One of the first things a lot of us do when we find out we’re going to have a baby is start thinking of names. Some of us (a-hem, no names) get so excited we plan years ahead of the fact because we have so many ideas. But it is a simple fact of life that no matter how thoughtfully we approach this important task, there will come a time when the names we choose become dated.
My name for example, Jamie, reached a zenith of popularity among baby girls between the 1970s and 1980s before gradually falling to its current popularity ranking of #782. So if you heard of someone named “Jamie,” you’re probably already thinking of a woman in her 30s or 40s. Just like how you probably imagine a Linda or Karen in their 50s or 60s. But while the names change, the vibes we’re going for often don’t, and TikTok creator and baby name enthusiast Carly (@mamadottiemarie) has the greatest theories about how ’90s baby names sync up to the energy of popular baby names today.
“This is what my ’90s-baby/Millennial mom brain thinks of when I hear these top baby girl names,” she begins. “These are the same vibes to me…”
With the caveat of vibes being incredibly subjective…
Here’s what she got right…
Mia = Amy
No question. Most of the letters are the same even. All of the letters are the same if you spell Amy cReATiVeLY as “Ami.”
Amelia = Amanda
It’s that approachable but a little bit fancy energy that we love in a baby girl.
Nora = Nicole
Yes, they’re both N names, which goes a long way, but also they’re both hard to pin down in a great way. Like, if I said “Picture a girl named Amelia/Amanda,” you could probably do it. But if I said “Picture a girl Nora/Nicole,” you’d probably have a few different people come to mind and be like “They’re all kind of Nora/Nicole.” They’re hard to stereotype. It’s a good thing.
Harper = Lauren
These are both Popular Girl names. I don’t mean Popular Girl like Mean Girls popular (or, if you’re an ’80s babe: Heathers popular): I mean Harpers and Laurens are well-liked because they’re just nice.
Charlotte = Sarah
Seriously, if you have a baby named Charlotte now, if she’d been born in 1992 she 100% would have been Sarah. They’re both regal sounding (Sarah even means “princess”), classic, and pretty.
Ava = Ashley
Whether you named your baby Ava in the last decade or Ashley in the ’90s, you were going for “classy and chic.” Our concepts of classy and chic change over time, and so Ava is the natural heir of Ashley.
So(ph)/(f)ia = Stephanie
Honestly I don’t know what to say about this one except “Yes. Obviously.” Please do not ask me to elaborate further. I won’t do it.
Emma = Emily
Again: duh. We can’t explain this because we don’t have to.
Here’s what she got wrong (IMHO)…
Evelyn = Elizabeth
Nope. Similar energy, sure, but Elizabeth (currently ranked at #14 on the Social Security Administration’s website) is still Elizabeth. So then, you might ask, what is the ’90s equivalent of Evelyn? It’s Hannah.
Penelope = Samantha
Again, I get this one, but Penelope is nowhere near as popular as Samantha was. The modern-day version of Samantha is hands down Eleanor.
Sutton = Brittany
Carly talks about the fact that these names are disparately popular, but it’s important to note just how much more popular one was over the other —Sutton was given to fewer than 1,500 girls last year; Brittany was given to nearly 37,000 in 1990. So the modern day Brittany has to be much more popular and, honestly, peppier. I’m calling it: Camila = Brittany.
Scarlett = Jessica
Definitely not. Jessica is the modern-day equivalent of something like Isabella: profoundly popular for years and years to the point that it will come to define a generation. Scarlett — and I say this as someone who really loves the name Scarlett — is a name you pick when you want something unique but don’t realize how popular it is. And if you find out, who cares: it’s still giving sassy, romantic, independent vibes. As such, Scarlett = Alexis
Here’s what she missed…
Carly touched on all but a few of the 20 most popular girls’ names in the U.S. Some of the ones she didn’t I covered above, but there’s still a few we need to address, so allow me to pick up that slack…
Luna = Madison
When my little cousin was first named Madison (fun fact: after a drag queen) this was the most unique, creative, pretty name any of us had ever heard… and then 900,000,000 other girls were named Madison in the next decade. Luna — another really beautiful name — is going to be like that as well, I suspect.
Violet = Danielle
Quietly luxurious without being snooty, these names both have an air of aloof grace and intelligence.
Hazel = Rachel
Homey without being plain, these simple names deliver the vibe of a cool girl who isn’t trying to be a cool girl.
Lily = Courtney
I imagine both Lilys and Courtneys as being just a little bit particular, and we stan a discerning queen, whether she was born in 2023 or 1993.
Overall, I think this exercise proves that while the times change the vibes stay the same…
