[ad_1]
– Last year, Corona might have been a good name, but it’s hardly a name Norwegian parents will choose this year, says name researcher Ivar Utne from the University of Bergen.
Every year, guess which names are the most popular when new parents choose a name for the child. Major social events are among the things that can affect naming trends.
There are several girls all over the world who are called Corona today, including in Sweden and the Netherlands. The name comes from a catholic saint from around AD 100 in Syria, and the meaning is flower crown or crown.
– After the war, many Norwegian children were named Fred. Most of the people named Fred today were born in 1945 and 1946, says Utne.
If the pandemic affected names today, it would have to be a name that expresses joy, a positive value that ignites in hope and light, in contrast to everything that happens, he believes.
– Then you could choose Hope in Norwegian. But I haven’t seen any sign of this.
120 years ago
Several things come into play when parents choose new names. A lot of attention in the media alone is not enough to strike a chord with parents. The name should also fit in with other trends of the time. Then the names really catch on, as you saw with Nora and William on the TV series “Shame.”
According to Utne, searching through old names is one of the strongest trends today. And not just in Norway: parents in other parts of Europe and the United States look for names for their children in the same way.
– Many names that come up may be names that were popular in the 20th century, between 100 and 120 years ago. The ones that were at the top of the top list at the time are still a bit worn, but many look down on the top 50 list, he says.
The names of the 50s and 60s like Jan, Per, Geir, Terje and Kjell, or Bente, Toril, Tove, Wenche and Anita, which were obtained by today’s grandparents, are completely out now.
German origin
The ancient Norwegian naming traditions, the names of royal sagas, and biblical history are important sources of inspiration. It may be a name that hasn’t been in common use for over three hundred years, but at the same time it should still feel a bit familiar. It can’t be too special, according to the name day.
On the boys side, it is filled with names of boys from the biblical story. Today we have Jacob, Lucas, Felipe and Noah. A few years ago we had Markus and Matias. While Samuel and Isaac are on their way, along with Elijah, who is already widely used. Among the girls we have Sara and Maria as biblical names, and perhaps also Ada, who at the same time has an ancient German origin that is also a growing trend.
The researcher believes that another good example of Biblical names is Leah. The name, which was already climbing the top list, gained additional momentum when Leah Isadora was born into the royal family. Furthermore, the name also has the vowel sound that people like so much right now.
– There are two vowels and almost no consonants, because the h at the end is not pronounced, he says.
Happy in the voice
We still use fewer consonants, many vowels, and often two vowels next to each other. Furthermore, the letters L and M are also very popular. These letters are included in many of the most popular names. From the 2019 list, we have boy names like Lukas, Filip, Oliver, Emil, William, Aksel, Liam, Magnus, and Mateo. Among the girls Ella, Olivia, Leah, Emilie, Amalie, Vilde, Alma, Tiril, Emma, Maja and Mia.
– These lyrics have become very popular in the 2000s. They have such great tuned and tonal sounds. Parents like it now and it puts a strong mark on the naming convention.
Ivar Utne emphasizes that one must look at the names over a period of ten years to clearly see the big changes. The top ten list from one year to the next is confusingly similar.
