Parents in the United States are naming kids increasingly uncommon and unique names, while the most usual names are not anymore famous or prevalent as they were in the past, a new research discovers. Proponents of the research were led by Dr. Jean M Twenge, author and Psychology Professor at San Diego State University; Lauren Dawson, a research assistant; and Dr. W. Keith Campbell, Psychology Professor in the University of Georgia.
"Through the recession and afterward, American parents continued the trend toward choosing more unique names for their children," Dr. Twenge said to LiveScience. "That's surprising, because the outsize individualism of the mid-2000s seemed to fade during the recession as the country tightened its belts."
For the research, Dr. Twenge and her colleagues examined the 325 million baby names born between 1880 and 2007 which were listed by the Social Security Administration. They discovered that though Jacob is the topmost moniker for boys in 2008 and Emma is the top name for girls -- these common names and other top names were given to a lesser percentage of baby names on the average.
Researchers discovered that between 2004 and 2015, the percentage of most famous baby names continued to drop down, with the Great Recession years causing not a delay in the movement. From 2004 up to 2006, 10.09 percent of baby names given to American babies acquired a top 10 names and this percentage dropped to 8.6 percent for 2008 to 2010, before dropping to 8.15 percent in 2011 to 2015.
"This change happened at the same time that Americans seem to have embraced more individualistic traits such as assertiveness and self-esteem on psychological questionnaires," co-author W. Keith Campbell says according to MarketingCharts. Twenge also said to LiveSceince: "Maybe people feel like they need to stand out more because only some people make it."
In the end, researchers warn parents that though this trend has benefits on individualism or uniqueness, it can lead to narcissism that will separate kids from the mob their parents wish they'll stand out from. "Unique names may have some benefits such as creating a more individual identity, but they run the risk of promoting separateness, which is linked to narcissism," Campbell told MarketingCharts.
