Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Lauren Hendrick, Salina junior, didn’t realize she had a popular first name until she met five other Laurens in her sorority pledge class on her first day at the University.
“Many of my friends call me by my last name to avoid confusion,” she said.
The names Lauren, Jessica, Sarah, Emily and Elizabeth are the most common for undergraduates at the University, according to Michael Harry, IT consultant for the registrar. Matthew, Michael, Andrew, Christopher and John were the five most registered undergraduate male names for this semester.
GRAPHIC BY BRENNA HAWLEY
The popular boys names here are similar to national trends in the 1980s. Four of the five top names at the University rank in the Social Security Administration’s top five as well, according to its Web site. KU girls’ names are ahead of their time, however. Jessica was the top name on both KU’s and the SSA’s lists, but Emily was not even in the top 10 nationally from 1987 to 1990, the years that the majority of undergraduate students were born. Emily would not reach No. 1 on the national list until 1996.
Male
Matthew 341
Michael 336
Andrew 294
Christopher 254
John 225
Female
Jessica 235
Lauren 212
Emily 206
Sarah 204
Elizabeth 178
—Source: Michael Harry,
IT consultant for the registrar
Jeffrey Moran, associate professor of history, said he thought the popularity of certain names was random and that people named their children the same without knowing it. However, he said were three observable changes in name trends during the late 1980s.
He said there had been a revival of pioneer names among women, which may explain the popularity of the name Sarah.
Moran said that religion reappeared as a dominant influence and that names reflected renewed interest in religion. Historians refer to the 1980s as the “rise of the religious right” because Protestants became a powerful force in the Republican party and in the nation.
However, Moran said popular boys’ names in the United States had always been Bible-based.
“They usually rotate around the 12 apostles,” he said. “No one is naming their kid Judas — Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.”
Some male students followed Moran’s hypothesis.
Christopher Willdermood, Paola junior, said his parents chose his name because it was a derivation of “Christ.” Michael Gillaspie, Ashland junior, said he was named after the Archangel Michael. Matthew Bertino, Ossining, N.Y., junior, said his mother picked his name because it meant “God’s gift.”
Several women also said their names were based on religion.
Elizabeth Collison, Shawnee senior, said her parents selected her name because it meant “God’s promise.”
Moran said movie stars and politicians influenced popular names, even if parents didn’t want to admit it.
“I don’t think anyone sits down and down and says, ‘I love Sarah Jessica Parker’ and names their child Sarah or Jessica,” he said. But then he added, “If a celebrity has it, it becomes much more in the realm of possibility, so it rings normally.”
Hendrick said she knew she was named after celebrities but did not mind.
“My parents named me after model Lauren Hutton and actress Lauren Bacall, both women who they considered to be very talented and beautiful,” she said.
Multiple KU students with common names said they were not surprised their name was at the top of the list, but they were still excited to find out.
“I think that’s awesome that my name is in the top five,” Willdermood said. “I wouldn’t have picked a better name for myself.”
But not all students with common names said they enjoyed sharing their name with hundreds of people.
“It can sometimes be really obnoxious having a really popular name,” Emily Hane, Topeka junior, said. “I will sometimes get phone calls from my friends intended for another Emily that they know, but because they have so many Emilys in their phone, things can get confusing. It is nice that everyone can spell it and pronounce it correctly, just sometimes inconvenient.”
— — Edited by Lauren Keith
CLAS departments have own ceremonies
Ceremony to award students for leadership
Top students to talk at ceremony
Ceremony offers some personal touches
At this year’s School of Fine Arts convocation ceremony, Chancellor Robert Hemenway ...
Marso: Plan for detours
School gives students real-world experience
University professor brings anti-evolution discussion to campus
Topics included anti-evolution history, current issues and its impact on American culture.
Domestic violence affects people of all sexual ...
LGBTQ individuals just as likely to encounter domestic violence in relationships as ...
The Beak: Announcements of candidates, awards
On-campus news you can use from our latest experiment, a daily blog.
Program benefits college graduates, schools
The program Teach for America sends recent college graduates to low-income schools ...
In the aftermath: Amanda's story
College-age women seek justice, peace and healing while coping with the pain ...
Women’s tennis serves up a young roster
Undergraduate Curriculum undergoing review
The University may be adjusting future general education requirements.
Students and parents have resources
Whether they're a long distance or short ride away, students can feel ...
Search for a law dean continues
The second of three finalists visited KU on Thursday.
Identity crisis: Lauren's story
Lauren is a female who takes masculine roles in lesbian relationships.
The unsettled life of Sarah Bregman
How one student's tumultuous past gave her a chance for a better ...
Law students get no days off
While the rest of us play on snow days, law students still ...
Alcohol on the brain: a look at ...
Binge drinking may have negative long-term effects that many students don’t realize.
Five questions: Michael Grubbs and Cassie Rupp
Two people. Five questions. See how they stack up.
Valley of the dogs
Sweet escape
Being deaf doesn't stop Emily Cressy from ruling the soccer field.
Bonds puts student before athlete
Banquet honors senior student-athletes, including distance runner Lauren Bonds.
Engineering highlights list of money-making majors
Many students, though, are not getting degrees on PayScale.com's list of most ...
Students can go online if they can’t ...
“Schoology,” a new Web site, offers notes and other class assignments to ...
School of Law searches for new dean
The next dean of the law school is scheduled to begin his ...
14 chosen as 2010 Men of Merit
The Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center has released this year's Men of ...
Student examines royal marriages
Kim Schutte successfully defended her dissertation on the marriage patterns of the ...
Know your Student Senate candidates
Learn more about the candidates for Student Senate
More students utilizing free scanners
Scanners have increased in popularity as a free, eco-friendly alternative to photocopying
Democrats retain hope in wake of losses
Despite losing all major races, members of the Democratic Party said is ...
Costume shops offer a variety of Halloween ...
Lawrence costume shops allow students to choose from an assortment of outfits ...
National debt expected to exceed $14.294 trillion ...
Unless Congress raises the debt ceiling, government will have to stop borrowing ...
Shooting stuns students
After campus lock down, students at Virginia Tech try to contact friends. ...
Scholarship named in honor of honors lecturer
The Mary A. Klayder Scholarship was donated by professor of English Bernard ...
Shooting victim remembered
Voter turnout shrinks from 2006 levels
Fewer citizens, students voted yesterday in Douglas County than during the last ...
In the aftermath
College-age women seek justice, peace and healing while coping with the pain ...
United Students wins Student Senate election for ...
Mason Heilman and May Davis, pending her appeal, will be the president ...
Massachusetts Street included in top-10 list
The American Planning Association cited history and a sense of community when ...
From left: Kimberlee Hinkle, Libby Johnson and Hannah ...
1 comment
Kansas Jayhawk fans hold aloft a reproduction of ...
2 comments
Erin Saupe, a Ph.D. student from St. Cloud, ...
1 comment
0 comments
Armed robbers continue to threaten.
3 comments
Lecture from Greg Mortenson, co-author of New York ...
0 comments
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID