Exactly this. The majority of super-popular names now will all be "old person" names in future.
In turn, the "old person" names of the recently deceased generations, like 'Florence' and 'Edith' are starting to reappear and be given to children again, because with that old generation dead they are freed from the old-people stereotype and seem good again. It's cyclical.
Amongst all names, there are some which are conversely a lot harder to date. Names that are always being given, but never top the popularity lists. Names like Mark, Thomas, or Matthew. Harder to date people with names like these, because there's always plenty of them.
I don't think I've met a John that's been in my school's growing up or was ever younger than me. Most of the James I've met have been older than me or Asian (since Asian parents often gave their kids traditional Western names to assimilate).
Assuming the GoT babies didn't change their names. Imagine having a name that others yourself from everyone else and it comes from a fake culture in a fake world.
All name are made up. Besides this is nothing new, there's a lot of media that inspires baby names. I have s friend who's kids are all named after Inception characters.
Please tell me you've seen the future and all the "was it an aneurism or attention-seeking that made me name my kids that" names will be retired within a generation.
I was going to say every Western name in the last century or so, but then I realized how many names are biblical, and the Bible is a book, which is also media...
Seems like there's a way to analyze this in a systematic way, from social security name data. Any name that popped up as a newly popular name and fell back off within a decade or two would probably eventually become a marker of that generation.
Gladys was popular between 1900 and 1920, and became known as an old lady name by the 80's or 90's.
Karen was popular between 1945 and 1965, and is regarded a prototypical boomer name.
The Baby Jessicas of the 80's will be retirees in the 2050's. Ashleys and Emilys will probably be that in the 2060's. There will be Britneys and Emmas.
But the methodology could probably be applied to the data in a systematic way.
When I was in school every third girl was named Jennifer and every third boy was named Christopher. Don't really see either of those nowadays. I'm in my 40s so they're about 15-20 years from being old people names.
When I can finally have a cat, it will be named either Jennifur if female, or Christofur if male.
I find it funny to name my cat after very common human names, although these names are not so common were I live, that would avoid some friends or family members to feel offended I name my pet after them.
Karen has been a very popular name through many years. I imagine it’s dropped close to zero now.
Ella/ellie became way over popular. My kids knew so many girls with those names, more than one in a lot of their classes. No one gives out a name that’s so common
Isabella for dogs. There are so many Bella’s and Izzies. Maybe it’s just my family: my brother got Bella. I got a rescue named izzie and honorable mention to my other brother with Ozzie
Mine. I have one of the most common girl's name in the year of my birth. About 10% of my female high school classmates had some variant of that name. I know of one girl under 10 with that name now.
Rapist Allen Turner, aka rapist Brock Turner, who got a 6-month slap-on-the-wrist sentence for what his father called (and I quote) "twenty minutes of action"? That rapist Allen Turner (aka rapist Brock Turner)? The one who only served 3 months?!
Let's say you want to find what will be an "old person's name" in 2060. What you do is subtract 60 from 2060 => 2000. Then go to google and type in "most popular baby names year 2000"
pick the first 10 or so and those will be "old person's name"
My bet is on unabbreviated names like Samantha, Nathaniel, Joshua. Any name that isn't already the abv. version. I think people will go towards the Sam's, Nate's/Nathan's and Josh's. No reason to think this just a gut feeling.
Nearly all of the names on this list, minus, perhaps, the classics (David, Michael, John, etc.).
I am thankful that my wife and I agreed not to give our boys idiotic names like "Verility" (and you just know that it would be misspelled as such) or "Grayson" and whatnot, yet also not trendy shit like "Oliver".
Not yet you haven't. Oliver and Olivia are, as of last year, both in the top three in England and Wales as well as the US, Canada and Australia and, at least in Britain, have been there or close for the last decade or so.
Basically, they haven't quite grown up yet, but expect an increase of them making their own way in the world in 10-20 years.