styles may revolve around celebrities or characters on television. Therefore, a Kelsey may be twenty years old on TV, but the Kelseys in real life are only two months old.
Parents also tend to combine names much more often than boys’ names. Have you ever heard of a boy named JohnnyRob? No, but you’ve probably heard variations of LeeAnne, AnnMarie, MaryJo, etc. These name combinations and variations will pigeonhole your daughter, placing her in a trend category just like Daisy at the turn of the century and Tiffani in the 1980’s.
Like combining names, changing spellings to make a common name stand out won’t faze the trendiness of her name. Parents rarely change spellings of boys’ names. Jordan’s name doesn’t get fiddled with to produce Jordon, Geordan, Jordun, or Jordunne. But Kaitlin’s name could be any of the following, which appeared on birth certificates in 1998: Kaitlyn, Caitlyn, Kaitlin, Caitlin, Katelyn, Caitlynn, Kaitlynn, Kaytlin, Kaytlyn, Katelynn, Katelin, Katlynn. The poor girl will spend her life spelling her name for people or receiving invitiations with her name misspelled on them.
So how do you avoid trends when naming your daughter? Won’t she feel left out if her name doesn’t match the style of the rest of the girls in her kindergarten? She’ll likely be grateful she has her own name and doesn’t have to go by Ashley P. to be distinguished from Ashley T. and Ashley D. In my 2nd grade class there were three Jennifer Lynn Browns. They continually searched for ways to make their names unique.
To avoid giving your daughter a trendy name, you’ve got to know what the current trends are. The 1990’s brought back some charming old-fashioned names: Samantha, Hannah, Clara, and Emily. These older names are more likely to stand the test of time than the “earthy” 90’s names (Sierra, Sage, etc.), but any name you see repeatedly will seem trendy soon. For example, in my home state of Colorado Emily has been the most used girls’ name in the past few years. People will grow tired of it and stop using it within a few years, and then the name will be a tired trend.
Look at lists showing name distribution for different years. If the girl name you’ve chosen for your baby is on the top ten list for the last couple of years, consider changing the name to avoid giving your baby a trendy name. If you want to give your daughter a truly classic name, look for names that appear in every generation. Katherine and Elizabeth, for example, have remained popular for hundreds of years because the nicknames change with each generation, giving them a fresh sound (Betty, Beth, Liz, Eliza, etc.).
Look for names on these lists that remain constant, and figure out why the names have withstood the trends.
Your daughter's name is one of the first gifts you give her. Take care in giving her a name that will grow with her and won’t fade as the next trend comes into fashion.
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