From Michael and Mary to Liam and Olivia: the shifting landscape of America’s favorite names

Works Cited

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CollegeHumor. “No New Mikes in 2016.” YouTube, 5 Feb. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=jedA1-bFvC8.

“GoFigure! Analysis: What Baby Names Tell Us About Ethnic and Gender Trends.” Sisense, 19 June 2019, www.sisense.com/whitepapers/gofigure-what-baby-names-tell-us-about-ethnic-and-gender-trends/.

Hahn, Matthew W., and R. Alexander Bentley. “Drift as a Mechanism for Cultural Change: an Example from Baby Names.” The Royal Society, vol. 270, no. suppl_1, 7 Aug. 2003, doi:https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2003.0045.

“In U.S., Decline of Christianity Continues at Rapid Pace.” Pew Research Center’s Religion & Public Life Project, 9 June 2020, www.pewforum.org/2019/10/17/in-u-s-decline-of-christianity-continues-at-rapid-pace/.

Jones, Robert P., and Daniel Cox. “America’s Changing Religious Identity.” PRRI, 6 Sept. 2017, www.prri.org/research/american-religious-landscape-christian-religiously-unaffiliated/.

Kane, Erin. “Women By The Numbers – Women Less than 15% of Bible Characters.” The United Methodist Church General Commission on the Status and Role of Women, gcsrw.org/MonitoringHistory/WomenByTheNumbers/tabid/891/post/women-less-than-15-of-bible-characters/Default.aspx.

Konnikova, Maria. “Why Your Name Matters.” The New Yorker, 19 Dec. 2013, www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/why-your-name-matters.

nameberry. “Olivia.” Nameberry, nameberry.com/babyname/Olivia.

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Tables and Graphs

Table 1

Origins of the most popular female names

Female
1960	2019
Name	Origin	Name	Origin
Mary	Biblical (Hebrew)	Olivia	Latin
Susan	Biblical (Hebrew)	Emma	Germanic
Linda	Romance	Ava	Disputed*
Karen	Greek	Sophia	Greek
Donna	Italian	Isabella	Biblical (Hebrew)
Lisa	Biblical (Hebrew)	Charlotte	Germanic
Patricia	Latin	Amelia	Germanic
Debra	Biblical (Hebrew)	Mia	Disputed
Cynthia	Greek	Harper	English
Deborah	Biblical (Hebrew)	Evelyn	Germanic

Source: www.nameberry.com

*Indicates three or more possible origins

Table 2

Origins of the most popular male names

Male
1960	2019
Name	Origin	Name	Origin
David	Biblical (Hebrew)	Liam	Germanic
Michael	Biblical (Hebrew)	Noah	Biblical (Hebrew)
James	Biblical (Hebrew)	Oliver	Latin
John	Biblical (Hebrew)	William	Germanic
Robert	Germanic	Elijah	Biblical (Hebrew)
Mark	Biblical (Latin)	James	Biblical (Hebrew)
William	Germanic	Benjamin	Biblical (Hebrew)
Richard	Germanic	Lucas	Biblical (Greek)
Thomas	Biblical (Aramaic)	Mason	English
Steven	Biblical (Greek)	Ethan	Biblical (Hebrew)