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The 2019 Most Popular Baby Names Have Few Surprises But the Biggest Surprise is How The Impact Of Cu

This Grandma loves seeing the Social Security Administration’s listing of the most popular baby names of the year.  If you put the term “baby names” into “search this site,” on www.grandmother-blog.com, you will see all the previous most popular baby names going back seven years! Usually there are so many articles about the baby names and comparing them to prior years, concentrating on trends in names, and such.  This year, current affairs and COVID-19, the coronavirus, helped to destroy a beautiful, classic name and took center stage in the annual popular baby name discussion.


The current affairs and the coronavirus affected name hit its lowest ranking since 1929, according to the Social Security Administration.  Here is just a sampling of what has dominated the baby name news:



Yes, Karen has become the name considered an “anti-science, racist meme in the age of coronavirus and Black Lives Matter protests.” Even the Urban Dictionary has added a definition of “Karen!”


“Karen is a pejorative term used in the United States and other English-speaking countries for a woman perceived as entitled or demanding beyond the scope of what is appropriate or necessary. A common stereotype is that of a white woman who uses her privilege to demand her own way at the expense of others.”


There is even a “Coronavirus Karen” who refuses to wear a mask.  “What exactly is a ‘Karen’ and where did the meme come from?” by Ashitha Nagesh, BBC News, July 30, 2020, gives you all you need to know about the origin of the Karen meme.



No longer.  Karen is now a name no parent will use in 2020.  Yes, this has overshadowed the announcement of the 2019 most popular names by the Social Security Administration, just as COVID-19 and current affairs have overshadowed everything in our lives this year.

According to the Social Security Administration, here are the most popular names for 2019, and there are no surprises, only that “Ethan” took over from “Logan.”


2019 Top 10 Names For Boys

  1. Liam

  2. Noah

  3. Oliver

  4. William

  5. Elijah

  6. James

  7. Benjamin

  8. Lucas

  9. Mason

  10. Ethan


2019 Top 10 Names For Girls

  1. Olivia

  2. Emma

  3. Ava

  4. Sophia

  5. Isabella

  6. Charlotte

  7. Amelia

  8. Mia

  9. Harper

  10. Evelyn


On the Social Security Administration website, you can search the most popular name in your state, U.S. territories, by decade, and by change in popularity.  I love “These Were The Most Popular Baby Names In Every State In 2019,” by Caroline Bologna, Huffington Post, October 5, 2020, where you can see maps of the United States with the most popular names printed on the state for ease of viewing.


The same author on the Huffington Post gives us “19 Surprising Baby Name Statistics.” 

Maverick is a name chosen by a favorite family friend for a new baby.  Who would expect it to be number one in the statistics listed!


The biggest impact of COVID-19 on baby names is expected in 2020, which impact on baby names is like the coronavirus, turning into a worldwide phenomenon! See “Parents Name Babies Born During Pandemic “Corona,” “Covid” & “Lockdown,” by Jen McGuire, April 9, 2020,www.romper.com.


That parents would want to be forever reminded of this time by naming their child after it is truly the biggest surprise of all. Oh, my!  I, for one, cannot wait until our self-isolation “lockdown” is over, and “Covid” and “Corona” are a thing of the past, with


Joy,

Mema

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