14 DAY TRIAL // One of the most “difficult” things that new or soon-to-be parents have to do is name their child. While most couples easily decide on a name, a new study reveals that, in fact, the names given to children from a certain generation maintain a certain trend, as for instance if they start with a vowel or a consonant letter. The results of the investigations relay on analyzing name trends for children for the past ten or so decades. Psychologists have already started rushing forward with explanations as to why trends shift so significantly from decade to decade, and one of their explanations states that the “spirit of the age” dictates if the name sounds stronger, or more mellow.
It's a clear fact the names starting with consonants, such as Donna, Tina and Richard, sound more powerful than those beginning with vowels, such as for instance Emma, Amanda, Aaron and Emily. The latter has held the #1 position in naming trends for the past 12 years, and was only “dethroned” by Emma in 2008. The researchers behind the study say that, at the beginning of the 20th century, vowel names dominated popularity charts, whereas, by the 1940s and 1950s, consonant names were dominant almost around the globe. However, at the beginning of the 21st century, vowel names are making a “glorious comeback” and occupy the first position of popularity charts again.
“Parents are really bad at knowing why we like certain names. I’ve never heard a parent say, ‘I’m looking for a name that starts with a vowel’,” argued the creator of The Baby Name Wizard system, Laura Wattenberg. Her software allows its users to visually manipulate name data from the Social Security Administration, Wired reports. Psychologists believe that trends change on account of the “ratchet effect,” which refers to people wanting to name their children with approximately the same names as their own, but not quite – for instance, Naomi versus Noemi.
In addition to the zeitgeist, cultural factors also play a fundamental role in shaping parents' perception on how they should name their children. Whether its cartoon characters, or favorite band members, certain names that are shown extensively on TV have become common for children born in specific time frames. Also, soccer fans, especially in Europe, have established the habit of naming their own children after famous players, such as Zidane, Figo and Beckham.
“You can see individual names that a pop culture thing did, but they are able to do these things because it fit into the ratchet effect already. If a celebrity has a name that fits in with the ‘different, but not too different’ thing, then it booms,” concluded onomastics expert Cleveland Evans, from the Bellevue University, in Nebraska, the United States.