Any of us with any political savvy what so ever should not be surprised when President Elect
Barack Obama leaves greatly significant mark on the tapestry of American history and politics.
So after watching the eye's 100's of Americans listening to Obama's acceptance speech fill with tears it shouldn't really be a surprise to us either that the 'family man' has also sparked a baby naming trend.
In the last couple of months the names
Barack, Michelle, Malia, Sacha and
Obama have becoming widely used throughout not only America but Kenya too. At a single hospital in Kenya in the 3 days following the election, 23 boys were given the first and middle names Barack Obama and 20 girls were named Michelle Obama.
Believe it or not Obama is not the first president that has unintentionally had an impact on the baby naming spectrum. Names that experienced an increase in popularity as a result of American President's include;
Franklin - Moved from 147 on the most popular baby names ranking to number 33 during Franklin Roosevelt's presidency.
Dwight - Became popular in the 1950's under Dwight Eisenhower's rule.
Lyndon - was given to many new baby's during the terms of Lyndon Johnson in the 1960's.
Theodore - hit its peak in the first decade of the 20th century as a result of much loved Theodore Roosevelt.
Lincoln - has been revived a number of times in honour of the 13th American President Abraham Lincoln.
Kennedy - jumped to popularity in the 1990's thanks to much loved JFK.
And the presidential name trend isn't just for boys! Many presidents have impacted on the popularity of girls names too.
Reagan- The Reagan trend for girls started in the 1990s in light of the election of Ronald Reagan.
Madison - By far the most popular, Madison is from president James Madison and broke into the top 10 for girls and peaked at No. 2.
The popularity of presidents can also effect the ranking of their associated names.
Hoover - No. 367 for boys’ names in 1928, the year Herbert Hoover was elected the 31st president. Then the Great Depression started and it dropped to No. 945 in 1931.
Clinton - Clinton, a top 200 baby name for boys in the 1970s and 1980s, still ranked No. 211 in 1992. By 1999, the year after the Monica Lewinsky scandal broke, it had sunk to No. 664.
And don't be fooled into thinking that President inspired names are always popular.
Georgebush was given to the son of devoted republicans Doris and Daniel Neeway earlier this year.
So why not name you little boy
Barack or
Obama, or your little girl
Michelle? I can't think of a good enough reason why not? There is nothing more beautiful than a story behind a name - it makes them even more appealing and whats more appealing than
"The man your named after inspired an entire nation and people" - Whatever presidential name your choose. :)
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