Visual history
Here is a neat little toy that I was introduced to in my Clio class last night. It is the Baby Name Wizard. When you visit the site, you can type in a name and see its popularity over time. Here is my name's results:
Mom and Dad were trend setters! Brooklynne's name was a little more tricky and it only registered results if I spelled her name "Brooklyn." Close enough....
Try names like Bevery and Larry for some more interesting results.
But you must be asking why would I be interested in this? And why were we talking about baby names in history class? We were discussing ways of visualizing history. Click continue reading below for examples of how this tool would be useful to historians....
Can baby names indicate historical trends? How about the name Mary?
My prof. suggested this might reveal a decline in the Catholic church in America. In the past couple posts, we've been talking about immigration and I agree with BethAnn that we need more sensitive policies that don't distort the issue. But are we sure immigration is an issue that needs our attention? Lets check BethAnn's husband's name in the wizard:
Play with this tool a little and post your thoughts and any other historical naming trends that you find.
so interesting! i don't have any historical naming trends thoughts, but i thought it was interesting that Kelly is holds pretty much equal popularity with boys and girls. and your parents are trendsetters - evan's popularity was on a sharp rise through the 80's.
Man, that thing is cool. I could spend hours on it. I put in a bunch of my students names, and it was really interesting the outcomes... some of these kids were at the very beginning of a trend. Pretty cool
Thanks so much. You have provided my co-workers and me with lots of entertainment for the afternoon. Fascinating.
Sweet insight...I enjoyed the website! Thanks also for determing the sex of my baby and giving me a girl who will try to date men in need of long rides in the trunk of my car.