January 29, 2021

Hello, my "today name" is Addison.

In the comments to the previous post — which is about naming schools — I was just wondering: "Hey, what about all the little girls who've been named Madison in the last couple decades when it's been one of the most popular names? It's like calling your baby Slaveowner? What were you thinking?!!" 

Here's a place where you can type in your name and year of birth and find out what your name you would have today if you were given the name that is as popular now as your name was the year you were born. I get to be Addison. Not Madison. Screw that guy, lop off the M, and there you have it: Addison. There once was a girl named Addison/Who happened to live in Madison....

Actually, Madison seems to have become a girl's name as a consequence of a joke in the 1984 movie "Splash!" The mermaid-turned-human character suddenly needs a name for herself, looks up at the nearest street sign — this is in NYC — and says "Madison." Check the name calculator I linked to and you'll see. It's not a girl's name at all in 1983, appears for the first time in in 1984, and climbs year by year after that. 


Bonus fact: Mitch McConnell's full name is Addison Mitchell McConnell Jr.

56 comments:

Chris of Rights said...

The origin of the name "Wendy" is from Peter Pan.

Marcus Bressler said...

Imagine being named "Hillary" or "Karen", for that matter.

THEOLDMAN

Or "Dick".

tim in vermont said...

Call me Ishmael.

stevew said...

Joseph. Biblical. Another saint name. So I've got that going for me, which is nice.

tim maguire said...

Alexander. 11th most popular.

David Begley said...

Ann:

You’ve opened the door with the first two lines of a proposed limerick. Start composing Althousians!

tim maguire said...

Marcus said...Imagine being named "Hillary" or "Karen", for that matter...Or "Dick".

Richard is a family name. My father and oldest brother both go by (went by, in my father's case) Dick even though Richard offers other options. You'd be surprised at how little significance that seemingly obvious association actually has in daily use.

That said, my nephew, Richard III, goes by Trip.

Temujin said...

I just put in 'Temujin' and stumped the machine. Racists.

I win.

Laslo Spatula said...

Less than five girls in 2019 named "Peg".

Word gets around.

I am Laslo.

The Crack Emcee said...

"It's like calling your baby Slaveowner?"

I never thought of doing that - but I LIKE it.

Fernandinande said...

Nobody is named "Mermaid". I checked.

Curious George said...

"I get to be Addison. Not Madison. Screw that guy, lop off the M, and there you have it: Addison. "

You forgot the additional D.

"Actually, Madison seems to have become a girl's name as a consequence of a joke in the 1984 movie "Splash!" The mermaid-turned-human character suddenly needs a name for herself, looks up at the nearest street sign — this is in NYC — and says "Madison."

In the movie Zombieland, all the main characters take the names of the cities they're from. Columbus, Tallahassee, Wichita, and Little Rock. In the sequel "Zombieland: Double Tap" there is a character from Madison, named Madison.

Curious George said...

"I get to be Addison. Not Madison. Screw that guy, lop off the M, and there you have it: Addison. "

A lot of Addisons in Chicago. And Clarks. For kids names. And pets.

Why? Cubs. Wrigley Field is at the intersection of Clark and Addison.

Mikey NTH said...

Perhaps it would be easier to just give people numbers? Or maybe pictographs such as Prince used?

Curious George said...

"Bonus fact: Mitch McConnell's full name is Addison Mitchell McConnell Jr."

Bonus bonus fact: Arizona Diamondback pitcher Madison Bumgarner went to prom with a girl named Madison Bumgarner.

Beat that!

Josephbleau said...

There once was a girl named Addison/Who happened to live in Madison / She tried to survive / In that progressive hive/ And succeeded by keeping her pantyson.

gilbar said...

Imagine being named "Hillary" or "Karen",

my best friend's mom is Named Karen.
The whole "Karen" thing makes her Very unhappy. She Constantly complains about the whole "Karen" thing, and demands to see people's managers about it

Darkisland said...

In Puerto Rico we have a baseball stadium named after a convicted drug smuggler.

OTOH, he was smuggling weed which is now legal in PR so maybe give him a pass?

I also do not want to diss Cepeda. Great baseball player, in 17 Baseball halls of fame really nice guy apparently.

Just dissing naming govt financed stadiums after people, especially living people.

John Henry

Deb said...

My husband's name was 492nd in popularity in 1949. I'm surprised it even registered.

Leland said...

Actually, Madison seems to have become a girl's name as a consequence of a joke in the 1984 movie "Splash!"

Um...
From Madde, a medieval girls' name short for Madeleine or Maud.

Anyway, it reminds me of Maddie Hayes and David Addison.

gspencer said...

Mid-1980s, NYC - well, more realistically that mermaid could have had the name Crack Whore.

rehajm said...

I recall a Caitlin spike in the early 90s. Grade schools had five Caitlins per classroom. It was a bit of a problem...

Curious George said...

LeBron James name would be Blaise James.

Jake from State Farm would be Brandon from State Farm.

tim maguire said...

My daughter's today name is Cameryn, which shouldn't count because it's just a dumb spelling of a much less rare name.

Curious George said...

Barack Obama would just be Obama.

narciso said...

Like bruce willis in moonlighting?

tcrosse said...

My today name would be Xavier. Does one pronounce it Zavier or Ex-avier or Hah-vi-ay? I'll stick with my porn name.

ceowens said...

Just call me Maximilanio.

daskol said...

Good thing they weren't on 5th avenue.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Sophia. Would be my name today.

? Ok I guess.

Joe Smith said...

Maybe the worst resolution I've ever seen on a Youtube clip.

Now I know what Stevie Wonder sees when he watches a movie.

Meade said...

My today name is Li’l Meade.

rehajm said...

Good thing they weren't on 5th Avenue

149th Street...If you happen to tune in to the LPGA one name on the leaderboard might be Lee6. Seems the Korean LPGA has so many of them they are numbered in the player registry. This one stuck.

Meade said...

My tomorrow name will be Li’l Meadie Wonder.

CStanley said...

We named our female cat “Madison” after the movie character.

Curious George said...

"Li’l Meade said...
My tomorrow name will be Li’l Meadie Wonder."

Reminds me of Little Jerry Seinfeld.

rcocean said...

All about Eve's Addison De Witt. The Spectator with Addison and Steele. Any others? Nope.

I was shocked when a young woman at my Company had the first name "Ryan" as in "Ryan O'Neill". when did that become acceptable? And then there's "Ashely" a man's name till mothers decided to name their daughters after him.

rcocean said...

the English used to have men's names that American thought were feminine. Like Evelyn and Robin. i wonder if they've stopped or kept on naming their boys after a cute bird.

rcocean said...

I wanted to name our daughter Kumquat - but I lost that one. My wife said everyone would call her "Kum".

LA_Bob said...

Leland beat me to it. I'm a bit surprised they didn't name the Cybil Shepard character "Madison Hayes". Too soon after "Splash", maybe? I wonder if it was even discussed.

mikee said...

My son's middle name is Matthew, Hebrew for "Gift from God." Yes, he was a surprise. Yes, he figured that out in his teen years. Yes, he got over it, when told that although his conception was a surprise, his birth was not.

My redneck older brother thinks this middle name references Matthews, NC, the town in which we grew up.

What a funny old world it would be were we all the same.

Baffled in Buffalo said...

Speaking of "Madison" as female name and movies, there's an exchange in "Juno", the 2007 indy film about a pregnant teenager, wherein the guy from the couple who have agreed to adopt the child mentions to Juno, the teenager, that the name "Madison" if it's a girl has been proposed; and Juno says isn't that "a little gay"? E. Page, who played Juno, has said sorry, sorry in interviews.


DanTheMan said...

Hmmmm.... LoganTheMan just doesn't have the same ring to it...

Two-eyed Jack said...

It turns out my "today name" is Messiah.

I wonder how many Messiahs will there be in 2081.

Too many or not enough?

Clyde said...

My name was #204 the year I was born. My results:
2019: Patrick
2018: Mark
2017: Kaden
2010s: Zayden
2000s: Roberto
1990s: Trenton
1980s: Dominic
1970s: Angel
1960s: Mario
1950s: Maurice
1940s: Ben
1930s: Wendell
1920s: Ted
1910s: Mark
1900s: Moses
1890s: Fredrick
1880s: Dock

Some people call me Maurice...

tim in vermont said...

Here is my submission for the “Cringies” award. I know I have a lot of competition from press this year and it’s going to be tough, but here goes.

It’s said a grown girl, eke name Addison
Doth blog her redoubt, name of Maddison
The sum of her labors
A few pissed off neighbors
And espousal of Indiana’s gladdest son.

Meade said...

“Indiana’s gladdest son.”

LOL. That might be my day after tomorrow name.

gbarto said...

Kellen? What the hell is Kellen? Maybe if my father had written Catch-22...

Steven said...

Leland, are you under the impression that those baby name sites are other than totally full of nonsense?

RigelDog said...

My cousin had a baby girl last year and named her Addison. None of my business but it irks me a little that they named a girl "Adam's son". Why??

Our daughter and her husband may be trying for a baby soon---if it's a girl there are so many lovely names. She's partial to Annabel and Evelyn right now. If I'd had another chance to name a girl, I'd chose Anthea---haven't sold her on that one yet.

Two-eyed Jack said...

I looked up my future names:

2022: Addison
2023: Baddison
2024: Marco
2025: McGee
2026: Lorenzo
2027: Albert
2028: Muhammed
2029: Sushi
2030: Norbert
2021: Herbert
2032: Dogobert
2033: Tree
2034: Bobby
2035: Robby
2036: Schnitzelbank
2037: Rover
2038: B'Free

tim in vermont said...

I really thought I had rhymed myself into a corner that time.

Meade said...

Yes,welll, whatever you do, just don’t name all your babies “Dave.” I think we all know what happened to Mrs. McCave. And now it’s too late.

Two-eyed Jack said...

Meade,

Everyone should be familiar with the great Jim Copp and Ed Brown:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxWwPBjWesA

Bart Hall said...

When my mother was named Beverly in 1918 it was predominantly a man's name.

David A. Carlson said...

Wait, I thought his real name was Cocaine Mitch