• kava@lemmy.world
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    6 days ago

    Let’s say you want to find what will be an “old person’s name” in 2060. What you do is subtract 60 from 2060 => 2000. Then go to google and type in “most popular baby names year 2000”

    pick the first 10 or so and those will be “old person’s name”

    • tiramichu@lemm.ee
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      8 days ago

      Exactly this. The majority of super-popular names now will all be “old person” names in future.

      In turn, the “old person” names of the recently deceased generations, like ‘Florence’ and ‘Edith’ are starting to reappear and be given to children again, because with that old generation dead they are freed from the old-people stereotype and seem good again. It’s cyclical.

      Amongst all names, there are some which are conversely a lot harder to date. Names that are always being given, but never top the popularity lists. Names like Mark, Thomas, or Matthew. Harder to date people with names like these, because there’s always plenty of them.

    • dingus@lemmy.world
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      8 days ago

      Yeah but it seems like some names are always somewhat popular no matter the era. “John” and “James” for example

  • 🐋 Color 🍁 ♀@lemm.ee
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    8 days ago

    I’m not sure if it’s very common, but Elaine. It’s my name and I love it, but I’m already seeing people who think it’s kind of an old woman’s name! 😅

      • otp@sh.itjust.works
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        8 days ago

        Anything that is popular because of media

        So pretty much every Western name ever?

        I was going to say every Western name in the last century or so, but then I realized how many names are biblical, and the Bible is a book, which is also media…

  • exasperation@lemm.ee
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    8 days ago

    Seems like there’s a way to analyze this in a systematic way, from social security name data. Any name that popped up as a newly popular name and fell back off within a decade or two would probably eventually become a marker of that generation.

    Gladys was popular between 1900 and 1920, and became known as an old lady name by the 80’s or 90’s.

    Karen was popular between 1945 and 1965, and is regarded a prototypical boomer name.

    The Baby Jessicas of the 80’s will be retirees in the 2050’s. Ashleys and Emilys will probably be that in the 2060’s. There will be Britneys and Emmas.

    But the methodology could probably be applied to the data in a systematic way.

  • the_crotch@sh.itjust.works
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    7 days ago

    When I was in school every third girl was named Jennifer and every third boy was named Christopher. Don’t really see either of those nowadays. I’m in my 40s so they’re about 15-20 years from being old people names.

    Also Karen. The internet ruined that name.

    • Synapse@lemmy.world
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      6 days ago

      When I can finally have a cat, it will be named either Jennifur if female, or Christofur if male.

      I find it funny to name my cat after very common human names, although these names are not so common were I live, that would avoid some friends or family members to feel offended I name my pet after them.