Jeanna Bryner
LiveScience Managing Editor
Babies born in newer U.S. states have more distinctive names compared with their counterparts in older regions such as New England, a new study finds.
It turns out, the same values that pushed adventurous individuals into new territories as our country was being populated may still show up in the names their descendants give to babies, a new study finds.
In more recently established states, such as Washington and Oregon, parents tend to choose less common baby names, while parents in "older" areas, such as the original 13 states, go for more popular names.
Frontiers typically have fewer established institutions or infrastructure, and often occupy harsh environments. Early pioneers couldn't rely on others for help in such sparsely populated areas.
These factors "select for people who are high in individualism and foster and reward individualistic values such as uniqueness and self-reliance," said lead researcher Michael Varnum of the University of Michigan. "This leads to regional cultures which perpetuate these values, which in turn shape behavioral practices, such as baby naming." [Most Popular Baby Names in History]
Psychologist Jean Twenge of San Diego State University, who studies baby naming, applauds Varnum's study on frontiers and unique baby names, which is detailed in the February 2011 issue of the journal Psychological Science.
"It's a really fascinating illustration of the impact of regional culture on naming choices," said Twenge, author of "The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement" (Free Press, April 2009).
"Even though other people who came later may not have been so individualistic, that culture was set up," Twenge told LiveScience. "That legacy of the frontier is going to live on, and that shows up in baby names."
What names say about culture
The names we choose for our children do often reflect parents' values. "It's a very heartfelt choice and a noncommercial choice of what's important to us," said Laura Wattenberg, author of the book "The Baby Name Wizard" (Three Rivers Press, 2005) and creator of the website BabyNameWizard.com.
Wattenberg's recent research showed that the meaning conveyed by a baby's name (what it tells others about the parents' tastes and background) has surged over the last 25 years as baby names have become more diverse and numerous.
"I'm convinced they're absolutely right in the core data that there's no question that the American frontier is a naming wonderland," Wattenberg told LiveScience. "Sarah Palin, even though she talks about traditional values, she's a perfect representative of frontier naming." Her kids are named Track, Willow, Trig, Bristol and Piper.
Even so, it's not simple to draw a causal connection between the character of a particular state and the naming conventions there. "Leaping from that to the idea that it represents the spirit of independence, I think there are a lot of other factors you need to consider when drawing that conclusion," Wattenberg said.
Baby names moving west
In the new study, Varnum and his University of Michigan colleague Shinobu Kitayama compared the commonness of popular baby names between relatively recently settled regions of the United States and older areas. The team used 2007 baby-name data collected by the Social Security Administration.
In New England states, more babies were given the most popular boys' and girls' names than they were in frontier states – those in the Mountain West and Pacific Northwest.
Statistical analyses showed the longer ago a state had achieved statehood, the more likely it was to have a higher percentage of people with one of the top 10 most popular baby names. The results held even after the researchers accounted for other factors that might impact baby-name choices, including population density, ethnicity of a state and median income.
The following is the study's ranked list of U.S. states where prevalence of common names is lowest (with No. 1 being the most individualistic), based on percentage of babies who had one of the top 10 most popular names of that year.
You can follow LiveScience managing editor Jeanna Bryner on Twitter @jeannabryner.
Showing posts with label parents. Show all posts
Showing posts with label parents. Show all posts
Saturday
Sweden relaxes rules on givings kids unusual names
STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) — Swedish authorities say parents can now name their newborns "Budweiser" or "Metallica" if they so wish.
For decades, Swedish tax authorities had banned parents from naming their children after fast food chains, rock bands or their favorite brand of beer.
But tax authority spokesman Lars Tegenfeldt says the guidelines have been relaxed. He says "there is nothing negative about a name like Coca-Cola or McDonald's today. In the 1970s, maybe it was."
Still, authorities are drawing the line at giving children swear words for names. And forget about naming your child God, Allah or Devil.
For decades, Swedish tax authorities had banned parents from naming their children after fast food chains, rock bands or their favorite brand of beer.
But tax authority spokesman Lars Tegenfeldt says the guidelines have been relaxed. He says "there is nothing negative about a name like Coca-Cola or McDonald's today. In the 1970s, maybe it was."
Still, authorities are drawing the line at giving children swear words for names. And forget about naming your child God, Allah or Devil.
What’s in a name? Your future may depend on it
Parents want their children to have names that will impress the world and are experimenting with unusual possibilities. Aastha Atray Banan reports
To ancient Egyptians, the name of an individual was of prime importance. They were of the opinion that “like the shadow, the name was thought of as a living part of each individual, which had to be assigned immediately at birth, for otherwise it was felt that the individual would not properly come into existence”. It seems that the Egyptian wisdom may have rubbed off on many parents today who are spending a lot of time researching for just the right name for their children — a name that just might be the name of the next Prime Minister of India, best cricketer or Miss India.
“It might be. You never know really,” says Rubert Fernandes. “I have actually named my son and daughter keeping all this in my mind. I have given them names I want them to be proud about when they grow up.” What are the names he has chosen? Well, his daughter’s name is Rossa, which means beautiful in Spanish, and his son is called Rameses, from the Ten Commandments of course. “I named my daughter Rossa because I thought it was a sexy name and she just might be the next Miss India, if she has a beautiful name like this,” he says.
His son’s name proved to be a bit of a problem for him as most of his family opposed to it by saying that King Rameses was an evil and cruel man. But Rubert did his research and found out that there were actually 12 Rameseses, and except for Rameses II, all of the others were kind and good people. “I think it will be a name that people will find impressive,” he says.
It is what a lot of parents want — a name that will impress whoever meets their child. It will be a name that a child will carry all through his life. At school and college, it should be a name that will not be susceptible to easy teasing. And at a later stage of life, it should be a name that will impress. You never know, it could get them that job when they walk into a boardroom and announce their grand name.
That’s what Sandhya Menon kept in mind while short-listing three names for her new-born baby girl. When she was looking for inspiration, she turned to the scriptures, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, where most characters have at least three different names. Take for example the goddess Sandhya chose — Parvati. Her options are Shailja, Shymali and Kalandi — all names for Parvati. A bit old fashioned? That’s the trend, Sandhya assures us. “I wanted a name that she was going to grow into. I don’t like these modern names such as Muskaan or Smile, and anyway, they are not in vogue any more.
These names are a perfect mix of tradition and mysticism,” she says. Naming a child has always been a long procedure for any Indian family. There is either a consultation with an astrologer or numerologist or some people just choose the cheaper, simpler option — they get a book of names.
To ancient Egyptians, the name of an individual was of prime importance. They were of the opinion that “like the shadow, the name was thought of as a living part of each individual, which had to be assigned immediately at birth, for otherwise it was felt that the individual would not properly come into existence”. It seems that the Egyptian wisdom may have rubbed off on many parents today who are spending a lot of time researching for just the right name for their children — a name that just might be the name of the next Prime Minister of India, best cricketer or Miss India.
“It might be. You never know really,” says Rubert Fernandes. “I have actually named my son and daughter keeping all this in my mind. I have given them names I want them to be proud about when they grow up.” What are the names he has chosen? Well, his daughter’s name is Rossa, which means beautiful in Spanish, and his son is called Rameses, from the Ten Commandments of course. “I named my daughter Rossa because I thought it was a sexy name and she just might be the next Miss India, if she has a beautiful name like this,” he says.
His son’s name proved to be a bit of a problem for him as most of his family opposed to it by saying that King Rameses was an evil and cruel man. But Rubert did his research and found out that there were actually 12 Rameseses, and except for Rameses II, all of the others were kind and good people. “I think it will be a name that people will find impressive,” he says.
It is what a lot of parents want — a name that will impress whoever meets their child. It will be a name that a child will carry all through his life. At school and college, it should be a name that will not be susceptible to easy teasing. And at a later stage of life, it should be a name that will impress. You never know, it could get them that job when they walk into a boardroom and announce their grand name.
That’s what Sandhya Menon kept in mind while short-listing three names for her new-born baby girl. When she was looking for inspiration, she turned to the scriptures, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, where most characters have at least three different names. Take for example the goddess Sandhya chose — Parvati. Her options are Shailja, Shymali and Kalandi — all names for Parvati. A bit old fashioned? That’s the trend, Sandhya assures us. “I wanted a name that she was going to grow into. I don’t like these modern names such as Muskaan or Smile, and anyway, they are not in vogue any more.
These names are a perfect mix of tradition and mysticism,” she says. Naming a child has always been a long procedure for any Indian family. There is either a consultation with an astrologer or numerologist or some people just choose the cheaper, simpler option — they get a book of names.
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