The Top 100 Baby Names of 2005 is out and Steven did not make the list. Of course, neither did Todd nor Travis nor Lincoln nor Joel. And neither did Catha nor Dovie nor Dinah nor Shanna nor Lori nor Janet ... nor Arshunda. (Don't tell my roommate, but David made the list in 38th place.)
According to the website, the noble name of Steven (meaning "crowned one") hit its peak in the 1960s when it was the 10th most popular name for boys that decade. We were 15th in the 1950s and 13th in the 1970s. Since I was born in June of 1970 (and was therefore conceived in the 1960s), I'm sure my parents were all about giving me what was then a Top 10 name.
The 1980s brought on competition from the likes of Jose and Nicholas and Joshua, pushing us down to 30th place. We surged again in the 1990s to 23rd place and have been falling ever since. In fact, it appears that beginning in 2000 they lumped us Stevens with our archenemies -- the Stephens. From 2000 on we are never listed in the same year; a footnote explains that names with spelling variations were grouped for their calculations.
I am convinced that that's what brought down the good name of Steven. From the 1950s forward (when Steven and Stephen first appeared), Steven always outranked Stephen. Always. See the chart below:
Then, in 2000 when they implemented integration of the names, Steven/Stephen fell to 36th, then to 49th in 2001 and 2002, then to
So, my curiosity is getting to me. Did Steven fall out of favor with the new parents of America, or did we simply lose out to trendier names? Was there a dictator or celebrity who brought shame upon our name, as was the fate with Adolph and O.J.? Shouldn't the fact that our name is in the Bible help us out a little? I mean, even if I do have to sell myself out to our "ph-ed" archenemies, I'll take it if it means I can get back on the list!
It's discouraging to know that there were more little Xaviers, Tristans, Ians and Liams brought into the world last year than adorable little Stevens!
3 comments:
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that my name will NEVER be on a list of top baby names. "Arshunda"...from the ethnic root word "Arshunda", meaning "daughter of one with the epidural and other feel-good drugs". Not something I'm too broken up about. *sniff*
Steven, you are an original. Embrace it. You are too cool to share your name with anyone else. When it comes to cool names, uniqueness always wins. When I talk about Steven, everyone knows I am talking about you. Let the Tristan's, Madison's, and Morgan's take over the world. We can handle thousands of them. But there is only room for one Steven! And that, my friend, is hot.
That list came from just babycenter members, so who knows how reliable it is. On the government's Social Security website, your name shows as 77th most popular in 2004, so you're still in vogue...sort of. But on an even more positive note for you, "Steve" was only the 501st most popular name in 2004...
Post a Comment