Names That Come and Go
The popularity of first names in the United States changes over time. Some first names become popular suddenly and then disappear from regular use, while other names seem to be popular for many, many years. (To come and go means to be temporary, not to last long.)

A recent article in the New York Times listed the most popular first names for babies over the past 100 plus years. It is interesting to see which names have stood the test of time (lasted a long time, have not changed in many years) and which names came and went. For example, Mildred was a very popular name in the 1920s in the US. You could find many young girls named Mildred (as well as Evelyn and Virginia). But now almost no one names their child Mildred. In fact, if you see the name Mildred, you might laugh a little, since it is such an old-fashioned (old and no longer used) name. Similarly, Grover was popular in the late 19th century, but not in recent years. (The picture at right is of President Grover Cleveland, who was president in the late 19th century.)

The article says that names that suddenly or very quickly become popular usually don't last very long. For example, in the 1950s, Linda suddenly became very popular, but then dropped in popularity within a few years. Amy was a popular name for girls in the 1970s (the president of the United States, Jimmy Carter, had a daughter named Amy), but then declined in popularity by the 1990s. Names that slowly become popular seem to last longer. During the 1990s and early 2000s, names such as Zachery, Cody, and Adam were popular.

In some countries, it is common for English students to take an "English" name that is easier to spell and pronounce. This gives students the opportunity to choose their own names, which can be a lot of fun. Some of the names that are chosen, however, are no longer popular in the US. I once had a student who called herself Gertrude, which is a name that has not been popular in the US since the 1930s. The name sounded odd to an American, but of course she probably didn't realize that is was no longer used very much.

There are some names that don't change much in popularity. The number of babies with these names is usually not large, but it is steady (stable, not going up or down in number). For example, Ellen, Maria, Russell, Paul, Douglas, and Patrick are all names that have been relatively constant (steady) in popularity in the past 100 years in the US. Daniel has also been popular for many years, especially in the 1990s.

What are the names that are suddenly becoming popular now? Here is a list:

• Ava (girl)
  
• Ella (girl)
  
• Addison (boy or girl?)
  
• Aiden (boy)
  
• Jayden or Jaden (boy)
  
• Caden or Kaden (boy)
  
• Trinity (girl)
  

So if you want to adopt an English first name, you might want to avoid Mildred or Grover, and instead use names that are more current. I suggest either "Jeff" or "Lucy."