The wonderfully-named Jennifer 8. Lee, of the New York Times, has managed (via a Freedom of Information request) to get data on just how the popularity of names have changed over time in NYC. We couldn’t pass that up, so we’ve uploaded this data on baby names in New York to Timetric — both the total popularity of names from 1920 to the present, and the same data broken down by ethnic group from 1990 to now.
Of course, the first thing I did was to check out how team Timetric’s names compared. I’m Andrew, and my co-conspirators are Dan and Toby:
Turns out Toby isn’t that popular a name. In fact, though it’s definitely a boys’ name in Britain, it’s more popular for girls in New York:
Definitely won’t be making any wisecracks about that!
Some names have risen and fallen over time. Comparing my name with my sister’s;
her name’s been getting less popular since the ’70s. Sandra was especially popular just after World War II, though: I wonder why.
The ethnic data is fascinating, too. As Jennifer pointed out on CityRoom:
The baby name cognoscenti note that Jayden’s rise is remarkable since there has historically been less innovation with boys names. Unlike girls names — Lisa, Jennifer, Madison and Ashley have risen and fallen within decades — the top boys names tend to be timeless, with Biblical or kingly flavors.
Nationwide, Jayden ranked only 11th last year, according to Social Security Administration data — respectable, but not a blockbuster.
The difference? New York’s demographic mix.
Here’s the evidence:
Daniel’s the opposite – much more popular among white parents:
All the data’s on Timetric — we’d love to see what patterns you find in it.
This is Data of the Day from Timetric. Suggest data you’d like to see here!
