One thing that is fun to think about when you are pregnant is what you will name your baby. The possibilities are as endless as your imagination, and until your baby arrives there will always be the question of whether the name that you have spent hours agonizing over will be a good fit for him or her. There are many baby name lists out there that list popular names, unusual names, celebrity baby names, and so on. Lists are fun to look at and they can provide inspiration too.
Recently, I came across a list of the top baby names of the century. The list is on TheBump.com, and it lists the most popular names for each decade of the past century. This list is neat because it lets you see if the name that you are thinking about for baby was popular at another time. It also lets you see whether your own name was popular when you were born.
Interestingly enough, my name is so totally 80’s even though I was born slightly before then in 1978. I could not find either of my sons’ names (Dylan and Blake) on the list, but then again they were born after 2000 and the list spans the century from 1900 to 2000. Also, I did not choose their names based upon popularity because I have always disliked having a name that so many other people my age have.
When I looked at the list of names and when they were popular, it occurred to me that the names that were popular during each decade did not seem to have any real connection between the events or general state of affairs at the time. For example, the names that were popular during the sixties were not groovy flower child names. No, they were classics like Michael, David, John, James, Lisa, Mary, Susan, and Linda. Naming babies is fun. Reading lists of baby names is also fun – and it can be addictive, so be forewarned. You might just realize that you spent the entire afternoon looking at baby names and you still have not found just the right one.