Yep. These three gals — all in the 75-85-year-old range died recently, according to my local paper, The Columbia Flier. Why did this strike me as curious? Not their ages, of course. Their names and their generation. These gals are all of The Silent Generation, the Artist archetype from the last generational cycle, which is dying out as the new Artists — The Homeland Generation — are being born.
Any of you have friends with new born babies? Noticing names such as Pearl, Olivia, and other sweet and unassuming names pop up? I’m guessing the Taylors, Brittanys and Madisons of the Millennial generation will fade away. No more room for Glamour Girl special names.
My guess? We’ll see more female names such as Josephine, Bonnie, Clara, Ethel, Grace, Vivian, Rosalie, Iris, Maggie, Amelia. Just turn the clocks back 80 years or so to find the trends. That’s my guess from the lens of generational theory.
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This post was written in 2009 when Homelanders were about five years old on the top end.
2015 update
Homelanders are now about nine years-old on the top end and, as a generation, they are about half-way through their generation’s births.
Top baby names per the Social Security Admin.
2023 update
Look at how soft, sweet and innocent these top baby names of 2023 are. Read them aloud! There are so fewer Ts and Ks and hard consonants of the Tyler, Brittany, Jessica Millennial names. (Millennials are considered “special” children, needing special names, per their Boomer-dominant parents.)
And so many more mmmms and aaaahs and fffs/vvvs and elles.
Girls
Boys
Magical vs innocent children
Millennials are raised in a world where Boomer midlifers have predominant say over the shape, structure and tenor of their childhood experiences.
Homelanders (name probably won’t stick), born 2006 plus about 20 years, are raised in a world dominated mostly by GenX midlifers.
Boomers see their children as magical, special and in need of protection from the horrors and influences of THEM (the generation of children before Millennials, namely, Xers) and thus begin to rally the wagons and protect children, en masse.
Xers, having actually experienced the true horrors of being children during an age and time when adults are supremely adult-focused (as well as having endless opportunities for adventures large and small because of this neglect and disinterest), when they become parents they HYPER-protect children and move them almost into a Winnie-the-Pooh-like world of innocence, sensitivity and empathy.
The names of “magical” and special children (the Millennials) and those of innocent and raised-to-be-kind children are reflected in their parents’ choices of names for them.
