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When it comes to names of children, the Social Security Administration can't tell elementary school teachers anything they don't already know.
There are at least nine ways to spell Caitlin, and the letter "i" is as good as "e" when it comes to the end of Destiny. And though parents may earn A's for creativity (Maverick, Litzy), they'd likely fail spelling (Sydni, Ryley, Xzavier).
Last week, the federal agency more associated with retirement than baby announcements released its annual list of the 10 most popular names for boys and girls. Jacob and Emily, who sound like a nice couple to have over for a pool party, are in the top spots together, as they have been since 1999.
Michael and Joshua are holding tight at Nos. 2 and 3, with future soccer moms/lawyers Madison and Hannah coming on strong among the girls. The list, which ranks 1,000 names, is compiled from a 5 percent sampling of applications for Social Security cards for children born from January to August last year.
The complete list, updated occasionally, is on the agency's Web site (www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/) but not trumpeted in media reports. Maybe Nos. 1,000 Braulio and Keeley don't hang out with Jacob and Emily, not in real life or government news releases.
The compilation is noteworthy when compared with popular names dating more than 100 years, also listed on the Web site, because it shows shifts in immigration and the influence of popular culture. For instance, it wasn't until the 1970s that Dylan made the chart, a reflection of the popularity of a folkie named Bob. Calista didn't join the party until 1998, peaking in 1999 along with a TV show about neurotic lawyer Ally McBeal, played by Calista Flockhart.
Popular names of the early part of the 1900s reflect the vast numbers who immigrated to the United States from Europe. Names such as Giovanna (Italy), Sigmund (Germany) and Natividad (Spain) became common. In 2002, Middle Eastern and Muslim names such as Mohammed, Ahmad and Tariq made the list along with many Latino names. Sigmund hasn't rated in at least the past 60 years. We may have embraced therapy, but not the name of the father of modern psychoanalysis. A Freudian slip?
There are Heavens (No. 283, girls) and Angels (No. 46, boys; No. 114, girls), but no Hells, at least not on the record. Baby, which may have seemed apt upon first glance at the precious newborn, was the 986th most popular name for girls and 811th for boys. Precious is No. 424.
Prince and Princess are popular; the more bossy King and Queen are not.
There are parents who showed off their knowledge of geography by naming their children after their vacations: London, Aspen, Paris, Asia, India, Houston, Kenya, Montana, Sierra and just plain Journey. Some apparently went somewhere they don't know how to spell: Monserrat and Brooklynn.
There are names that might describe future character traits: Faith, Hope, Serenity, Sincere and Patience but preferably not Blaze. There are Jewels, Rubys, and Diamonds but no Pearls or Emeralds. Bertha and Gertrude may be gone forever. Essence and Liberty will have lofty goals.
The class of 2020 will have boys named Cole and Kole, and Cale and Kale, and Corbin and Korbin. Like the aforementioned "i" and "e," the letters "c" and "k" are popularly interchanged. Sort of like crab with a "k."
Denzel (No. 694), Keanu (No. 790) and Adonis (No. 847) are three names with the same meaning: hunky.
James Twitchell, a professor of English and advertising at the University of Florida, finds the names on the bottom half of the lists more interesting than the Davids and Annas at the other ends. He calls names such as Norman (No. 808) and Jazlyn (No. 623) "deep story names." These are names that conjure an image, sometimes good, sometimes bad, but are always strong to the receiver.
"Clearly, there are many African-American names on the list," Twitchell says, referring to the growing trend of African-sounding names among some black parents. Those would include names such as Tyshawn, Shaniya, Deasia and Jaylan.
Twitchell says that it's ironic that names given to children to reflect pride in heritage and uniqueness may mean something else in a prejudiced world. He cited a study by MIT and the University of Chicago that found that resumes from fictitious applicants with "black-sounding" names such as Keshaun Jackson got less response than those with Greg Sullivan printed at the top.
Sometimes, Twitchell says, unusual names tell a story their givers don't intend.
"The brand name, in essence, is too strong," he says, referring to the many names with creative spellings such as Maddison, Madisyn and Madyson.
When Twitchell gets his class lists, he says, he looks them over quickly to tally his students' majors and year in school. He doesn't linger over names, lest he form an incorrect opinion.
Heath and Fabian conjure a certain rugged, good-looking image, perhaps lovers of poetry and positively lovers of girls. Surely, Quinn, Maeve and Greta would be more serious students than Tori, Haylee and Kelli. Twitchell says that names such as these evoke stronger images than, say, Jacob and Emily, even if they are the most popular couple in town.
Twitchell, whose first name ranks No. 18, suggests that as unique aspects of our world diminish, thanks in part to machine-made everything, we are drawn to extraordinary names for our children.
Well, at least extraordinary spellings.
To wit, Caitlin. Also spelled Kaitlyn, Katelyn, Caitlyn, Kaitlin, Katelynn, Katlyn, Kaitlynn and Katelin on the 2002 tally of popular names.
Unique? Not even. At least 246 Uniques were born last year, No. 932 on the list.