That's what's happening now, with Hiram, Hannah, Olive and Clara, says Mr. Evans. Male names, like men's fashions, often defy age because they are usually traditional, while female names are often trendy. In fact, says Callary, the current pool of girls' names is two to three times larger than boys'. Traditional male names also stay in circulation and avoid classification because boys are often named after their fathers, while girls' names are often invented or drawn from popular culture. Some parents aren't doing their daughters a favor when they pick a trendy name, says Mr. Callary.
Television has a brimming impact on the popularity of names.
Writers pick nouveau, dramatic monikers for their characters, and those explode among a pregnant audience. As a result, Haleys and Kelseys are 20 years old on TV and 2 months old in real life. Earl and Elmer used to be popular, but they lost standing because they were stereotyped as rural names, says Mr. Evans. The names Ronald and Nancy declined during President Reagan's tenure, adds Herbert Barry, a science professor at the University of Pittsburgh and a member of the American Name Society. However, in the mid 1800s, George was such a popular name that half of Congress shared it.