I'm reading a book that I won't name, because this actually applies to quite a few books.
Why do so many authors use names that haven't been popular for decades? In the book I'm currently reading, the majority of the main cast are teenagers. It is set in modern times, like 2020-ish.
And yet, they all have names like Barbara, Sarah, Peter, Susan, Karen, Gary, Johnny, etc.
Why?! Is this a fucking early Stephen King book? They sound like they should be running the local Rotary Club. Nobody with those names knows who Travis Scott is.
I understand that this is the pettiest thing in the world to be upset over. But it also seems so lazy. Just google "200X popular baby names" and there you go. There's your main cast. Noah, Emily, Madison, Ethan, Hannah, Aiden, etc. Not fucking "Deborah." (No offense to any Deborahs, it's a fine name. I have known many of your kind. But it's not exactly a name you're going to be hearing in many high school halls these days.)
by solitarybikegallery
21 Comments
Never met a Noah, know several Sarahs, Susans, Karens, Garys, and one Johnny.
I feel like you have strong opinions about what is and isn’t “cringe”
This drives me crazy, too!
The only two names that seem outdated are Deborah and Karen. Maybe Gary.
I agree, that would be very distracting for me too
You should get out more.
I’m sorry but you don’t know any young people named Peter, Susan, Karen, Gary, or John? I do. These aren’t uncommon names
Some people name their children after loved ones.
Surely name trends are somewhat geographical/socially grouped. I know young people named Peter, Sarah, and Johnny
Really? 😑
This drives me crazy too, although I wouldn’t put Sarah or Peter in that group. Those feel more timeless. Certain older names are back, my tween daughter has a Margaret and Evelyn in her class, but the boomer names kill me. No, that 14 year old is not named Linda.
Haha this is petty but you’re right it would stand out to me if I met a teenager named Susan today. Some classic biblical names are still very popular like Sarah and James, but Deborah is out of place on Gen A/Z
You do realise that popular names are not necessarily going to be *common* names, right? They may be popular but that’ll vary depending on regions and cultures, and even then, what’s to stop a name from being traditional? Maybe Peter comes from a long line of Peters
…also how are Peter, Susan and Barbara uncommon names today? They’re definitely common, maybe not the most popularn ames in the world but unless you want characters to be named shit like ‘Tragedeigh’ I really don’t see what the issue is here
Authors can pick character names for a variety of reasons. Maybe the name has a special meaning to the character (like the actual meaning of the name ties into their personality), or maybe it’s just a name that sounds good for who they are, or hell, maybe they have a best friend with the same name and wanted to pay them a little tribute in their book
Bottom line: why do you even care? Names are names, quit grousing.
The problem is that ‘popular’ (according to you) names are constantly changing. I also have met several children with names like Ruth, Dennis, Sarah, John, Peter, Eugene so clearly some old-fashioned names are coming back in style.
You don’t hang out with Catholics if you think Peter is out of style. This is such a weird thing to even notice. Also, Travis Scott sucks. Sincerely, An Old Person
I know several young Peters
I always thought bay Carl in TWD was odd.
Such a weird thing to care about.
the names you listed are pretty timeless. if the book survives for decades there will still be people named Sarah and Peter. but Brynleigh or whatever is not going to stick around and would sound absolutely bizarre at any time except right now.
My kids’ classes are a mix of old, old names (Eldon, Margaret, Edmund, etc), and new/trendy names (Ryatt, Indiana, etc)
Frankly, I don’t think there’s any guessing what names any given group of kids will have.
Considering the popularity of various Narnia movies and books post-2000, modern children named Peter and Susan shouldn’t be surprising at all.
Any fan of William Faulkner would laugh at the idea that “Emily” *must* be a modern, 21st-century girl’s name. And anyone familiar with World War Two and its aftermath would recognize the name “Hannah.” (As would any fan of Woody Allen movies, for that matter. Many of those names you call “modern” aren’t modern at all. And I won’t insult anyone’s intelligence by pointing out the best-known Noah in Western literature.)