Names, Names, Names

We've always found names kind of intruiging: why, for example, do so many men seem to have names that begin with "J", and why don't you run into too many girls names Florence anymore, when a hundred years ago it was the 7th most popular baby name in the nation? If you're interested too, (or about to have a baby, or want to waste some of your boss's time), check out The NameVoyager, which lets you track your name (or your Uncle Milton's) to see how popular it was at any point in the past 120 years. The graphics it gives you are pretty cool, too.

Just to whet your appetite, Houstonist checked out some of our own names:

Jim peaked at #66 in the 1880s, but was not on the list of the 1,000 top names in 2003, the most recent tracked data.
Karah was before her time: a varient on her name peaked in the 1990s at #37
Alexandra , after consistent low showings since appearing on the list in the 1930s, went from #338 in the 1970s to trendy #28 in the 1990s and is currently hanging in strong at #37 in 2005.
Nathaniel's name has been on the list since the 1880s, but peaked in 2003 at #65.

Enjoy!