Today is a good day to die.
I didn't say for whom.
Posted on 02/03/2011 12:49:03 PM PST by Alex Murphy
Washington D.C., Feb 3, 2011 / 03:04 am (CNA).- A new analysis shows that although Biblical and saint names are still popular among parents, the use of “Mark” and “Mary” as baby names has sharply declined over the decades.
Georgetown University's Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) tracked the popularity of baby names in America from 1910 to 2009 with data from the Social Security Administration website.
A Jan. 20 post on the center's research blog showed that from 1910 to 1965, Mary was either the top or second most popular name for girls in the U.S.
In 2009, however, the name Mary dropped out of the top 100 for the first time and is currently listed as number 102. The name Joseph has remained consistently popular, however, coming in at number 16, it's lowest rating since since 1910.
Similar to Mary, the name Mark has decreased in use over the years. A top 10 name from 1955 to 1970, Mark fell below the top 100 in 2003 and is now listed as number 154.
CARA researchers have previously documented how Mass attendance increases the likelihood of parents choosing Catholic names for their children.
In their 2004 study “Don't Call Me Ishmael,” featured in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, researchers Paul Perl and Jon Wiggins stated that “worship attendance does increase Catholics' likelihood of choosing specific names that are disproportionately common within their tradition.”
“This suggests that committed Catholics perceive certain names as 'Catholic' and represents one instance in which names do retain religious connotations for believers,” they added.
The importance of parents choosing Christian names for their children was recently addressed by Pope Benedict at a Mass at the Sistine Chapel on Jan. 9, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.
During his homily, he underscored that every baptized child “acquires the character of the son of God, beginning with their Christian name, an unmistakable sign that the Holy Spirit causes man to be born anew in the womb of the Church.”
A name, he explained, is an “indelible seal” that set children off on a lifelong “journey of religious faith.”
....The importance of parents choosing Christian names for their children was recently addressed by Pope Benedict at a Mass at the Sistine Chapel on Jan. 9, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. During his homily, he underscored that every baptized child “acquires the character of the son of God, beginning with their Christian name, an unmistakable sign that the Holy Spirit causes man to be born anew in the womb of the Church.” A name, he explained, is an “indelible seal” that set children off on a lifelong “journey of religious faith.”
Related thread:
Gawker: The Pope Hates Your Weird Name
I suspect all the little Marias have made up for it.
Yeah names like kineesha, yahmoud etc have taken over.
My Grandmother’s name was Mary and she was born in 1915 if that gives you any idea of time’s change. We did have one girl in my class named Mary (born 1969) and two named Maryellen (1969) and one named Marybeth (1969) so at least in the late 60’s had a variation of the name.
While not weird, among the worst names is Candy. I cannot imagine a Father giving his daughter a stripper name.
You probably know Candy is a nickname for Candace. I think Candace is a nice name.
And although I hear the connection, candy is an innocent fun treat, so I don’t have much of a problem with kids being called “Candy.”
Sort of like rainbows and the word gay, you know, why give liberals ownership? Keep “Candy” innocent.
I miss the old southern practice of naming daughters after some states; Virginia, Carolina, Georgia. And yes, I met one named Florida and one named Mississippi.
every baptized child “acquires the character of the son of God, beginning with their Christian name,.................................... Wheeeeew, lucky I didn’t name my kids Wotan, Thor and Freya.
Candace is a lovely name. Candy on a birth cert is a bit off.
Another example of the secularization of America
Find rankings for a given name or get the top 1000 names for a given year.
Karl peaked at #135 in 1960 and 1964 but dropped to #964 in 2009. :-(
‘A new analysis shows that although Biblical and saint names are still popular among parents...’
Man I really hope they haven’t quit using Jebediah!
What became of Gertrude, Maude, Lenore and Irene? Those are all on my maternal side. Great old names, all of them. How sad to see them go.
Oh, mary!
Candace is a biblical name/title for the queen of Ethiopia.
My dtr has promised me that her first baby girl will be named Mary. I’m going to hold her to it.
My Mom is Mary (born 1918), both of my Grandmothers were Mary and I have an Aunt named Mary. That’s it in my family.
I have one daughter who is a Kristin and 3 grand daughters: Emily, Hannah and Kendell.
I have an Aunt Lenore and an Aunt Irene. My MIL’s name is Lenora. I liked the name Lenore so much, I used it for the middle name of both of my daughters.
Scroll down from my post. Sheesh.
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