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What's In A Name?

Betty Kreier-Lubinski

Almost no one likes his/her own name. Let's face it, our names were foisted off on us when we were squalling babies by parents who didn't know what we were going to be when we grew up. Some of us still don't know what we're going to be when we grow up. Although any of us could easily change our name if we wanted--it's legal in most states to use another name without even going to court so long as you aren't trying to commit fraud--most of us just growl about it now and then, but live with the name we were given.

Maybe that's why it's so much fun for a writer to name his characters. He can use his favorite names over and over. He can pin his least favorite names onto all his villains. Such a feeling of power!

Your choice of names can add more substance and realism to your story than you may have realized. Before you pick out names for your next story, try the Timeline Quick Quiz:

Sidebar #1
Guess what year each of these vignettes took place? (Answers at the end of article.)

1. Charles and Dorothy had to wait seven years before they married. Times were hard. Charles was unable find anything but odd jobs, and Dorothy, as the oldest child in her family, had to work as a mother's helper and contribute financial support to her parents and her ten siblings for years before she could think of her own needs.
   Year:_____

2. Jason and Melissa had been going together for four months before Jason moved in with Melissa. When she unexpectedly got pregnant, they decided to get married, but waited until after their baby was born because Melissa needed the coverage for the birth on her parents' medical insurance.
   Year:_____

3. John and Mary only saw each other six times before John asked her father for her hand in marriage. Her father thought John seemed like a dependable worker so he approved. Mary hoped he would be kind, too. John knew a wife would be an advantage in the frontier; he was sure he could learn to love her.
   Year:_____

When choosing a name, keep in mind the national events that happened in that decade. Following is a brief list of pertinent events in the United States. (The information in this article is mostly pertinent to the United States. Citizens of other countries can probably find access to their own government records on the Internet.)

Sidebar #2

Event Timeline
1776	Declaration of Independence
1804	Lewis & Clark Expedition
1806	Second wave of migration to the west
1861-1865	Civil War
1862	Homestead Act begins (160 acres to head of family)
1865-1890	Settlement of Old West
1898	Spanish American war
1908	Model T Ford was built
1912	48 states in the union
1917	U.S. entered World War I
1919	19th Amendment gave women right to vote
1919-1933	Prohibition of Alcohol
1929	Roaring Twenties; stock market crash
1930's	World-wide Great Depression
1932	Unemployed 10,000,000 in U.S.; 1/3 of Canadian population
1935	Social Security began
1941	U.S. entered World War II
1945	Atom bombing of Japan;Japanese and German surrender
1950	Korean War
1950's	Birth of Rock and Roll; TV's became dominant mass media
1954	U.S. Supreme Court bars segregation in public schools
1961	Civil Rights Movement: Freedom Rides
1961-1975	U.S. involvement in Vietnam War
1963	John F. Kennedy assassination
1968	Robert Kennedy assassination
1968	Martin Luther King assassination
1969	Woodstock Festival
1977	Personal computers are marketed for home use
1980's	Rap or hip-hop becomes popular
1991	Persian Gulf War

Naming your character is as important as selecting a name for a newborn.

• Your choice can pinpoint the era and setting of your story.
• It can identify your character as a member of a particular ethnic group.
• It can suggest helpless femininity or masculine macho.
• It can be the most popular name of a decade or the least popular name.

Imagine an American baby born in 2000 named Florence or Minnie or Bertha? What would that say about a parent who chose one of those names this year? Imagine the negative effects of carrying a name like that? And yet these names were one of the ten most popular female names in the following years: Florence (1890), Minnie (1880), and Bertha (1890).

And what about the parent who names his son Carroll or Beverly? Many young boys with those names will learn to fight to defend themselves against slurs, to prove their masculinity. Over the years, popular male names have changed much less than females. A few, such as John and William, have remained among the most popular ten in each decade since the Social Security Administration first started keeping track in 1880.

Following is a chart of the ten most popular names in the United States every decade from 1880 to the present. This was developed from information furnished by Michael Shackleford, A.S.A. of the Social Security Administration.

1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1 John Mary John Mary John Mary John Mary John Mary Robert Mary 2 William Anna William Anna William Helen William Helen William Dorothy James Betty 3 Charles Elizabeth James Elizabeth James Anna James Margaret James Helen John Dorothy 4 George Margaret George Emma George Margaret Robert Dorothy Robert Margaret William Helen 5 James Minnie Charles Margaret Charles Ruth Joseph Ruth Joseph Ruth Richard Barbara 6 Joseph Emma Joseph Rose Joseph Elizabeth Charles Anna Charles Virginia Charles Margaret 7 Frank Martha Frank Ethel Frank Marie George Mildred George Elizabeth Donald Maria 8 Henry Alice Harry Florence Henry Rose Edward Elizabeth Edward Anna George Patricia 9 Thomas Marie Henry Ida Robert Florence Frank Alice Thomas Mildred Joseph Doris 10 Harry Annie/Sarah Edward Bertha/Helen Harry Bertha Henry Ethel Frank Betty Edward Ruth   1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 1999 1 James Mary John Linda David Mary Michael Jennifer Michael Jennifer Michael Jessica Jacob Emily 2 Robert Barbara James Mary Michael Susan David Lisa Jason Jessica Christopher Ashley Michael Sarah 3 John Patricia Robert Patricia John Karen John Kimberley Christopher Amanda Joshua Brittany Matthew Brianna 4 William Carol William Barbara James Maria James Michelle David Melissa Matthew Amanda Nicholas Samantha 5 Richard Judith Michael Susan Robert Lisa Robert Angela James Sarah David Stephanie Christopher Hailey 6 Charles Betty David Maria Mark Linda Christopher Maria Matthew Nicole Daniel Jennifer Joshua Ashley 7 David Nancy Richard Sandra William Donna William Amy John Heather Andrew Samantha Austin Kaitlyn 8 Thomas Maria Thomas Nancy Richard Patricia Mark Melissa Joshua Amy Joseph Sarah Tyler Madison 9 Donald Margaret Charles Deborah Thomas Debra Richard Mary Robert Michelle Justin Megan Brandon Hannah 10 Ronald Linda Gary Kathleen Steven Deborah Brian Tracey David Elizabeth James Lauren Joseph Alexis

If you want to explore further, a list of the hundred top names for each decade is available from the Social Security Administration. When you arrive at the Office of Chief Actuary, double-click on Publications, then Actuarial Studies and Notes, then Note 139.

Another web site providing information about names is The Baby Center.

A website with lots of fascinating information about each decade is the American Cultural History: The Twentieth Century sponsored by Kingwood College Library.

Oh, yes, and you want to know the answers to the quiz? It's 1930, 1999 and 1865.

The end.