What’s in a name? Shakespeare said “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” meaning, of course, that a name is just an arbitrary label. On the other hand, some researchers believe the a name has significant developmental and psychological importance as names can influence stereotypes and adult identities.
In looking at baby naming trends in Virginia, it is, first and foremost, fun to see what names are at the top. Some names have dominated in the state for years (I’m looking at all you “Emma”s out there.) Others are new to the top 20 list. What’s even more fun is to look back and see how these names compare to the most popular names in Virginia 50 years earlier. How much have names changed us, really?
The following list shows the top 20 baby names for girls and boys based on the Social Security Administrations‘ social security card applications for babies born in 2014, followed by the top names in each ranking from 1964, based on the same data.
- 2014: Emma and William
www.brighttricksphotography.com via RebeccaVC1 / flickr 1964: Lisa and James
- Olivia and Liam
Melissa Wentarmini / flickr 1964: Mary and Michael
- Ava and Mason
Tones Photos / flickr 1964: Karen and John
- Sophia and Noah
Ben Grey / flickr 1964: Donna and David
- Abigail and James
Kenneth Lu / flickr 1964: Teresa and Robert
- Isabella and Jackson
sabianmaggy / flickr 1964: Pamela and William
- Charlotte and Michael
fflav / flickr 1964: Tammy and Mark
- Emily and Elijah
Sebastien GARNIER / flickr 1964: Susan and Richard
- Madison and Jacob
Brad Brundage / flickr 1964: Patricia and Charles
- Harper and Ethan
joeannenah / flickr 1964: Cynthia and Thomas
- Elizabeth and Alexander
Morgan / flickr 1964: Kimberly and Jeffrey
12: Avery and Logan
Linh Nguyen / flickr 1964: Deborah and Timothy
- Evelyn and John
Harald Groven / flickr 1964: Sharon and Kenneth
- Mia and Aiden
Jennifer Bradford / flickr 1964: Angela and Kevin
- Lillian and Benjamin
Jim Champion / flickr 1964: Sandra and Joseph
- Amelia and Joshua
Jim Champion / flickr 1964: Linda and Steven
- Chloe and Lucas
Hernán Piñera / flickr 1964: Robin and Anthony
- Sofia and Gabriel
Dean White / flickr 1964: Elizabeth and Donald
- Grace and Matthew
Bridget Coila / flickr 1964: Brenda and Gregory
- Addison and Luke
www.brighttricksphotography.com via RebeccaVC1 / flickr 1964: Barbara and Ronald
Looking at the how much names have changed over the years, you have to wonder if names do, in fact, have any influence. How do YOU think names shape us as people? How about the most popular names – do you think this is a pretty accurate representation? Tell us what you think in the comments below!
www.brighttricksphotography.com via RebeccaVC1 / flickr
1964: Lisa and James
Melissa Wentarmini / flickr
1964: Mary and Michael
Tones Photos / flickr
1964: Karen and John
Ben Grey / flickr
1964: Donna and David
Kenneth Lu / flickr
1964: Teresa and Robert
sabianmaggy / flickr
1964: Pamela and William
fflav / flickr
1964: Tammy and Mark
Sebastien GARNIER / flickr
1964: Susan and Richard
Brad Brundage / flickr
1964: Patricia and Charles
joeannenah / flickr
1964: Cynthia and Thomas
Morgan / flickr
1964: Kimberly and Jeffrey
Linh Nguyen / flickr
1964: Deborah and Timothy
Harald Groven / flickr
1964: Sharon and Kenneth
Jennifer Bradford / flickr
1964: Angela and Kevin
Jim Champion / flickr
1964: Sandra and Joseph
1964: Linda and Steven
Hernán Piñera / flickr
1964: Robin and Anthony
Dean White / flickr
1964: Elizabeth and Donald
Bridget Coila / flickr
1964: Brenda and Gregory
1964: Barbara and Ronald
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article.
