What’s in a name?

The state of society, and the state of Christianity. How’s that for starters?

Much is told, through appellations.

There was a time not so long ago when names such as James, Robert, John, Michael, Joseph, Mary, and Elizabeth were at the top of the list. In fact the U.S. Social Security Administration lists them as in the top ten from 1921 to 2020 — over the course of the past century.

Mary was number one.

You can view the lists below.

But it’s just that: past.

A list of most popular names for 2021 has Mary, Joseph, and Michael nowhere to be found.

Biblical names, at least from the New Testament, are largely out (but for James).

Most popular names in 2021?

Olivia, Liam.

The “top ten” for boys: Liam, Noah, Oliver, Elijah, Lucas, Levi, Mason, Asher, James, and Ethan.

For girls: Olivia, Emma, Amelia, Ava, Sophia, Charlotte, Isabella, Mia, Luna, and Harper.

Now, don’t get us wrong: these are beautiful, engaging names. And who can argue with Noah, Elijah? But from there it goes to unfamiliar terrain. (In Canada, it’s much the same.)

“This year’s fastest-rising baby girl names were Raya (up 53 percent), Alora (up 32 percent) and Ariya (up 27 percent); while Onyx (up 44 percent), Koda (up 38 percent), and Finnegan (up 35 percent) saw the biggest jumps on the boys’ side,” says the Baby Center.

“Gender-neutral and unisex baby names (Finley, Tatum), along with names inspired by nature (Willow, Ivy, Sage) and pop culture (Daphne, Chadwick) were some of this year’s biggest baby name trends. We also saw a spike in baby names that channel strength, optimism, and resilience – a testament to being born in the middle of a pandemic, we suspect.”