I Knew This Didn't Make Sense
You may have become acquainted a few months ago with the Social Security Administration's list of top baby names. There's a ton of stuff you can do with it, from looking at the top 1000 names of 2004 or seeing how your name's popularity has trended over the past hundred years.
You can also look at the results from 1980, when girls had normal names like Jennifer and Amanda and not shit like Madison. Madison! Seriously, click the link: it is now the #3 girls' name, behind only Emily and Emma.
Unfortunately, in the halls of reasoned discussion calling Madison a stupid girl's name is tough to do without proof. I was prepared, mind you, to do so anyway without proof, but fortunately I don't have the need. Here's a choice remark from the Wikipedia entry on the 1984 movie Splash (yeah, the one about the mermaid):
The film is credited with popularizing the name "Madison" for girls. In the film, Daryl Hannah's character takes her name from Madison Avenue after walking past a road sign. Hanks' character comments that it is not a real name as, at the time, it was a rather unusual name for a woman. However, in the years since the film was released in theatres and re-released on VHS and then DVD, the name's popularity has skyrocketed.
Memo to the parents out there naming their daughters Madison: You are all idiots. (Parents especially fond of the Federalist Papers excepted.)
P.S. Yeah, I'm using Wikipedia as a source. Stop complaining and read it yourself.
Comments
What kind of brother insults his sister's favorite girl's name. Madison (and the nickname Maddy) are totally awesome, and you are so not cool for not realizing this. If the name wasn't so popular, we would have named our yet to be born first daughter Madison. Since it's now so hip though we've moved on to names like Avery and Ava. Or at least I have. You should read Freakonomics, the last chapter is on names, and I am using that book as my support for these names.
Posted by: Laura | June 8, 2005 4:48 PM