The ANS’ own Cleve Evans, a recognized expert in baby names, is featured in an online article called “How Do Baby Names Become Popular?” in Romper magazine.
He explains that naming trends in the U.S. are driven by the desire of most parents to choose a name that’s “different, but not too different.” Parents achieve this, consciously or not, by slightly shifting the sounds of names that were popular a decade ago. The impact, while subtle, is absolutely visible in the yearly baby name round-up.
Read on to get the rest of the story!