The Covid-19 is a game-changer in the choice of first names

According to the New York Times, Covid-19 has a definite impact on the choice of first names for newborns. Wanting to infuse happiness, strength and positivity, parents turn to mythology and biblical names.

As if Covid-19 did not impact our lives behind closed doors enough, it would appear to be having a clear impact on our future. And we are not talking about the professional future or our insatiable desire to go back to the bar for a drink. It seems that the virus affects even the first names of newborns born during the pandemic. And yes… The times being gloomy, parents try to motivate themselves by giving their babies positive names such as, for example, the first names of gods and goddesses from my mythology. They are right !

First names have been on the rise in recent months in the New York Times. Pamela Redmond, the founder of the Nameberry site, where you can find first name inspirations, has seen a significant increase in visits to her site since the start of the pandemic. No more lambda first names, parents are looking for originality (to make up for the one missing in their current life, certainly). “Parents are drawn to these (options) right now, reflecting the optimism that a new baby brings to your life, even when times are dark ”, said the leader.

Star names

The rising names infuse positivity and luminosity. For example, we have Zora, of Serbo-Croatian origin and meaning “dawn”, which is up 40%. There is Alma, which means “soul” in Spanish, with a somewhat solemn connotation, which is up 37%. Lucius, which means “light” in Latin, goes back 24%. We also have Vivienne – "alive" or "alive" in Latin -, Anahita – Iranian fertility goddess, Aurora – Roman goddess of sunrise, Felix, which means "happy". Cairo and Milan are also coming back well, a small reference to the desire to travel. Persephone, Athena, Achilles … Greek deities work well too, though they are usually quite low on the list.

Biblical names seem to be well put together too. Gabriel, Lilith, Elijah, Esther… are back in the trends. The creator of the BabyNames site, Jennifer Moss, justifies this rise by “To comfort themselves in difficult times, people turn to faith ”.

The goal of parents is to give strength to their children. They want to give meaning to the birth of their child. A glimmer of hope and happiness in this dark time. And we can understand it. “Baby names are like a mirror; they reflect what is happening in the culture"says Jonah Berger, professor of marketing at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

First names in decline

The New York Times also shares the first names which drastically drop in the list. We have the first name Cove, which people associate with Covid-19. The first name Corona, which means “crown” in Spanish, doesn't really work anymore. This brand of beer is not that bad though … Strangely enough, the first name Donald is not too popular any more. Still, he's a pretty funny duck.