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Loading...Democrats and Republicans Can’t Agree On Baby Names
According to a report by NPR, conservatives and liberals don’t just disagree politically – they also have different ideas about what makes a good baby name. And the split isn’t what you’d think.
It turns out that liberals favor more traditional names like John or Rachel. While conservatives actually tend to be more creative and favor more androgynous names – for example, Paislee, Liberty, Rykan, or Scottlyn. Of course, there are still plenty of parents giving their kids popular, fashionable names – but only about 8% of kids are being given the 10 most popular names, as opposed to 25% during the baby boom.
The big question is “why?” Laura Wattenberg, the author of “The Baby Name Wizard,” tells NPR that it’s a simple matter of demographics. Women in conservative areas tend to have their first children earlier, and younger mothers favor creative names. Mothers in their 30s and 40s prefer more traditional names – although whether that’s just a generational preference is certainly debatable.
It may also be a matter of parents hoping that a “different” name will help their child stand out more – making them more memorable when applying for college and jobs. Of course, this can backfire: just ask anyone who suffered through high school with an unusual name.
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Read more: baby names, baby naming, democrats, politics, republicans
Photo credit: Christina Rutz
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Recent Comments from Causes
So cute!! My German Shepherd Cross used to get hiccups all the time, they'd go away if I rubbed his ears,…
Vicky H ..... Try reading the article AGAIN - they were both girls, for a start ......
Disgusting, close this shop of horrors down.
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62 comments
+ add your ownCurious indeed!
I'm not sure I trust the author on determining who votes right and who votes left. What criteria was used to determine political inclinations?
I named my daughter Marlo after my old roommate's sisster's best friend because I thought it was pretty. A few months later Marlo Thomas got a TV show and everyone thought she was named for Ms Thomas. She's never quite forgiven me for that. However I never told her that the Marlo she was named after was Marlo Putz. She might have hated me for that. 8^)
Sure glad I was born when I was and not christened with one of these new names, poor kids!
Who the hell cares?
All parents-to-be should get a good book on Numerology, and learn how to pick the correct names for your children that enhance their dates of birth. I know this sounds like stupid mind-f__k science to many of you, but when each child is born, their birthdate determines what strengths & weaknesses their date & time of birth automatically gives them, but the parents are responsible for giving them names that balance out their strength & weaknesses. If the child has a birthdate with too many of the same numbers (i.e. July 7, 2007) the three 7s need to be counter-balanced with name selections which give them many of the other numbers between 1 and 9. That allows the child be well-rounded, and it helps to reduce the negative affects of health problems they're born with and must overcome, and also gives them a better chance to see many aspects of life, even if you never tell them what you've done.
Even the 2 Ns in my Dianne have causes mistakes and confusion. BUT,In 1964 ,when I seriously began thinking about baby names ,my friend Martha, who had married Johnnie, named their baby girl Robin. "It's a very cute'BabyName'" I remember saying BUT will it suit her if she becomes a Great grandmother,I wondered? I chose Laura Elizabeth and so did about 92% of ALL Moms of Girls that year. Oh, well. My method was to think of an OLD name that sounded lovely in the context of " Do you ___ ____ take thee ____ _____ to be your Lawfully wedded----." This worked out pretty well, I think for my son Christopher Kevin ,too. Ten years later I named Melanie for a girl with a hit song about her rollerskates.She seems just as comfortable as the others BUT I STILL wonder how Robin will like living in a nursing home.
Think of how your child will have to go thru life with the name before you saddle them with a crazy pronunciation or spelling. Be kind
I should care about this? They don't agree on anything and if this is what it has come to this is very sad. I suppose this will be part of the debates in the run for office of President?
In short, conservative women's baby names reflect their ignorance of history.
Steve, what an incredibly common (and therefore liberal) name. Your secret is out.
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