When Craig and I set out to name our children, we weren't surprised to discover that our styles were similar. In most things we are compatible, including our tastes in names. We both claimed to want a dignified classic that was unlikely to become trendy.
In fact, however, Craig had a weakness for old-timey rural names he heard on the jazz station, including Roscoe, Malachi, and Amos, while I was fond of artsy intellectual names like Ezra, Felix, and Eleanor.
In these cases we both exercised our veto power: I didn't want Southern Gothic, he didn't want urban hipster.
Isaac was one of Craig's first suggestions, and obviously I agreed with him (although I refused to consider his suggestion of Newton for the middle name). However, I was concerned with the name's level of popularity, since in 2005 it was the #50 name in the U.S. and the #30 name in California. Would it be too common? Since then it has continued to surge upward in ranking, by 2008 increasing to #37 in the U.S. and #21 in California, yet I've only met a handful of young Isaacs. Where are the rest of them hiding?
But even if we do meet more little Isaacs, I don't think the name is going to sound overused, which is the danger with more unusual yet trendier names. For example, while we were at a children's art studio this morning we met three little boys with names I had once coveted: two Ezras (#292) and one Felix (#354).
Those are the only two Ezras I've ever met in person, and I'm already tired of the name.
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You can follow this link if you're wondering about hipster names, although as my tastes are apparently less hip and more yuppie, you'll also need to see these lists of yupster names for girls and boys, which include many of my favorites.
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